The Longside Reference

Burnley Manager from Oct 1991 till Feb 1996

Jimmy Mullen, Hero to Villain ? or a man who's luck just ran out?

When Frank Casper tendered his resignation in October 1991, who would have thought what instant success the man in caretaker charge would have?

Mullen's arrival at Turf Moor, came via another Burnley 'old boy' Stan Ternent, who took Manager Frank Casper's number two to Hull, Mick Docherty with him, Casper then turned to Mullen to fill the void left by the former Burnley right back.

Jimmy Mullen was ten years and Owl, who even granted him a testimonial in 1980, he amassed over 200 appearances scoring on 10 occasions in the Blue and White stripe as there commanding centre half.

The years of Jimmy's testimonial, he captained the side to promotion to Division Two(1979/80), but the following season Jimmy went one better captaining the Millers to the Third Division Championship.

After a short loan spell at Preston, where Jimmy managed just the one game for the Lilly-whites, he moved to Cardiff, where he again won promotion in 1982/83.

Following the resignation of Cardiff manager Len Ashurst in March 1984, Mullen and Assistant Manager Jimmy Goodfellow were appointed joint Caretaker Managers until the end of the 1983/84 season. At the end of the season, Goodfellow was appointed as sole manager of the club, and Mullen continued as a player under Goodfellow and Alan Durban upon Goodfellow's sacking. After Durban led the club to two successive relegation's, leaving them in the old Fourth Division, he was sacked and Mullen was appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season. Mullen was replaced by Frank Burrows in the summer of 1986 and he then moved on to near-neighbours Newport County, where he would end his playing days.

Scotland would be the next port of call for Mullen, assisting former Sunderland FA Cup goal hero Ian Porterfield at Aberdeen, and after a year out in 1988, Jimmy was offered the caretaker job at Blackpool after Sam Ellis had departed, Mullen saved the Seasider's from relegation winning four of the five games he was in charge off. But if the start was a dream, reality has a way of kicking you in the butt! Mullen was given the Job full time, but was sacked after just seven months. He did however sign from non-league Rhyl, a player by the name of David Eyres, he will always be remembered on the seaside fondly for that peice of business.

And on to Burnley, after the disastrous display at Scarborough, where the Clarets were humiliated 1-3 the Burnley fans were calling for the resignation of manager Frank Casper, to be honest, the supporters had lost faith in Casper a long time before that! A ITV documentary around Burnley in 1989, showed how bad things were when they recorded parts of another of those disgusting performances this time a 1-0 home defeat by the mighty Scunthorpe, with one Claret fan remonstrating with Casper on the pitch! things were bad. Mullen had his work cut out, he again like at Blackpool was given the caretaker job, Burnley at sixes and sevens, languishing in eleventh place in the Fourth Division, with just two league wins and four defeats in the first seven league games.

Mullen re-wrote the record books in his early stint as manager, with nine successive league victories in his first nine games, talk about dream start! Mullen obviously after this was given the managers job on a full time basis. Burnley and he never looked back, it wasn't until Boxing day where Mullen suffered defeat as Burnley's manager, at Millmoor! and to this day i dont think there is a worse pitch then that in league football! 2-1 to Rotherham that day, with the pessimistic Claret fans amongst us thinking ah well Mullens 'bubble' has burst! Not so, one defeat in the nest nine (a day Mark Kendal would have wanted to forget, i know i did! 5-2 at Blackpool arrgghh the memories of that day !)

Mullen's magic in the league followed into the FA Cup, beating Doncaster(at the second attempt) and Rotherham, leaving us a money spinning third round tie with Derby County, after a hard fought game at Turf Moor, Burnley held the Rams to a 2-2 draw, and a replay at the Baseball ground. Burnley's fans in the 2nd replay(after the first replay was postponed due to fog), created 'Jimmy Mullen's Claret'n'Blue Army', the end at the Baseball ground two tiers was full and with twenty minutes of the game remaining, the din, the noise, the unbelievable passion for Jimmy Mullen and his team was heard! Burnley were on thier way to going out of the FA Cup, a mistake form Burnley's keeper Pearce allowed Derby their second goal, and it started "Jimmy Mullen's Claret'n'Blue Army....." the Burnley contingent behind the goal sang as loud as their voices could, Burnley had a new hero and his name was Jimmy Mullen.

Out of the FA Cup, but top of the fourth, scoring goals a plenty, Mullen had galvanised Casper's also ran's into a forth division force. Burnley were just one victory away form winning the Championship with four games still to play, first up Carlisle United, and with Jimmy Mullen's traveling army in tow there's no way, we could fail, but we stuttered a 1-1 draw, Although Jimmy Mullen's army won the day, approximately 30 of the Clarets faithful went into the home end all dressed in vikings and drew swords against the Carlisle fans, although its hard to condone violence on the terraces, this has got to be the funniest thing i have every witnessed in over thirty years watching Burnley. I have no idea if anyone was hurt that day, i was i keeled over with laughter.

