Bob Lord (football chairman)
| Bob Lord | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Robert William Lord 19 June 1908 Burnley, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 8 December 1981 (aged 73) Burnley, Lancashire, England |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Butcher, chairman of Burnley F.C. (1955–1981) |
Robert William "Bob" Lord (19 June 1908 – 8 December 1981) was an English businessman best known as the chairman of Burnley Football Club
Born in 1908 in Burnley, Lancashire, Lord was the son of a barber. As a boy he worked for a local butcher, until at the age of 19 he started his own business. Lord's butchery business eventually grew into 14 shops.
Lord was an avid follower of his local football club, Burnley F.C., and in 1950 attempted to join the board. This approach was blocked, but another position became available a year later. Lord was the sole candidate, and thus became a board member. He became chairman in 1955.
The early years of Lord's chairmanship were the most successful in the club's history. Following the appointment of Harry Potts as manager in 1958, Burnley were league champions in 1960, and reached the FA Cup Final in 1962. The club became renowned for their youth policy, which yielded players such as Jimmy McIlroy, Willie Morgan and Martin Dobson, and investment in a new training ground gave Burnley some of the most advanced facilities in the country. Lord oversaw major redevelopment of Turf Moor, including a new stand at the Cricket Field end, and a replacement for the Main Stand that Lord named after himself. Both stands were opened by Conservative Party leader Edward Heath, who was a friend of Lord's. As of 2014 both the Cricket Field Stand and Bob Lord stand are still in use.
Lord was a staunch critic of televised football. He wrote at length on the subject in his 1963 autobiography, arguing that live coverage would "damage and undermine attendances". When the BBC highlights programme Match of the Day began in 1964, Lord banned the BBC cameras from Burnley's Turf Moor ground, and maintained the ban for five years. Lord's media exclusions also extended to members of the press who he felt had slighted him. At the time of a 1966 interview with Arthur Hopcraft, Lord had banned three newspapers and six individual journalists from the Turf Moor press box, and Burnley players faced fines if they spoke to journalists without prior permission. His bearing and attitude led one press report to describe him as "the Khrushchev of Burnley".
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