Barry Kilby

[CHEWBACCA]

Nice to see him today,pre match in the pub....
Proper fan . !

[Milltown1882]

Proper owner *

What a man

[ElectroClaret]

Proper club legend.

[Rowls]

True Claret.

Still grateful for what Barry did for Burnley FC.

[Dark Cloud]

I saw Barry riding the tube alone after a game at Spurs a couple of years back. I told the Tottenham fans next to me who he was and they were absolutely amazed. They admitted they wouldn't ever see any of their board members doing that, but then again, they said wouldn't recognise them even if they did. A great guy and proper fan.

[Jamesy]

Nice to see him today,pre match in the pub....
Proper fan . !

Did he look well? I hope so. Top man top Burnley fan.

[Burnley Ace]

Garlick flew in to Luton yesterday morning (someone said from Spain), went to the game and then flew back. It was still cheaper than the train!!

[bobinho]

Started the recovery proper for me.

Question is, what will his legacy be?

Barry Kilby, the Burnley chairman who set us on our way back to the big time?

Or Barry Kilby, the man who saved men’s lives through this drive and determination to get us all checked for prostate cancer?

Either would be fitting I think.

Top man BK.

[Inchy]

Garlick flew in to Luton yesterday morning (someone said from Spain), went to the game and then flew back. It was still cheaper than the train!!

I imagine the train from Spain to London isn’t cheap

[Duffer_]

I imagine the train from Spain to London isn’t cheap

But much drier, given that the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane.

[ksrclaret]

Like all Burnley fans I'd imagine, I've got nothing but huge respect and gratitude for Barry Kilby.

I always remember when we first got promoted to the PL under Coyle and he was being interviewed on Radio Lancs. He was asked what was different about PL boardrooms before a game compared with Championship boardrooms, and his biggest complaint was that PL board members weren't as willing to sit and have a "butty and a chat" with him. Proper down to earth bloke.

[The Enclosure]

A lovely human being, a top man who always has time to have a chat.
Not sure if anything has been planned to recognise his huge contribution to our football club, but if anybody deserves recognition then it is Barry Kilby.

[matucana]

Started the recovery proper for me.

Question is, what will his legacy be?

Barry Kilby, the Burnley chairman who set us on our way back to the big time?

Or Barry Kilby, the man who saved men’s lives through this drive and determination to get us all checked for prostate cancer?

Either would be fitting I think.

Top man BK.

Both are very fitting legacies. He remained approachable, stoic and committed during his illness and his model for prostate cancer detection for a fiver was rolled out and copied in other organizations. Is still very much approachable and is always keen to enter into clarettalk.

[BedfordsDad]

"Legend" used far too freely these days but Barry Kilby is the true embodiment of the word.
An absolute gentleman who used his personal resources to reestablish Burnley FC on a stable and secure footing.
He has given us so much to be thankful for.

[Colburn_Claret]

When they come to make a Hollywood movie on the Pheonix recovery of Burnley FC, then it should be based around Barry Kilby.
Open the movie with Black and White clips of the 60's, then cut to a young Barry on the Terraces at the Orient game.

He deserves every accolade he gets. Players, managers normally have a history of several clubs, different chapters to their lives, but Barry is Burnley, through and through, and for that we should be forever grateful.

[mikeS]

Coburn
Brilliant idea mate.

[midsummersday]

super ..super guy...played football alongside him at great harwood and travelled to burnley games home and away when we had a chance.
This was before his directorship. Usually sat together on our team bus going to away games and chatted about the clarets while surrounded by rovers
supporters.spent many hours with him on the longside and enjoyed every minute of his company.Also done a top class job for Burnley
THANKS BARRY..WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

[mdd2]

If anyone deserved a gong from Queenie Barry does
His charity work over prostate cancer AND I think the "charity" in regard to saving us after ITV Digital-didnt the consortium who bought the ground pay way over the odds to keep us afloat?
About time the sitting MP got off his arse, stood up and made it happen

[IanMcL]

Garlick flew in to Luton yesterday morning (someone said from Spain), went to the game and then flew back. It was still cheaper than the train!!

