Moments that could have changed BFC forever

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:21 am

A book was published last month entitled - 'Moments that could have changed football forever'.

Transfer that specifically to Burnley Football Club. The obvious one is Orient in 1987, but what would you include if such a book was written?

Rick_Muller · Post by **Rick_Muller** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:23 am

Losing to Spurs in the semi final. I truly believe that gave the team the impetus to drive on to win promotion at Wembley

GodIsADeeJay81 · Post by **GodIsADeeJay81** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:23 am

Missing out on that first promotion under Coyle.

TheFamilyCat · Post by **TheFamilyCat** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:26 am

The Plymouth game. I doubt Stan would have come to us in the bottom division. Who knows where we would have ended up.

Christmas 2001. The postponement at Rotherham and pumping at Man City (where I think we were knocked of the top) completely derailled our season.

lakedistrictclaret · Post by **lakedistrictclaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:26 am

The 2009 play-off final.
If we'd lost that, we may never have reached the PL, and could conceivably have started a downward spiral.
As it is, next season will be our ninth Premier League seasin out of fifteen.

Rowls · Post by **Rowls** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:26 am

Beating Plymouth in 1998 was very much mini-Orient situation. We were a whisker away from dropping back into the 4th.

Winstonswhite · Post by **Winstonswhite** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:27 am

Same really- VAR at Wembley 09

claretonthecoast1882 · Post by **claretonthecoast1882** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:28 am

Potting Cotterill, had we stuck with him we would never have hired Coyle and apparently where we are now is down to him mainly

jedi_master · Post by **jedi_master** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:32 am

Beating Newcastle on the last game 21/22.

I still think Kompany would have arrived because he said something like "We knew if we had stayed up we would be working with Popey" when we sold him last stummer so it sort of feels like it was happening regardless. However - would it have gone as well? This league is far tougher, it's harder to bring players in as we are now finding, and some of our ability to trade would have been lost you'd think as perhaps Pope, McNeil, Mee, Collins etc would have stuck around. Would the style of football been as easy to implement without such a shift in playing staff?

Suratclaret · Post by **Suratclaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:33 am

Not a game but the moment Gawthorpe was created as the clubs training ground.

Chester Perry · Post by **Chester Perry** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:39 am

There were decisions in the 1880's that changed us significantly
- the decision to play football rather than rugby,
- dropping 'Rovers' from the name
- being one of the primary agitators in the northern club's wanting to breakaway from the FA, that eventually led to the formation of the Football League

A little later
- (1910) the decision to play in claret and blue
the signing of Boyle and a few others that led to the FA Cup win and eventually the League win

Then Bob Lord joining the board, buying home farm and starting a footballing revolution with training grounds and developing players to sell

The Orient game obviously, but the rekindled hope, pride and joy that Jimmy Mullen brought, resuscitated by Barry Kilby and new board members putting money into the club and that eventual day at Wembley.

Though it can be reasonably argued that no one has changed the club more in the current century than Sean Dyche

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:42 am

Changing to Claret and Blue, definitely. "Come on you [insert colour here] wouldn't sound the same.

Signing Jimmy McIlroy.

colner · Post by **colner** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:43 am

Selling the club lock stock and barrel to Ray Ingleby would have been disastrous,did anyone ever see the claret and blue plane he was supposed to have? No i thought not

Devils_Advocate · Post by **Devils_Advocate** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:45 am

Jon Walters not suffering all his unlucky injury problems with Burnley. Had he stayed fit then he would have gone on to be one of our greatest players of all time and almost certainly have led us to a Champions League position, an FA Cup win or two and we may have even done a Leicester and won the league.

RammyClaret61 · Post by **RammyClaret61** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:47 am

Norman Hunters “tackle” on Frank Casper.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:50 am

RammyClaret61 wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:47 am
Norman Hunters “tackle” on Frank Casper.

I can tell you there are some who were on the pitch that day who would agree with you entirely.

Funkydrummer · Post by **Funkydrummer** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:55 am

The ITV digital fiasco.

The Mr White proposed investment !!!

andyh · Post by **andyh** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:58 am

Gazza’s late free kick against Coventry.

