As we trooped out of the stadium at Milton Keynes on Saturday, I bumped into Dave Burnley, one of our greatest fans.He has missed one game since the mid-1970s, changed his name by deed poll, named his daughter Clarette in honour of the club's colours, and written a terrific book about his life as an extreme football fan, called Got To Be There.
He was wearing his trademark ripped sheepskin coat and looking really happy, not merely because of the rare away win but because of his interpretation of Owen Coyle's salute to the fans at the end of the match.
"He's definitely staying, definitely," he said. "Big wave, thumbs up, that is not a man who is walking away from us."
Dave is a walking encyclopaedia on matters Claret, but that was one he got badly wrong. Unlike my son Calum, who had already decided that if Coyle had wanted to quell the rumours, he could have done so, and the fact that he hadn't meant he was already half-way out the door.
Right now, in common with many other Burnley supporters, Dave Burnley will be angry and disappointed, both at Coyle's departure, and the manner of it. Holding out the prospect of staying, after last night's "sleep on it" meeting with chairman Barry Kilby, has simply added to the sense of disappointment, as only dashed hope can. As for Calum, he is telling his Arsenal mates how much he hopes they stuff Bolton tomorrow.
I cannot say I am surprised he has gone. As I said here on Saturday, the bookies rarely get the big managerial calls wrong, not 5-2 odds on, take no more bets wrong at any rate. The minute Coyle became the runaway favourite, you sensed it was only a matter of time. There was also the odd business of him not facing the media after the match on Saturday.
Coyle likes talking to the telly, and he is very good at it. Even though he was flying to Scotland to see his family - and I understand the flight was booked two days earlier so there is no reason to disbelieve that - it would have been easy enough to fit in a quick interview, or get the club spokesman to brief what he would have said.
But by then it was clear that he was on his way to Bolton via Glasgow. Yesterday's Daily Mirror was the final clue. A story written by Alan Nixon, Coyle's closest media friend from way back, stated definitively that he was leaving.
So though I am not surprised that he's going, I am surprised that he wants to.
Bolton fans make a lot of the fact that Coyle played for the club, which will have added a certain emotional pull. But if you are talking about emotion, how much bigger would the pull have been when the call came from Celtic, the club he supported as a child in his native Glasgow?
His argument then, as when he was linked with the Scotland job after George Burley was sacked, was that he was flattered but too committed to what he was trying to build at Burnley.
It is hard to see what Bolton gives him that makes that commitment so easily breached. England cricketer Jimmy Anderson summed it up rather well in an incredulous sounding tweet from South Africa. "Leaving Burnley for Bolton?" It is not just Burnley people like Jimmy who will be asking that.
Yes, it is a bigger club. But not that much bigger, which is why a lot of football people are seeing it as a sideways move.
He was on around a million pounds a year at Burnley, so even if he has managed to get a rise on that, I'd be surprised if it is that much more. Nothing to match the percentage rise he got in moving from St Johnstone to Burnley, or in going from Championship Burnley to Premier League Burnley. It is true that Coyle did a lot for Burnley. But Burnley did a lot for Coyle. And I hope they hang tough on the compensation package, someone seemingly having jumped the gun in claiming it had been agreed before last night's meeting.
Doubtless he will have been promised some money to buy new players. But Bolton's finances are not that great. Far from it. And one of the reasons his reputation is so strong is that he has shown it is possible to manage a low-budget team, play good football, get to the top flight and make a good fist at survival.
If he had stayed at Burnley, and we had gone down despite all his efforts, his reputation would still have been strong and he would still have been in the running for bigger jobs.
But if he fails to keep Bolton up, it will be a reputational blow. And if he cements them as a mid-table Premier League club, he is in reputational limbo.
For taking Burnley to the Premier League for the first time, Coyle has already secured his place in the club's history. The reason people feel so disappointed today is precisely because he seemed like a cut above the average football manager. He seemed to get just how much this club meant to the town. People liked his engaging and outgoing personality. They liked the attractive football he made his players play. They loved the Cup runs last year. Above all, they loved promotion and the Premier League adventure.
