A Tribute to the 3,000

Couch Potato unable to attend Old Trafford posted his thoughts on Vital Burnley, as 3,000 Clarets sang their hearts out at the Theatre of Dreams.

Ticketless for Brian Laws` first game in charge, at Old Trafford. Couch Potato listened to club commentator Phil Bird on Clarets Player, while keeping an eye on other scores on SKY. He posted his thoughts on Vital Burnley, as 3,000 Clarets sang their hearts out at Old Trafford. Here they are again!

These transcripts, from Vital Burnley`s ‘Matchday Mayhem’, have not been edited? so please excuse any errors made in the heat of the moment.

Turfmanphil: 14.35: Team against Man U: Jensen, Mears, Duff, Edgar, Jordan, Alexander, Eagles, McDonald, Elliott, Fletcher, Nugent. Subs: Penny, Kalvenes, Eckersley, Gudjonsson, Guerrero, Blake, Thompson.

Couch Potato 14.38: I think Edgar scored for Newcastle late last season against Man U. Another one today would be welcome.

CP 14.45: ClaretsPlayer confirmed that Edgar goal, but think they said it was 3 years ago!

CP 14.53: Owner of BetFred, Fred Done, who is worth £510 million, and who is a big Man U fan, has said he would not touch Man U’s £500 million bond issue (in an attempt to reduce their debt) with a barge pole. (Source: The Guardian) Phil Bird meanwhile speculates that Laws will try to strengthen every area, states that Kilgalllon was not good enough for the wages asked, and confirms that Nugent cannot play for anyone but us or Pompey this season. Some dispute about whether his current loan ends on 22nd or 26th. Darren Bentley told me in an email its 22nd. The faithful are making themselves heard in the background.

CP 15.02: ‘Dare to dream at the theatre of dreams,’ says Phil Bird, as we get under way. I’m Together! Are you 8c8? (8c8 normally posts on Matchday Mayhem during games, but not this one, it transpired.)

CP 15.10: Nob Enders losing. Spurr scores early for Wednesday. (Buy him?*!) Burnley faithful chant something rude. Leeds 1 down at Exeter… and Fletcher puts it wide. Barnsley equalise against Wednesday.

CP 15.34: ClaretsPlayer points out that Kilby couldn’t possibly have squeezed in interviews with all of the possible managers we were linked with. To quote Alastair Campbell’s tweet after watching the news during a lunch break in his testimony to the inquiry about toppling Saddam: ‘God these hacks do talk some drivel!’ (Source: R4 Today today.) I think he was talking about Alan Nixon. There’s only one set of fans singing thus far. United beginning to turn it on. Half an hour gone… Bird gets very, very excited about a bad Valencia challenge on Fletcher, but not even a yellow. And then Scholes gets let off for a typically mistimed lunge, even before Fletcher is back on.

CP 15.51: Chelsea 4 up. ‘Skinhead’ (Source: ClaretsPlayer) Thommo on for hobbling Fletch. B****y homer ref! Come on! Brian Laws club Burnley. Brian Laws club Burnley. Manure corner… Beeeast. Is it Brian Laws’ club, or Brian Laws` club? Is anyone reading this? We don’t care! Edwin van der Saar, by the way, is older than Grezza, and as of today, is Manure’s oldest post-war player. (Source: Guardian) Another corner after Valencia escapes offside flag. Headed away. Wednesday 2-1 up at the half, Nob Enders 2-1 down, I think, and it’s time to put the kettle on here. Bird declares it a great 45 minutes, and asks for more of the same please, plus some better defence on our left hand side. No change there then. Portsmouth game postponed, but unsure whether due to weather or lack of money to turn the lights on. 8c8?

TMP 15.53: Holding em,0-0 at half-time! We had our chances; Fletcher could have put us ahead early on. Put under pressure a lot, testing Jordan in particular, needs to get on top of Valencia. Fletcher fouled by Valencia and had to be replaced by Thommo. If you want to watch second half go here: http://www.iraqgoals.net/ch5.html

CP 16.04: Is this possibly the first Vital Burnley match thread that includes mention of both ‘toppling Saddam’ and ‘iraqgoals’? Can someone ask Ray Simpson please?

CP 16.17: Exeter still 1 up over Leeds about 30 miles from where I am typing. I think it’s the big local derby, against Yeovil for the Grecians next. ClaretsPlayer claims that 1 out of 850 people in the UK are watching this game in OT… you do the sums. This might turn out to be the biggest crowd Bfc have ever played in front of. A game at Goodison holds the record currently? Presumably this excludes Wembley games? The Burnley fans are amazing. Has ClaretsPlayer got a mike over there? I don’t think so. Chelsea 5 up. Reading 2 down at Forest. Nugent breaks offside trap but hurries and scuffs an attempted lob. Edgar’s showing has started a Clarets Player chat that includes mention of Remco, but I would guess they’re under orders to avoid talking badly about the ex-person whose name I am not going to mention either. ‘Oh Bur-ner-ley, oh Bur-ner-ley!’ loud and clear. Oh no! Phew… Berbatov lets us off the hook.

CP 16.21: Nob Enders 3-1 down. Hull 0-0 at Spurs. Wigan 1 up at Wolves. Nugent drags ‘a big, big chance’ just wide. Hour gone. Come on!

CP 16.25: ClaretsPlayer says ‘no way this is going to finish 0-0’. And a deflected Berbatov shot proves them right, looping up off Duff. Gutted. Not deserved. But it’s not over yet.

CP 16.36: Chelsea 6 up now over Sunderland. Van der Sar saves from Eagles. Another Berbatov shot deflects off Duff. Corner. Headed away. But it’s 2-0 not long after. Rooney, after Beast makes good save, but it falls loose. ‘That is going to make it difficult for Burnley… they need to be careful here that it doesn’t open up… Far from disgraced. They’ve put up a good show.’ When I looked at official Bfc site this morning there was an ad in the ‘Lets Relish United Trip’ story that said ‘DESTROYED IN SECONDS’. Will tomorrow’s headlines be talking about a bad 5 minutes (again)? Joey on for Big Kev. Owen (Michael) for Berbatov. Wigan down to ten men, but 2 up. Highest ever League attendance in Bfc history is confirmed. Hull still holding Spurs. First Claret corner with 15 to go. Joey miskick.

CP 16.45: Claret fans applaud home shower finally finding their voice, and then sing ‘we’ve got more cash than you’, with reference to Manure trying to raise £500 million. And then ‘There’s only one Barry Kilby.’ ‘Nice one,’ says Phil Bird. Sean WHO’Driscoll’s ‘Arsenal of the Championship’ 2-0 up over Watford. Nigeria 1 up over Benin. Home fans applaud Eagles as he’s replaced by Robbie. Exeter 2 up over Leeds. Come on you Grecians. Ohhhh… Thommo hits the post. ‘Never scored with his head for Burnley’ says Phil Bird.

CP 16.55: Phil Bird says Duff ‘has been my man of the match’. Nob Enders 4-2 down. Joey puts 40-yarder just over the bar!!! Van der Saar not bothered. Chelsea 7 Sunderland 1. 3 minutes of what Phil Bird calls ‘Fergie time’. Diouf springs offside trap. 3-0. The replay suggests he was offside. Burnley caught looking. Elliott wins a free kick, ‘getting back towards his best’. Mears produces great vander Sarr save, Elliott shot was ‘surely’ stopped on the line by Neville’s raised arms. ‘He would have been sent off’. That’s it. Keep taking the positives. The fans are certainly loud and proud. To the Reebok!