I APPLAUD the work done by Frank Teasdale and the Burnley FC Board in bringing us back from the brink of the Orient game and making us into the club that we now are.

It was also very astute of the Board, especially Clive Holt, to get such good grants from the Football Trust to make Turf Moor into the stadium that it is now.

Now, however, the club has reached the crossroads. We have a mortgage and a worn-out pitch. The team itself desperately needs two full backs and a good forward, and maybe also a good midfielder. We are however, told that the coffers are dry. Waddle-mania has disappeared, with the loyal 2,000 at York looking as depressed as the country did at Princess Diana's funeral.

I again urge the board to solicit new faces on to the Board and to bring much-needed investment in the club.

Without a doubt, a number of individuals want to invest in the club. I ask Bob Blakeborough to get off the fence and tell us if this is fact or not.

I ask the directors after all the years of poor-quality football, to give our wonderful supporters a team to be proud of. We cannot be allowed further underachievement.

I ask them to openly look for investment now and to float the club as soon as is practicable. Otherwise, we'll remain a third or fourth-rate club.

Now is the time for honest, brave decisions that can put Burnley back where we belong.

ALBERT CUNLIFFE (Mr), Rylands Street, Burnley.

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