Bob Lord of Burnley

Dave Thomas

Description

The biography of controversial Burnley chairman Bob Lord, the self-made butcher who ruled the club from 1955 to 1981. A blunt, opinionated leader, football's own 'Khrushchev' upset many with his views; but he was one of the first to run a club on businesslike lines, and oversaw a production line of top players then sold on to sustain his vision. From barrow boy to chairman of his beloved local club, the self-styled 'Lord of Burnley' built three fine teams during his tenure. He routinely banned reporters, and alienated fans and football's hierarchy alike. He was scornful of the latter, couldn't abide 'the Continentals' or football cheats, and constantly rebelled against entrenched, outdated views. Lord became a member of the Football League Management Committee and foresaw many aspects of the future of the game - though eventually only death spared him the humiliation of an FA inquiry into Burnley's finances. He remains as relevant, as provocative and divisive as ever - a legendary football figure to rank alongside Busby, Shankly or Clough.

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 29 juillet 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781785315848
• Langue: English

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2019
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Dave Thomas and Mike Smith, 2019
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.
A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library
Print ISBN 978-1-78531-507-7 eBook ISBN 978-1-78531-584-8
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Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part One: Meat
Chapter 1 September 1981
Chapter 2 Roots
Chapter 3 A Promising Youth
Chapter 4 The Worst of Times
Part Two: The Craft
Chapter 5 The Craft
Chapter 6 Off the Ration
Chapter 7 We ll Just Have to Put Up With Him
Part Three: The Good Years 1955 to 1975
Chapter 8 Such a Lot to Do
Chapter 9 The Title
Chapter 10 A Lord Meets a Duke
Chapter 11 Goodbye Jimmy Mac
Chapter 12 Decisions
Chapter 13 Hanging on to Adamson
Chapter 14 League Management Committee at Last
Chapter 15 The Manager is Adamson
Chapter 16 Goodbye Harry Potts
Chapter 17 Adelphi Furore
Part Four: Decline and Fall 1976 to 1981
Chapter 18 The End Begins
Chapter 19 Change, Change and More Change
Chapter 20 Goodbye Bob
Chapter 21 The Aftermath
Chapter 22 Postscript
Bibliography
FOREWORD
By Keith Hackett
M Y FIRST visit to Burnley was to run the line for top referee Ken Burns. It was also the first time that I met the larger-than-life character Bob Lord, the Burnley chairman.
The man known as Mr Burnley had a reputation for not sitting on the fence and he clearly had a dislike for the media, banning several journalists from the ground.
At the end of the game, I was walking alongside Ken Burns up the tunnel when we were approached by the Burnley manager Jimmy Adamson who, unhappy with the referee s performance, had let rip with some cutting remarks that included a few expletives. Adamson had overstepped the mark and Burns looked him in the face and shouted, You are on report to the FA.
We had been in the dressing room for a few minutes when a knock on the door signalled my first meeting with Bob Lord. He shook our hands firmly and thanked us. He then took a key out of his pocket and opened a small cupboard door, inviting us to enjoy a drink on him.
Ken Burns informed Bob Lord that he would be reporting Jimmy Adamson to the FA for his post-match comments, made while we were walking towards the referee s dressing room. Bob Lord, quick as a flash, responded with a glare, Well, Mr Burns, I have seen you have better games; enjoy your drink and have a safe journey home, all of you.
It was well known in refereeing circles that referees were made aware if they had performed poorly at Burnley: the small drinks cabinet remained locked and the key would not appear at the end of the game. I, personally, was not one to consume whisky and was quite happy with my cup of tea.
A few months later, my next visit to Turf Moor was to run the line for Clive Thomas, one of the top-ranking FIFA international referees and known as Clive the Book . Thomas had announced to the press that week that he was trying to reduce the number of yellow cards he was issuing in games and was adopting a more management style of officiating.
The match was Burnley v Middlesbrough, who were then managed by Jack Charlton, and Thomas, having tried to control the game without cards, suddenly saw his control diminishing and started to pull out yellow cards in a flurry.
At the end of the match Thomas sprinted off, threw his shirt in the corner of the dressing room, changed quickly and left for home in a matter of minutes without making a comment. Bob Lord knocked at the door and asked where the prima donna was, clearly aware that Thomas had left for home.
Bob Lord pulled the key out of his pocket and with a smile opened the door of the drinks cupboard, exposing a fresh bottle of whisky, and said, Lads, you are entitled to drink the lot having had to run the line for that showman.
Clearly, Bob Lord s favourite referee was not Clive Thomas.
