BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[Vinjay]

Shame there's probably no footage of this one! (couple years earlier)

On 27.11.1926, during a Division 1 fixture, Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United saw ugly scenes of crowd trouble immediately after the final whistle was blown. Rovers player, 'our' Sid Puddefoot was seen by many Rovers fans to be lying on the ground after the final whistle. The Rovers fans believed he had been hit by a United player and began a pitch invasion. This led to a dangerous situation in which the Manchester United players were surrounded by hundreds of angry Rovers fans. The police intervened for the safety of the players and managed to clear a path to the player’s tunnel. However, hundreds of Rovers fans remained on the pitch and many efforts were made to attack the United players. Once inside their changing room, the United players locked the door in fear. Soon after, the police managed to disperse the crowd.

Rovers won the game 2-1.

[USABlue]

On 09/10/2020 at 15:14, simongarnerisgod said:

iv`e heard of him,he was a headcase extraordinaire apparently!!iv`e never seen much trouble following rovers tbh,got a bit out of hand at grimsby once when the natives were`nt to pleased to see us,ive mad more scary moments following chorley,there are some proper mentalists in that town?

Proper twat after a few.  

[USABlue]

On 09/10/2020 at 16:49, Gav said:

My dad tells me an Anglo Scottish cup game against burnley in early 70’s was the reason that the fences went up, carnage apparently, Rovers fans had an awful reputation back then. 

I’m not trying to glorify football violence, I’m told that our lot routinely hammered the burnley fans throughout the 70’s, terrible to think of that now, but part of football back in the day. 

Burnley being 10/15yrs behind Blackburn in every respect ended up with a hooligan firm in 80’. Blackburn was the centre of Acid House at the time, as was the rest of UK, we’d move on. 

Burnley SS were tearing up towns across the 4th division unposed and looting Boots during the 80’s, terrifying eh.

Centre of a music revolution or looting boots and fighting Halifax? 

You be the judge.

 

That would be the case Gav,.mates of mine told me dtories if Rovers fans terrorising just about everyone in the early dark days even away.

[USABlue]

On 10/10/2020 at 06:55, arbitro said:

Remember it well. Hundreds of Rovers fans climbed over the wall where the bus depot was, slid down the shale  hill and got in free. Another time a fellow Darrener climbed over the exit gate, opened it up and we poured in. At that time both sets of fans could share the same terrace and a police cordon was the only thing keeping them apart. At that Halifax game the cordon was broken several times as the fans attacked each other. And outside after the game it was like a war zone.

I remember that gate incident.

[LeftWinger]

17 hours ago, philipl said:

Michael Mifsud has just announced his retirement from football aged 38. Malta's finest always scored against Rovers as I recall..

 

And by always, you mean just in that one game ?

[philipl]

3 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

And by always, you mean just in that one game ?

My mistake, I thought he'd played and scored against us in another game.

[Mercer]

On 09/10/2020 at 10:44, den said:

In those days home fans and away fans used to change ends either at kick off or at half time to stand behind the goals their teams were attacking, never any trouble.

What would happen if rovers were at home tomorrow against Burnley and the fans crossed on the riverside? Wouldn’t be pretty would it ?.

You must be joking.

Remember some huge punch ups - Hull in the Darwen End and Leicester in the Blackburn End come readily to mind.

[Mercer]

On 09/10/2020 at 13:54, simongarnerisgod said:

were any of you older fans at the blackpool game when the ammonia was thrown at their fans?

Yep - it was a night match and happened on their 'Spion Kop'.

Think it was the night Hutchinson ripped Sir Keith to pieces. 

[Mercer]

On 09/10/2020 at 23:27, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Green and Suddick were top class players.  Tommy Hutch had a trick when he was running with the ball at speed were he would appear to over run the ball but bring it through with his trailing leg. It worked every time, even watching in the stands I fell for it. Even International class full backs like Keith Newton struggled against him. I've never seen any other player do it.

Both Tony Green and Hutchinson came down from Scotland for very small fees. They had another class act called Pat Quinn a season or two earlier who came down from Scotland but he only stayed a season. He could run the show given half a chance.

If my memory is right, we were also in for Green but lost him to Blackpool as squabbling over a measly few bob!  Shame as a little magician.

[Mercer]

On 10/10/2020 at 00:02, DeeCee said:

Remember going away to Everton in the FA cup (third round?) About 1973/4 and was in the away end and some Scousers siddling up behind us saying they were gonna stab us outside, the days of the silk scarf that you could hide up your (in my case school) jumper, a very nice Lyle & Scott number ?

Got chased all the way back to the station but never got caught fortunately. Could have been the League Liner or football special train? 

We lost as well.

Aye, think we went down 3-0 in a p1ss poor show.  They had little and large up front (Harper and Royle) and if my memory is right, it was Joe Harper who opened the scoring.

Edited November 16, 2020 by Mercer

[Mercer]

On 10/10/2020 at 19:05, Gav said:

@USABlue  

@Parsonblue

Both have some great stories.

But I agree, I'd much rather hear 47er, Jim, Parson, Den and TS talk about the matches, seeing some of the greats.

Did you nip to the pub before games? what was Ewood like back then, Albion pub, Aqueduct, Fernhurst, the big gates.

Was it true Stanley Matthews Hardly ever played at Ewood because Dougie was better? 

