BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[Ianrally]

In the early days of the beautiful game, many players wore caps

[rigger]

1 minute ago, renrag said:

Does the guy 6th from left have a cap on or is it just a good mop of hair?

It's hair, I'm jealous.

[darrenrover]

2 minutes ago, renrag said:

Re my previous post. The entry on McIver prompted me to have a look at Jackman and that identical team drew 1-1 at Notts County on September 23 1905. Davies scored

Could be the picture then. To be honest I couldn’t visualise it being at Ewood because I’d have thought The Nuttall Street Stand as we remember it, would have been built by then I would have thought and I couldn’t visualise the arrangement in the corner. I reckon you could have cracked it that the photo was at Meadow Lane. Great this thread. Thanks Renrag.

[Exiled in Toronto]

I love that Crompton gets to wear a belt!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

11 hours ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

I love that Crompton gets to wear a belt!

I played against a team called Langley Villa back in the day. Langley was a really rough Manchester overspill council estate near Middleton. The sort of place were coppers went around in threes. The lad I was marking was wearing a studded belt around his waist. Sensibly I refrained from giving him my usual welcoming kicking !

Edited December 30, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[darrenrover]

....and on I go:-

Initially I'd like to point out that you needn't read more into the erratic times of my posts, than my being a severe sciatica sufferer due to several herniated lower lumber discs. It is pain managed pretty well through injections (I'm on the list awaiting my next one) and countless pills I have to pop 4 times a day, to the point I think I'm a junkie! I'm trying to put off the inevitable 'suffering of the knife' as long as possible, due to the potential complications. As a result, I tend to wake in the early hours once the effects of the medication has worn off, get up, make a brew and do something to kill some time whilst the painkillers kick in. Apologies, I digress:-

I'm assuming that Grandad darrenrover continued to go to The Rovers, following the introduction by his Dad in 1919, but I've found nothing to back up that assumption and I've no other recollections of it being discussed either, until OUR last FA Cup Final win in 1928, when he would have been 18. I remember him telling me he went with some pals on one of the special trains out of Blackburn Station, the day before the match. They returned the day after Harry Healess had lifted the trophy, after defeating Huddersfield Town 3-1.

He spent the 2 nights "down the smoke", as he described it in "a dive of a B&B in Uxbridge, struggled to get a pint anywheer", being only 18 and you didn't come of age then until 21. He also added " the ale was fecking shite as wheel, flat as feck!" He had a regular ticket for the match but for some reason or other, he swapped it with a pal. I suspect that was probably a white lie and that he probably won it from one of the pals he had travelled down with, he "loved a bit of Poker, dust see!" I've no recollections of him telling me anything regarding the actual match itself. The only others being that they were "pissed as rats that neet and nearly missed t'train 'ome on t'day efter!"  He'd also instructed his then girlfriend, who later was to become my Grandma, before they'd left, to buy a copy of the Sports Pink. (Images of match day programme and ticket and several of The Sports Pink for your perusal below)

After that, he must have followed Darwen down to Highbury in 1932 because in amongst his stuff when he had passed, was a match day programme. (images below). He never mentioned anything of this to me or if he did, I don't recall it (sadly I don't possess an @Tyroneshoelaces type memory, how do you do it Tyrone?). Perhaps he didn't say 'owt' because I guess it would be the equivalent to a modern day admittance to watching 'that shower' play away in London!

Being in The Terriors, carrying on a long line of family, Military history, he joined The Royal Artillery and served in Norway and Crete during WW2. He never talked about his time during The War at all but I know he made up to the rank of Sergeant and worked in The Quartermasters. Not having had sufficient time to research it yet and the fact he never, ever discussed it, that's all I know of. The rest of the family moved down to Irthlingbrough in Northants for the duration of WW2, living in a small holding. It's where my Dad, being born in 1936, served his formative years, the remaining male members of the family working in the Corby steelworks and my Gran as a 'clippie' on the buses to London.

I'm starting to see "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds and Tangerine Seas and Marmalade Skies" now, as the pain-killers start to kick in! Next up, The fifties.......

Edited December 30, 2020 by darrenrover

[darrenrover]

.........1928 FA Cup Final Ticket, start of 'Sports Pink' exerts:-

1928sportspink1.pdf

[darrenrover]

......Further Sports Pink exerts:-

1928sportspink2.pdf 1928sportspink3.pdf

[darrenrover]

.......and more:-

1928sportspink4.pdf

[darrenrover]

Sorry chaps (mods) it wouldn't allow me to upload any more images. Help please?

