BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[SuperBrfc]

40 minutes ago, frosty said:

Souness down the touchline to celebrate that one if I recall? Also do not remember that with Friedel and the ball boy at all 😄

Yeah, Souness was in amongst Yorkie and Co celebrating the goal. It's not in the clip, but I have seen a photo of it somewhere. Love that! I wish that was on there.

Haha. Same here, I didn't know that had even happened with the ball boy. No messing about. Shows how eager Brad was for us to get a result.

[doctorryan]

1 hour ago, frosty said:

Souness down the touchline to celebrate that one if I recall? Also do not remember that with Friedel and the ball boy at all 😄

 

38 minutes ago, SuperBrfc said:

Yeah, Souness was in amongst Yorkie and Co celebrating the goal. It's not in the clip, but I have seen a photo of it somewhere. Love that! I wish that was on there.

Haha. Same here, I didn't know that had even happened with the ball boy. No messing about. Shows how eager Brad was for us to get a result.

 

[Mattyblue]

Twenty years ago… good surgeon has our Souey 🔪 

[Herbie6590]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/11/you-broke-my-heart-our-writers-on-transfers-that-spoiled-their-summer

[Gav]

With Rovers about to kick another ball on European soil I thought I'd post this from 1998, I was there, we had far more than 1500 in the ground that night.

 

30th September 1998

UP to 1,500 Blackburn Rovers fans could be in Lyon for tonight's big UEFA Cup clash -- but the reputation of English football supporters preceded them as they travelled to France.

Monday night in the country's second largest city was much like a Monday night in Blackburn itself -- it rained heavily. A lot of people on the quiet streets were wearing blue and white scarfs.

There was the occasional hotspot such as the Albion pub or the token Irish bar.

And there was a strong police presence, the scary French CRS riot squad out in numbers in the charming Bellecour district. Yet Rovers fans, attempting to pack in their celebrations before tonight's game, were still -- almost inevitably -- touched by the long arm of the law.

It was, however, on the English side of the Channel.

Those 150 supporters travelling by coach had made good time to Dover and arrived early for the 6am ferry, instead of the scheduled 8am sailing. But the fans were rudely awakened, their luggage searched and the crossing delayed. Even the media and VIP coaches had a police escort from the airport.

Blackburn police estimates suggest that as many as 1,500 fans, and possibly even more, will be in Lyon tonight for the televised UEFA Cup second leg.

Fans have flown to Frankfurt, Geneva, St Etienne and Lyon itself, and from almost every airport in England, under their own steam.

For many Blackburn fans Lyon has provided the first affordable opportunity to follow their side in Europe.

The serious bargain-hunter has even been able to take advantage of a £24 special offer from Stanstead.

The exact number is impossible to gage, one of the over-riding problems for those charged with organising official packages.

Meanwhile strikers Martin Dahlin and Kevin Gallacher were on standby to fly out to Lyon this afternoon -- if they passed late fitness tests. Rovers are already without Chris Sutton and Kevin Davies.

 

Match report - LYON 2 ROVERS 2 UEFA CUP

THIS time there was no disgrace, no need to slip quietly back into the country with heads bowed and a feeling of shame.

True, the result is still the same as it was at Trelleborgs -- or in the Champions' League for that matter -- as Blackburn Rovers made their now-customary early exit from Europe.

But, if there was any justice at all, a UEFA Cup tie which was quite simply 'Magnifique' would have had deserving English winners.

For the same adjective applies to a Rovers side who should have been devastated at losing their entire strike force, distraught at conceding a goal inside three minutes and downright depressed when Jason Wilcox -- undeservedly -- became their third player sent off in three successive matches.

But, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Rovers responded to the backing of their fans packed into a corner of the impressive Stade de Gerland with English flags all around them.

And Olympique Lyonnais, unbeaten in their seven French League games so far, were almost destroyed by Hurricane St George!

