BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[SuperBrfc]

32 minutes ago, Nuttall is lost said:

I think the worst it was, was against Chelsea in March 1995 in a 2-1 win.  Also against Man City in April when we lost 3-2.  Was a mudbath.

Yeah, both were bad from a pitch point of view. The pitch improved drastically from the summer of '95 onwards.

Two games against Chelsea here at Ewood, both from the year 1995. The first clip is from March, the second is seven months later, in October.

Look at the difference in pitch quality seven months later:

 

[Nuttall is lost]

The pitch when City get the penalty looks especially bad.  Gary Flitcroft playing for City.

@SuperBrfc I believe Blackburn got groundsman of the year for 1995-96 season due to the vast improvement of the pitch from 1994-95.  I think I remember reading that somewhere at the time.

[oldjamfan1]

14 minutes ago, Nuttall is lost said:

The pitch when City get the penalty looks especially bad.  Gary Flitcroft playing for City.

@SuperBrfc I believe Blackburn got groundsman of the year for 1995-96 season due to the vast improvement of the pitch from 1994-95.  I think I remember reading that somewhere at the time.

To be fair it had pissed it down for about 3 days solid before that City game.

[SuperBrfc]

28 minutes ago, Nuttall is lost said:

The pitch when City get the penalty looks especially bad.  Gary Flitcroft playing for City.

@SuperBrfc I believe Blackburn got groundsman of the year for 1995-96 season due to the vast improvement of the pitch from 1994-95.  I think I remember reading that somewhere at the time.

It does look particularly bad at that point. The six yard box a muddy and watery mess infront of Flowers. The weather played its part too.

I can't remember the exact awards that were given out for the pitch, but there was something awarded towards the end of the 90s. Best pitch in the Premier League or best maintained? Something along those lines. Might have been around the 1997/98 season.

Somebody else might be able to recall it better.

The pitch was excellent for a good while from summer of '95 onwards though. Bring back those box nets from 97/98 too, I say.

[Nuttall is lost]

9 hours ago, SuperBrfc said:

It does look particularly bad at that point. The six yard box a muddy and watery mess infront of Flowers. The weather played its part too.

I can't remember the exact awards that were given out for the pitch, but there was something awarded towards the end of the 90s. Best pitch in the Premier League or best maintained? Something along those lines. Might have been around the 1997/98 season.

Somebody else might be able to recall it better.

The pitch was excellent for a good while from summer of '95 onwards though. Bring back those box nets from 97/98 too, I say.

Ugh I hate the box nets!  The nets from 94/95 were great.  Saggy gems.  Made Shearers goals look even better.

[Mattyblue]

Exactly!

‘Picking the ball out of his net’, ‘The striker finds the back of the net’… not ‘the ball hits the net and bounces straight back out the box’

[wilsdenrover]

14 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

 

Wrong thread

Edited February 8, 2023 by wilsdenrover

[speeeeeeedie]

21 hours ago, Gav said:

I’ve just been sat here, chest stuck out, proudly watching Alan Shearer demolish every defence away sides put in front of him, what a player, Sky 100 - Shearer.

But the reason for the post and far be it from me to absolve blame today, but the Ewood pitch at times was 100% worse than we see today, no grass in each penalty area against Ipswich at home. I remember local company Netlon destroying the pitch one year and it took many to get it back to its former glory.

 

Post Hillsborough stadium improvements started teams thinking paying real attention to their pitches.

Rovers reserves played on Ewood, as did almost all other teams second side. This started fading out around 1995, and now it's rare that a reserve side plays at the ground (I'm sure there are exceptions as you go down the leagues).

Technology and education also improved. Hybrid grasses, sand and soil compositions, and better qualified ground staff all contributed to making pitches what they are today.

I read an article in the Guardian during the Euro's (I think I posted it on here too) about how Britain is at the forefront of football turf development. Mower blade sharpness, wheel weight, pitch bounce calculations are all now commonplace. Plenty of British companies travel the globe working on and fixing up pitches. Myerscough college has become world renowned for teaching it all too.

To tangent; how in the world was that a penalty for City? If anything Quinn fouled Flowers. I was at the game and I walked off at the end thinking that City were the better side, in spite of that gift.

[Nuttall is lost]

55 minutes ago, speeeeeeedie said:

Post Hillsborough stadium improvements started teams thinking paying real attention to their pitches.

Rovers reserves played on Ewood, as did almost all other teams second side. This started fading out around 1995, and now it's rare that a reserve side plays at the ground (I'm sure there are exceptions as you go down the leagues).

Technology and education also improved. Hybrid grasses, sand and soil compositions, and better qualified ground staff all contributed to making pitches what they are today.

I read an article in the Guardian during the Euro's (I think I posted it on here too) about how Britain is at the forefront of football turf development. Mower blade sharpness, wheel weight, pitch bounce calculations are all now commonplace. Plenty of British companies travel the globe working on and fixing up pitches. Myerscough college has become world renowned for teaching it all too.

To tangent; how in the world was that a penalty for City? If anything Quinn fouled Flowers. I was at the game and I walked off at the end thinking that City were the better side, in spite of that gift.

