Source: FOOTYMAD
Taffy pips Dobbo in 1970s
The voting for Burnley's best player of the 1970s was close from start to finish as two played continually swapped places at the top as they vied to join Robbie Blake, Glen Little and Trevor Steven as the best player in a decade. Blake, Little and Steven had won the 200s, 1990s, and 1980s respectively but the 1970s vote soon became very much a two horse race between Martin Dobson and Leighton James, two players who just about started and ended the decade with the club. I suppose it was all down to whether you voted for the sheer class of Dobbo or opted for the match winning expertise of Taffy, and it was the Welsh winger who just about came out on top with a 31.8% share of the vote. He made his debut during the ill fated 1970/71 season in a home win against Nottingham Forest and made the number 11 shirt his own in the following season. Leighton James was the real match winner in the Burnley side that won promotion in 1973 and went on to have two really good seasons in the First Division before player sales, including his move to Derby, caught up with us and saw us relegated again. He was very much the crowd favourite of the time and so it is no surprise to see him come out on top. However, his lead was only a narrow one from his captain Dobson who took second player. Dobbo, won won 30.3% of the vote, was another to be sold (in 1974) as the club balanced the books. He captained the side in the promotion season and the following season when we reached the FA Cup semi-final and came close to a place in Europe via the league. Both players returned to the club before the end of the decade but couldn't prevent the club sliding even further and into the Third Division. Only one other player reached double figures in the vote. That was Peter Noble, who signed for the Clarets in the summer of 1973 and remained with the club until a move to Blackpool in early 1980. And so Leighton James, Trevor Steven, Glen Little and Robbie Blake take the honours so far with two more to come. The 1960s vote will start tomorrow. Best Player of the 1970s 31.8% - Leighton James30.3% - Martin Dobson13.4% - Peter Noble5.0% - Frank Casper4.5% - Steve Kindon4.2% - Alan Stevensonv3.7% - Paul Fletcher3.2% - Colin Waldron2.2% - Keith Newton1.5% - Terry Cochrane
