SEE PAGE 6 Issue 36 MEMBERSHIP OFFER January 2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • ALK takeover • Derek Gill: In memoriam • Football without fans: 2021: a Trust member A TIME AND reports • Contract extensions • ACV update PACE • Summer transfer window news and opinion Photo: ALK • Jimmy Robson and dementia After months of speculation we ended 2020 and will be an early taster of what we might with the news that Burnley Football Club had expect for the future. • No fans at been taken over by ALK Capital who have But it is, of course, early days and there are the Turf bought an 84 per cent stake for £200 million. many questions we all have. We have delayed The Trust immediately welcomed the new issuing the newsletter in the hope we would have • PPV thoughts Chairman Alan Pace and the Club’s new owners, more information – indeed when the newsletter and are encouraged to hear of the new owners’ content was being collated no takeover had been • Lifetime understanding of the special place the Club confirmed and as such it was a case of ‘hold the membership holds in our communities and the passion of front page’! offer our supporters, as well as their commitment to As one of the largest small shareholders at maintaining stability at all levels of the Club the Club, the Trust Board are seeking an early while looking to provide a path to growth. We meeting with the new Chairman of the Club and are particularly pleased that they view their will be looking at building an ongoing dialogue investment as a long-term commitment. with the new owners, and looking for the answers to some of the outstanding questions. As such our Q&A meeting with Trust members is to be Fans will be waiting to rearranged – a new date will be announced see what transpires with once we have met with the new owners. If you comings and goings have not already registered interest but would like to attend our Q&A please contact our Secretary by email or just keep a look out for an email with As the transfer window looms, undoubtedly fans details of the new date. will be watching and waiting with interest to see In addition to sending a message welcoming what transpires in terms of comings and goings. the new owners, the Trust also extended our Without doubt we urgently need investment in the thanks to the outgoing Board members – notably squad but, as we all know, Sean Dyche has a clear Honorary Trust member Barry Kilby and the long- idea of what he wants and who can fit in with his serving Clive Holt, who is also a Trust member – squad. It will be interesting to see what happens something which we reiterate now. Issue 36 January 2021 Chairman’s statement After 2020, here’s to a new future I want to start by wishing all members injuries we started the season with a very now been admitted they have minimal of the Clarets Trust and indeed the wider small squad and struggled to get the numbers – and of course we are not yet Burnley FC family a very happy New Year results we wanted. allowed into Turf Moor. – let us hope it is much better that 2020 We also have had weeks of talks about Burnley has always been very much has been. I hope everyone had a Happy a local community team and over the Christmas even if somewhat different recent years has been well run. Finances from previous years – let us hope it does We have had a run have been tightly and sensibly controlled not lead to a big Covid increase. of success envied by and we have had a run of success that Burnley FC enters a new year with a many big city clubs has been envied by many of the big clear challenge to keep the Club out of city clubs. Now the takeover has been the relegation zone. The 2019/20 season confirmed, let us hope the new owners was, of course, unique: suspended for a possible takeover of the Club, and on 31 have the same commitment not only to couple of months and then extended well December it was officially announced. We the Club, but the Town and Community into the summer. The Clarets did very well are still waiting to learn the finer details of Burnley. in the extended period and ended up in and what is indicated for investment in Again I wish you all a Happy New Year the top half of the table in 10th position. players. Clearly the Premier League does and here’s hoping it proves to be a really It was a pity to see some players not need a lot of money and regrettably good year for Burnley Football Club. extending their contracts to complete the coronavirus has hit clubs’ finances hard. All the best, season. I cannot deny that like most fans We ended last season playing behind Up the Clarets. I expected some new players in before closed doors and have continued that in Peter Pike the close of the transfer window. With the new season. Even where fans have Chair, Clarets Trust Derek Gill, former BFC director, passes away Born 12 May 1933, Derek member of Burnley Catenians who resigned as Director in spent most of his life in for more than 40 years. 1985, was critical of final years Burnley. He married Kathleen Derek served as a Director of of Lord’s reign as Chairman in 1956 and they had seven Burnley Football Club in very including the so-called children. A trained accountant, difficult financial times – his Lowerhouse Land deal. He was he went on to set up his own stories about the early 80s era proud to be a director of the very successful business where are interesting to say the least club he had worshipped since four of his children worked. He and his diaries were a source childhood. He left the club was a Director for more than of material for a number of with huge regret even though 30 years, until May 2019. Dave Thomas books. Dave he felt that he acted for the Derek was well known as thought highly of Derek greater good of the club and a particularly good tenor Financial wizard: Derek Gill saying that ‘the financial not for personal gratification. singer and performed at wizardry of Derek Gill had seen A further quote from Dave: many venues throughout the Bowling Club, serving as club an insolvent club accumulate ‘Gill had, in fact, worked North West. He was also a treasurer for many years. He a bank balance that would miracles to get the Club keen crown-green bowler and was a parishioner at St Mary have had even Jack Butterfield solvent again but his good was a member of Ightenhill Magdalene’s RC Church and a filled with admiration.’ Derek, work simply went to waste.’. Chairman Secretary Board Members Trust Corporate Trust Peter Pike Liam Hallinan Jane Pike Members: Officers Vice Chair Membership Officer Andy Tatchell JD Wetherspoon Terry Hephrun Martin Barnes Maggie Lishman Lancashire Telegraph Treasurer UHY Hacker Young Nigel Cotterill Moorhouse’s Brewery Issue 36 January 2021 Lancaster, a regular at games both home and away: ‘It just feels so alienated, almost like a reality TV programme that Football we are obligated to watch because of our links to the club.’ He points to games he has watched as a neutral this season that without would have been far better to watch with a crowd in the stadium, such as Bale’s winner for Spurs on his return and Aston fans is... Villa’s 7–2 pummelling of Liverpool. There have been two main facets of Premier League football without different fans, for myself at least, the emotional disengagement with watching Burnley and the disillusionment of watching games as a neutral. Rarely do I turn on the television and immediately go to see what football is on. I have not watched Match of the Day all season. Without the crowd creating an atmosphere, games have become heavily reliant on exciting In the first of what hopefully will be a new newsletter feature, we football to draw enjoyment, due to the asked a Trust member to write about their experiences. Here we lack of intensity and excitement that hear from Trust member, and NNN podcast regular, George Poole a febrile atmosphere can bring. As for as he shares how he is enjoying football in the Covid era: Burnley games, I am distanced from the friends and family that I usually watch As a university student since September a goal has not in fact been scored! It has 2019, my experience of watching football been a strange experience and perhaps I feel disengaged has changed drastically. After 15 years not one we should get used to. of watching Burnley at home and around The well-known Claret, Alastair with Burnley FC and a decade of following the Clarets away Campbell, recently said on the No Nay disillusioned with the from home, both domestically and across Never podcast that he hates the piped- game of football Europe, I was now stuck behind a TV in crown noise, because he doesn’t screen watching my beloved team. The think ‘we should allow ourselves to get tight budget and first year university accustomed to watching football without with, mixed with the sub-par start to the life meant I was reduced to attending crowds’. On this point, I completely season that the Clarets have made, it has a couple of home games over the agree.