By Stephen 18
February 10 2005

Millwall's old Cold Blow Lane was not called that for nothing. Even at the new ground, the whistling freezing wind gives visiting teams the colly-wobbles as they disembark from the warmth of the team coach. But it's a warm wind that blows now... Proud new Millwall chairman Jeff Burnige says the barrage of good luck messages he has received from fans since being appointed on Monday has "blown" him away.

The lifelong Millwall supporter and current director was this week announced as the replacement for Theo Paphitis when the current supremo exits at the end of the season.

Paphitis will step down into a role as a consultative non-executive director, with former chairmen Peter Mead and Reg Burr retiring as directors.

Burnige has been a director since 1986, and will follow in the footsteps of his father Herbert, who was chairman of Millwall in the 1970s.

Since the news broke, Burnige's phone has not stopped ringing and he has received a number of e-mails from well wishers pledging their support to the board's appointment.

It has truly touched the 57-year-old. Burnige said this week: "I am blown away by the reaction. Millwall fans I have only spoken to once or twice have got in contact with me.

"I can't believe how warmly welcomed I have been."

Burnige, who will take on the job full time, comes from a background rooted in local history.

His granddad was a Millwall-supporting docker, and Herbert was born in the old Guinness Buildings in Snowsfields, Bermondsey.

Though he now lives in Surrey, Burnige has always retained a keen interest in Bermondsey, and witnessed rock star Tommy Steele unveiling his own Blue Plaque on the Dicken's Estate in November last year.

Fully aware that his new position will require him to make tough decisions, Burnige wants to adopt the same approach that persuaded sceptical fans to move to the New Den over a decade ago, when he takes over in the summer.

"When we moved grounds Reg Burr was the chairman and I had the job of going around various areas trying to sell the idea to the fans of moving to the new ground," added Burnige.

"At the beginning I was horrified at the thought. I never advocated moving from the Old Den and thought my father would have been gobsmacked at the thought.
"But I developed my own belief that it was impossible to build on the old ground and the opportunity to move around the corner was a one-off, so I became in favour of it.
"The line I took with the fans was that I'm a fan and if I can be convinced, so can you. It's going to be similar now."

"Even if I do something they don't agree with they're still going to say he is one of our own."

Burnige has earmarked increasing Millwall's gates as the most immediate issue he has to address.

"The most important thing is to get our attendances up. That would help us in a big way. On Saturday we had over 15,000, which is a good turnout for us this season.

"But we need some of the waverers to come back and some fans to bring a couple of people so that we are full to capacity. A crowd of around 20,000 would make us more comparable with a Premiership side and that's what we need to aim for, but I can't do it on my own.

"Everyday is a challenge, particularly for a club in our position. Any club in this league will tell you that it is not easy being in the championship. It's very tough.

"Getting into the Premiership would solve all our problems in one swoop but on the other hand you must be careful not to put the club out of existence in the pursuit of that.
"If you look at the table now you could say there are teams below us who should really be above us but due to their finances they are not in that position. Our aim is the Premiership and with the help of the fans I want to get us there.

But Burnige does not want to make any comments on specific aims until he is officially in charge.

He continued: "I'm exclusively in listening mode. I will not be making any pronouncements on anything until I take over.

"Theo has presided over such a successful period in the club's history. There are things such as an Auto Windscreen Shield Final, promotion, the FA Cup final and playing in the UEFA Cup that weren't even on most fans dream lists. He will be a very hard act to follow. It's a big job but I want to give it a try.

"I've had a long preparation for the job. I've been a director here for twenty years and my father was a director and chairman in the seventies too. If I make a lot of mistakes I won't be able to put it down to a lack of experience."

"It's a fantastic honour and I am determined to make a success of it here."