Credit to him for that.

I did that last season!
Ryanair mucked around with flights and I ended up flying home on Friday. Driving up for the football and back on Saturday. Resting Sunday. Flight back Monday morning.
No regrets! Up the Clarets.

[Burnley Ace]

When they come to make a Hollywood movie on the Pheonix recovery of Burnley FC, then it should be based around Barry Kilby.
Open the movie with Black and White clips of the 60's, then cut to a young Barry on the Terraces at the Orient game.

He deserves every accolade he gets. Players, managers normally have a history of several clubs, different chapters to their lives, but Barry is Burnley, through and through, and for that we should be forever grateful.

Frank Teasdale was Burnley through and through!!

[gandhisflipflop]

I was in the box earlier this season for the palace game when Barry passed through with his wife. The whole room gave him a round of applause. A legend.

[gc14]

Great to se him in the beer garden yesterday and shake his hand...

[CHEWBACCA]

Did he look well? I hope so. Top man top Burnley fan.

He did yes,had a chat with him.
I think he was with his two Sons,not sure.
Lovely down to earth bloke but we knew that already

[ClaretTony]

Did he look well? I hope so. Top man top Burnley fan.

I spoke to him around six months ago and I didn’t think he looked very well at all but I spoke to him very recently and he looked much, much better.

[Spike]

I imagine the train from Spain to London isn’t cheap

Was he on the bus replacement?

[Rodleydave]

He is currently very well, working 5 days a week, and working on a book that will take us right up to the selling of the club.

[Chester Perry]

I have been thinking about this since my last post on this thread was deleted

There is no doubt that Barry loves the club and did what he (and almost all Burnley fans) believed was right at the time for the club - he was what some/many view as the perfect type of owner of a football club - a benevolent benefactor (albeit one with pockets not as deep as he/many would have liked).

Yet with hindsight and a much wider understanding of football finances together with a wind change in what the consensus is on how to run football clubs well (or at least sustainably) we can look back and perhaps see a catalogue of traits that are now viewed as warning signs of great concern when seen at other clubs

- rights issues to fund player transfers and wages rather than operational growth (though that is how it was viewed at the time)
- consistent operational losses, even when achieving the supposed goal of Div 1/Championship football was meant to have eliminated the need
- selling off of club assets: Turf Moor and Gawthorpe etc
- new share issues and director/commercial loans almost every season to cover losses, we got used to living beyond our means
- speculating to accumulate again to get to the Premier League (we did for a season) and the view that would set us straight for at least a decade (it didn't we were borrowing record sums even with Parachute payments, only some of which was factoring to ease cash flow issues)

I have nothing against the him and am truly thankful for what he has done for us - particularly the hope that returned under his charge. Barry took responsibility for his misjudgements (particularly itv digital and the spending we had in anticipation of it's payments) and kept the club afloat - thereby taking care of staff and the numerous small and local suppliers that would have been deeply impacted by the administration route others chose for their clubs - an honourable and generous man, the kind that improves the world around them, as can be most noticeably seen with his work around the identification of prostate cancer

[ClaretTony]

I know Barry very well and I know how deeply he cares about our football club. He might be the club pessimist, by his own admission, but he never wants anything but the best for Burnley Football Club, just as his dad Roy did some years ago.

[Buxtonclaret]

He is currently very well, working 5 days a week, and working on a book that will take us right up to the selling of the club.

Looking forward to a read of that.

[FCBurnley]

He is currently very well, working 5 days a week, and working on a book that will take us right up to the selling of the club.

