Paul Stewart 1995 loan

[karatekid]

I seem to recall a loan player taking some stick from the longside then standing with his back to the fans in the longside giving them the two finger salute behind his back. Does anyone else remember this and was it Paul Stewart on loan from Liverpool?

[Terrier]

Yes, I remember the two fingers.
I must admit I joined in with the stick he received after that but now with what we know about what happened to him I wish I hadn't, one good thing for me if you look through my posts is that nowadays it would take a lot for me to turn on a player or manager.
Poor lad went through hell because of what had happened to him as a kid!

[karatekid]

I can’t remember why he was getting stick from the fans but I do remember me and my mates cracking up with laughter when he gave it back.

[jdrobbo]

I’m so glad he eventually was able to speak out and get the support he needed.

[Terrier]

He just did not seem interested and most fans I knew at the time thought that he thought burnley and the league we were in was below him, little did we know what was going on in his head.

[Boss Hogg]

The worst player I’ve ever seen wear the Burnley shirt. You put effort in on the pitch as a bare minimum.

[bfcjg]

He robbed a wage when he was here, disgraceful attitude and he was just plain crap. However as has been mentioned he was a tortured soul who desperately needed help and hopefully he has found some peace.

[gtclaret]

Roy Evans ,the Liverpool manager at the time was also critical of his attitude at Burnley.He obviously didn't know the story behind it.

[Tribesmen]

The worst player I’ve ever seen wear the Burnley shirt. You put effort in on the pitch as a bare minimum.

Have to agree with that also

[Boss Hogg]

He had issues but there have been other players with serious personal issues that manage to put an ounce of effort in. When you are paid a fortune the least you can do is put effort in even if your performance or standard is ultimately not good enough. You are deceiving hard working fans and the club otherwise. He put plenty of effort in at other clubs. First name on the team sheet of my worst Burnley team of all time. Probably the most nominated player in it.

[AmbleClaret]

He had issues but there have been other players with serious personal issues that manage to put an ounce of effort in. When you are paid a fortune the least you can do is put effort in even if your performance or standard is ultimately not good enough. You are deceiving hard working fans and the club otherwise. He put plenty of effort in at other clubs. First name on the team sheet of my worst Burnley team of all time. Probably the most nominated player in it.

Please don't apply to volunteer for the Samaritans.

[jdrobbo]

Sometimes your best is just about keeping your head above water and surviving the day in front of you. He probably wanted to speak out and even not play but he (quite understandably due to stigma) was unable to.

It’s 2023 and we still need to do a lot more work on mental health.

[ClaretTony]

The worst player I’ve ever seen wear the Burnley shirt. You put effort in on the pitch as a bare minimum.

You didn't see much that went before if you thought he was the worst.

1 He was suffering, as we know now, with real mental health problems
2 He was recovering physically from an injury
3 Liverpool laughed their balls off when Mullen approached them for an unfit player

Was he good for us? No, anything but. Worst? Don't make me laugh.

[wilks_bfc]

You didn't see much that went before if you thought he was the worst.

1 He was suffering, as we know now, with real mental health problems
2 He was recovering physically from an injury
3 Liverpool laughed their balls off when Mullen approached them for an unfit player

Was he good for us? No, anything but. Worst? Don't make me laugh.

He’s not even the worst player we’ve seen SINCE then

[Boss Hogg]

Sometimes your best is just about keeping your head above water and surviving the day in front of you. He probably wanted to speak out and even not play but he (quite understandably due to stigma) was unable to.

It’s 2023 and we still need to do a lot more work on mental health.

I accept we need to be more understanding but it’s also 2023 (and I stress whilst not applicable in this case) and we can’t keep using mental health as an excuse for everything. Underperformance, poor attitude, social behaviour, ….crime etc.

[daveisaclaret]

It takes a special sort of badness to know what he went through and still be moaning about his football playing 30 years ago.

[ClaretTony]

He’s not even the worst player we’ve seen SINCE then

I'd agree totally with that too

[jdrobbo]

I accept we need to be more understanding but it’s also 2023 (and I stress whilst not applicable in this case) and we can’t keep using mental health as an excuse for everything. Underperformance, poor attitude, social behaviour, ….crime etc.

Quite right, but that’s not the point of this post, or your post about Paul Stewart. You’ve completely changed the point. This was about Paul Stewart not playing as well as we hoped he would at the time and your implication that he didn’t TRY for Burnley. Knowing what we know, I think he absolutely tried his best.

[jdrobbo]

I'd agree totally with that too

As would I

[quoonbeatz]

Ron Futcher did the same to the bee hole once.

[karatekid]

Trying to get the thread back on track, does anyone remember who we played that game and the result?

[Boss Hogg]

Every time there is a worst Burnley team thread he appears in most teams. I’ve seen the dross when we were struggling in Duv 4. He still appears in it and will continue to appear in it. Gascoigne often appears in it. Have we had players with less ability. Yes of course we have.

[Quickenthetempo]

You didn't see much that went before if you thought he was the worst.

1 He was suffering, as we know now, with real mental health problems
2 He was recovering physically from an injury
3 Liverpool laughed their balls off when Mullen approached them for an unfit player

Was he good for us? No, anything but. Worst? Don't make me laugh.

I thought he had just had a successful loan at Blackpool before we signed him on loan? Your memory is far better than mine though.

It's a sad story though and wish him all the best.