The adventure is still on, and the memories are still there. But it is very sad that someone who was so key to it has disappeared down the road.
Meanwhile, Bolton v Burnley at the Reebok two weeks from today could be one of the hottest games of a season already packed with them.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I am deeply saddened by the departure of Owen Coyle but like your son Calum I'm not surprised but I am saddened that he played such a long-winded game with the Burnley Fans.He could have stood up at the Press Conference and said he was leaving but no he hadnt the guts for that.But then again this is the same tactic he employed when he left St Johnstone.Burnley will survive without him whether its in the Premiership of the Championship but I do fear which players he will choose to poach for Bolton as after all he brought them all from Scotland and you can bet he wants to take some of them with him.As for the Arsenal game I cant believe that for the first time ever I will be rooting for the Gunners
I have lost all respect for Coyle - always rattling on about loyalty and wonderful fans, what a hypocrite! As Lesley says, he didn't even have the guts to stand up at the media conference and say he wanted to go to Bolton and at least thank Burnley and the fans for the big leg up they gave him. He just sent in his Scottish flunky to lie for him. I am now beginning to review his past performances in a new light and I've realised it was all about his own self promotion. I always thought his tv performances had a creepy touch of false modesty about them - his constant harping on about what a miracle he was doing with no money and always lingering about after every game milking the adulation. He loved puffing himself up on the tele - it makes me sick now. Let's not forget the players in all this too - they were the ones that really got Burnley promoted and nearly ALL of them were brought to the club by the previous manager Steve Cotterill. Anyway he'll find Bolton a poor substitute for the pride and passion at Burnley - hope the 30 pieces of silver are worth it. Come on Burnley fans, now is the time to get behind the lads and Steve Davis (a true Burnley legend and probable caretaker manager) and show Coyle that it's just the same without the Judas - probably better as Stevie will fix up our defence. After all we still have Robbie and Wade and the rest of the lads and they are good enough to play just as well without some insincere ego maniac grabbing their glory.
Claret for ever!
I agee with most of what has been said, but what has not been suggested is his likely replacement, I've thought about this over the weekend and it seems to me that Megson did nothing wrong at Bolton, I would suggest that we could do a lot worse than Gary Megson. Can you imagin the reebok in two weeks time when we stuff them. I would also like to put 2 things to Barry Kilby, 1 Hold out for a lot more than the reported 3.6m something like double at least. 2 Do what Coyle wanted and buy Nugent we might have a good chance of staying where we are, we missed him at the weekend.
What you say to that thought Alastair?
Before continuing to call out ‘Judas’ at every available opportunity, I really think we should all consider the following; On a personal note, I have been a Burnley fan since I was 8 years old and in the 21 years since then I’ve had to live my life in Blackburn. My High School Years took in the meteoric rise of B****rd Rovers and whilst they prospered, my beloved Burnley played terrible football against tin-pot teams, in a half-empty Turf Moor, in the third tier of the football pyramid.
Throughout that time, my so-called heroes were the likes of Marlon Beresford and Gerry Harrison, whilst the likes of Steve Blatherwick and Mark Winstanley (dis)graced the Burnley shirt, during truly desperate times. Sure there were higlights and great days such as the Derby County cup win under Stan but in the main…it was pretty shit.
Throughout the years of constant taunting from newly-supporting, part-timing, smug-faced B*****d fans, I always held out hope that one day we’d actually meet them in the Premier League and spank their sorry arses. Now in 2010, here we are…just a couple of months away from our first ever, PREMIER LEAGUE home game against them – and with possibly our best chance of doing just that. I for one, can’t wait for it.
During the journey through ‘The Coyle Years’, I’ve witnessed sights I’d never thought I’d honestly see. My Dad taking me to the likes of Rochdale, postponed fixtures at Oldham and to shitholes such as Springfield Park were long gone and now, my club were playing the best live football I’d ever seen in my entire life.