Night, night!......

[darrenrover]

On 28/12/2020 at 07:03, arbitro said:

And on the back row next to the end is the legendary Peter White, a local journalist who had blue blood running through his veins.

I sat in seats 200 and 201, directly in front of the PressBox, along with one of my long standing, Rovers following pals of many years for the match against City on 15th April 1989. We won 4-0 of course, Garns scoring a hat-trick and I think Andy Kennedy scored the other. I think Simon back then must have been responsible for gifting us the tickets and me passing my season ticket on to someone else.

I remember it so distinctly because it was also the day of The Hillsborough Disaster. Having been sitting directly in front of the press box, we were hearing news as it so tragically developed and our game seemed to really peel into insignificance, good a game as it was. I also seem to remember City wearing an horrendous change strip and Andy Dibble playing in goal for them had an absolute stinker.

At last, there was eventually some form of justice for The 96 (RIP), the real perpetrators of the crimes getting off relatively scot free, save for living with their own consciences.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

6 hours ago, darrenrover said:

....and on I go:-

Initially I'd like to point out that you needn't read more into the erratic times of my posts, than my being a severe sciatica sufferer due to several herniated lower lumber discs. It is pain managed pretty well through injections (I'm on the list awaiting my next one) and countless pills I have to pop 4 times a day, to the point I think I'm a junkie! I'm trying to put off the inevitable 'suffering of the knife' as long as possible, due to the potential complications. As a result, I tend to wake in the early hours once the effects of the medication has worn off, get up, make a brew and do something to kill some time whilst the painkillers kick in. Apologies, I digress:-

I'm assuming that Grandad darrenrover continued to go to The Rovers, following the introduction by his Dad in 1919, but I've found nothing to back up that assumption and I've no other recollections of it being discussed either, until OUR last FA Cup Final win in 1928, when he would have been 18. I remember him telling me he went with some pals on one of the special trains out of Blackburn Station, the day before the match. They returned the day after Harry Healess had lifted the trophy, after defeating Huddersfield Town 3-1.

He spent the 2 nights "down the smoke", as he described it in "a dive of a B&B in Uxbridge, struggled to get a pint anywheer", being only 18 and you didn't come of age then until 21. He also added " the ale was fecking shite as wheel, flat as feck!" He had a regular ticket for the match but for some reason or other, he swapped it with a pal. I suspect that was probably a white lie and that he probably won it from one of the pals he had travelled down with, he "loved a bit of Poker, dust see!" I've no recollections of him telling me anything regarding the actual match itself. The only others being that they were "pissed as rats that neet and nearly missed t'train 'ome on t'day efter!"  He'd also instructed his then girlfriend, who later was to become my Grandma, before they'd left, to buy a copy of the Sports Pink. (Images of match day programme and ticket and several of The Sports Pink for your perusal below)

After that, he must have followed Darwen down to Highbury in 1932 because in amongst his stuff when he had passed, was a match day programme. (images below). He never mentioned anything of this to me or if he did, I don't recall it (sadly I don't possess an @Tyroneshoelaces type memory, how do you do it Tyrone?). Perhaps he didn't say 'owt' because I guess it would be the equivalent to a modern day admittance to watching 'that shower' play away in London!

Being in The Terriors, carrying on a long line of family, Military history, he joined The Royal Artillery and served in Norway and Crete during WW2. He never talked about his time during The War at all but I know he made up to the rank of Sergeant and worked in The Quartermasters. Not having had sufficient time to research it yet and the fact he never, ever discussed it, that's all I know of. The rest of the family moved down to Irthlingbrough in Northants for the duration of WW2, living in a small holding. It's where my Dad, being born in 1936, served his formative years, the remaining male members of the family working in the Corby steelworks and my Gran as a 'clippie' on the buses to London.

I'm starting to see "Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds and Tangerine Seas and Marmalade Skies" now, as the pain-killers start to kick in! Next up, The fifties.......

Don't mention Sciatica to me. I had it in my left leg about three yeas ago. I couldn't walk more than 200 yards without having to sit down for a minute or two. Getting comfortable in bed was impossible some nights. It went on it's own after about three months but I still have a bit in my right leg now but it doesn't really handicap me.

