Brendan Flood
• 2nd
Chairman of UCFB Holdings Ltd & Real Estate Developments Group , Director of Burnley FC & Businesswise
16h • 16 hours ago

As a local lad, it has been a huge privilege to serve as a Director of #BurnleyFC since 2006,when we had a turnover of £6m and losses of £2m pa. It was very challenging back then. We have progressed slowly but steadily to a turnover of £130m and have become a consistently profitable club. We are known to be frugal but,in truth we,the Board, care so much about the Club because we are fans first and foremost. The biggest decision for any business is to choose a good #leadership team. We have chosen strong managers and the staff within the Club have been absolutely tremendous, having grown in confidence year on year.I will miss them the most. I hope that ALK, led by Alan Pace,contribute to the future of the Club and enjoy some of those special memories which only sport can provide. My favourite memory is the Championship Play Off final 1-0 win vs Sheffield United in May 2009. We have never looked back. Thank you Burnley- I have never wanted to be from anywhere else .

Excellent.

A nice message and I like the positivity of it.

Not sure about the “never looked back” claim though.

Right from the heart

After Barry Kilby, the main architect of where we are now.

Good on him. And like a few managers during the Flood 'Era' he will get some unnecessary stick.

He was the man who had the drive and ambition that we needed, while we still had the more reserved and sensible Kilby and co. Perfect balance and a massive reason for how and why we are where we are now.

Played an important role for sure - put his own money in when we needed players (well kind of his own money)

Luckily we did get promoted under Coyle and that was a brilliant time for Burnley fans. Without that promotion it’s likely that what happened to Flood and his commercial property company in the crash would have brought Burnley into administration directly as a result of Flood (Modus) calling in the debt as they were forced to.

But we did go up so that worked out for us - but it was a massive element of luck rather than carefully thought out planning or strategy. I’m not sure the club realised at the time the risk it was taking - and the fans certainly didn’t.

Not really sure what else Flood did for us - certainly would not hold him in anywhere near as high a regard as Barry Kilby and what he did for the club. Even in his dealings with UCFB there was always some spin off property deal Flood had on the go for his own companies.

Met him a couple of times too in a business capacity and he was very easy to dislike !! He seemed to like to tell people more about Manchester than Burnley to me.

TVC15 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 10:55 am

Played an important role for sure - put his own money in when we needed players (well kind of his own money)

Luckily we did get promoted under Coyle and that was a brilliant time for Burnley fans. Without that promotion it’s likely that what happened to Flood and his commercial property company in the crash would have brought Burnley into administration directly as a result of Flood (Modus) calling in the debt as they were forced to.

But we did go up so that worked out for us - but it was a massive element of luck rather than carefully thought out planning or strategy. I’m not sure the club realised at the time the risk it was taking - and the fans certainly didn’t.


Not really sure what else Flood did for us - certainly would not hold him in anywhere near as high a regard as Barry Kilby and what he did for the club. Even in his dealings with UCFB there was always some spin off property deal Flood had on the go for his own companies.

Met him a couple of times too in a business capacity and he was very easy to dislike !! He seemed to like to tell people more about Manchester than Burnley to me.

Pretty harsh assessment TVC IMO.
The lad is a claret through and through
His desire to support his beloved club has probably cost him more personally than he has ever gained.

Ilkley claret wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:11 am

Pretty harsh assessment TVC IMO.
The lad is a claret through and through
His desire to support his beloved club has probably cost him more personally than he has ever gained.

Possibly but I can only speak from my own dealings with him.
Not sure it cost him anything personally - probably the opposite to be honest given what happened with Modus.
I’m still glad he did what he did for the club and as I said he played a really significant role in getting us where we are now and was vital to that first promotion and giving Burnley fans a couple of the most enjoyable seasons in our history under Coyle.

Papabendi wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 10:36 am

After Barry Kilby, the main architect of where we are now.

Really? Is this really true?

Do I have it right that he was a dissenting voice when the decision was taken to appoint SD?

Summat about him never sat right with me.... dunno why, he just seemed to me like it was more about him and his ego than Burnley FC. Even the statement is about what he’s done. Ask not what you can do for your football club, but what your football club can do for you....

I could have it completely wrong of course, but those stating he is one of the main reasons we are where we are have yet to explain why.

I’m glad he’s no longer a director.

Kilby on the other hand.... now there’s a man we should all be thankful to.

It is interesting that with Brendan Flood, all many people want to focus on are the perceived negatives. This is a bloke who gave his time, money and focus to the club for 14 years. Without his money and decisions there was likely no Premier League football the first time round. And in the fullness of time, things have worked out rather well, don't you think? Which included Flood knowing when it was time to step aside and let others take the lead.

