[Archived] A Break With Tradition

[longsiders1882]

1928 cup final victory over Huddersfield.You cant change history longsiders and yes it does count.We are VERY proud of ours past and present,the envy of many......we simply are THE most successful town club in the UK.

You should feel privileged to call Rovers your local rivals

Oh I do, honest, I do.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

While we have the rare opportunity to converse with these Clarrots,may I ask what would be your opinions on Theno's now legendary 'LANCASHIRE UTD' theory (the amalgamation of Rovers and Burnley to form one 'super club')

I cant wait for the replies! ........................

[den]

Your memory is letting you down Den, the 4-1 was a Saturday afternoon game.

Ah well, it was 43 years ago!

[longsiders1882]

Honestly? I think that team (can't type it because it changes to B'stard Rovers) makes perfect sense in everyway, except the fact that nobody would accept it.

Realistically neither Rovers nor Burnley can hope to get more than 25K average gates - and that assumes top division football when I think Burnley can get maybe 22K. If you could combine the clubs and support then you could get 40-45K - maybe even upto 50K if the team was doing well. Trouble is there is no prospect of either set of fans going for it - if the clubs ceased to exist individually then I suspect most would either give up or support Man United (or Liverpool etc).

In some respects its a shame because if we are both honest neither club has any realistic chance of major success under the current arrangements.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Then in the mid seventies Rovers played Burnley at Ewood it was all out war. I'd never seen anything like it though you sensed something was building up to it. After the game as the police stopped the Burnley fans infront of the mill were Macdonalds and Aldi car park is now Rovers fans on the otherside of the road threw a bottle at the mill wall with the Burnley fans underneath the broken glass cascades down on the Burnley fans the Rovers fans charge across the road towards the Burnley fans, the Burnley fans break away from the police on horses (who've stopped them from going any further) up Livesey Branch road, sadly as they try to get back to Mill Hill station they are chased one by one you see Burnley fans sparked out cold on the floor no one attending to them just everyone chasing after the next poor hapless fan from the baying mob.

What memories! I was actually stood opposite the now Macdonalds when that happened. Outside the former Blue & White club or whatever it was called. That day, hundreds of Rovers fans started gathering on the Boulevard from 12 o'clock, to give their near neighbours a good hiding, before being moved on by the police. So after the game, the Burnley fans knew what was in store for them. A tide of them came down Bolton Road and when they saw the reception committee you could see that they didn't know what to do.

No one messed with Rovers in the mid 70s, especially at Ewood, as Chelsea and Millwall would testify.

Anyway, as the Burnley fans tentatively came round the corner, the Rovers fans laid in to them. They took a right hammering and I can see them now trying to get away running up Livesey Branch Road and that road, first left just past Macdonalds now.

Before I sully my reputation as an upstanding member of the community , I would like to point out that I have never in my life hit anyone at a football match and never will, nor do I condone violence. But.....when you are a teenager these things are exciting and you do get caught up in them on occasions. It must be so boring these days for the younger element sat in morgue like stadia at over inflated prices - in fact two reasons why so few at that age now attend.

My first derby match was a 'friendly' in 1970 when I was actually in the Darwen End with the enemy - school mates as our school was unfortunately infested with them. Rovers won 2-0. At around 4.30 Rovers fans charged in to the Darwen End from the Riverside. I bricked myself and ended up at the (locked) gates at the corner of the Darwen End/Nuttall Street. Just when the police got things under control and moved the Rovers fans back onto the Riverside, the Darwen End doors were breached from the outside as hundreds of Rovers fans attacked from outside on Nuttall Street. Somehow I got out alive.

See, I said it was exciting.

Back to the football. I agree it was good to watch other local clubs at that time. I regularly went to Burnley, Bolton and sometimes Preston when Rovers were away. Burnley was best as they were top flight and they did have a good side, briefly around 1973-74 with Ralph Coates, Dobson & co. Paul Fletcher, for a smallish guy, could hang in the air like no other and was an excellent header of the ball. Can't believe I said that - see, you do mellow as you get older. Either that or it's my feminine side trying to get out.

I'm really undecided about having Rovers and Burnley on a par and in the same division again. I still want the excitement and adrenelin rush of the intense local derby but at the same time always want them beneath us and for us to be the superior team. To be honest, it won't happen yet. We'll stay up and Burnley will lose at the play off stage. May be we'll have the same discussions in just over one years time.