[ClaretTony]

I thought he had just had a successful loan at Blackpool before we signed him on loan? Your memory is far better than mine though.

It's a sad story though and wish him all the best.

Started at Blackpool but let for Man City in 1987 and then moved to Spurs and Liverpool. He'd had a couple of loans from Liverpool in the previous year. He never returned to Blackpool.

[NottsClaret]

How you can feel anything but sympathy for Paul Stewart is beyond me.

[NottsClaret]

Ron Futcher did the same to the bee hole once.

I liked Rocket Ron at the time. At the end of his career and couldn't really run but still bagged plenty.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Trying to get the thread back on track, does anyone remember who we played that game and the result?

I’d presume it was the Oldham game which we won 2-1?
He’d been sent off in mid week but bans didn’t start for a week then.

He only played three home games, Grimsby, WBA and Oldham.
I think we can rule Grimsby out with it being his debut.

[jedi_master]

Ron Futcher did the same to the bee hole once.

As did Andy Lonergan

[mikeS]

A good player when at his peak but not when he came to us. Sad that his form was rock bottom and that he will always be remembered here for giving it the Churchill salute.

[ChorltonCharlie]

Jesus wept. if you're judging the affect of someone's mental health issues after they've suffered from child sexual abuse, it says far more about you than it does about the victim.

What Paul Stewart suffered from as a child is a root cause of many of his issues as an adult. I wouldn't use the word 'excuse', but I would say mitigating factors. I'd say what he's achieved in his adult life, both in football and away from it, in spite of what he went through, says far more about his character than when he was at his lowest ebb.

[Herts Clarets]

You didn't see much that went before if you thought he was the worst.

1 He was suffering, as we know now, with real mental health problems
2 He was recovering physically from an injury
3 Liverpool laughed their balls off when Mullen approached them for an unfit player

Was he good for us? No, anything but. Worst? Don't make me laugh.

I was quite excited when we signed him on loan, had been a quality player and coming from Liverpool when we were at the bottom end of the division below was sure to be a step up from what we already had. Clearly the mental health side wasn't revealed at the time (nor for many years after) and i wasn't aware of the injury recovery or his lack of fitness. I like many others mistook this for lack of interest and desire to play for us.

[Quicknick]

Mike Summerbee had the best attitude when, in front of the Longside in the late '60s as a City player, he responded to the Burnley fans singing about the length of his nose by turning around and conducting us.

[claretabroad]

The Barnsley away game always sticks in my memory. Shocking.

[Big Vinny K]

He was like Messi in the last World Cup compared to Dane Richards

You have to context everything with what he was going through at the time. He was broken.
If we played someone with a broken ankle we wouldn’t describe him as the worst player.

What he went through is truly horrendous and as someone said to have the career he did is a pretty incredible achievement and says so much about his character and ability.

[Transpennine]

I’d presume it was the Oldham game which we won 2-1?
He’d been sent off in mid week but bans didn’t start for a week then.

He only played three home games, Grimsby, WBA and Oldham.
I think we can rule Grimsby out with it being his debut.

Was he sent off at Barnsley in midweek? Was that the Kevin Lynch game? Or am I conflating the two?

Stewart got plenty of stick that night from the away fans in the wooden stand.

Glad he's finally doing well in life...

[Bordeauxclaret]

Was he sent off at Barnsley in midweek? Was that the Kevin Lynch game? Or am I conflating the two?

Stewart got plenty of stick that night from the away fans in the wooden stand.

Glad he's finally doing well in life...

It was yes. Parkinson and Stewart were sent off by Lynch.

[Transpennine]

It was yes. Parkinson and Stewart were sent off by Lynch.

Cheers.

[ecc]

It was yes. Parkinson and Stewart were sent off by Lynch.

I thought the ref was superb that night.

Mind you, Barnsley played some excellent football that evening.

[Rowls]

I’d presume it was the Oldham game which we won 2-1?
He’d been sent off in mid week but bans didn’t start for a week then.

He only played three home games, Grimsby, WBA and Oldham.
I think we can rule Grimsby out with it being his debut.

I think it was West Brom. Liam Robinson got a very late equaliser if I remember correctly.

[dougcollins]

Was Stewart worse than Nick Pickering?

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Was Stewart worse than Nick Pickering?

Remember Nick Pickering getting dogs abuse from the Burnley fans away at Huddersfield due to his lack of effort. He looked up as he got near and just laughed.

[strayclaret]

It was yes. Parkinson and Stewart were sent off by Lynch.

Dreadful night, I came across Mr Lynch several years later at a sportsman’s event at Harrogate Town he was even doing the hand gestures during his speech. I asked him about the Barnsley game he remembered it and said he would have sent more Burnley players off if he’d have time

[dougcollins]

I had an inadvertent conversation with Mr Lynch on a train and ended up calling him a word I very rarely use.

Not proud of myself but it felt good at the time.

[fidelcastro]

Remember Nick Pickering getting dogs abuse from the Burnley fans away at Huddersfield due to his lack of effort. He looked up as he got near and just laughed.

I was at that game. It was when Huddersfield played at the old Leeds Road ground. Pickering "chased" a ball knocked down the flank for him, and the linesman actually got there before him. He really was that slow!

[rincon]

My only memory of him is when he dribbled around 2 players then laid a pass on to to one of our players, who was too slow to see it coming, and got intercepted.
He looked at the longside and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say ¬ I'm too good to be here.
I'd no idea of any mental health issues he may have had, but that incident tarred him for me.