I will look forward to reading that. Hopefully no punches pulled

[martintheaker]

super ..super guy...played football alongside him at great harwood and travelled to burnley games home and away when we had a chance.
This was before his directorship. Usually sat together on our team bus going to away games and chatted about the clarets while surrounded by rovers
supporters.spent many hours with him on the longside and enjoyed every minute of his company.Also done a top class job for Burnley
THANKS BARRY..WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

He wasn’t half bad with a cricket bat in his hand as well.

[aggi]

I have been thinking about this since my last post on this thread was deleted

There is no doubt that Barry loves the club and did what he (and almost all Burnley fans) believed was right at the time for the club - he was what some/many view as the perfect type of owner of a football club - a benevolent benefactor (albeit one with pockets not as deep as he/many would have liked).

Yet with hindsight and a much wider understanding of football finances together with a wind change in what the consensus is on how to run football clubs well (or at least sustainably) we can look back and perhaps see a catalogue of traits that are now viewed as warning signs of great concern when seen at other clubs

- rights issues to fund player transfers and wages rather than operational growth (though that is how it was viewed at the time)
- consistent operational losses, even when achieving the supposed goal of Div 1/Championship football was meant to have eliminated the need
- selling off of club assets: Turf Moor and Gawthorpe etc
- new share issues and director/commercial loans almost every season to cover losses, we got used to living beyond our means
- speculating to accumulate again to get to the Premier League (we did for a season) and the view that would set us straight for at least a decade (it didn't we were borrowing record sums even with Parachute payments, only some of which was factoring to ease cash flow issues)

I have nothing against the him and am truly thankful for what he has done for us - particularly the hope that returned under his charge. Barry took responsibility for his misjudgements (particularly itv digital and the spending we had in anticipation of it's payments) and kept the club afloat - thereby taking care of staff and the numerous small and local suppliers that would have been deeply impacted by the administration route others chose for their clubs - an honourable and generous man, the kind that improves the world around them, as can be most noticeably seen with his work around the identification of prostate cancer

It's a very difficult one to call in hindsight as the gambles did pay off. We got into the Premier League and that set us up for where we are now. Let's be honest, the majority then (as now) were calling for more investment, more players, etc. Personally I wasn't keen on it then, Gretna were a salutary lesson around that time of how it can go wrong, but my view has mellowed since.

The trouble is if you're up against a load of clubs who do the above then where are you going to get playing it sensibly?

We'd undoubtedly stagnated under Cotterill but we were barely keeping our heads above water. We were spending increasing amounts to maintain a lower half of the Championship spot. Maybe a new manager earlier, and a tightening of the purse strings, would have got us back in the red whilst maintaining our position in the Champions but would that have been viable in the long term?

Undoubtedly what Barry Kilby did paid off and it's left us in the best position, both financially and football wise, for the last fifty years or so.

[ClaretTony]

I don't think Barry will mind me telling this story but his family lived in Clayton and when his dad Roy was at school he wanted to start watching football but his dad, Barry's granddad, wasn't into football. However, being a good dad he said he would take Roy to football the following Saturday. Burnley were at home that day, thank goodness it wasn't the other way round.

[FCBurnley]

I don't think Barry will mind me telling this story but his family lived in Clayton and when his dad Roy was at school he wanted to start watching football but his dad, Barry's granddad, wasn't into football. However, being a good dad he said he would take Roy to football the following Saturday. Burnley were at home that day, thank goodness it wasn't the other way round.

Wasn’t Charlie Kilby on the board at Accrington when they went out of the league ?

[ClaretTony]

Wasn’t Charlie Kilby on the board at Accrington when they went out of the league ?

No interest in football Barry told me

[FCBurnley]

I think you will find Charlie was indeed on the board at Accrington. He certainly was in 54/55 season but I am not sure when he started his interest in Football. I guess when Roy was at school that would be pre war. My dad was born in 1920 so I would guess Barry’s dad was born around the same time. Maybe Roys love for the Clarets was the catalyst for Charlie’s interest in Football. Both Charlie and Roy were great characters

[ClaretTony]

I think you will find Charlie was indeed on the board at Accrington. He certainly was in 54/55 season but I am not sure when he started his interest in Football. I guess when Roy was at school that would be pre war. My dad was born in 1920 so I would guess Barry’s dad was born around the same time. Maybe Roys love for the Clarets was the catalyst for Charlie’s interest in Football. Both Charlie and Roy were great characters

Barry said his granddad Charlie’s connection with Stanley was helping build the terracing behind the goals.

