A man truly fitting of the honour.
The Dog and Dug. The Red Lion. The King’s Arms. The Wheatsheaf. The Winchester.
All solid British pub names. No fancy wine bars or gastropubs. You know where you are with them. They’ll give you a pint, a packet of crisps, and if you’re lucky, have Sky Sports or a pool table.
Now, there’s a new name to add to that list: The Royal Dyche, named after none other than the Burnley manager himself.
The Princess Royal pub is just a short walk from Turf Moore, and landlady Justine Lorriman is a Burnley season ticket holder. And understandably, Sean Dyche is rather popular with the staff and regulars, what with Burnley hovering around the top half of the Premiere League.
Last November, the chalkboards outside the Princess Royal when viral. During the 2016/17 season, the pub announced that Dyche could drink for there for free, thanks to the club’s great performances. And then a year later, they made the big announcement: If Burnley qualified for Europe, they would rename the pub after Dyche.
The gaffer keeps on raising the bar!
Last year, free drinks.,,
This year, the ultimate accolade! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/OgCZWYTk4A— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) November 30, 2017
I spoke to the landlady at The Princess Royal about their pledge to change the pub's name to 'The Royal Dyche' if @BurnleyOfficial get into the @EuropaLeague in honour of the one and only Sean Dyche. via @BurnleyExpress https://t.co/LyLJZzolrk pic.twitter.com/nlkGQST0Uf
— Jack Marshall (@JackMarshall__) November 30, 2017
It might have seemed like a crazy idea then – but after Burnley’s 0-0 draw with Brighton at the weekend, they are all-but-guaranteed to qualify for the Europa League. They are seventh in the league, six points ahead of Everton, and have a far superior goal difference. And The Princess Royal have duly obliged.
A pub's being re-named The Royal Dyche after staff promised to honour Burnley FC's manager Sean Dyche if he got the team into Europe. His side virtually clinched qualification for the Europa League on Saturday. One fan's mocked up this new pub sign! https://t.co/giIvI76cai pic.twitter.com/umM6fvqWCn
— BBC North West (@BBCNWT) April 30, 2018
Landlady Lorriman told BBC Sport:
“I don’t know if I am more excited about getting into Europe or renaming the pub.”
That sign is just a mock up by a fan, by the way – Lorriman wnts to make sure Dyche is on board with whatever the final design looks like.
“I am going to the player awards next week and hoping to catch him, just to make sure we can get his blessing.”