I wasn’t lucky enough to see the ‘Team of the 70’s’ or the glorious teams of the magnificent decade before. I’d become accustomed to watching matches built on hope and false expectation, but now we were humbling the Chelsea’s and Arsenal’s and giving Tottenham Hotspur the fright of their lives. We did all this and earned promotion by playing a wonderful brand of football and we have one man to thank for that.
We were unbelievably valiant against Everton last Monday, magnificent against Manchester United, played Villa off the park and quite honestly, the recent game against Arsenal was perhaps the best match I’ve ever witnessed at the Turf. When we all cool down…we must remember some of this.
What Coyle has done over the last 96 hours-or-so was disgraceful and has made us all feel bitter and twisted. As far as he’s concerned, he’s leaving Diedre Barlow for Holly Willoughby…and who wouldn’t be tempted by that?
We all know of course, that he’s making a big mistake and Bolton are really just Diedre Barlow in a wonderbra, whilst we’re a young English rose about to blossom into the lady every footballer wants to be with.
Three weeks today, we need to create the most vile, hostile and evil atmosphere physically possible, to help us collect our second away win of the season (after Old Trafford victory of course!). Point your venom at Coyle if you wish, but other than these 90 minutes (and any subsequent meetings between us that follow), let’s not look back in anger and put all our passion into slagging him off.
Coyle’s legacy is a team full of young, gifted footballers who are all under contract with Burnley Football Club. If he wants to come back and pilfer the likes of Eagles and Fletch, then he’ll be required to pay top dollar for them, just like every other club sniffing around. We need to let OUR players know how much we love them against Stoke on Saturday and that should be our focus.
As discussed on a previous thread, I would be totally behind Barry and Brendan’s judgement whoever they appoint, but in my opinion, now is not the time to take a gamble on another young, inexperienced manager.
Steve Coppell is wise, articulate, cultured manager and most importantly, he’s experienced at Premier League level. He seemed a little tired with the game last season, so perhaps a short-term deal until the end of the season would suit him down to the ground. He’s an amiable, likable chap who I feel the players would enjoy working with and he would be my first choice for the job
Whoever we employ though, will have a fantastic legacy and great players to work with. The key is getting us through this season ON BUDGET, and building a solid top-tier club from there. I don’t want to be taking my sons to watch the likes of Steve Blatherwick in the third tier thanks very much.
Let’s hope Stevie Davis continues his 100% win record on Saturday in what is truly the most important game since May 25th 2009.
As a Chelsea supporter I am now used to new managers popping up at frequent intervals. I can't understand why OC has gone to Bolton it doesn't add up. I would have predicted him staying with Burnley to carry on with the journey he started. Curiosity would have made him stay surely. A change of manager is very disruptive for the players and very unfair on them. But as they say, it's a funny old game.
Alistair I heard your piece on Talk Sport this morning wishing us all the best at the Emirates tonight. It has been very fashionable for the media to dump on Bolton for the last couple of years, partly because of the non acceptance of Gary Megson by a small element of the fans intially, which grew to the majority by the time he departed in December. As a politician and Burnley fan you will know that your board must have given permission befor Bolton could even talk to Coyle, and if they had wanted to keep him they would not have to offered very much , after all even with the Eddie Davis millions Bolton are one of the less wealthy clubs.
Although contrary to your statement we are not in financial trouble, do not have unpaid debts with the Revenue, unlike some clubs.
Bolton fans have wanted Coyle for a while, I for one who never barracked Megson believe he will get time and support from the board to change the fortunes of our club.
Bring on the 26th although maybe Coyle departure package will still be under negotiation, your club has done well so far in the Premiership, and if the board make the right appointment there is every chance you will survive, but instead of blaming Coyle, Bolton why not ask the Burnley Directors just how hard they tried to keep him.
