The ANDY PAYTON column. . .

IN all my years playing under Stan Ternent at Burnley, I have never seen him show emotion like he did during his lap of honour on Sunday.

Yes, he got angry. But few, if any, footballers will ever have witnessed the softer side of our former gaffer.

It just shows how much Burnley Football Club means to Stan, and I just hope the chairman and the rest of the board haven't made a mistake in letting him go.

Personally, I think it's a massive gamble - and I'm not on my own.

From the fans I was talking to at Sunday's game, there are one or two who reckon it is time for a change. But I'd say 98 per cent want Stan to stay.

But what's done is done, and we have to look to the future.

The dust has started to settle and now people can think about who is going to take the reins at Turf Moor.

Steve McMahon seems to be a strong contender, and following his departure from Blackpool last week he's finally admitted he would love the job.

He tried to sign me when he was in his first management position at Swindon, but I turned them down on transfer deadline day to stay with Barnsley.

I did get the opportunity to work with him a few years ago, though, when I went to Blackpool on loan, and I think Burnley could do a lot worse than appoint Steve.

I trained with at Bloomfield Road for a month and I was very impressed with the way he operated. He knows the game inside out, he's young, hungry and will command respect because of what he's achieved in the game.

He's good tactically, very passionate about football and he's the right age. All in all, he's a good manager. But he'll need some financial backing, and I'm not just talking about the odd million.

Whoever comes in is going to need at least £5 million to spend because the fans want to be back challenging for the play-offs.

Where that money's going to come from, I just don't know, because they didn't cash in on Glen Little.

He was almost the forgotten man on Sunday, but he got a good reception and was also visibly choked.

I know how he felt because it was the same for Paul Cook and I when we walked out onto the pitch last season. When everyone's clapping you, you get a lump in your throat.

As well as the manager, one of our best players needs replacing.

But if there is money to spend, it begs the question: why they didn't give any to Stan?