BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[oldjamfan1]

28 minutes ago, arbitro said:

You could well be right Andy. We were also at that game, perhaps even the same coach. That was the game when Roger Jones made probably the best ever save I have seen live. I also remember some Forest fans taking the piss out of my Rovers OK badge sewn on my Levi's jacket.

Was that the 'v-sign' one Tony? Blimey I remember them.

[arbitro]

38 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Was that the 'v-sign' one Tony? Blimey I remember them.

They did various shapes but mine was rectangular with rounded corners. I can't remember which outlet we got them from (maybe the portacabin on Nuttall Street which doubled up as the Commercial offices) but I distinctly remember a mate buying one that was claret and blue. Once we pointed it out and ripped the piss out of him he shot back and exchanged it. 😁😁

[darrenrover]

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

Does anybody of a certain vintage remember RATC? It was an acronym for Rovers Away Travel Club and although it pretty much bombed I remember getting my membership card. It originated at a supporters meeting with Ken Furphy and the then commercial manager Keith Cafferty. The idea was to offer subsided travel to away games and at the meeting there were lots of enthusiastic young Rovers fans (including me and several mates) who signed up to it. As I said it died a death but I remember Furphy at the meeting bouncing lots of ideas around.

Offshoot was the "Ewood Express" I think Tony. The trains that we used to go on to away games. Can you imagine that now?

 

[darrenrover]

8 minutes ago, arbitro said:

They did various shapes but mine was rectangular with rounded corners. I can't remember which outlet we got them from (maybe the portacabin on Nuttall Street which doubled up as the Commercial offices) but I distinctly remember a mate buying one that was claret and blue. Once we pointed it out and ripped the piss out of him he shot back and exchanged it. 😁😁

What was wrong with 'rounded corners'? I don't understand.

 

[arbitro]

3 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

What was wrong with 'rounded corners'? I don't understand.

 

Nothing wrong with it - I was describing the shape of the badge I had to somebody.

[arbitro]

6 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

Offshoot was the "Ewood Express" I think Tony. The trains that we used to go on to away games. Can you imagine that now?

 

From memory pretty much every away game had a special train or Ewood Express Nick. It was always exciting getting off the bus on the Boulevard and seeing lots of Rovers fans milling about outside the station. And arriving at the destination and coming out of the station was always good but we were usually met with a police escort straight to the ground.

I've often wondered what the take up would be if they ran specials now.

[rigger]

9 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

Offshoot was the "Ewood Express" I think Tony. The trains that we used to go on to away games. Can you imagine that now?

 

The League Liner, Televisions on a train. Who'd have thought it ! 

[arbitro]

Just now, rigger said:

The League Liner, Televisions on a train. Who'd have thought it ! 

And a disco too.

[oldjamfan1]

29 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

Offshoot was the "Ewood Express" I think Tony. The trains that we used to go on to away games. Can you imagine that now?

 

I remember the Ewood Express getting turned back at Crewe on the way to Eastville in the early 70s as word had got through that the pitch was waterlogged.

Years later they laid on a train for Rovers fans for the FA Cup semi final at the Millennium Stadium, it left from Manchester Piccaddilly at silly o'clock in the morning. 

[bazza]

I was with my mate and sons waiting for a coach to pick us up at Bamber Bridge level crossings and take us down to Wembley for the full members cup final.

Two special trains came through from Blackburn pulled by diesels. Each must have had at least 10 coaches all packed full. What a sight!

[darrenrover]

3 hours ago, rigger said:

I just went with Ribblesdale. The RATC meant rules that had to be followed. Ribblesdale was a free for all. At Southampton our coach got bricked, the driver hit the brakes, opened the door and shouted, "get the bastards".     

Agreed rigger, I was on RATC solitary coach trip to White Hart Lane on New Years Eve 1977!