Rovers can be proud of the way they dragged themselves up by the bootlaces at half time to produce a performance that oozed character, commitment and no little skill.

The real measure of it was reflected by the fans who had suffered in Sweden, been rocked in Russia and tormented in Trondheim.

They roared them on throughout a gripping second half, cheered them for their efforts at the end and even applauded the players one by one onto the plane back home at Lyon airport.

Supporters know when a cause has been truly fought for -- and their players did not let them down.

There was to be no European glory but, at last, there was pride and I felt for both fans and players at the end of a dramatic encounter. They deserved more, yet suffered in the end through two set pieces.

When manager Roy Hodgson was left without a single senior striker in his squad there were many who feared another debacle.

He had to come up with a game plan, not only to cope with Lyon but also to score at least two goals.

Two goals without a striker looked to be an order of monstrous proportions.

Yet they got them -- and deserved more.

Unfortunately, Lyon also got two and we were left to reflect on the fact that the tie was probably decided by that strike in a million back at Ewood.

Twice behind on the night, Rovers -- inspired by Tim Sherwood and Garry Flitcroft -- fought back to equalise in an enthralling game which also had more controversial refereeing.

The dismissal of Wilcox, handed the unenviable task of playing as a solo front-runner, left Rovers justifiably aggrieved.

A player has a right to complain if he is regularly being battered from the back.

And he also had a right to go for the ball which led to a tangle in the Lyon box and a second yellow card.

Hodgson was also bitter about both Lyon goals, disputing the award of a free kick and then a penalty.

His anger was no doubt sustained by the fact that he knows no matter how well his seriously depleted squad rose to the occasion the performance will soon be forgotten while the result stands for ever.

With no reprieve for any of the injured strikers, Hodgson caught the French cold with his tactics, yet Lyon still took what looked a disastrous -- for Rovers -- early lead.

From around 25 yards, Alain Caveglia joined Gianfranco Zola and Andy Hinchcliffe in curling a superbly-taken free kick just inside Tim Flowers' post.

Whether the keeper's position is poor, or he is lining up the wall wrongly, it is a situation that needs to be addressed.

Flowers, however, then made a brilliant save from Marco Grassi moments before Rovers levelled.

Sebastien Perez soared at the far post to head home Damien Duff's left wing cross for a satisfying goal on his return to France and the Lyon region where his family still live.

Before half time, however, Jeff Kenna pushed Bak ever so slightly and a penalty was awarded. There was some debate as to whether it was in the box but it was a hasty challenge and Grassi buried the spot kick.

Yet it was Rovers who proved the more Lyon-hearted. After another fine Flowers save, Flitcroft raced through from Christian Dailly's excellent pass to slide in a second equaliser.

They took the game to Lyon with style and courage and, as the yellow cards and free kicks flowed, Sherwood was so close to winning it on away goals.

One header was cleared off the line, another superb volley at full stretch just cleared the bar and it was clearly not going to be Rovers' night.

Even when Wilcox was booked in the 80th minute and sent off two minutes later Rovers wouldn't throw in the towel.

Their substitutions were good, especially Damien Johnson's introduction at the interval, yet their heart-warming efforts went unrewarded.

They might have conceded a third on the break as they pushed forward in numbers but that would have been too harsh.

Another European tie was lost in France, but this team gained respect.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Gav

[Dan]

This popped up on my YouTube, never seen it before:

 

Very enjoyable hour and a half. Higgy does a pretty good job; quite amusing ☺️ Good times, before the dark times, before the Venky’s…

Edited July 17, 2023 by Dan

[SuperBrfc]

From our last season as a 'normal club'.

"Dunny for England" 😁 .

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 hours ago, SuperBrfc said:

From our last season as a 'normal club'.

"Dunny for England" 😁 .

 

Grella ! That was a very rare appearance.