All the best for 2010, stay up and then we can continue the COYLES WAR in the Prem next season
The reasons why he joined Bolton are very simple, the Wanderers are a bigger club, he will have money to spend and his wages will probably double.
he must be an idiot, burnley have allways been a quality club, i hope they stay up and im affraid bolton will be religated
marching on together
Coyle has disappointed a lot of people, myself included. Looks like Steve Davis is in charge until they find a replacement http://www.topleague.co.uk/bolton_wanderers/burnley-start-coyle-replacement-search/ You, know, karma has a funny way of working (warning to Coyle).
There is one thing to say to Coyle, the grass is never greener on the other side. He would have been given the leeway to make mistakes at Burnley, He won't get that at Bolton. I wish him well.
You name me one Player or Manager in the prem who is loyal to his club or has been for the last 15 years or so, (NOBODY) loyalty went out the window a long time ago and ANY true football fan should know that, Money talks and whilst every man and his dog seems to be slagging Bolton and Mr Coyle off and saying it is a sideways move at the end of the day we BOLTON are a bigger club than Burnley and have a bit more clout and £££££ than them that is FACT, I hasten to add not allot more £££££ but what we do have is a foothold in the prem and know what to expect in a relegation battle where as in the first couple of season we went up to the prem we were like a yo-yo and I suspect that is what Burnley will be like not quite good enough to stay up but could again get promoted the year after depending on if you manage to keep your players, and don’t get me wrong Burnley fans I wish u all the best in the prem and hope you prove me wrong by staying up! Much rather see Blackburn get relegated.
At the end of the day to loyal Burnley fans as you will appreciate when you have played for a club a number of years and have had a good time and have an affection for the club and fans and the feeling is mutual that in its self is a big pull, it’s like when Big Sam come to Bolton, correct me if I am wrong but I think he was manager of Nott’s County at the time and they were doing very well, these days the only bit of so called ironic loyalty seems to be Managers whom have a passed affection for a club they enjoyed their playing career at and don’t get me wrong he will be on more money at Bolton but I would challenge any Burnley fan to say they would have not done the same and if Burnley chairman Mr Kilby really wanted to keep Owen then why didn’t he dig deep into his pockets to do it, no but instead he choose to have a swipe at Owen and Bolton by saying he has made a sideways move (in other words Bolton are no bigger or better off than Burnley) well if that is the case then I think Burnley fans should be asking Mr kilby the question then why did he let him go or could it be the Fact that Mr Kilby will probably get twice the amount of Owens contract in compensation Hmmmmmm now who’s being greedy and how much of that compensation will be ploughed back in to Burnley FC?
So come on Loyal Burnley fans chin up and think of all the good times Mr Coyle has brought to your club as I do when he played for Bolton he’s coming home that’s all, and to those bitter twisted and negative Burnley fans and anyone else who wants to have a pop at Bolton and Mr Coyle (GROW UP)Owen and Bolton are no better or worse than any other premiership manager or club and if Owen does a good job at Bolton who’s to say in a few years he won’t move on to bigger and better things good luck to him.
As for crossprint16 comments about Mr Megson well that’s why we are in the position we are TWO YEARS OF NEGATIVE FOOTBALL and even worse paid for the privilege, so for those of you who say we didn’t give him a chance joggoff you only need to look at his track record, taken off the scrapheap by Pulis at Stoke going nowhere, must have though all his birthdays has come at once when he was appointed manager at Bolton on a big fat salary, think he’ll be bothered bout being sacked with his contract paid up don’t think so YOU CAN HAVE GOOD RIDDANCE!
Come on Burnley Fans get a reality check and give Owen Coyle the credit he deserves when you come to the Rebook like we did at Turf Moor and good luck for the future to all u loyal clarets, would suggest Curbishley as replacement knows the time of day in the prem and been there before but to get him I think it would depend on how deep Mr Kilbys is prepared to dig into his pockets like I said earlier MONEY TALKS AND LIKE IT OR NOT THAT IS A FACT OF LIFE!