We got thrashed 4-0, I got battered in The Park Lane Stand by 2 black lads, every window in the coach other than the windscreen was put through by a gang on Edgeware Road and when I got back to Lancashire just in time for Big Ben to chime, I saw my girlfriend , legs akimbo with some bastard else! 

Fucking great New Years Eve that was!!   Never forgotten though!!

[rigger]

1 hour ago, darrenrover said:

Agreed rigger, I was on RATC solitary coach trip to White Hart Lane on New Years Eve 1977!

We got thrashed 4-0, I got battered in The Park Lane Stand by 2 black lads, every window in the coach other than the windscreen was put through by a gang on Edgeware Road and when I got back to Lancashire just in time for Big Ben to chime, I saw my girlfriend , legs akimbo with some bastard else! 

Fucking great New Years Eve that was!!   Never forgotten though!!

No regrets then?

[Gav]

1 hour ago, bazza said:

I was with my mate and sons waiting for a coach to pick us up at Bamber Bridge level crossings and take us down to Wembley for the full members cup final.

Two special trains came through from Blackburn pulled by diesels. Each must have had at least 10 coaches all packed full. What a sight!

I was on one of those bazza 👍

First trip to Wembley, getting goose bumps just writing this.

Without doubt my greatest day watching the famous Blue and Whites.

We had nowt, we never expected owt and we won the bloody thing.

 

[Claytons Left Boot]

4 hours ago, arbitro said:

From memory pretty much every away game had a special train or Ewood Express Nick. It was always exciting getting off the bus on the Boulevard and seeing lots of Rovers fans milling about outside the station. And arriving at the destination and coming out of the station was always good but we were usually met with a police escort straight to the ground.

I remember going to York on one of those red, white and green double decker transport buses. It got into York at silly o’clock so, after milling around for what seemed like hours, a few bus loads went up to the station to wait for the Ewood Express arriving. When it did, all the doors opened before it had stopped and everyone piled off. A chant started and it was absolutely deafening. We joined the hordes and all and sundry ran into York. No one walked. Could well have been with Exiled in Toronto that day plus a few others from SMC.

The same happened for a Burnley night match, again 1973-74 ish, think it was a pre season ‘friendly.’ Blackburn station absolutely rammed, everyone went on service trains. No police escort at Burnley Barracks, everyone just ran through Burnley, none of their fans to be seen anywhere until we got to the ground. 

Great days, it was certainly a top day out going by train.
 

[jim mk2]

Football specials were great fun for supporters and good revenue earners for the railways but all too often this happened.

You can't blame BR  for stopping laying them on

[darrenrover]

9 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Football specials were great fun for supporters and good revenue earners for the railways but all too often this happened.

You can't blame BR  for stopping laying them on

Aye, I bet Richard Beeching was a real hero of yours too. Look how well that worked out?!

What you refer to above was wrong but just typified social issues of that particular point in time.

Doesn't alter the fact that there were many enjoyable and memorable trips on 'The Ewood Express' and Rovers' 'League Liner' as others have already alluded to.

2 particularly spring to mind for me: One to The Victoria Ground Stoke in 1976/7 (?) when one of my mates got chucked in a canal en route back to the station!

The other a midweek League Cup tie at The City Ground Nottingham where we got thumped 6-1 I think (?) I went with my Dad and as we were leaving the station to return home, some bastard put the carriage windows through right where my Dad was sat. The train just continued to rumble along back to Blackburn and we froze to bloody death! I think Brotherston scored for Rovers and in the return leg which we drew 1-1 I think, 'Bog-hopper' tore Viv Anderson a new backside!

[Elvis Biro]

On 17/02/2021 at 17:43, Claytons Left Boot said:

I remember going to York on one of those red, white and green double decker transport buses. It got into York at silly o’clock so, after milling around for what seemed like hours, a few bus loads went up to the station to wait for the Ewood Express arriving. When it did, all the doors opened before it had stopped and everyone piled off. A chant started and it was absolutely deafening. We joined the hordes and all and sundry ran into York. No one walked. Could well have been with Exiled in Toronto that day plus a few others from SMC.