[SamDingle]

While we have the rare opportunity to converse with these Clarrots,may I ask what would be your opinions on Theno's now legendary 'LANCASHIRE UTD' theory (the amalgamation of Rovers and Burnley to form one 'super club')

No. Nay. Never.

[thenodrog]

Honestly? I think that team (can't type it because it changes to B'stard Rovers) makes perfect sense in everyway, except the fact that nobody would accept it.

Realistically neither Rovers nor Burnley can hope to get more than 25K average gates - and that assumes top division football when I think Burnley can get maybe 22K. If you could combine the clubs and support then you could get 40-45K - maybe even upto 50K if the team was doing well. Trouble is there is no prospect of either set of fans going for it - if the clubs ceased to exist individually then I suspect most would either give up or support Man United (or Liverpool etc).

In some respects its a shame because if we are both honest neither club has any realistic chance of major success under the current arrangements.

There you go. Conclusive proof that there are some intelligent life forms at the other end of the M65!

btw SG you appear to have discarded PNE and the Donkey lashers from the LU equation. Why? imo Preston is the natural starting point, the others would then fear being left out.

No. Nay. Never.

But then again....................

[92er]

As for the Rovers winning 4-1 at the Turf, I was there that evening as well.

I'd put money on that it was a Saturday afternoon.

I've since seen that someone else has made the same point.

[den]

I'd put money on that it was a Saturday afternoon.

Yeah Mr Shoelaces said that as well. I seem to remember it being dark, there could be several reasons for that though

[Gav]

What memories! I was actually stood opposite the now Macdonalds when that happened. Outside the former Blue & White club or whatever it was called. That day, hundreds of Rovers fans started gathering on the Boulevard from 12 o'clock, to give their near neighbours a good hiding, before being moved on by the police. So after the game, the Burnley fans knew what was in store for them. A tide of them came down Bolton Road and when they saw the reception committee you could see that they didn't know what to do.

No one messed with Rovers in the mid 70s, especially at Ewood, as Chelsea and Millwall would testify.

Anyway, as the Burnley fans tentatively came round the corner, the Rovers fans laid in to them. They took a right hammering and I can see them now trying to get away running up Livesey Branch Road and that road, first left just past Macdonalds now.

I'm yet to find a burnley fan who will admit that they've ever taken a kicking off Blackburn, so that never happened CLB

[Hughesy]

Trouble is there is no prospect of either set of fans going for it - if the clubs ceased to exist individually then I suspect most would either give up or support Man United (or Liverpool etc).

In some respects its a shame because if we are both honest neither club has any realistic chance of major success under the current arrangements.

No thats the difference dingle - Rovers fans wouldnt turn into mancs or scouse fans - maybe in Burnley but not at ewood. ROVERS TILL WE DIE!

[thenodrog]

No thats the difference dingle - Rovers fans wouldnt turn into mancs or scouse fans - maybe in Burnley but not at ewood. ROVERS TILL WE DIE!

Certainly they would. Rem I've seen it all before in the 70's.

Worse still, now that MU seems to have been adopted as the IndoPak club and now that our town is virtually 50:50 the swing would be emphasised.

[ABBEY]

not a chance i would gord. my focus would then be the broncos 2 games a year.

[thenodrog]

not a chance i would gord. my focus would then be the broncos 2 games a year.

As always it starts not with us but with our kids. And there's little you can do once the rot sets in at the schools. Peer pressure drives em more than parental pressure. I'm not talking hypothetically here Abbs.... I'm talking historically.

[mhead]

I thought thenodrug's "Blackburn Rovers' PROPOSAL was not necessarily the joining of Rovers/Dingles but could be Rovers/PNE with the starving of the Dingles and dismissal into the Yorkshire hills. The constant under-achieving of PNE and the Samlesbury development starting to glue the 2 conurbations together. Maybe by 2020 both sets of supporters might almost start warming to the idea.After all what is now happening post-2006 is exactly what happened in the 1960s. That would be leadership and foresight by JW to not rule anything out.

[longsiders1882]

I'm yet to find a burnley fan who will admit that they've ever taken a kicking off Blackburn, so that never happened CLB

What an interesting comment. I know many Burnley fans who back in the day both gave and received kickings in skirmishes with Rovers fans. What is more intriguing is that most Rovers fans try to pretend like they never had a hooligan element, which we all know they did. I don't recall them making the 'British Bulldog' top 10 but they may have done .

