Harry Potts - born 22nd October 1920

[ClaretTony]

The wonderful Harry Potts would have been 100 today

[conyoviejo]

If only he could return and get us playing some great attacking football just like in the sixties. Happy birthday Harry.

[Royboyclaret]

Simply the best.

[Suratclaret]

Simply the best.

Absolutely.

[Royboyclaret]

Hard to believe Harry was still only 39 years old when we won the title in May 1960.

Just a few months later on his 40th birthday Burnley produced one of their greatest ever team performances with a 6-2 away win at Stamford Bridge.

[martin_p]

Hard to believe Harry was still only 39 years old when we won the title in May 1960.

Just a few months later on his 40th birthday Burnley produced one of their greatest ever team performances with a 6-2 away win at Stamford Bridge.

Have to say it surprised me it was only his 100th birthday. I’m too young to remember his glory days but do remember his less successful second spell and I’ve always seen him as ‘an old man’. So it’s a shock to learn he was over a decade younger than me when we won the championship and only 4 years older than me when he came back to the club! I think people looked old from their mid 30s back in the day

Happy Birthday Harry!

[Royboyclaret]

Hard to believe Harry was still only 39 years old when we won the title in May 1960.

Just a few months later on his 40th birthday Burnley produced one of their greatest ever team performances with a 6-2 away win at Stamford Bridge.

Thinking more about it, he was still manager (just about) some 10 years later when we went back to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup and produced another stirring performance. That's the tie referred to in the thread on this page for the poster looking for the programme.

[ClaretTony]

I must confess this anniversary had escaped me and someone I adored when I was a young supporter. Getting the opportunity to know him a bit and speak to him on several occasions was something special for me. Just the nicest of people too.

The most enthusiastic of managers who used to lose the plot on match days in the dug out. My favourite was one told by Arthur Bellamy when it was a cold winters day and no one wanted to go out and train. Harry would be full of his usual enthusiasm, would see the snow on the top of Pendle, rub his hands and tell the players: "It's just like Switzerland."

[ElectroClaret]

Fabulous times under Harry.
Didn't he once walk onto the pitch in a European away game (may have been Reims) because the opposition were stealing ten yards or more at a time at free kicks, and he just rolled the ball back to where it should have been?
It caused uproar at the time, apparently.
Great manager.

[Silkyskills1]

Hard to believe Harry was still only 39 years old when we won the title in May 1960.

Just a few months later on his 40th birthday Burnley produced one of their greatest ever team performances with a 6-2 away win at Stamford Bridge.

Just a season later in September we went to Birmingham on the Saturday and won 2-6 and then repeated the scoreline in the following midweek at Leicester. 'I'd take a slow boat to China or stand knee deep in freezing snow to watch this thrilling outfit in action' was part of one national newspaper report the day after the Leicester game. Just wonderful times to be growing up following the Clarets then.

[Silkyskills1]

Fabulous times under Harry.
Didn't he once walk onto the pitch in a European away game (may have been Reims) because the opposition were stealing ten yards or more at a time at free kicks, and he just rolled the ball back to where it should have been?
It caused uproar at the time, apparently.
Great manager.

He did and the French crowd didn't like it. That was a time when TV had no scheduled games and just announced during Wednesday night's ' Sportsview' that they were going over to Paris to view the match. I was 8 years old and to see my team.playing a massive side like Reims in another country was incredible.

[Royboyclaret]

Just a season later in September we went to Birmingham on the Saturday and won 2-6 and then repeated the scoreline in the following midweek at Leicester. 'I'd take a slow boat to China or stand knee deep in freezing snow to watch this thrilling outfit in action' was part of one national newspaper report the day after the Leicester game. Just wonderful times to be growing up following the Clarets then.

Said on here before that the period you refer to, around September 1961, was when the great team really peaked. Potts had produced a team that was perfectly balanced and, just as important, Jimmy Mac was literally unplayable.

That said, the game at Chelsea referred to above was perhaps the finest performance I've ever seen from a Burnley side and fitting that it happened on Harry's 40th birthday. The last goal we scored at Stamford Bridge that day was the 20th goal in just four league games, 5-0, 4-1, 5-3 and 6-2. We were simply blowing teams away and, as you say, just a wonderful time to be following the Clarets.

[ClaretTony]

All of Harry, Brian Miller and Jimmy Mac would always tell you that the peak performance came at Leicester in September 1961 when we won 6-2.

[Quicknick]

One of my main Turf Moor 70s memories was when we all went on the pitch at the end of the last home match in 1977-78 after we'd stopped up. HARRY POTTS HARRY POTTS !! we all chanted.

[Silkyskills1]

All of Harry, Brian Miller and Jimmy Mac would always tell you that the peak performance came at Leicester in September 1961 when we won 6-2.

Very hard to disagree with that. I think my favourite moment, perhaps my favourite home memory came a little later in the season in Jan 62 when we played Man City and on a wet afternoon beat them 6-3. To say I was enthralled is an understatement and that was probably the game when Jimmy Mc won a place in my heart forever. Granted I was still three months short of my 10 th birthday but Jimmy, that day, was virtually unplayable. Their left back, Cliff Sear went off the pitch in the second half for a while suffering from what was described as 'nervous palpitations'. I've no idea what it was about or how serious it was but I always put it down to 'wear and tear' courtesy of the Northern Irish magician.

[ClaretTony]

Very hard to disagree with that. I think my favourite moment, perhaps my favourite home memory came a little later in the season in Jan 62 when we played Man City and on a wet afternoon beat them 6-3. To say I was enthralled is an understatement and that was probably the game when Jimmy Mc won a place in my heart forever. Granted I was still three months short of my 10 th birthday but Jimmy, that day, was virtually unplayable. Their left back, Cliff Sear went off the pitch in the second half for a while suffering from what was described as 'nervous palpitations'. I've no idea what it was about or how serious it was but I always put it down to 'wear and tear' courtesy of the Northern Irish magician.

City had their reserve team goalkeeper playing that day. I'm not sure whether it was the week before or the week after that he played for City reserves on the Turf and conceded seven. It meant he'd conceded 13 goals on the Turf on successive Saturdays.

[Silkyskills1]

Was it Harry Dowd or was he the first team keeper?

[ClaretTony]

Was it Harry Dowd or was he the first team keeper?

Harry Dowd was involved - it was either him or he was the first team goalkeeper who was out injured.

[claret59]

I think it was the Leicester game when their team 'clapped' the Clarets off the field at the end of the game in appreciation of their performance.

[dpinsussex]

Same birthday as Arsene Wenger. Two great managers

[ashtonlongsider]

Happy Birthday Harry. Strong memories of the electrifying football we played during my formative years watching the Clarets. I have often wondered how that side would have 'faired' in this era with the pristine pitches. I think we'd have been unplayable.

[Buxtonclaret]

All these years on, the great man still provoking wonderful first hand memories.
Great thread.

Happy birthday, Harry.