Papabendi wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:20 pm

It is interesting that with Brendan Flood, all many people want to focus on are the perceived negatives. This is a bloke who gave his time, money and focus to the club for 14 years. Without his money and decisions there was likely no Premier League football the first time round. And in the fullness of time, things have worked out rather well, don't you think? Which included Flood knowing when it was time to step aside and let others take the lead.

Any reflection on why that is?

Have all those people independently come to the same conclusion and all are wrong? Or is it something about Flood that was responsible too?

For the record I’m grateful for what Flood did. I thought he brought a drive and ambition not shared by anybody else on the board. Equally, it was all a bit “about him” - but people like that tend to get stuff done. And unfortunately people like that seem to rub Burnley top up the wrong way sometimes.

Well, bang goes my theory that Brendan was going to have a role to play in the new setup.

Reading his post, he seems to have enjoyed his stint as director but is unsure about the future.

Papabendi wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 10:36 am

After Barry Kilby, the main architect of where we are now.

Seriously?

Socrates wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:33 pm

Any reflection on why that is?

Have all those people independently come to the same conclusion and all are wrong? Or is it something about Flood that was responsible too?

For the record I’m grateful for what Flood did. I thought he brought a drive and ambition not shared by anybody else on the board. Equally, it was all a bit “about him” - but people like that tend to get stuff done. And unfortunately people like that seem to rub Burnley top up the wrong way sometimes.

See the Bank on Dave thread. People dont like him because he has done well for himself. Thats Burnley all over at times!

Apparently he was helpful as a director
BFC and Flood plc have parted ways
We move on.

bobinho wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:11 pm

Really? Is this really true?

Do I have it right that he was a dissenting voice when the decision was taken to appoint SD?

Summat about him never sat right with me.... dunno why, he just seemed to me like it was more about him and his ego than Burnley FC. Even the statement is about what he’s done. Ask not what you can do for your football club, but what your football club can do for you....

I could have it completely wrong of course, but those stating he is one of the main reasons we are where we are have yet to explain why.

I’m glad he’s no longer a director.

Kilby on the other hand.... now there’s a man we should all be thankful to.

Really? Re read his post and pretend Kilby wrote it. You might have a different perception.

In his post where he references anything about success or good decision he uses the word 'WE'. Not 'I'. In fact he uses it 6 times.

Its nothing to do with his ego or what he achieved. The whole thing reflects on the collective efforts of different people. Which is what makes a succesful team.

cricketfieldclarets wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:40 pm

See the Bank on Dave thread. People dont like him because he has done well for himself. Thats Burnley all over at times!

Is it?

Because Jordan North has done well for himself and nobody seems to dig him out.

And Jimmy Anderson .... nobody has done better than him and all I see is absolute pride at him being from Burnley.

Sir Ian McKellen too, even though he barely lived here. Glowing that he came from our town.

Interesting comparison between him and Dave Fishwick though.

cricketfieldclarets wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:40 pm

See the Bank on Dave thread. People dont like him because he has done well for himself. Thats Burnley all over at times!

Plus there are people on these messageboards who have a strong influence on what others think and if they dont like somebody and repeat it a lot then some people will just uncritically accept their viewpoint as fact.

I think Flood has been the victim of this to some extent on here although its nowhere near as black and white as ive described above

Socrates wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:45 pm

Is it?

Because Jordan North has done well for himself and nobody seems to dig him out.

And Jimmy Anderson .... nobody has done better than him and all I see is absolute pride at him being from Burnley.

Sir Ian McKellen too, even though he barely lived here. Glowing that he came from our town.

Interesting comparison between him and Dave Fishwick though.

I cant speak for Jordan North particularly as I dont really know what he does, but in those particular cases above you are comparing people whose talent is on show and money is a by product, vs. businessmen whose main product on show now is their wealth. Doesn't mean they were not as equally talented in their own ways to come by it.

Two sides to this; the man and the business.

It has been mentioned above his necessary money saw us through a sticky patch, and It was indeed very fortunate that Coyle’s side saw it go on the run it did, all timed so that the Modus collapse wasn’t overly impactful.

As a man, I met him once, but I also got more ITK info from a prospective US-based potential business partner when the club did pre-season training in my home town. I personally found him crass, in keeping with the opinion of these connections. His announcement regarding his wife and jewelry on him entering the BFC was unbelievably so. It was only matched by his delusion he could be the “scouting arm“ for North, Central, and South America

Flood doesn't half divide opinion.

Let's be honest, until he came along, we weren't really going anywhere. ITV Digital had been and bitten us and whilst Cotterill and Kilby had steadied the ship, the future wasn't looking great. Also whilst I am very thankful to Barry Kilby and think he's been excellent for our club, let it be remembered that he bought assets from the club to assist financially, he was far from an out and out benefactor.

