The Longside Reference

Name : Frank Casper    

D.O.B: 9th Dec 1944(Barnsley)             

Clubs: Rotherham United, Burnley

Manager: Burnley Jan 1989-Sept1991

Caretaker Manager Burnley:  Jan 1983-June1983  

Coach Burnley:1976-1983,Bury 1984

Fee paid by Burnley : £30k June 1967

Signed by Harry Potts:

Burnley Debut:19th Aug 67 Coventry City

Last Burnley game:10th Jan 76 Norwich City

Burnley stats Player: 268(7) games 89 goals

Frank Casper 24 years a Claret, the man who became Burnleys first serious buy, when Harry Potts broke the mould and paid out £30k for him from Rotherham.

Frank Casper is a legend, to the older supporters who watched him play, will tell the tale of how one tackle on Burnley front man wrecked our season, with the FA Cup final on the horizon.

Barnsley born Casper, who after a trial down the road at Blackpool settled a little closer to home at Rotherham when the then Miller manager Tom Johnson convinced frank that the white rose county is where to play, after 101 games in the red of Rotherham and 26 goals,including one on his debut as a fresh faced 18 year old against Derby County back in 1962. 

When Burnley paid £30k for Casper in 1967 his transfer, was a momentous occasion for Burnley simply because that there was a fee involved, it was the first time that Burnley paid anything more than nominal sums for players, Alex Elder when Burnley signed him from Glentoran for the world shattering £5k back in Jan 1959 was the last time what was considered a large fee was paid by the Clarets.

So Casper went into the record books before a ball had been kicked for Burnley, he did however play on the Turf in 1964 when he was in the Rotherham team who played Burnley in the FA Cup 3rd round tie.

As the 1967/68 season began, Casper who would become a headline writers dream would open his Burnley account on debut a goal against Coventry City in the 2-1 win where Willie Irvine grabbed the winner, "A rasper form Casper" was the headline and the sports writers of the day would have many more opportunities to rhyme and reason to Casper's exploits.

Burnley's forward line with Casper read an very impressive Lochhead, Irvine, Coates, Morgan, Bellamy, Harris and with the emergence of Dave Thomas waiting in the wings, mouth watering indeed. With all those legends looking for goals, it would be Casper in his first season who would be Burnley's top goalscorer wit 17 in all competitions, with Andy Lochhead grabbing 15, Willie Irvine netting 11, and the mercurial winger Morgan notching 7 of his own. This season saw the last in Burnley shirts for Irvine and Harris as the new younger Clarets were all coming of age.

Casper's second season was very much like his first, becoming Burnley's top goalscorer, with another legend playing there last games for Burnley Andy Lochhead part in the 4-0 reverse at Liverpool would be his last game in a claret shirt, Casper would play up front with youngster Ralph Coates with another youngster making his name in the central league Steve Kindon. But it was Casper's 21 goals in his 51 games that would make him Burnley's most potent striker for the second season running.

His one "Cap" would not be for his national side, England, but for The Football League select in 1969 Frank Casper took his place amongst the best players in the League to take on the Scottish Leagues equivalent, and Casper scored in a 3-1 win at fortress Hampden park.

With Casper coming up with the goals, and the conveyor belt of youth turning out fantastic energetic young players, Burnley future looked bright. But as with all Burnleys history it never runs smooth, Harry Potts would be replaced by his former captain Jimmy Adamson in February 1970 with Burnley loitering just above the relegation places. Adamson steadied the ship and although Casper's poor return of just 9 goals in League and Cup, 14th place was safety, and another year in the top flight awaited Casper and co.

With Adamsons ideal to build the "team of the seventies", Casper was a key part of Adamson's plans, but as things at Burnley never go to plan, Burnley and Adamson's team of the seventies were relegated, with Casper only finding the net on 5 occasions.

Burnley and Casper found that getting back into the First division harder than it looked, a 7th place finish but with Burnley hitting the nets of the second division sides a massive 70 times, with Casper yet again top scoring with 19 goals.