Pitches didn;t improve until the introduction of UV lamps circa 2008 they shine on the pitch during the winter which gives summer like growth.  They have them on all night too.

[Nuttall is lost]

10 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Exactly!

‘Picking the ball out of his net’, ‘The striker finds the back of the net’… not ‘the ball hits the net and bounces straight back out the box’

Used to love the ripple of the old nets.  The sight of the keeper having to lift up the net and wade in to retrieve the ball.  Glorious!

 

The poxy box nets came in around 1995/96 and were commonplace by 1998 .  Never the same since.  USA 94 nets were so saggy that they made every goal look spectacular.

[simongarnerisgod]

21 minutes ago, Nuttall is lost said:

Pitches didn;t improve until the introduction of UV lamps circa 2008 they shine on the pitch during the winter which gives summer like growth.  They have them on all night too.

remember when hughes had half the river darwen poured on the pitch when we were playing chelsea one night,the match were mokoena broke robbens ankle and mourinho celebrated their win like they`de won the champions league😉

[Gav]

1 hour ago, simongarnerisgod said:

remember when hughes had half the river darwen poured on the pitch when we were playing chelsea one night,the match were mokoena broke robbens ankle and mourinho celebrated their win like they`de won the champions league😉

I think Jose talked about the Blackburn microclimate after the game 😂

[oldjamfan1]

I went to ‘An Evening With Sir Kenny Dalglish’ in Glasgow tonight. He spoke very fondly of his time with the Rovers, and described Pleasington to a tee 😂😱

[R0verb0y]

17 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

I went to ‘An Evening With Sir Kenny Dalglish’ in Glasgow tonight. He spoke very fondly of his time with the Rovers, and described Pleasington to a tee 😂😱

Bet his listeners couldn't quite believe his description of the state of training at Pleasington before Uncle Jack's revolution!

[oldjamfan1]

9 hours ago, R0verb0y said:

Bet his listeners couldn't quite believe his description of the state of training at Pleasington before Uncle Jack's revolution!

The bloke next to me asked me whether they did actually stop playing every time a funeral cortège went past on it’s way up to the crem, and I told him they had no choice, the club had got a letter from Blackburn Council about it 😂

”What was their excuse on a Saturday?” was his reply 😱😂

Edited February 10, 2023 by oldjamfan1

[R0verb0y]

2 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

The bloke next to me asked me whether they did actually stop playing every time a funeral cortège went past on it’s way up to the crem, and I told him they had no choice, the club had got a letter from Blackburn Council about it 😂

”What was their excuse on a Saturday?” was his reply 😱😂

As the late Mrs. R0verb0y used to say to me from time to time, "If wit were s*it, you'd be constipated!"

[Nuttall is lost]

19 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

I went to ‘An Evening With Sir Kenny Dalglish’ in Glasgow tonight. He spoke very fondly of his time with the Rovers, and described Pleasington to a tee 😂😱

I met him a few months back in Southport.  Didn't get to speak to him but managed a quick selfie with him.

I refrained asking him for a quick word in case he replied ''velocity''.

[Nuttall is lost]

P.S. Always surprises me how he is the forgotten man of Ewood.   No recognition for him whatsover.

[Cherry Blue]

21 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

I went to ‘An Evening With Sir Kenny Dalglish’ in Glasgow tonight. He spoke very fondly of his time with the Rovers, and described Pleasington to a tee 😂😱

Remember seeing Dalglish & Shearer kicking long balls on a deserted Pleasie pitch. Both had a love for football & reaching the top. It paid off! 

[Mattyblue]

12 hours ago, Nuttall is lost said:

P.S. Always surprises me how he is the forgotten man of Ewood.   No recognition for him whatsover.

Not forgotten with the fanbase. ‘The club’ whatever that is these days is another matter.

[Gav]

I always remember when we brought Dalglish in my dad, in true Blackburn style, said

"What do we want him for, bloody rubbish, he's past it" 🤣

I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement, I can't sleep before games I'm that excited at what's to come and he's just "Bloody Rubbish"

You read it now on here, of course on a much lesser scale, every player and every manager linked "Bloody Rubbish" but not said in as few words, must be a Blackburn thing.

[Mattyblue]

To be fair, every forum I’ve ever read is *exactly* like this…

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

15 hours ago, Cherry Blue said:

Remember seeing Dalglish & Shearer kicking long balls on a deserted Pleasie pitch. Both had a love for football & reaching the top. It paid off! 

Amazing isn't it,two player's of their calibre kicking about a windswept Pleasy!

Probably due to work but sadly I never ventured down Tower Rd to watch them train.

P.S

Anyone got any photos if you went down to watch?...

Edited February 11, 2023 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Mattyblue]

They were still occasionally training on Pleckgate field (pretty much my back garden then) as late as the summer of 1994.

Edited February 11, 2023 by Mattyblue

[Nuttall is lost]

Reading Shearer's book from 1994/95 and in hindsight refreshingly mysogenistic.🤣

 

''We had to take our training kit home each day to wash.  Well our wives washed them''