Lord was, however, a fair man who supported referees and was at the time chairman of the Football League referees committee. I recall sitting in the audience at a meeting of the Sheffield Referees Association in Farm Road, Sheffield, where he said that he wanted referees to be stronger and to sort out the players and the managers who wanted to tell referees how to do their job.
He received a standing ovation.
He also outlined his vision at that meeting for the introduction of professional referees, stating that the game was getting quicker and that we needed to devote more time to training.
How right he was but it was years later before I was able to play a pivotal role in the introduction of the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd programme.
A year later, after the Sheffield meeting, our paths would cross again, but this time it would be at the Great Eastern Hotel in London, when I was invited by the Football League to attend an interview for possible promotion to their list of Football League referees. In the days leading up to the interview, I received a number of calls from colleagues advising me to be well prepared to face the formidable Bob Lord, who would rattle off a range of questions with an expectation from him that I would answer them quickly.
I entered the room at the Great Eastern Hotel somewhat nervously, for sat facing me was Bob Lord with other members of the Football League alongside him, including league secretary Alan Hardaker. Bob Lord started the interview.
Welcome Mr Hackett, I can tell you that the secretary of the Football League, Mr Hardaker, has tracked your career and is a big supporter of yours. So, what s good for him is good for me. Congratulations Mr Hackett, you will be invited on to the list for next season. Say nothing until you have received the formal letter from us.
I left the room having been prepared for a grilling and instead saw a softer side to Bob Lord s personality.
Over the years, I officiated at Turf Moor on several occasions and well remember Bob Lord showing me the specially made carpet with the club s crest woven into it, of which he was clearly so proud. Someone else I got to know at the club was groundsman Roy Oldfield. His work getting the pitch prepared was remarkable. He was a man of sheer dedication and was always the first to offer you a warm drink when you arrived at Turf Moor for a game.
What I also learned is that the 100th FA Cup Final in 1981, at which I officiated, was Bob Lord s last major football match. How ironic that it was he who put me into the middle of the Football League and years later I would be officiating at the last cup final he attended.
Football during his time in office had many characters who were instantly recognisable. Bob Lord was one of them, not bad for a butcher. In his era, there were many personalities: Revie, Clough, Nicholson and Shankly. He sat comfortably amongst them.
Bob Lord had a huge personality and was certainly not afraid to say what he thought. It made him a thorn in the side of the authorities. He was a butcher who loved Burnley Football Club and sadly, in his later years, he witnessed the club s sorry decline until his passing in 1981 due to cancer. He made so many impressions on so many people and so many referees. It is a measure of the man that few, if any of us, have ever forgotten him.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our thanks go to:
At Burnley Football Club, Clive Holt, Darren Bentley, Shaun Borman, former director Derek Gill and former Burnley FC Historian, Ray Simpson.
Former Burnley players, including Jim Thomson, Dave Thomas, Paul Fletcher, Colin Waldron, Frank Casper, Steve Kindon, Willie Irvine, Les Latcham and Andy Lochhead.
In the media, sports journalists and writers James Mossop, Simon Inglis, Anthony Clavane, Phil Bird, Steve Bott, Tim Quelch, John Roberts, Peter Higgs and Randall Northam.
Many thanks to former Football Association referee Keith Hackett.
We also thank Peter Aitkenhead at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry and Martin Whittaker at Thursby Lodge. Rhian Latham at Companies House, Andrew Jackson of the Accrington Pals.org website, Jim Kenyon at Lancashire Football Association and Catherine Smith, poet and author of The Butcher s Hands .
Edward Walton at Burnley Civic Trust and Howard Talbot for searching their photographic archives. Staff at the British Library and at John Ryland s Library in Manchester, not forgetting the staff at Burnley Central Library, who provided many years of assistance, knowledge and support.
Thank you to John Gibaut for proofreading and Harriet Thomas for her technical support.
Photographic sources used and consulted: Getty Images, Press Association, Burnley Civic Trust, Harry Potts family, Jimmy Adamson family, Burnley Express Archive, Dave Thomas collection, Mike Smith collection, Eddy Rawlinson, Burnley Football Club, Nigel Aspin, Albert Maddox family and Bob Hayhurst.
Finally, we would like to thank several individuals: Tony Scholes, Stan Heaton, Craig McNulty, Donald Cooper, Martin Edwards, Eddy Rawlinson, Phil Whalley, Linda Potts, Ken Potts, Garry Pickles, George Heys, Elizabeth Boyle, Margaret Flaherty, Janet Lawton, Terry Ridout, John and Barbara Nichols, Bob Nutter, Brian Lord, Bri Lord, Jennie Howard, Roy Oldfield, Allen Rycroft, Andrew Firmin, Fred O Brien, Dave Wynne, Mike Townend, Peter Pike, Cathy Pickup and David Gill. If we have forgotten to name an