Champions in 172-73 Casper James, Dobson and Paul Fletcher fired Burnley back into the top flight, with 49 goals plundered between them, with the main man nothing 12 in the league. Casper was back where he and Burnley belonged, Division one.

Burnley were about to embark on a fantastic journey back in the top flight, with a youthful Claret side and the goal scoring power of Casper. with 2 goals in the first 6 league games of the season Casper and Burnley were back.

But disaster struck three times, first a crunching tackle by Spurs hard man Cyril Knowles on Sept 11th 1973 had Frank Casper sidelined for five months, he returned to the starting 11 at the end of February and he scored, all in vain as Burnley went down 2-1 at Loftus Road.

But Frank was fit to take his place in the starting eleven for the FA Cup Quarter final with Wrexham, and he duly scored the winner, 1-0 and Burnleys epic season is on the up a Semi Final against Newcastle was waiting in the wings. History says Newcastle reached the Semi final, but in truth Nottingham Forest should have been there, after crowed encroachment had the first Quarter final abandoned and the FA in there totally based and unfair rule that the replayed game what should have been played at the City Ground,Nottingham, was played at a neutral ground. Newcastle with "Super-Mac" went through.

FA Cup semi final awaited Casper and Burnley, but disaster No2 a thuggish Leeds United, managed by the "Revie" the man who set teams out to destroy careers, set out this side to thuggish stop Casper. This Norman Hunter did! the cowardice of Leeds and Hunter robbed Burnley of an FA Cup final appearance but more significant robbed football of Frank Casper.

Frank Casper never gave in, he played the semi-final but man to a boy, everyone knew this was a shadow of the Frank Casper who had scored 99 League goals in his Career.

The third Disaster was that on the 10th January 1976 Frank Casper announced his retirement.

The thuggish tackle that forced Casper to retire, from a player who now would not be good enough to grace the Conference, a player who was ruthless, a player who does not deserve any accolade, that tackle was on the 16th March 1973, Frank Casper made just 5 starts in the next 22 months, he retired after the Norwich City game 22 months after!

But a free kick in one of those starts against QPR on Oct 18th 1975, saw Burnley not only take the points but see Casper score his 100th League goal and last.

On forced retirement Frank did what so many other Clarets did, joined the coaching staff, he moved from Youth team to Reserve team, until one day in 1983 when the reigning Chairman John Jackson uncerimoniously sacked manager Brian Miller, just before the team coach was the set of to London for Burnley's League Cup match with Tottenham Hotspur, Frank Casper was given caretaker charge.

And what a night, Spurs who had England goalkeeper Ray Clemence, and Argentinian international Osvaldo Ardiles in their star studded line up, were undone by Frank Casper's second division strugglers 4-1 at White hart Lane, a game which will live long for many a reason, but mainly because it was Frank Caspers first game as first team manager.

The exploits of that season League cup Semi-Final, defeating the mighty Liverpool who at the time were the best team on the planet, a FA Cup sixth round exit after another fabulous cup run, but the bread and butter games, the league form didn't quite live up, and he and Burnley were relegated.

Every Burnley fan was expecting Casper to be given the managers job full time, but Jackson had other ideas, hiring John Bond and Casper was on his way out. Martin Dobson was another on the exit pile as Bond started to wreck havoc on Burnley's proud history.

With Dobson leaving to take the reigns down the M66 at Bury, Casper joined him as his assistant, and between them they made a successful job at Gigg lane.

But with Burnley having gone through the despair of John Bond, John Benson, Tommy Cavanagh, and Martin Buchan, it was back to the man who worked so well with Frank Casper in the past, Brian Miller and with Miller fresh from the "Orient" game and the Wembley showdown with Wolves, he stepped down, and just like in 1983, Frank Casper took the job once more, this time on a full time basis.

His step up to management was not as successful as the Clarets faithful would have hoped, in fact it stagnated, no matter what Casper did, who Frank Casper signed, we were treading water. But two men who he did bring in Jimmy Mullen and Steve Davis Mk-II, would have an impact on Burnley's future, Jimmy bringing Burnley two promotions, and Davis playing for the club on three occasions and now back as a coach, a place where Frank Casper started way back in 1976.

Frank Casper Legend!