The same happened for a Burnley night match, again 1973-74 ish, think it was a pre season ‘friendly.’ Blackburn station absolutely rammed, everyone went on service trains. No police escort at Burnley Barracks, everyone just ran through Burnley, none of their fans to be seen anywhere until we got to the ground. 

Great days, it was certainly a top day out going by train.
 

I went to watch us play away at Watford on a Ribblesdale coach around 1970ish. For some bizarre reason it left Foundry Hill at midnight on Friday (after most fans had just tumbled out of the Veteran) and landed in Watford at at 6 o'clock in the sodding morning. Has anyone else ever spent 9 hours wandering around Watford, bored shitless, waiting for kick-off time?

Of course we lost, and of course most of the coach windows had been bricked when we got back to it. Bloody freezing drive back and got home about midnight. Working the next day as well.

ps Just checked and it was the first match of the 1970-71 season. Lost 2-1 with the Don scoring for us.

[arbitro]

Having just seen a post on the music association thread I was reminded of this one to the tune of Terry Jacks song called Seasons in the Sun.

We had joy, we had fun

We had Burnley on the run

But the fun didn't last

Cos the b******* ran too fast.

[oldjamfan1]

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

Having just seen a post on the music association thread I was reminded of this one to the tune of Terry Jacks song called Seasons in the Sun.

We had joy, we had fun

We had Burnley on the run

But the fun didn't last

Cos the b******* ran too fast.

Followed quickly by:

"Hey ho the knives are flashing

We're going Burnley bashing"

[darrenrover]

4 hours ago, arbitro said:

Having just seen a post on the music association thread I was reminded of this one to the tune of Terry Jacks song called Seasons in the Sun.

We had joy, we had fun

We had Burnley on the run

But the fun didn't last

Cos the b******* ran too fast.

Blackburn End Cheerleader Tony? 😉 (Forget the bloody drum though!)

(Sorry I forgot, you're with the tartan blanket and coffee with a tot brigade in the JWU!) Best of luck getting them rocking!....

[darrenrover]

"Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...":-

1.  WE ARE THE Blackburn End, WE ARE THE Blackburn End, WE ARE The Black, WE ARE THE Blackburn End.........(crowd surges from the back and you finished up pinned to the wall behind 'Sir Rogers' goal.  (Absolute lyrical genius)                                                                                                                                              

2. Who's that 'two hat' with a t!t on 'is 'ead, doo dah, doo dah? doo dah doo dah day, doo da doo da day......    

3. He's fat, he's round, he bounces on the ground, Francis Lee, Francis Lee.........                                                            

4. Oh Rodney Rodney, Rodney Rodney Rodney shit arse Marsh!                                                                              

5. Kindon's wife is on the game again!                                                                                                                        

Bloody great ain't it, if only we could rekindle the type of atmosphere that we 'oldies' used to enjoy. Brilliant!......

Edited February 19, 2021 by darrenrover

[simongarnerisgod]

i always liked

it`s nice to know your here

it`s nice to know your here

it`s nice to know your here

so f**k  off home

as sung at the back of the blackburn end,near the middle😉

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, darrenrover said:

Blackburn End Cheerleader Tony? 😉 (Forget the bloody drum though!)

(Sorry I forgot, you're with the tartan blanket and coffee with a tot brigade in the JWU!) Best of luck getting them rocking!....

Rocking in our rocking chairs Nick 😁😁😁😁.

 

[iacok]

Ten pints of Bitter and a pint of Mild

Bacardi and Coke and a Vodka and Lime

P****d as newts and round the bend

We are The Blackburn Rovers!

[Gone to seed]

Ee aye ee aye ee aye oh,

Up the football league we go,

When we get promoted

This is what we'll sing,

We are the Rovers, We are the Rovers

Kendall is the king...