[Mondsley]

As a teenager I travelled to some away games with Brian Wren who was very friendly with Roy Kilby. I seem to remember going to one game in Roy's Jag! My son and I chatted to Barry in a pub in Thornton Heath before an away game at Wimbledon when they were using Selhurst Park for home games. Lovely man. He now sits in the box immediately behind me in the James Hargreaves stand. I don't understand just why he and Sylvia sit there and not in the Director's box.

[FCBurnley]

I’m sure it will all be covered in the book which should be an excellent read.

[ClaretTony]

As a teenager I travelled to some away games with Brian Wren who was very friendly with Roy Kilby. I seem to remember going to one game in Roy's Jag! My son and I chatted to Barry in a pub in Thornton Heath before an away game at Wimbledon when they were using Selhurst Park for home games. Lovely man. He now sits in the box immediately behind me in the James Hargreaves stand. I don't understand just why he and Sylvia sit there and not in the Director's box.

Brian Wren - always travelled with Roy Kilby and one or two others. Hugely committed Clarets at the time although Wrenny opted to stop in the 80s and never came back other than for one game. I think from that group, only Jack Fairburn remains and I see him occasionally in the Longside Upper but not for a while.

I don't think Barry & Sonya were particularly welcome in the directors box.

[Mondsley]

Brian Wren - always travelled with Roy Kilby and one or two others. Hugely committed Clarets at the time although Wrenny opted to stop in the 80s and never came back other than for one game. I think from that group, only Jack Fairburn remains and I see him occasionally in the Longside Upper but not for a while.

I don't think Barry & Sonya were particularly welcome in the directors box.

That last sentence is quite sad given Barry's dedication to the club over many years. For me he should have a seat in there for life.

[Chester Perry]

That last sentence is quite sad given Barry's dedication to the club over many years. For me he should have a seat in there for life.

Pace and co look somewhat distanced in there, almost like no one want to be associated with them

[Foreverly Claret]

Really nice , ordinary sort of guy. I remember some years ago I sponsored a pre match lunch for a dozen or so of our clients and whilst we were eating the match was postponed because of high winds and safety concerns in the JM upper .Barry came in and assured everybody that we could stay as long as we liked..the bar would stay open...and he spent a good twenty minutes chatting to us at our table...Tommy Cummings was with us too. About two o'clock a lady came over to our table ( I didn't know her but it turned out to be Barry's wife )...she singled me out and came over to whisper in my ear .Could I ask round very quietly to see if anyone wanted any pies ???!!! There were hundreds going begging and because they were already in the pie warmers they weren't supposed to give them away .Well how could we turn down an offer like that from BK's better half ?

[ClaretTony]

Really nice , ordinary sort of guy. I remember some years ago I sponsored a pre match lunch for a dozen or so of our clients and whilst we were eating the match was postponed because of high winds and safety concerns in the JM upper .Barry came in and assured everybody that we could stay as long as we liked..the bar would stay open...and he spent a good twenty minutes chatting to us at our table...Tommy Cummings was with us too. About two o'clock a lady came over to our table ( I didn't know her but it turned out to be Barry's wife )...she singled me out and came over to whisper in my ear .Could I ask round very quietly to see if anyone wanted any pies ???!!! There were hundreds going begging and because they were already in the pie warmers they weren't supposed to give them away .Well how could we turn down an offer like that from BK's better half ?

Tommy Cummings - what a gent he was.

[joey13]

Met Barry a couple of times , a great bloke to chat too about the clarets and business.