There was no easy way back. We didn't really expect there would be. But we didn't expect these four post-relegation years to be so hard, either. It is true that we had a tilt or two at promotion. However, most of the time we were struggling hard against a return to the basement.
In those four years we've had 'New Lads', 'New Lasses' and New Labour, Trainspotting, Prozac and Viagra, mad cow disease, cloning and Dunblane, as well as Feng Shui, Monica Lewinsky and Dianagate. And despite a clutch of brilliant performers like Prodigy, Erykah Badu and Roni Size, popular music hasn't sounded so stale for years. If Catatonia is among the best we can muster, then we must be in very poor shape. However, strictly speaking, these are no longer rock 'n' roll years. Rock music is still being played and enjoyed but it hasn't been age defining for years. As Channel Four have reminded us, the last twenty years have belonged more to Hip-Hop.
Anyway, as we approach the millennium, let's take each of the four preceding seasons in turn. Starting with the 1995/96 season, this campaign was notable mainly for two things. We finally parted company with Jimmy Mullen and, more significantly still, we bade farewell to the Longside
Mullen's departure was inevitable really after Burnley plummeted from a play off position towards relegation. But the way that he was treated was a complete disgrace. It is true that the guy seemed promoted beyond his means but it is difficult to imagine anyone as fiercely dedicated to the cause as him. Moreover, he gave our club success after years of failure, a renewed belief when it was going nowhere. I hope he finds it possible to forgive those among us who persecuted him so relentlessly. Incredibly, calls for his head continued even after Burnley had managed to scramble into 4th place by December 1995. Admittedly, the team was flawed and far too reliant on Kurt Nogan's goals, but his hounding was ugly, unnecessary and quite perverse. It might have even contributed to that dreadful post Christmas slide.
The season was made more miserable by the loss of the Longside. We stood on its terraces for the last time on Saturday 16th September. It was a sunny, late summer afternoon. The Rembrandts were doing nicely with their Friends song 'I'll Be There For You'. Alfred Dreyfus had just received his pardon, a mere century after his conviction, Hong Kong was about to pass into Chinese hands and we were told that fifty per cent of Internet usage was for pornographic purposes. It should have been a memorable afternoon. It wasn't. The game was awful, resulting in a bedraggled 2-1 victory over an abysmal Hull side. We all stood around feeling bored and flat, while the lunchtime beer soured in our bellies. Danny West did the decent thing, though. He wrote a rather nice piece to commemorate its passing. He called it Westside Story:
Westside Story
While it was right and proper that we should look forward, there were increasing doubts whether the new stands would be necessary. History seemed to be repeating itself. Again, we wondered whether we would have the best ground in the bottom division. The 3.33pm protest against the Board at the Crewe game (0-1) was just one expression of this mounting fear.
After Jimmy had gone, we finally got our wish. Inchy Heath was named as the new boss. But if we expected an immediate turnaround, we were very wrong. Having used up several seasons rations of luck in the absurd victory at Bristol City (1-0), helped by the hand of Nog, Burnley continued to struggle badly. Oxford smashed five past us (0-5), then Wycombe helped themselves to four (1-4). Even beleaguered Brighton were too good for us (0-1). However, some battling late shows at Swindon (0-0), Notts County (1-1) and Wrexham (2-0) helped us stave off relegation.
Heath's first full season in charge was a more upbeat affair. We were actually top after two games. Also, Heath was given a record £350,000 to splash out on Paul Barnes, and while our expensive new striker seemed constipated for several weeks, Stockport were kind enough to administer the syrup of figs. The result was that Barnes scored all five goals in this uplifting home victory (5-2), being the first Burnley player to achieve such a rich return since Andy Lochhead.
Burnley continued to challenge for at least a play off spot for most of the season. However, despite some brilliant displays such as against Wrexham (2-0) and Bury (3-1) and at Brentford (3-0) and Walsall (3-1), there were some horrible performances, too, like against York (0-1), Rotherham (0-1), Preston (1-2) and, worst of all, Wycombe (0-5). Ultimately, Burnley missed out, but the trip to Liverpool in the FA Cup was a nice distraction.
Here's what I wrote:
Liverpool in the FA Cup
In the summer of 1997, Heath left to join Kendall at Everton. It seemed as if he fell out with the Board, who would not back his team-building programme. For a short while, we were stunned and apprehensive. Then Chris Waddle was appointed. Suddenly, all those dormant ambitions sprung rapaciously into life. We speculated, if Robson could turn around Middlesbrough, why shouldn't Waddle do so here? We were at the very base of an ultra sharp learning curve. It hardly needs stating. We all know what happened. Suffice it to say that we went into that final home game needing a win to have any chance of staying up. The drama was greater because our opponents, Plymouth, also needed a result to stay up at our expense and that of Brentford.
These are my memories of that day:
Hanging on a rope
We all thought 'never again'. We were sure that new boss, Stan Ternent, wouldn't allow us to repeat this experience. Well, we were wrong. The 1998/99 season took a very similar shape. After the Fulham game, in December, we were looking very much like a relegation side.
This is what I recorded immediately after that dire defeat as if to try and get it out of my system:
Filled in at Fulham
Stan claimed that this was not his team. I had difficulty with that statement because Burnley is always my team, whoever plays. But after Barry Kilby took over the club and injected some sorely needed funds, Stan got his wish. He was given the financial power to pick his team. The re-signing of the hugely popular Steve Davis (£800,000) was the first of his moves. Mickey Mellon (£350,000) and Graham Branch (free) quickly followed, and then Lenny Johnrose (£225,000) was recruited in February. Results improved for a time, at least away from home, with the 4-3 victory at Bristol Rovers proving to be one of the most exciting games any of us had ever seen. However home form collapsed and the humiliations by Gillingham (0-5) and Manchester City (0-6) convinced us that we were down and that Stan would be out of a job. Much to our surprise, Stan turned things around. So when Champions-elect Fulham came to Turf Moor on May 1st, it was a very different side that faced them. Burnley needed a win to ensure their safety while Fulham were seeking a record points tally.
This is what I recorded after that game:
In Place of Strife
So this brings us to the end of our journey. The millennium is almost upon us, and we still hope for something better. We may seem unduly pessimistic at times. But don't be fooled. For most of us, this is no more than a ruse, a ploy designed to sucker fate into doling out a better deal. Well, you know how perverse fate can be? So gallows humour remains our stock in trade. After all, it is the very lifeblood of most real supporters' writings. I can't imagine what they can find to write about at Old Trafford? The best supporters' writing comes out of pain. But wouldn't it be nice to forfeit this, even for just one season of unalloyed, complacent glory? None of us would know what to write but it wouldn't matter, really it wouldn't.
