[Archived] Rovers Fans Abroad

[Bobby G]

Originally from Iran. Raised in Dubai. Opened up Match magazine in June 1992, and in the middle saw a poster with the title "Promoted to the Premier League", Blackburn Rovers. I loved the blue and white halves, as blue was also my favorite color. I was only 10 at the time. Everything happens for a reason, cause I so easily could have been drawn to any other team. Somethings are meant to be I guess. The rest is history...

[Emge]

I started following Rovers when I was around 14-15 years old.

Hard to put the finger on why exactly, but I remember the shirts being a factor and the arrival of Cole & Yorke (in Uniteds treble season I was sort of a manu-fan, or Cole & Yorke-fan that is.. but after that trebleseason I somehow lost interest of football for a couple of years, until I found Rovers )

Been to Ewood twice, once in November 2006, 1-1 home against Spurs, when Tugay volleyed the ball in the back of the net from 35 yards

And then last Christmas, 2-2 home against Sunderland

So havent seen Rovers win just yet...but no losses either tho =)

[bobsterbrfc]

Originally from Iran. Raised in Dubai. Opened up Match magazine in June 1992, and in the middle saw a poster with the title "Promoted to the Premier League", Blackburn Rovers. I loved the blue and white halves, as blue was also my favorite color. I was only 10 at the time. Everything happens for a reason, cause I so easily could have been drawn to any other team. Somethings are meant to be I guess. The rest is history...

Match magazine! Match was a million times better than Shoot. That brings back great memories, somewhere I have a copy from mid-way through the '94-95 season, about January time, with an article on Andy Cole versus the SAS. Immense

[John]

Born in Edinburgh, starting following Rovers in 1989, and as my liver knows all too well, have not looked back since.

Sorry not sure if Scotland counts as abroad!

[incy wincy little spider]

Born and bred near Blackburn. I had to support Blackburn beacause they were the closest team to my house. First game as a 7 year old just after the money started flowing. Will never forget the 7-1 v Norwich game.

Always loved football and played for teams in different countries. Now settled (slightly) in Hannover and play for the reserve team of the second biggest team here (biggest doesn't mean best!). Wherever I go I try and convert a few into rovers fans. Few more Blackburn shirts in Canada, Holland and now some in Germany. There are lots of turkish people here and they all love Tugay. I say where I come from and the answer is always TUUUUGAYYY! One even has a bburn shirt because of him!

Really good thread.

Also is anyone else from Hannover?

[Rovers in America]

Myself I became a Blackburn supporter due to championship manager. I ordered the game and had it shipped to me in America without any real attachment to a particular team; however when I got it I wanted a team in the then first division i could take to the premier league and grow. Thus the Rovers that included Alan Kelly and crew was my first experience.

Since then Rovers have grown on me as my team and have been for a decade now. I now try to watch every game i get a chance to here in America which seems to have gotten a bit easier this year with the television package.

[Daje]

I don't write much here but read the forums every day. Been living in Oslo, Norway all my life.

I started to get interested in football during the 93/94 season I think it was, when I was 16, and got really hooked during the 94 world cup.

All my friends were either Manchester United or Liverpool fans and tried to adopt me too, but none of those teams really did it for me.

At that time norwegian TV showed one match every saturday, and the sunday games if I remember correctly. Without supporting a specific team I just watched whatever game was being shown, and during the season I slowly began to enjoy Blackburn more than the other teams. When the season was getting close to an end I remember one Liverpool supporting mate constantly talked about Chris Sutton and that Liverpool was gonna buy him ("Have you heard, we're buying Sutton!" like several times a week).

When I read in a paper (or was it text-tv?) later that summer that Sutton had signed for Rovers I went downtown and bought my first blue and white Rovers top (luckily with no "Sutton" on the back, I couldn't afford it ) and went straight to meet my mate, with the shirt on. That good old McEwans kit is still in my closet with 15-20 more shirts today.

My football supporting mates at that time was five or six Liverpool supporters and four ManU supporters, so I had to take a lot of stick from them. Loved it

So I must have been lucky, to see Rovers win the premier league in my first full season as a supporter. The match I remember best from that season is against Newcastle, when Flowers must have had the best game of his career, that was really getting on my nerves and I couldn't sit still.

Late in 96 I got Internet at home, and found this site one way or another, when Lee ran it (it was a lot different from now of course), and have been visiting it regularly. I think of all the internet sites i visit frequently this must be the one I've used the longest.

These days luckily it's possible to see most of the games, but I remember the first year in first division, almost nothing was televised. Got to see the FA Cup win over Liverpool though

From the next season (when we were promoted) sky showed a good number of games at pubs, and since then watching Rovers frequently haven't been a problem.

[Commondore]

Born and currently living in Sweden. Me and my family went to a vacation in England, it must have been 1996, and my older brother and I sat in the car trying to tune in the radio to a game. English football is huge in Sweden, and as he was a Liverpool fan since the late 80: s I wanted to support them to, but he wouldn't let me. "You can't support Liverpool, that's my team! You can be a fan of... Blackburn or something!" Said and done...

[BlueMonday]

Great read. MessageBoard Gold in the making.

[RoversFanUSA]

I started following Rovers about 6-7 years ago. I had frown up all my life playing but then feel out and away from football for about 7-8 years. One day I was flipping throught the channels and came across FSC and was totally stoked that they had an all football channel. So one late and druken night I was up and flipped the channel to watch the mighty Rovers beat manure. That in it's self should have sealed it but for me it had to be the fact that big brad played for them. I play keeper and grew up watching him in the MLS and USNT and tried to copy his style in goal.

