Jim Smith RIP

[Mashed Potatoes]

Sad news coming out that Jim Smith has passed away. A good manager and a good football man

[den9112]

I have some fond memories of Jim Smith while he was at Rovers ..A sad day

[Rogerb]

Sad sad day many fond memories

[Hanks]

Sad news, he put together a pretty good team, entertaining and threatened to get promotion. I think he was responsible for signing Simon Garner as well.

[Leonard Venkhater]

Very fond memories. Popular manager and funny man too.

 

[den9112]

He used to write comments about players and the game on the back of the programe ..I used to have some but sadly disapeared over the years

[simongarnerisgod]

bit before my time when he was at rovers,performed miracles  at oxford in taking them from the 4th div to the 1st and having to put up with robert maxwell as chairman,a proper football man

[Waggy76]

2 Great memories of Jim Smith , beating Southampton at Ewood when Osgood was fighting everyone and the best being at Turf Moor .....If only Waggy had took that penalty !!!

Rip Jim and thanks for the memories !!

[DeeCee]

R.I.P. Jim Smith, proper football man.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Manager, June1975- March1978, 34, youngest manager in the club's history. Signed Noel on a free from Spuds. Finance always an issue, and the signing of former Gooner John Radford seemed to unbalance the team, and off he went to the big city club somewhere in the Midlands. Fondly remembered by Rovers fans, thoughts as always with his family.

[arbitro]

Really sad news. His Rovers team were so exciting to watch with the overlapping full backs in Bailey and Hird. It was a great time to be a Rovers fan mainly due to Jim's excellent management. Whilst refereeing I came across him several times and he always spoke highly of Rovers and his time here.

RIP Jim.

[oldjamfan1]

No Jim Smith = no Simon Garner

RIP the Bald Eagle

[Stuart]

15 minutes ago, Proudtobeblue&white said:

Manager, June1975- March1978, 34, youngest manager in the club's history. Signed Noel on a free from Spuds. Finance always an issue, and the signing of former Gooner John Radford seemed to unbalance the team, and off he went to the big city club somewhere in the Midlands. Fondly remembered by Rovers fans, thoughts as always with his family.

I was only walking past Noel’s bench at Pleasy on Sunday.

RIP Jim.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Just now, Stuart said:

I was only walking past Noel’s bench at Pleasy on Sunday.

RIP Jim.

Could do with a trip to the repair shop....Will would bring it up a treat......RIP Jim.

[m1st]

A proper football manager. RIP.
The next Home game will be a real test of the current regime. If there's:

no black armbands on the team's sleeves;

no minute's silence - none of this minute's applause malarky - and

no proper appreciation in the match programme of Jim and what he did for This Great Club Of Ours in more financially-straightened times before Uncle Jack's era, then it will speak volumes - to this fan at least - about what care-less custodians we have of our traditions.

 

[Threepenny Bit Foot]

RIP Jim. Happy days at Ewood

 

[Exiled in Toronto]

2 hours ago, Waggy76 said:

2 Great memories of Jim Smith , beating Southampton at Ewood when Osgood was fighting everyone and the best being at Turf Moor .....If only Waggy had took that penalty !!!

Rip Jim and thanks for the memories !!

The two classic games of his era. I remember seeing an old codger in the Nuttall St stand empty his flask on Osgood as he went down the tunnel for his early bath.

Also can’t think Jim enough for bringing Waggy to Ewood.

[Herbie6590]

Just been reminded of this: 

The (Rovers) Floral Dance

I thought I could hear the peculiar tone 

Of the Burnley fans when they start to moan

It’s hard to smile when you’re 3 goals down

Rovers are giving you the runaround

It’s always hard to win away

Except for Burnley on a Boxing Day

 

RIP Bald Eagle

[simongarnerisgod]

Just now, MCMC1875 said:

The reason for the Perspex tunnel at Ewood?

ici was just down the road making the stuff!!!!later on they sponsored us

[m1st]

At least Osgood had one thing to be remembered for!!?

[philipl]

Jim had Rovers playing some fantastic entertaining winning football.

Very happy days at Ewood.

[Exiled in Toronto]

36 minutes ago, m1st said:

At least Osgood had one thing to be remembered for!!?

Those were the days when fans could really get to a player. He spent half the game flicking V’s to the Riverside then finally went berserk when Bailey dived for a penalty.

Back to Smith, has any other manager signed three such fans favourites as Garner, Noel and Waggy, all for pennies? Best to forget about Radford and Svarc though.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

40 minutes ago, m1st said:

At least Osgood had one thing to be remembered for!!?

Osgood was a bit of a handful but he was a good footballer. He would have been better still if he hadn't have had his leg broken as a young player. Subsequently he made sure it never happened again by getting stuck in first.

RIP Jim, thanks for the memories.

[1864roverite]

Very sad proper gentleman rip Jim

[m1st]

2 hours ago, Stuart said:

I was only walking past Noel’s bench at Pleasy on Sunday.

RIP Jim.

Is there NObody connected with the club or the Community Trust who can refurbish this bench so that it's a proper commemoration of one of the best players to wear blue and white in the last quarter or the 20th Century?

Come on, Venky's; you bought us lock, stock and barrel. If you bought a Premier League club - which we were, before you sacked Big Sam and replaced him with that nonentity whose name I choose not to repeat - you also bought our history. It surely wouldn't break your bank to refurbish this bench commemorating one of our most popular players of the last quarter of the 20th Century.