Burnley F.C.

Burnley Football Club is a professional football club based in Burnley, in north-east Lancashire, England.

Nicknamed The Clarets due to their claret and blue strip, they have played at Turf Moor since 1883. They were founder members of The Football League in 1888, and are currently in the Football League Championship.

Burnley have been Football League Champions twice, in 1920-21 and 1959-60, and were FA Cup winners on April 25, 1914, beating Liverpool F.C. 1-0 at Crystal Palace.

As recently as 1960 they were league champions, but have been outside the top flight since 1976 and from 1985 endured a seven-year spell in the lowest tier of the Football League. In 1987 they narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference. Since 2000, they have been in the second tier of the English league.

History

Golden Days: 1947-1976

Burnley enjoyed a long unbroken top flight spell ending in 1971 in which, more often than not, they were in the upper reaches of the League table. The 50s and early 60s saw the team revolve around the midfield engine room of Jimmy Adamson and Jimmy McIlroy. It was around these two that the championship-winning team of 1960 was built, managed by Harry Potts. Two years later the Clarets narrowly missed out on a League and Cup double. Other stars included John Angus, Brian Miller, John Connelly and Gordon Harris. The departure of McIlroy to Stoke City and retirement of Adamson coincided with a decline in fortunes; they nonetheless managed to finish 3rd in 1966. The remainder of the decade was otherwise one of mid-table mediocrity, with Potts being replaced by Adamson as manager in 1970. Adamson was unable to halt the slide and relegation followed in 1971.

Burnley won the Second Division title in 1973 with Adamson still in charge. In the First Division, led by elegant playmaker Martin Dobson, the side managed 6th in 1974, and 10th (despite Dobson being sold to Everton early in that season) in 1975. Relegation from the First Division in 1976 saw the end of Adamson's tenure as manager, and the club have not been back in the highest level since.

Modern times

Burnley are one of the most famous clubs to fall from greatness in the last few decades. They won the league championship in 1960 but have been outside the top division since the 1970s, and for seven seasons after 1985 they were in the Fourth Division. They reached their lowest ebb in 1987, when only a win on the last day of the season saved them from relegation to the Conference.

In 1991-92, they were crowned champions in the last ever season of the Fourth Division before the league re-organisation, and two years later they won the new Division Two playoffs and gained promotion to Division One under Jimmy Mullen, only to suffer relegation after just one season. In 1997-98 they narrowly escaped relegation into Division Three with Chris Waddle in the hot seat, but the appointment of Stan Ternent that summer saw the club's fortunes turned around.

In 1999-2000 they finished Division Two runners-up and gained promotion to Division One, where they have remained since. For the next two seasons, Burnley emerged as serious contenders for a promotion play-off place. However, by 2002-03 the side's form had declined despite a good FA Cup run, and conceded goals at an alarming rate. This was repeated the following season and in June 2004, Ternent's six-year reign as manager came to an end and since then Burnley have been managed by Steve Cotterill. Steve Cotterill's first year in charge ended with two cup runs, knocking out Premiership giants Liverpool and Aston Villa, and a 13th place finish in The Championship. Cotterill overhauled the squad with younger players and a notable improvement in the side's defensive record in 2004-05. The season gave football its first real glance at Aston Villa's Gary Cahill - a future England star, on loan at Turf Moor during the season. The year's Carling Cup third round draw has once again paired Burnley with Villa, though the Clarets travelled to Villa Park this time round. The score finished 1-0 to Aston Villa and Burnley were knocked out of the Carling Cup.

The 2005/2006 season ended in disappointing fashion for The Clarets, with them finishing in 17th place. They were forced to sell Ade Akinbiyi to Sheffield United and Burnley's season then went on a downward spiral. Steve Cotterill is expected to make a few signings during the summer in order for Burnley to progress in The Championship during the 2006/2007 season, and has started with the acquisition of Steve Jones from Crewe Alexandra. Then in June the Clarets yet again raided Crewe this time signing life long Crewe defender Stephen Foster on another free transfer.

