Clarets soccer legend Jimmy McIlroy said he would like to 'wring the necks' of the supporters who have put him forward for a knighthood.

The gentleman of football who began playing for Burnley in the 1950s said: "I'm embarrassed by it all. When I found out about it I wanted to wring the necks of the people responsible!

"It was embarrassing when Burnley Football Club named a stand after me. It will be a lot more embarrassing if I get knighted. What have I done to deserve it?" Jimmy was an apprentice bricklayer before he was signed by Irish League team Glentoran, and then sold to the Clarets for £8,000.

He revealed it was his saddest day when Clarets boss Harry Potts sold him to Stoke City.

"I didn't want to leave Burnley. It came as a shock to me when I was told that I was going on the transfer list," he said.

"I turned up at the ground one Monday morning and I was informed I was on the list -- I didn't want to leave," he said. "I moved to Stoke City at the age of 31 for a fee of around £5,000," he said.

It was a big wrench for Jimmy, who remained in Burnley and travelled to the Midland every day for training for the three years he was at Stoke. When he left Stoke aged 38 he became manager at Oldham but after two-and-a-half seasons he discovered management was not for him.

He said: "I was never cut out for management -- I was cut out as a player. The satisfaction of playing the game was far greater than watching from the sidelines.

"There is nothing a manager can do, once the players are on the pitch. It's down to them. What makes a good manager are his players."

The idea of nominating Jimmy for an honour is being co-ordinated by members of Central Lancashire Clarets, based in Leyland. Chairman Bill Mellor said he feels Jimmy deserves the same recognition as Preston's Sir Tom Finney.