[simongarnerisgod]

5 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Grella ! That was a very rare appearance.

the physio`s suit is still named after our often injured australian

[Gav]

I’ve just watched Brad Friedel - PL Stories on Sky, superb stuff.

He said Blackburn was a proper run club from grassroots to boardroom, always competitive. Tom Finn and John Williams were brilliant, always sold some of our better players and immediately replaced them, a great time in his career.

Nothing we don’t already know, makes you weep what those 3 morons in Pune have reduced us to.

[SuperBrfc]

4 hours ago, Gav said:

I’ve just watched Brad Friedel - PL Stories on Sky, superb stuff.

He said Blackburn was a proper run club from grassroots to boardroom, always competitive. Tom Finn and John Williams were brilliant, always sold some of our better players and immediately replaced them, a great time in his career.

Nothing we don’t already know, makes you weep what those 3 morons in Pune have reduced us to.

Fantastic. Seeing Brad and others from before the dark times really brings it all back.

Almost all of the former players I have watched/listened to in interviews, podcasts etc say the same as Brad did above. How we were such a well run club, how John Williams and the rest of the Board did an excellent job and how we'd always look to improve and go one better.

There's one comment from Brad on his Rovers days that sticks with me. He said the eight years he spent at Rovers weren't only the best eight years of career, they were also the best eight years of his life. The happiness on his face as he said it...he meant it.

That hit me, as all I could think at the time was "mine too, Brad. Mine too".

[SuperBrfc]

Corrado Grabbi. 😳

 

[simongarnerisgod]

8 minutes ago, SuperBrfc said:

Corrado Grabbi. 😳

 

i remember this game well,sat in front of us was an old woman about 80 who had the foulest mouth iv`e ever heard,she spat out f-words like an armalite rifle😁

the ref was very friendly towards the utd players,he gave them absolutely everything decision wise

[frosty]

The linesman couldn't wait to flag for a foul against Grabbi. Look how early he puts his flag up. Joker.

[SuperBrfc]

1 minute ago, frosty said:

The linesman couldn't wait to flag for a foul against Grabbi. Look how early he puts his flag up. Joker.

He remembered who was sat in the opposition's dugout and up went the flag. I can't see what Grabbi did wrong there.

I remember Barthez thinking he was Zidane that night. We should have won that game.

[SuperBrfc]

25 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

i remember this game well,sat in front of us was an old woman about 80 who had the foulest mouth iv`e ever heard,she spat out f-words like an armalite rifle😁

the ref was very friendly towards the utd players,he gave them absolutely everything decision wise

Only at the football 😁.

The amount of dodgy decisions that went in their favour against us in general was ridiculous. They tried their best to give them the title in '95.

One that still annoys me to this day is Alan Smith's late goal at the Darwen End. Way over added time. Saha punches it into his path. Smith scores. Ref thinks it's a perfectly good goal.

[SuperBrfc]

Posted more for the excellent display from the home keeper. Handball goal at the end.

 

[simongarnerisgod]

when that whisky sodden old b*****d ferguson finally karks it,the truth about utd paying off refs and linesmen will come out

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

On another topic ex - Rover Jack O’Connell has had to retire with knee problems.

[philipl]

17 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

On another topic ex - Rover Jack O’Connell has had to retire with knee problems.

Terrible shame for him- he was a really class player but had been missing for most of the last 3 seasons.

[Upside Down]

20 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

when that whisky sodden old b*****d ferguson finally karks it,the truth about utd paying off refs and linesmen will come out

I lost count at how many league titles they won because of generous referees. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

6 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

I lost count at how many league titles they won because of generous referees. 

We got stitched up one way or another every time we played them in that era. Way too many times for it to be co-incidental.

[SuperBrfc]

Matt Jansen in that promotion season. 👏

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

12 hours ago, SuperBrfc said:

Matt Jansen in that promotion season. 👏

 

How was that a penalty? 

[SuperBrfc]

11 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

How was that a penalty? 

Exactly. It looked a foul on Berg.