Have been to EWood once (lost 2-1 to villa Benny mac with goal from a pen) and watched them take Chelsea into over time at OT in the FA semi. Took me 7 hours to get from London to manchester because of track work and made the last train of the night back to London. Sadly I had to leave the game early to catch the train.

I hope to be back soon. Rovers 4 life!

[USRoverME]

CaliRover has a similar story to me, I loved Friedel at the time of the '02 cup, besides Big Brad, Duff's play also made an impact on me. Since both were on the same team, I started watching and following... and the plucky underdog role made it stick.

Though, how anyone can like DC United I have no idea (despite the admiral). This part, of course, comes from a ST holder for the Union.

[Ventura Rover]

Born and bred in Blackburn. FIrst game around 1972 and got hooked. Hardly missed any home games for the next 25yrs apart from a stretch when I was away at college.

Moved to Southern California in the late nineties. I was known on this board as LA_Rover but changed to Ventura Rover when another LA Rover came on board. Could have been far too confusing.

Appreciate the good folk who keep this site running. As well as the Rovers news it keeps me up to date with latest town news and Vox Pop.

[Steve Moss]

I'm a 44 year old American male who did not know football (so!!er) even existed 4 years ago. My daughter wanted to play, I signed her up for U5 and, as they were short of coaches, I was drafted. Since I knew nothing about the game, I read and watched everything I could. About 3 years ago I found myself transformed into a Blackburn fan for a variety of reasons, including: 1) Brad Friedel; 2) the Rovers are the working class underdogs of the PL; and, 3) my direct male ancestor immigrated from Lancashire in 1645 (or so).

Since then I've seen the Rovers play once (away at Tottenham, March, 2010) while checking out the British Museum and scotch distilleries (Glengoyne- I love you). Salgado did not do well, but in a gesture of solidarity with the old guy I bought a home shirt with his name and number while at the club shop in Blackburn (took the train from Manchester). Tried to hook up with rog of the rovers for drinks but jet lag and general first time in England confusion put the kabosh on that. Maybe sometime next year, if my wife is kind and gives me another week of freedom.

So here I am 4 years later, still learning, still coaching (daughter U8 and son U6) and still supporting the Rovers.

[Kremmin]

Started following Rovers in late 80s ... when we made play-offs three years in a row and got knocked out three years in a row.

Mates all followed the Manures and Liverpools of this world ... I jumped on Blackburn to be different.

Now totally obsessed ... blessed to have seen them win the Premier League, promotion twice and the League Cup ... and hoping my boy might have the same pleasure one day. He's a very loyal little fellow and jumps on all his Dad's teams - no questions asked.

[AggyBlue]

Good thread, I'm enjoying these posts.

Can't find nicko's contribution though

[Derbyshire Blue]

Good thread, I'm enjoying these posts.

Can't find nicko's contribution though

This as all been done before.... quite a long thread about 3 years ago...

[USRoverME]

It has been done before, but seeing as people can't typically be bothered to read back 2-3 pages on here to see if something was already asked, its a bit much to ask them to look back 3 years to see if anyone has let those of us from away brag a bit!

[rebelmswar]

It was a very cold day in the asylum when I hatched my plan of escape. The sky looked like emergency room coffee and the rain ran down the window like a widows tears. As I sat in my corner, contemplating swallowing my own tongue, my head resting against the stained marshmallow of a wall, I concluded that there must be more to life than this. It seemed all of the other inmates had more free time in the T.V. room than I, having been sent to solitary for getting far too worked up about an episode of the Teletubbies, and the reason seemed to be football.

It seemed that the orderlies had a much better relationship with the inmates who supported a team called Manchester United. While their devil badge and red colours attracted me, I could see some manner of sociological melting that nauseated me; the idea of conformality sit as well with me as the thought of bathing comforts someone from Burnley. I needed to get close to a member of the faculty, so I started rooting for Rovers. Rovers gave my angst at society in general more of a direction and, like a pressure relief valve; I was able to scream profanity at the television without drawing further looks from the guards. They thought my love for a team from Blackburn was just me falling further down the downward spiral of my, supposed, lunacy. Then the day came.

Manchester United Vs Blackburn Rovers and the asylum was given tickets. I petitioned the faculty to allow me to go, and my petition was granted - mostly due to my almost nauseating good behavior. I boarded the bus with the other gibbering fanatics and, relatively speaking, behaved myself all the way to Old Trafford. Words cannot describe what that cathedral to the devil did to me. I looked upon it with revulsion and horror. Its very girders seemed to pump with the blood of the weak and stank of the cheesy odor of wet wool from all of the sheep that, mewling, shuffled through that maw of horrors. I alone stood in my blue and white straightjacket, alone, proud, and contemptuous.

As I entered the ground a guard mistook my babbling and furrowed eyebrows for a family member of Eric Cantona and was promptly ushered to a box where I was released from my cotton chains.

I fled, promising eternal reverence and support for Rovers.

[reybr]

32 year old from Norway.

Started to support Blackburn 05. January 1991 when we played Liverpool in the FA Cup. The game was shown on TV here in Norway and I didn't like Liverpool and always had a soft spot for the underdog. We were up 1-0 until the 90th minute when Super-Atko scored an own goal. We lost the replay 3-0. I was devastated but found a team to love.

Only been at Ewood once, in 2001 against Fulham fighting for promotion. Jansen scored an early goal but we lost 2-1.