Fixtures/Results 2006/07

- align="center" style="background-color:#ddd;"	Date	H/A	Opponent	Competition	Result	Burnley Scorers	- bgcolor=align="center"	08/07/06	A	Accrington Stanley	Friendly	3-2	Gray, Jones, Mahon	- bgcolor=align="center"	18/07/06	A	Bury	Friendly			- bgcolor=align="center"	22/07/06	H	Bolton Wanderers	Friendly			- bgcolor=align="center"	25/07/06	N	Recreativo Huelva	Friendly			- bgcolor=align="center"	28/07/06	N	Alense	Friendly			- bgcolor=align="center"	05/08/06	H	QPR	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	08/08/06	A	Leicester City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	12/08/06	A	Sheffield Wednesday	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	19/08/06	H	Wolves	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	22/08/06	H	Hartlepool United	CC			- bgcolor=align="center"	26/08/06	A	Crystal Palace	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	09/09/06	H	Barnsley	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	12/09/06	H	Colchester United	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	16/09/06	A	Stoke City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	23/09/06	H	Southampton	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	01/10/06	A	Norwich City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	14/10/06	H	Hull City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	17/10/06	H	Southend United	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	21/10/06	A	Plymouth Argyle	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	27/10/06	H	Preston North End	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	31/10/06	A	Luton Town	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	04/11/06	H	Ipswich Town	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	11/11/06	A	Cardiff City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	18/11/06	A	West Brom	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	25/11/06	H	Birmingham City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	28/11/06	H	Leeds United	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	02/12/06	A	Ipswich Town	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	09/12/06	A	Coventry City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	16/12/06	H	Sunderland	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	23/12/06	H	Derby County	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	26/12/06	A	Barnsley	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	30/12/06	A	Hull City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	01/01/07	H	Stoke City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	13/01/07	A	Southampton	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	20/01/07	H	Norwich City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	31/01/07	A	Derby County	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	03/02/07	A	QPR	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	10/02/07	H	Sheff Wed	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	17/02/07	A	Wolves	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	20/02/07	H	Leicester City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	24/02/07	A	Colchester United	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	03/03/07	H	Crystal Palace	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	10/03/07	H	Plymouth Argyle	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	13/03/07	A	Southend United	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	17/03/07	A	Preston North End	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	31/03/07	H	Luton Town	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	07/04/07	A	Birmingham City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	09/04/06	H	Cardiff City	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	14/04/07	A	Leeds United	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	21/04/07	H	West Brom	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	28/04/07	A	Sunderland	FLC			- bgcolor=align="center"	06/05/07	H	Coventry City	FLC

* Burnley Score First

Current Squad

Summer Transfers 2006

In:

Andy Gray from Sunderland F.C. - up to £750,000
Alan Mahon from Wigan Athletic - £200,000
Steve Jones from Crewe Alexandra - Free
Stephen Foster from Crewe Alexandra - Free

Out:

Daniel Karbassiyoon to AZ Alkmaar (trial)

Famous players

Jimmy McIlroy
Jimmy Adamson
John Connelly
Tommy Boyle
Bob Kelly
Bert Freeman
Colin McDonald
Adam Blacklaw
Andy Lochhead
Willie Irvine
Willie Morgan
Ralph Coates
Frank Casper
Martin Dobson
Bobby Seith
Tommy Cummings
Harry Potts
Ray Pointer
Leighton James
Brian Flynn
Ian Wright
Chris Waddle
Paul Gascoigne
Chris Woods
Mitchell Thomas
Gordon Cowans
Andy Payton

Managers

- align="center" style="background-color:#ddd;"	Manager	Period	Manager	Period	- bgcolor=align="center"	Arthur Sutcliffe	(1893-1896)	Joe Brown	(1976-1977)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Harry Bradshaw	(1896-1899)	Harry Potts	(1977-1979)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Ernest Magnall	(1899-1903)	Brian Miller	(1979-1983)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Spen Whittaker	(1903-1910)	John Bond	(1983-1984)	- bgcolor=align="center"	R. Wadge	(1910-1911)	John Benson	(1984-1985)	- bgcolor=align="center"	John Haworth	(1911-1925)	Martin Buchan	(1985)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Albert Pickles	(1925-1932)	Tommy Cavanagh	(1985-1986)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Tom Bromilow	(1932-1935)	Brian Miller	(1986-1989)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Alf Boland	(1935-1939)	Frank Casper	(1989-1991)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Cliff Britton	(1945-1948)	Jimmy Mullen	(1991-1996)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Frank Hill	(1948-1954)	Adrian Heath	(1996-1997)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Alan Brown	(1954-1957)	Chris Waddle	(1997-1998)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Billy Dougall	(1957-1958)	Stan Ternent	(1998-2004)	- bgcolor=align="center"	Harry Potts	(1958-1970)	Steve Cotterill	(2004-	- bgcolor=align="center"	Jimmy Adamson	(1970-1976)

Famous Fans

Honours

League

Division One Champions - 1920/21, 1959/60
Division Two Champions - 1897/98, 1972/73
Division Three Champions - 1981/82
Division Four Champions - 1991/92

Cup

F.A. Cup - 1913/14
FA Community Shield - 1960/61 (shared), 1973/74
Anglo-Scottish Cup - 1978/79

External links

Burnley F.C. | English football clubs | Football League Founder Members | Sport in Lancashire

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