Death of Burnley legend Jimmy Adamson

Very sorry to hear of the death of Burnley legend Jimmy Adamson who led them to the Division One championship in 1960. As a Spurs fan I was gutted when Tottenham managed to lose two successive home games over Easter which ended their championship hopes.
Burnely had never led the table until the final match - at Maine Road against Manchester City. In front of 66,000 they held on for a 2-1 win to pip Spurs and Wolves.
I didn't manage to see the Burnely match at Tottenham the following season when Adamson and co produced a classic in the rain to come back from 1-4 for a 4-4 draw against the team that succeeded them as champions.
But I did watch - admittedly on TV - the cup final of 62 when Spurs won 3-1 which, sadly, signalled the end of Burnley's challenge as a great team.
Adamson was just one of a fine team of players that older Burnley fans, I know, will remember with pride. Adam Blacklaw, Angus and Elder, Tommy Cumming, Brian Miller, Ray Pointer, Jimmy Mac. Some, I know, have died recently. Always sad when the players you remember seeing as a boy quietly slip away.

Sir Fred - I appreciate your article. I was previously unaware of this sad news.

I'm a little younger than you and so only remember Jimmy Adamson as a manager. It is a great shame that his contribution to the English game is pretty unknown or largely forgotten. He deserves much better.

Having seen your article, I've read up further. I was surprised to learn that he was the FA's preferred choice of England manager and that Alf Ramsey was only offered the job after Adamson declined it. Great tragedy as well in his family life - predeceased not only by his wife but also his two daughters.

Of the players you mention, the one I best remember is Ray Pointer. I was brought up during the 1960s in Coventry where he spent a season. A decent team player who could normally be relied on to find the back of the net.

Guildfordbat - very glad you came on. Beginning to think there were no Burnley - or Jimmy Adamson-aware - fans out there.
Burnley were a great side from around 1959 to 1962 and should have won the championship again under Adamson in 62 but chucked it away to Ipswich. But for Spurs, they would have done even better over this period.
To think they almost dropped out of the Football League and had to win their final game against Orient to stay up a few years later.
There must be some Burnley followers who would like to reminisce about the glory days or at least reflect on the club's up and down fortunes over 50 years.
It was good to see them back at White Hart Lane in a league match a couple of seasons ago. They were followed in fine numbers.

Seeing mention of Ray Pointer segues to Portsmouth where he spent the declining years of his career, and thence to the death reported recently of Len Phillips, thought to be the last surviving member of Pompey's League Championship winning teams of sixty years ago.
Never saw him play, in fact only saw Peter Harris and Jimmy Dickinson of that generation, but Phillips and Dougie Reid were legendary figures among those patronising the Paddock during my first games at Fratton Park.

But back to Burnley, surely a model of how a small club could flourish at the top level. Then, if not now. Messrs Dobson, Thomas, Kindon, James etc etc followed.

Kwinigolfer. Ta for your response. Not sure where all the other Burnley older fans have gone, though. I saw Jimmy Dickinson at Tottenham when I was just seven years old in 1958 when Spurs and Pompey fought out a 4-4 relegation struggle in the mud (remember mud? !) .
Pompey went down that season and it was a long time before they played Spurs in the league again, although you may recall a cup tie at WHL in 1967 when Pompey brought about 20,000 and the crowd was more than 57,000. Ah, the old days. At least I'm off to Spurs tonight when they are the top-placed London club and that hasn't happened very often in recent years.

sirfred,
I was at that WHL game, the only time I ever got hurt at a football match, bruised ribs from getting crushed on the old railing-type crash-barriers!
The Bobby Kellard era!
Was also at Glenn Hoddle's first game and was at WHL when Brian Labone broke his leg. Never the same after that.
You'll be glad to know that my first ever game was Pompey 5 vs Arsenal 2 in 1956. Mike Barnard playing inside-left for the Blues, Jim Standen standing in for Jack Kelsey.

I posted the speculation on the golf board that Len Phillips (BBC web-site yet to acknowledge his passing) must have been one of the oldest surviving ex-England Internationals at 89.
I know Bert Williams (almost 92) and Tom Finney (almost 90) are still around, but not too many from that era.

Kwinigolfer. Happy new year. Only just seen your response and ta for that. Managed to see Wright, Finney and Lofthouse (who scored) at WHL in the late 50s. Never saw Matthews in a first-class game, but did see him turn out in a friendly when well past 50 (Matthews, that is !).
Sadly, footballers are not as long living as cricketers and it's always a shock to see the annuals listing all those who have died in the previous year, especially when you remember seeing them more than 50 years ago in their prime.
Spurs were able to trot out a reasonable number of the old 60-61 team on the opening day in 2010/11 which was good to see. Cliff Jones and Maurice Norman, for instance, seem hardly to have changed.
It was good to hear that Jimmy Greaves had turned out at Chelsea on Boxing Day. He's rather fallen out with Tottenham and is not even on their legends' list as there was a row about his induction dinner.
Didn't he score five against Pompey one Christmas, or should I not mention that?

Happy New Year sirfred,
I think that was for Chelsea in his very early days there! Then we got relegated! Great player and sorry to hear there's been a falling out. Never saw Wright or Matthews, and only saw the Lion Of Vienna when I chatted with him on the train going back to Waterloo when he was BWFC Manager! Did see the Preston Plumber once though.
Maurice Norman - easy to forget how important he and Baker and Henry were to the Double Team. And I tease people on the Golf Board about Terry Dyson's nephew Simon but don't think most of them realise how good Dyson was.