As was said above, dark times and I would never wish to seem to condone violence but maych days were certainly exhilirating.

[JAL]

I thought thenodrug's "Blackburn Rovers' PROPOSAL was not necessarily the joining of Rovers/Dingles but could be Rovers/PNE with the starving of the Dingles and dismissal into the Yorkshire hills. The constant under-achieving of PNE and the Samlesbury development starting to glue the 2 conurbations together. Maybe by 2020 both sets of supporters might almost start warming to the idea.After all what is now happening post-2006 is exactly what happened in the 1960s. That would be leadership and foresight by JW to not rule anything out.

That makes far more sense logistically and from a common sense point of view, Blackburn definitely leans towards Preston rather than Burnley maybe its partly due to the fact that Acrrington gets in the way leaving Burnley seemingly isolated and so far away even though the distance is approximately the same.

[67splitscreen]

That makes far more sense logistically and from a common sense point of view, Blackburn definitely leans towards Preston rather than Burnley maybe its partly due to the fact that Acrrington gets in the way leaving Burnley seemingly isolated and so far away even though the distance is approximately the same.

Strange but the motorway bypasses Acrrington, and also Accrington. where sets of fans from both clubs have lived in harmony since football began, with the odd Peel Park lad thrown in between.

[longsiders1882]

Trouble is PNE fans dislike your lot almost as much as we do - can't see them being any keener on it.

Plus would Rovers fans anyway? It would have to be a new ground in a 'neutral location' new name, loss of historical honours - in truth it simply would not be 'your' club. So when the poster said we are Rovers till we die, thats kind of the point isn't it, it would no longer be Rovers, or PNE or Burnley or Accy etc. Under those circumstances you may just as well give up, support a small local league side or, heaven forbid, adopt one of the top sides. Lets be honest here, the only reason to support Rovers or Burnley or PNE etc is they are your team, your local side, the team your dad and grandad followed etc, it is certainly not for the glory is it?

All in all I don't see it as much of an option, despite it making complete business sense.

[Hughesy]

Lets be honest here, the only reason to support Rovers or Burnley or PNE etc is they are your team, your local side, the team your dad and grandad followed etc, it is certainly not for the glory is it?

Not for the glory if your a dingle or PNE no, but it could be for Blackburn.

Its a sense of pride in your local team more than anything. A team that is only a small town team, yet they are still in the best league in the world, despite the fact that many massive City clubs are not in the league. There is also pride in winning the best league in the world even though teams like Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham, Newcastle etc havent managed it!

My support has nothing to do with who my parents support either.

[SamDingle]

There is also pride in winning the best league in the world even though teams like Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham, Newcastle etc havent managed it!

A real Sky-subscribing, Barmy Army, 'soccer' fan comment.

Anyhow, you won the 'Premiership', not the 'Premier League'.. so you've never won it either.

[Billy Castell]

Shows how desperate some from t'cobbled end of the M65 are when they pick up on a Rovers fan using the wrong name for a league, just to say 'you've not won that.' Whatever you want to call it, we have won it, and the other teams mentioned, as well as Burnley.

And isn't Sam Dingle that retard off Emmerdale?

[ABBEY]

and youve won bog all....oh aye you "nearly" got to wembley but didnt.

[CrazyIvan]

A real Sky-subscribing, Barmy Army, 'soccer' fan comment.

Anyhow, you won the 'Premiership', not the 'Premier League'.. so you've never won it either.

Interesting comment but the 'rebranding' of the Premier League from the Premiership is only a word change rather than the more dramatic formation of the Premiership. Truth be told, winning the top division in this country is still a damn fine achievement whatever it's called and that achievement is more spectacular given the domination of two clubs (with the addition of Chelsea) in the last 17 years.

Oh, the idea that PNE fans hate us as much as Burnley fans is quite wide of the mark. They tend to dislike you lot and Blackpool a great deal more. Years past, many fans went to PNE at home one weekend and Rovers the next. I doubt that fits in with the accepted view of football history and rivalry but it's the truth.

[SamDingle]

Oh, the idea that PNE fans hate us as much as Burnley fans is quite wide of the mark. They tend to dislike you lot and Blackpool a great deal more.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Add them to Stockport, Rochdale and Plymouth (?!) as clubs who offer us their touching, unrequited hate.