One of the reasons why Burnley's Press Box is often less than packed is the readiness of its chairman to ban reporters from it. Bob Lord, chairman since 1955, has been labelled in print as the 'Khruschev of Burnley', and insulting as that description was, it had a certain physical aptness, bearing in mind Khruschev's habit of pounding furniture with a heavy right fist. Lord would be equally insulted by any suggestion that he isn't firmly in command of the club. His rule has been insistent and it has been rewarded with success. Since he won the chairmanship he has resoundingly refused to canvass or ingratiate to retain his position. He said to me, "I say to our directors every year, 'Look, if you don't want me again, that's alright by me.'" But then he added, "I think those who lifted me out of the chair might find they had a fight on their hands." He is certainly not a chairman to be shifted by gentle persuasion.

Lord is a passionate partisan of his town and his football team. He said, "Ask anyone who works for me whether I pay good wages, and they'll tell you 'yes'. Then ask them whether I make them work hard, and they'll tell you I'm a slave driver. I don't think I'm that, but I expect something back for my money.
"Everything I've ever had in life I've had to fight for. I've got a maxim in life. If ever someone beats me in a battle, I don't blame them. I blame myself for letting them do it. Then I say, 'Where did I go wrong?'"

Lord has never been among the entrenched old guard of club directors opposed to every change. He was one of the voices in support of the players' demands for higher wages. He has berated other League members for their stubborn adherence to ancient methods. He has called not only for professional directors, but professional referees as well.

Two national newspapers (one Sunday and one daily) and a local weekly paper have been barred from the Burnley Press Box, having to report matches from the stand; six journalists have been banned individually. When I discussed the matter with him one afternoon in 1966, when he was in a frank and expansive mood, I found it quite difficult to follow the labyrinthe complexitites of the matter. What was utterly clear was that Lord was unshakeably convinced that all the newspapers and journalists involved owed him apologies, and that he would not relent until he had got them.

Burnley's players have been forbidden, on payment of club fines, to talk to the press without club approval. This has not prevented stories about discontent in the club from appearing in newspapers.

What happens to Burnley will be significant to football, because it will decide whether a club with small resources can continue to hold a place by flair and resolution among the ones which can habitually command massive crowds. Burnley's average gate in the 1966-67 season was 20,500, against Manchester United's 51,000, Leeds' 35,000 and Sunderland's 31,000. Burnley will never be able to traffic heavily in the transfer market; their past success has depended principally on retaining an imaginatively blended side. They may sell, but never buy spectacularly.

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