Next up York City, and to anyone who watched the Champions 'Burnley are Back' Video, the sight of former Burnley player and the scorer of one of the greatest Burnley goals Ashley Hoskin queueing with the thousands of Clarets fans who descended on York that night, were not to leave York disappointed, Ashley and co, celebrated the 2-1 win long into the night. Mullen had done it, and just how, that season is the one of the best ever as a Burnley fan. 'Jimmy Fixed it for us', and with two games to go.

Mullen was a Burnley legend, he managed to get us out of the division Benson took us too seven years previous. He could do no wrong, consolidation in the New Division two was his next goal, the birth of the Premiership made division Three move up one to Division Two, so Jimmy Magic saw Burnley rise two divisions at once, the mans magical power knew no bounds.

Consolidation he wanted, and a thirteenth place is just what the doctor ordered, he even managed to bring 'Inchy ' to Turf Moor, who still had a lot to offer, in fact Mullen's signing managed 20 League goals on his debut season, as Burnley were turning heads. the following year Mullen went back to Blackpool to recruit David Eyres the man he plucked form the non league four years earlier. and although he didn't managed 20 League goals Eyres did score the first goal in a play-off victory at Wembley, for Mullen's men.

Stockport County hate Burnley, for reasons unknown? But when they won through to the Play-Off final, It would be thier fierce rivals Burnley who would meet them, But before that, Jimmy had another piece of magic to preform, a task of beating Plymouth Argyle under Peter Shilton's management.

Plymouth Argyle were one of the best sides in the division, they finished third scored an impressive 88 goals, and more importantly finished the league season twelve points in front of Burnley. Shilton had a game plan, the first game was at Turf Moor, and he came for a draw, and a draw is what he got! a boring 0-0 draw with his team doing everything to stop the Clarets, job done, or so the chairman of the pilgrims thought!

Mullen took his Claret team down to Home Park the night before the game, and in the morning Mullen bought the morning paper, to see the chairman planing for Wembley, believing Plymouth will overcome with ease Burnley, Mullen took this paper and pinned it up on the dressing room wall, just the incentive Johnny Francis and co needed, Burnley won the 2nd leg 3-1, Mullen's magic touch again, and to make his halo glow even more we defeated Stockport at Wembley, Burnley are Back.

The shinny halo Mullen has was stating to rust, a long hard season followed, Burnley's first season back in the second tier of English football since relegation in 1983 under Miller/Casper, and it was a hardous task. Mullen worked hard, he tried everything Signed forwards, loaned forwards, but to no avail the glorious football that we were watching the seasons before had vanished, the results vanished too. Mullen's magic was wearing thin, relegation back to the third tier followed.

League Two, Division Two, Division Three what ever you want to call it, Burnley where back down there, a place were we didn't want to be, the glory of just over twelve months ago long gone, with the season previous that promised so much but failed to deliver, leaving Mullen back to the starting blocks, the money earned on promotion had gone, so the purse was empty, Mullen brought in just two Peter Swan and youngster Andy Cooke, but the  team looked odds on to put the relegation behind them and go straight back up. Mullen was still the man, or had he taken us as far as he could? has he ran out of ideas? the questions probably never had an answer, Football inst always black and white.

1995/96 and the fans backlash, Mullen the manager took all the flack, being on touchline in full view of the angry hurt fans, the chairman and board in the boardrooms hidden behind doors and windows, away from the press who were baying for blood, baying for a story, the fans wanting answers, wanting decisions wanting our team to return to the past glories. The first half of the season was average, Burnley scoring goals and winning almost 50% of the games, 9 wins in 22 games and only 5 defeats, not what you would say a disastrous situation? but the turn of the year and four defeats on the bounce, and with no money to bring in fresh blood, the fans spoke 3:33 and "backs to the board" was thought out and executed during the home game with Crewe alexandra, Mullen was in the firing line stood out, like the rabbit to the blood thirsty dogs.

Mullen Resigned !

The board stood with him for a relegation, and a little poor form, but he earned that, he earned the backing, i don't know if the board let him down, but feel i did, and others like me did. The 3:33 had a purpurs, but one man was hurt! Jimmy Mullen, his army turned, and he took the proverbial bullet.

Mullen left Burnley and Lancashire, he went over to Ireland and Sligo Rovers where he stayed for a year, before moving to another country Wales when he assisted Neville Southall with the Welsh U21S.

Colwyn Bay, Telford United, Market Drayton, Bromsgrove, Hednesford Town all had a chance to re-ignite that Mullen magic that Burnley saw at the start of the 90s, but it wasn't till 2008 where he managed a League outfit again,managing Walsall first (again) as caretaker, made perminent a month later, Mullen was sacked on January 10th 2009.