The worst of it was we were having the study re-vamped at the same time. I'd begun to clear out our filing cabinet but I had to break off to have a lie down because of the pain. All the contents were being put into boxes and taken up to my wife's sons place temporarily. When I got back on the job the filing cabinet had been moved outside for the scrap man. So I assumed it had been emptied by whoever moved it outside. I never did find out who took it outside, the  builders ? My wife's sons ?

Whoever took it outside had locked it and stood it upside down for some reason. If it had been the right way up I would probably had a look inside because I had the key. There was no way I was wrestling with it with my sciatica. It was there for about a week before the scrap man took it. About the same time the study was finished and the boxes of documents came back. When we were sorting these out it suddenly dawned on me that all the car documents that I'd kept for years were missing ! Then Mrs Shoelaces said " Where are the deeds to the house " ! !

Yes - they were still in the filing cabinet, along with lots of other important stuff. We flew up to the scrap yard but the cabinet was nowhere to be seen in a mountain high pile of junk.

[Riversider28]

6 hours ago, darrenrover said:

......Further Sports Pink exerts:-

1928sportspink2.pdf 4.42 MB · 3 downloads 1928sportspink3.pdf 4.47 MB · 2 downloads

What a fascinating read relating to Jimmy Costley and Blackburn Olympic. Winning the F.A. Cup and what life was like back then as a footballer. Imagine having to walk a mile to have a wash after playing a match. Today’s prima donnas just wouldn’t cope. 
After last night’s feeble performance, I would have made everyone, including Tony, walk back home from Huddersfield. 
Keep it coming darrenrover, these are hidden gems from our illustrious past. 

[Herbie6590]

15 hours ago, rigger said:

It's hair, I'm jealous.

There’s 11 in the photo...

[Herbie6590]

8 hours ago, darrenrover said:

Sorry chaps (mods) it wouldn't allow me to upload any more images. Help please?

Night, night!......

The constraint is file size per posting (to stop the site being spammed basically).

if you split the photos up across different posts &/or compress the ones that are larger file sizes then that should work 👍🏻

[Herbie6590]

8 hours ago, darrenrover said:

I sat in seats 200 and 201, directly in front of the PressBox, along with one of my long standing, Rovers following pals of many years for the match against City on 15th April 1989. We won 4-0 of course, Garns scoring a hat-trick and I think Andy Kennedy scored the other. I think Simon back then must have been responsible for gifting us the tickets and me passing my season ticket on to someone else.

I remember it so distinctly because it was also the day of The Hillsborough Disaster. Having been sitting directly in front of the press box, we were hearing news as it so tragically developed and our game seemed to really peel into insignificance, good a game as it was. I also seem to remember City wearing an horrendous change strip and Andy Dibble playing in goal for them had an absolute stinker.

At last, there was eventually some form of justice for The 96 (RIP), the real perpetrators of the crimes getting off relatively scot free, save for living with their own consciences.

 

[simongarnerisgod]

missed the game due to my dad insisting i go to work with him,spent the day chipping paint off a metal gate🙄,paled into insignificence compared to events in sheffield.Always nice to see john bond,hero to rovers fans everywhere,what a top bloke!!!!!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

 

That's what it's like to really be going for a play off spot.  Great to see Garner at his best, the Rovers answer to Jimmy Greaves. Armstrong is nowhere near him in terms of finishing ability.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Colt Seavers]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

That's what it's like to really be going for a play off spot.  Great to see Garner at his best, the Rovers answer to Jimmy Greaves. Armstrong is nowhere him in terms of finishing ability.

That third goal of Garner's is one of my favourites of all the goals I've  seen at Ewood. Touch, pace and precision. He was far too hot for City to handle that day. 

[darrenrover]

More Sports Pink 21st April 1928 exerts:-

[darrenrover]

and another:-

[darrenrover]

1932 Arsenal 11 v Darwen 1 Match Day programme exerts:-

[darrenrover]

Should anybody be sufficiently interested in borrowing any of my items, or just viewing them, then drop me a personal message along with your details and a categoric assurance that they will be looked after and returned to me, in a timescale that we could agree on, I would willingly lend them to you.

These are just a chosen few. My attic is literally bulging under the weight of Rovers programmes. Along with Transformers, Power Rangers, Mutant Ninja Turtles etc from when my lads were younger! 

Edited December 30, 2020 by darrenrover

[Gav]

5 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

 

Day of the Hillsborough disaster if memory serves me correctly. 

[darrenrover]

41 minutes ago, Gav said:

Day of the Hillsborough disaster if memory serves me correctly. 

See above Gav. Where've ya bin, sleeping it off!? 😉