Chester Perry · Post by **Chester Perry** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:03 am

colner wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:43 am
Selling the club lock stock and barrel to Ray Ingleby would have been disastrous,did anyone ever see the claret and blue plane he was supposed to have? No i thought not

there were pictures of it at the time - but I cannot find them now

Incidentally Ingleby sold his last 100 shares to ALK/VSL last March (the cash and club credit offer to small shareholders)

thehistorylecturer62 · Post by **thehistorylecturer62** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:35 am

One of the lads wandering across the bridge on Holme Road back in the early 1880s saying ‘tell you what lads let’s kick it instead of carrying it - like those association rules types I saw up at Turf Moor back in the 1870s , seems a better game to me ‘

aggi · Post by **aggi** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:35 am

Not sacking Cotterill. It was getting less and less sustainable (seem to remember wages were higher than revenue) and we'd have ended up in administration and relegated within a year or two. Easy to think if that had happened we'd have spent the time since bouncing around League One and occasional tilts at the Championship rather than most of the time in the Premier League.

Dark Cloud · Post by **Dark Cloud** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:36 am

Mike Dean deciding not to award Sheffield Utd a (pretty much stonewall) penalty!

enduroclaret · Post by **enduroclaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:39 am

Getting stuffed at Sheffield United last season. Reality check, we never really looked back after that and it turned into a very memorable, successful and entertaining season.

steve1264b · Post by **steve1264b** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:42 am

Bob Lord in creating a modern club and slowing watching his creation die

redwasp · Post by **redwasp** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:51 am

Going back to Chester's post, We won the cup in '14 and the league in '20 I often wonder what that team might have achieved if it were not for the war.

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:00 am

The mercurial Jimmy Greaves signing for Spurs.

Hard to believe that in 1975 we were in with a very good chance of winning the First division title. We were at the top of our game when Liverpool.were visiting. Totally outplayed them in the first half but only had a Ray Hankin goal to show for it. Went into our shell.in the second half and McDermott deservedly equalised for them. Had we been able to hang on then the possibility of silverware was definetly on. We fell.apart after that game though. I know CT has alluded to this period in the past saying that fitness and numbers became the issue but I didn't think so at h/t of the Liverpool game.

If a very dubious penalty hadn't been awarded against Alex Elder 6th round FA Cup in 1960

If only Gordon Harris? hadn't hit the post v Chelsea in April 61.

If only they didn't have squared off posts in Germany in 1961.

bfcjg · Post by **bfcjg** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:01 am

If the directors had of fallen for Shackletons " I'll press the button and a million pounds will be transferred " absolute bullshit.

Claret Till I Die · Post by **Claret Till I Die** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:03 am

31st January 1967

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:09 am

Claret Till I Die wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:03 am
31st January 1967

I don’t even need to look it up CTID

lakedistrictclaret · Post by **lakedistrictclaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:11 am

ClaretTony wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:09 am
I don’t even need to look it up CTID

Neither do I
I've never forgiven that Everton *******.

BurnleyPaul · Post by **BurnleyPaul** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:15 am

Not appointing John Bond…

We definitely wouldn’t have had to endure the managerial decisions that followed him. We wouldn’t have signed some of the players we did.

Tricky Trevor · Post by **Tricky Trevor** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:19 am

Throwing away a 3-0 lead to the horse fiddlers, Alex Elder handball or not.
It was our Champions year, ‘59-‘60 and we would still have been on for the double.
In our 11 remaining league games we only lost 2.
To be fair there would have been a semi to win and the mighty Wolves in the final.

Tricky Trevor · Post by **Tricky Trevor** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:19 am

Claret Till I Die wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:03 am
31st January 1967

Tragic. Morrissey was a little sh1t.

Claret Till I Die · Post by **Claret Till I Die** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:21 am

lakedistrictclaret wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:11 am
Neither do I
I've never forgiven that Everton *******.

You & me both. I once spent 45 minutes on the longside shouting abuse at his son when he was at Tranmere...

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:24 am

Besides Morrissey, I’m told their manager Harry Catterick hardly covered himself in glory.