Flood came along, put money in via his business and that allowed us to spend a few quid and gave us the impetus to get promoted to the big league for the first time in decades.

Too many people focus on "what if we had we not won at Wembley".......a total wasted worry because we did! I always find it sad that he is not remembered more fondly for his contribution.

Socrates wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:45 pm

Is it?

Because Jordan North has done well for himself and nobody seems to dig him out.

And Jimmy Anderson .... nobody has done better than him and all I see is absolute pride at him being from Burnley.

Sir Ian McKellen too, even though he barely lived here. Glowing that he came from our town.

Interesting comparison between him and Dave Fishwick though.

As I said. At times.

The problem with those two is obvious. They have done well for themselves. Earnt a lot of money. And have an ego. Probably not the most modest people in the world but equally probably why they have got to where they have. As you alluded to yourself.

People being upset that Dave has a helicopter for example. Good for him!

I personally think anybody who puts themselves, their time and their cash into BFC deserves credit, as financially speaking there's loads of more sensible things to do with your money. Although he apparently grew up in Rossendale very close to me, I've never knowingly met him, but I know people who did know him and some who still do. However I honestly don't think it's fair to criticse Flood for not wanting to appoint Dyche because about 90% of this board would have to confess to that if we're being honest!! Hindsight is brilliant and I guess Flood would definitely think so too when he remembers how he plugged Laws to BK and got him appointed!!

I like that Socrates has chosen Jordan North and Jimmy Anderson.

For Jordan North we have plenty of folk saying "he's not really from Burnley" and for Jimmy there is rarely a thread with his name in that doesn't question his claim of being a Burnley fan!

We can be a funny lot where success is concerned!

and I think Sir Ian Mckellan moved when he was 6 months old!!

cricketfieldclarets wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:43 pm

Really? Re read his post and pretend Kilby wrote it. You might have a different perception.

In his post where he references anything about success or good decision he uses the word 'WE'. Not 'I'. In fact he uses it 6 times.

Its nothing to do with his ego or what he achieved. The whole thing reflects on the collective efforts of different people. Which is what makes a succesful team.

You are correct, had Kilby wrote it I would most definitely have a different perception. BF wrote it, and that’s enough for my alarm bells to start ringing. Have any of the others put anything ‘out there’?
I take your point however about his use of the word “we”.... he does use it a lot, but I can’t help but read between the lines and see the word “I”. Maybe I have him all wrong and this particular 2+2 does in fact equal 4, but I can’t help but wonder when I see his name. As I have already mentioned, I can’t put my finger on it but I have always had a “feeling” about BF. Seems like he can’t win eh? My hackles don’t go up easily, but with this fella they always have done.

My opinion is based purely on my own feeling about him, and the one time I met him. It hasn’t been put there by anyone else... I made my own mind up and I also couldn’t care less how rich he is or how he made his money. TBF I know I’m in the minority with my view but I have only ever read people being happy about his involvement. I have always felt uneasy with him being involved.... maybe that’s just because he was always happy in the limelight, and that created an image in my head f him being a bit of a ‘jack the lad’. Like I say, can’t put my finger on it, but I feel a whole lot happier now he is no longer involved.

I think Brendan was at times guilty of over exuberance in his early days, and that soured relations with some. He has played his role and deserves his share of the credit for what has been achieved.

I hope all the former directors remain close to the club and leave the door open for being approached should they be needed, or can offer support. I wish all the outgoing directors my good wishes for their futures wherever it takes them.

As much as people don't like Flood there was no chance of us getting premier league football without him.
The board at the time were very risk averse and happy to plod along in the middle of the championship.
It needs balance but at that particular moment betting the ranch was the saving of the club.

Being able to start back in the championship debt free with a clean slate was brilliant for the club.

And heres me thinking our support got our team to the Premier league and earned over £500m in the process. But fair play I wouldn't have wanted Brendon to suffer financially for his time on the board

arise_sir_charge wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:02 pm

I like that Socrates has chosen Jordan North and Jimmy Anderson.

For Jordan North we have plenty of folk saying "he's not really from Burnley" and for Jimmy there is rarely a thread with his name in that doesn't question his claim of being a Burnley fan!

We can be a funny lot where success is concerned!

Absolutely. And lets not forget there were lots of people - on here alone, questioning his sexuality! Like its relevant.

Something has worked really well at this wonderful club of ours. It is the special collection of somethings whose alchemy is greater than the sum of it’s individual parts.
I see that Frank Lampard’s position at Chelsea is perilous. Who knows but maybe Abrahamovic will ask to meet with Sean Dyche when finally the penny drops, recognising buying the better players at high prices, while it helps, does not guarantee success.