IF GLEN Little thought life was painful enough under Chris Waddle, he was in for an almighty shock.

Stan Ternent breezed into Burnley in the summer of 1998 carrying a reputation as a tough taskmaster.

Ternent had dragged Bury off the canvas with his hardline approach, ensuring the perennial underdogs punched above their weight to win back-to-back promotions.

And when two equally strong characters collide, sparks often fly - not to mention bottles and right hooks!

"You have to be mentally strong, and I've always been that," said Little.

"I've had my run-ins with Stan over the years at Burnley, but that's part and parcel of football.

"He's swung for me a few times and you have your rows and square-up, but as long as you don't take it to heart that's the important thing.

"I've been hit with a bottle, called everything under the sun and even had the right hook, but someone once said to me it's because he cares.

"The day Stan stops shouting in your ear, that's the day you get worried and that's the way I've always seen it

"He might not be everyone's cup of tea and people might not like the way he does things, but that's the way it is.

"The bottom line is he's done it at Bury, a two-bob club who went up from the Third to the First and will probably never get back there again.

"People cannot say he has not done a good job since at Burnley and, at the end of the day, if there was ever a problem, I would have been down the road like plenty of other players.

"You stick by it, and I'm sure I'll miss it. Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone."

Life might have been less painful for Little had Ternent not quickly earmarked him as a select band of players inherited from Waddle that he felt he could use to build a foundation for the future.

"Chris had offered me a new contract in the summer of 1998, but it was a poor one," recalled Little.

"I had been frozen out by him, but I had a good end to the season and finally got on great with him.

"We all went away and had a great time and there was real hope that we could do well the following season, so I was totally surprised to see him go.

"Stan came in and I remember a few games into the season, Stockport put in a bid of £400,000.

"Three months earlier, they had missed out by deciding not to pay £50,000 while I wasn't in the team!"

Little, who played in more games under Ternent than any other Burnley player, added: "Stan's first year was probably worse than Chris Waddle's!

"We were up against it and the kids were all getting a go. I felt Andy Cooke, Andy Payton and I were carrying the team that year and of course, we got beat 5-0 to Gillingham and just when we thought things couldn't get any worse we lost 6-0 to Manchester City the next game.

"I think that's the lowest time for anyone who has been involved at the club dating back to that time.

"But by now we had signed Steve Davis - who was a big character for the club - and we ended that season going 12 games unbeaten."

The following season exceeded everyone's expectations.

Mid-table medicrity would have been acceptable to most Burnley fans. Instead they got promotion, Division One football...and Ian Wright!

"Without any great upheaval on the playing side, we went from just staying up to winning promotion at the first real time of asking, which was a great achievement.

"It looked like the play-offs all the way, but Wrighty came in and scored some crucial goals.

"Finally it all came down to Scunthorpe on the last day of the season and everyone knows what happened!

"I was lucky enough to score the winning goal and it was great at the end hearing that Mark McGregor had done us a favour by scoring for Wrexham against Gillingham from 30 yards.

"I didn't think he could kick it that far!"

First Divison football held no fears either for Burnley, who were now seemingly on an unstoppable roll towards the Premiership.

Seventh in their first full season back in the Football League's top flight was a fairy tale, given that many opponents were well rooted at that level and carried bigger financial clout.

But the 2001/02 campaign was a magic carpet ride - albeit one that ended with an almighty bump.

Burnley won seven of their first eight games to storm clear, and remained league leaders until a 5-1 defeat at Manchester City in the final game of 2001.

Sadly, the pace could not be maintained and the Clarets won just six more league games all season, despite signing Paul Gascoigne, to heartbreakingly miss out on the play-offs on the final day of the season.

"It was a big disappointment to be in the top six all season and the only time not to be involved was after the 46th game," said Little.

"That season, while we were top of the league, Manchester City wanted to pay £3m and if we had known what would happen since I might well have been sold.

"That never came out in the papers, but it's the reason why I was offered a new deal and signed it.

"To lose out once on a play-off place was bad enough, but to do it a second season running was just a nightmare and you only need to look at the team that pipped us, Norwich, to see the contrast in the clubs ever since."

Indeed, the ensuing two seasons have been a real struggle for Little and Co. Stripped of cash, manager Ternent has been forced to cobble together a team with designs more on survival than success.

Little ended the 2002/03 season on loan at Reading in a move that angered many Burnley supporters - and this season he saw his first taste of Premiership football end in disappointment when Bolton ruled out a permanent move following a brief spell at the Reebok.

"It would have been nice to be able to give it a go," admitted Little.

"But if you come on for a minute here and there, what chance have you? But it's about Bolton and Sam Allardyce having a job to do.

"When I went there, big players like Ivan Campo, Youri Djorkaeff and Jay Jay Okocha weren't playing well and because of that I thought I would get a chance.

"But there are players who, even if they are not playing well, play every week and how do you leave Okocha out to play Glen Little?"

Seeing the Premiership dream die was undoubedly a blow to an ambitious player who carved out a career through humble beginnings in Ireland.

Not achieving top flight football at Burnley is another self-confessed low point.

Who knows, the dream may yet come to fruition at Reading as a footballing odyssey continues?

But without Glen Little -- once affectionately labelled "motor-mouth" by Ternent - one thing is certain: Burnley will be a much quieter place.