4:20 · Post by **4:20** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:02 pm

Gordon Clayton's sudden death from a heart attack at the age of 55 in September 1991. An event that greatly influenced Frank Casper's timely resignation as manager. A little morbid of an example, I believe that it was a major factor in what followed. One could argue that Casper would've gone regardless but that exact moment in time for Frank was pivotal in Mullen's beginning.

NottsClaret · Post by **NottsClaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:07 pm

Dark Cloud wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:36 am
Mike Dean deciding not to award Sheffield Utd a (pretty much stonewall) penalty!

Other than if Orient had equalised in ‘87, that’s the one I thought of. They had a couple of decent shouts despite us clearly being the better side. If we’d lost that, the last 15 years - as close to a golden era as a small club like ours can have these days - would never have happened.

clansman · Post by **clansman** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:10 pm

The clear foul on Adam Blacklaw in the 62 cup final! If given I think we would have gone on to win

Andreshotboots · Post by **Andreshotboots** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:11 pm

Jordan Rhodes scoring to put the horse fiddler's 2 up instead of hitting the post when clean through. The rest is history as they say..

Herts Clarets · Post by **Herts Clarets** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:23 pm

Barry Kilby saying thanks for the offer to join the board, but i am too busy running my business to get involved in running the club too.

Martin Paterson ignoring my screams of "don't f****ng shoot from there" at Reading in 2009....

Hipper · Post by **Hipper** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:38 pm

BurnleyPaul wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:15 am
Not appointing John Bond…

We definitely wouldn’t have had to endure the managerial decisions that followed him. We wouldn’t have signed some of the players we did.

I'd disagree with that, but add 'Kevin Reeves remaining fit for the rest of the season'.

1974 - some would say the sale of Martin Dobson - I say the sale of Geoff Nulty - I didn't see the necessity for that.

Claret · Post by **Claret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:55 pm

The FA allowing Newcastle to replay their quarter final in 1974

bigdavethemaddog · Post by **bigdavethemaddog** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:59 pm

TheFamilyCat wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:26 am
The Plymouth game. I doubt Stan would have come to us in the bottom division. Who knows where we would have ended up.

Christmas 2001. The postponement at Rotherham and pumping at Man City (where I think we were knocked of the top) completely derailled our season.

didnt he resign half way through his first season after back to back home stuffings against Gillingham and City? If the board had accepted it then could have been a much different story

Sozturf7 · Post by **Sozturf7** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:02 pm

What a great post this is. Some truly "sliding door moments" for our club.

groove · Post by **groove** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:09 pm

Not strengthening the team after the 1981/82 Division 3 title winning season. Vince Overson being injured in the 82/83 season.

claret2018 · Post by **claret2018** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:23 pm

Rick_Muller wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 9:23 am
Losing to Spurs in the semi final. I truly believe that gave the team the impetus to drive on to win promotion at Wembley

Absolutely this. The cup run - beating Chelsea and Arsenal, then the comeback in the second leg against Spurs before being cruelly knocked out gave the squad a massive belief in themselves.

As soon as we secured a play-off spot I was certain we were going up.

SlidingTackle · Post by **SlidingTackle** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:26 pm

https://www.efl.com/news/2016/january/f ... gue-clubs/

This. As a result it was no longer a level playing field in terms of finding and attracting players, and we could no longer compete with the 'big' clubs.

ŽižkovClaret · Post by **ŽižkovClaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:31 pm

bigdavethemaddog wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:59 pm
didnt he resign half way through his first season after back to back home stuffings against Gillingham and City? If the board had accepted it then could have been a much different story

I was on work experience at the club that week

ŽižkovClaret · Post by **ŽižkovClaret** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:32 pm

Paul Smith minding where he was going and not falling down that bloody manhole

TheFamilyCat · Post by **TheFamilyCat** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:35 pm

bigdavethemaddog wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:59 pm
didnt he resign half way through his first season after back to back home stuffings against Gillingham and City? If the board had accepted it then could have been a much different story

According to his book, he made an offer to BL to resign as he had not appointed him so not "his man". As you say, it's a good job Barry didn't accept it.