[Archived] The Funeral

[EwoodDawn]

Is anyone on the board a regular at the Trades Hall or living in Brigg? Has the date been set? I would have thought so, judging from last time when there were all sorts of weird and wonderful floats organised. Any thoughts on getting a BRFCS one?

[Mattyblue]

I was there in 2001, reight jolly affair, bloody hell this time

[Ozz]

It's usually August. I say usually...like its an annual event. May well be soon.

Got someone on it Dawn.

[EwoodDawn]

You're probably right with August, come to think of it, Ozz. I seem to remember going to the resurrection (surely it was that rather than the funeral) and cadging a cheeky lift back to Ewood with a smellygraph press photographer for a pre-season friendly against a really good international team. Can anyone fill me in with the missing details? Obviously toasts were made in Bamber Bridge affecting the old powers of recall.

[only2garners]

There was quite a lot of trouble with drunks in pubs last time, when North End went down (two years ago?), so I thought there was a problem with the police allowing it again?

[thebigguy]

This one will be more symbolic and more thoughts on problems than any other time this has ever happened so got to hope it goes ahead.

And of course trouble is kept to a minimum.

[Paul]

I'd often heard about the funeral but never seen it till last year - the stories I heard make it a much "grander" affair than was the reality in 2011. I had expected mainly North End fans there but had understood Rovers supporters went along as well and there was a long tradition of the two sets of supporters "celebrating" both relegation and promotion in this way.

My lad lives in Bamber Bridge not far from Station Road, by chance I was over there on the day so we wandered down to have a look. Have to say it was a very muted affair, a few hundred fans turned out to watch perhaps half a dozen bedraggled "floats" make their way down Station Road from The Hob Inn to, I think, The Trades Hall? We stood opposite The Withy Trees, might have been 60-70 people at that spot. There was a hearse with the coffin, 2-3 floats and a couple of blokes on big motor-bikes and that's about it. It was July 25th last year, google "preston north end funeral" and you'll find it. I've probably got a few photos lurking deep in the bowels of my phone if anyone is interested. If you read the press from around the day thousands of cheering fans turned out - nonsense.

I'd go along if/when it takes place this summer but to be any sort of event it needs some serious organisation to avoid being anything other than a hearse and a couple fo flat-bed trucks and some tatty bunting flapping in the breeze. Sorry guys but that's what I saw last summer, nothing to be excited about.

[Wiggy]

At the 2001 promotion resurrection, it was a grand affair and done in great humour, I still recall the poem by the master of ceremonies......

" ......and North End tried

And North End failed

To climb that mountain

That Rovers scaled...."

It will be bloody grim this time though.

[Glenn]

I seem to remember agreeing that if we went down, I'd organise something.

If somebody can get me a confirmed date, I'll mobilise the troops.

BTW I'm just uploading my pics from 2001 pics to the BRFCS facebook group

[tomphil]

I'd often heard about the funeral but never seen it till last year - the stories I heard make it a much "grander" affair than was the reality in 2011. I had expected mainly North End fans there but had understood Rovers supporters went along as well and there was a long tradition of the two sets of supporters "celebrating" both relegation and promotion in this way.

My lad lives in Bamber Bridge not far from Station Road, by chance I was over there on the day so we wandered down to have a look. Have to say it was a very muted affair, a few hundred fans turned out to watch perhaps half a dozen bedraggled "floats" make their way down Station Road from The Hob Inn to, I think, The Trades Hall? We stood opposite The Withy Trees, might have been 60-70 people at that spot. There was a hearse with the coffin, 2-3 floats and a couple of blokes on big motor-bikes and that's about it. It was July 25th last year, google "preston north end funeral" and you'll find it. I've probably got a few photos lurking deep in the bowels of my phone if anyone is interested. If you read the press from around the day thousands of cheering fans turned out - nonsense.

I'd go along if/when it takes place this summer but to be any sort of event it needs some serious organisation to avoid being anything other than a hearse and a couple fo flat-bed trucks and some tatty bunting flapping in the breeze. Sorry guys but that's what I saw last summer, nothing to be excited about.

I don't know just what you were expecting but it isn't and never has been a giant carnival jesus wept, it's in Bamber Bridge for heavens sake. It's a tradition, a long held one that may only matter to a few hunderd people but nevertheless it's been going on long before the likes of you bothered to 'wander down' and will continue to do so. If it isn't on a grand enough scale for the likes of you then stay away. The arrogance in some of your posts is quite staggering at times

[Mattyblue]

It's not going to have much of a 'festival' feel when it's a relegation procession anyway.

[tomphil]

It's not going to have much of a 'festival' feel when it's a relegation procession anyway.

Exacty. There's always goin to be a bigger turn out and celebration when it's a promotion being celebrated that's obvious to most of us. this time if it goes ahead it will be mostly North Enders toasting our demise, banter that's what it's about. Make it in to a big occasion, get loads of people going down there from Bburn and what's likely to happen ?

[Glenn]

Pics from 2001

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151112729464918.530196.6865409917&type=3

[Barnesy]

Thanks Glenn

What chance of another next summer?

Bacon in the sky etc.

[FourLaneBlue]

It's not going to have much of a 'festival' feel when it's a relegation procession anyway.

Don't know about this. If we had gone down because we weren't good enough, then so be it. Relegation comes to all clubs.

This time though...well, it must be different to every other relegation that the club has ever had.

I think this is our 7th all told, by the way.

[AggyBlue]

Don't know about this. If we had gone down because we weren't good enough, then so be it. Relegation comes to all clubs.

This time though...well, it must be different to every other relegation that the club has ever had.

I think this is our 7th all told, by the way.

It's my fifth and it most definitely does feel different to the rest. Self inflicted destruction from within was never a previous cause.

Whereas it took six months to get over the last relegation, I was over this one before the end of the season, it had been on the cards for so long.

[davulsukur]

I seem to remember agreeing that if we went down, I'd organise something.

If somebody can get me a confirmed date, I'll mobilise the troops.

BTW I'm just uploading my pics from 2001 pics to the BRFCS facebook group

BRFC'S has a facebook group?

[Claytons Left Boot]

I wouldn't bother with any 'funeral' this year. Just leave the coffin where it is or put it in Blues Bar, or under the Blackburn End, or some big sodding mansion in Pune. Save on expense and effort by waiting until August 2015 when we have been relegated to the Conference.

[Glenn]

BRFC'S has a facebook group?

For many many year (well, it was a group before pages existed). Historically it was used to update people when the site went down, but as all the front page news automatically gets copied to it it gets rather a lot more traffic than it did

Will post link from home

[mark1875]

For many many year (well, it was a group before pages existed). Historically it was used to update people when the site went down, but as all the front page news automatically gets copied to it it gets rather a lot more traffic than it did

Will post link from home

https://www.facebook.com/brfcs

[Glenn]

ta

[Rover_Shaun]

Last years nobend funeral was far from a muted affair. I live a stones throw from the Withy Arms (formerly the tophouse and the day it re-opened as the Withy Arms) and when I returned from a weekend in Arnside I was shocked at how many people there were outside all the pubs on Station road. There was about 4 police riot vans parked in the middle of the road with revellers almost blocking the road outside the Trades Hall, Last Orders, White Bull and the Lancs and Yorks. It was weather like we are having at the moment and I would not have liked to walk through it all sober I tell thee. This was at approx 6pm too.

[Ozz]

My link

[Glenn]

Nothing confirmed yet, but Dawn has been doing some sterling work on this over the last week!

[Jackson]

1 coffin, 6 effigies and a large pyre, please.