According to my dad, it was because Bill Eck always had him in his pocket!

[Herbie6590]

Rovers first £1m player makes his mark...

 

[Elvis Biro]

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

You must be joking.

Remember some huge punch ups - Hull in the Darwen End and Leicester in the Blackburn End come readily to mind.

First time I ever encountered skinheads was when Leicester played at Ewood about 1968. I also have a vague recollection of standing on the BE around that time when we played Sheff Wed. This was in the days of 'mingling' on the terraces. Their 'lads' were all fashionably attired in Crombies and carrying neatly furled black umbrellas. We all thought they were a bit of a laugh until, at some given signal presumably, they started lamping everyone in sight with their brollies and it all kicked off.

[USABlue]

12 minutes ago, Elvis Biro said:

First time I ever encountered skinheads was when Leicester played at Ewood about 1968. I also have a vague recollection of standing on the BE around that time when we played Sheff Wed. This was in the days of 'mingling' on the terraces. Their 'lads' were all fashionably attired in Crombies and carrying neatly furled black umbrellas. We all thought they were a bit of a laugh until, at some given signal presumably, they started lamping everyone in sight with their brollies and it all kicked off.

Wednesday brolly boys.  Smart lads, in a dress sense.

[USABlue]

2 hours ago, Mercer said:

According to my dad, it was because Bill Eck always had him in his pocket!

Sad fact od the matter is Merc most of my memories of details of games have faded.  Some will never but most have.  I remember the ball thru the net and Sir Rog holding itnu6p and the ref dis allowing.it.  Plymouth 5-2, Boxing day at turf.3-2 will never.be forgotten even thiugh I was pissed as a newt.  Been a long time.

 

See, can' even quote right.

Edited November 16, 2020 by USABlue

[simongarnerisgod]

1 hour ago, Herbie6590 said:

Rovers first £1m player makes his mark...

 

wilcox was going through a bad spell at this time and was the recipiant of a lot of abuse,i remember clearly everyone screaming at him to pass to speedie and everyone getting ready to launch some hardcore vitriol,fortunately the shot went in,he`d have been absolutely pillored if he`d missed

[Vinjay]

34 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

wilcox was going through a bad spell at this time and was the recipiant of a lot of abuse,i remember clearly everyone screaming at him to pass to speedie and everyone getting ready to launch some hardcore vitriol,fortunately the shot went in,he`d have been absolutely pillored if he`d missed

Well they made up for it over next 8 years didn't they? ?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Kenny was starting to have an influence by then . Our passing and movement was starting to look top class. 

[Mercer]

On 12/10/2020 at 21:29, Gav said:

I wish we had more footage of the promotion celebrations under Kendall at the start of the piece.

Must be available somewhere, Granada Tv footage with Elton Welsby.

You should have been in the Bulls Head, Wilpshire later that night.

It was carnage with the Rovers' lads - went on well into the small hours with the doors firmly locked!

It was then a Duttons Grill Room managed by a guy called Harry D who was a big Rovers' fan - Kendall and Heaton spent a lot of time in there.

Edited November 16, 2020 by Mercer

[Mercer]

On 31/10/2020 at 21:13, darrenrover said:

I was only a kid then Tyrone but I remember so much about that cup tie with City. It was sold out (52,000) but twice postponed due to the weather and so the actual gate on the night was only 42,000. Fryatt's goal was the only one City conceded on their cup run to win the cup. My biggest recollection afterwards though was how could 10,000 more people have possibly fit on the ground? My dad and grandad then said, that's nothing, we've both been on the Darwen End when Ewood's had more than 60,000 on! Nah, I thought impossible!

An electric atmosphere that night.

When Big Jim rose to make it 1-1 with his head at the Blackburn End, I thought the roof was going to come off the Blackburn End - a surreal few minutes!

Edited November 16, 2020 by Mercer

[jim mk2]

31 minutes ago, Mercer said:

You should have been in the Bulls Head, Wilpshire later that night.

 

That place is now a Co-op.....how can a great pub like that go under/

[jim mk2]

21 minutes ago, Mercer said:

An electric atmosphere that night.

When Big Jim rose to make it 1-1 with his head at the Blackburn End, I thought the roof was going to come off the Blackburn End - a surreal few minutes!

I was sitting in the Nuttall Stand that night ....... it was literally shaking!

Never forget the swaying of the crowd on the Riverside.... how those barriers held up I'll never know.

42,000 on Ewood!

[jim mk2]

6 hours ago, Mercer said:

If my memory is right, we were also in for Green but lost him to Blackpool as squabbling over a measly few bob!  Shame as a little magician.

My memory  of Green was that we rejected him as not being good enough....might be wrong though

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

My memory  of Green was that we rejected him as not being good enough....might be wrong though

Whoever thought he wasn't good enough needed firing. The lad was a terrific player right from day one, as was Tommy Hutchinson.

Regarding the City FA Cup game I was behind the goals in the Blackburn End, it was pretty scary. I took my first wife to the game and she refused to go to Rovers again after that.

[rigger]

10 hours ago, Mercer said:

An electric atmosphere that night.

When Big Jim rose to make it 1-1 with his head at the Blackburn End, I thought the roof was going to come off the Blackburn End - a surreal few minutes!

That was my first game. I was on the Blackburn end with my mum, I was hooked.

Edited November 17, 2020 by rigger