BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[Gav]

Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United, league match at Ewood Park, Saturday 3rd April 1965. Half time score 0-0. Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers fans change ends.

 

[simongarnerisgod]

fantastic photos😊

[Mattyblue]

What a marvellous stand the Riverside was... and its replacement looked outdated about two years after it was opened.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Mattyblue

[den]

1 hour ago, Gav said:

Love this pic, you don't see many pics from this side of the ground, Infirmary in the distance also. 

Blackburn Rovers supporters queueing for tickets outside Ewood Park for the FA Cup 5th Round tie between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City in Blackburn, England, circa February 1969

 

Anyone remember the ground capacity at that time? There were over 40,000 on for that game.

[simongarnerisgod]

6 minutes ago, den said:

Anyone remember the ground capacity at that time? There were over 40,000 on for that game.

the official capacity in the late 60`s early 70`s was close to 47,000,i remember reading it some old football annual,the safety at sports ground act of 1975 and the arrival of the football hooligan cut capacity at every ground in the country,i definately remember it was 30000 in the early 80`s then 25,000 in the middle 80`s and the just over 20000 in the early 90`s

 

[Gav]

1982/83 Season

 

[arbitro]

43 minutes ago, Gav said:

1982/83 Season

 

Some great memories here - thanks Gav.

I noticed there is only fifteen players on the first team squad picture. Compare that to the mega sized squads we see now.

[Leonard Venkhater]

On 05/03/2021 at 09:09, oldjamfan1 said:

I was chatting to Gordon Lee's son the other day. Gordon is still alive and well into his late 80s and itching to get on the golf course. He has very fond memories of his time at Rovers.

Gutted, when Lee left....like a bereavement!

[Leonard Venkhater]

On 05/03/2021 at 09:34, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I was on the Riverside that night. I had to leave at the final whistle to catch my last bus home.

It still irks me that Mowbray thought scenes like this weren't worth playing for and the title of " Champions " wasn't worth trying for.

I knew then he wasn't the man to lead my team into the future.

It rankled with me too. All those fans at The Valley...then that team selection...

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 hours ago, Gav said:

OCTOBER 25 - 1969: John Connelly of Blackburn Rovers (right) goes past Leicester City goalkeeper Peter Shilton during a Football League Division Two match at Ewood Park.

I was at that game, we played really well that day, I thought we were going up after that.

Won 3-1 in front of a good crowd of 15,362. Scorers Ken Knighton, Brian Hill, John Connelly. Maybe that photo is Connelly in the act of scoring ? Eamon Rogers played right back in an emergency and looked a natural.

Team

Blacklaw

Rogers, Hunter, Mulvaney, Wilson.

Connelly, Metcalfe, Knighton, Hill

Martin, Darling.

[Waggy76]

40 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I was at that game, we played really well that day, I thought we were going up after that.

Won 3-1 in front of a good crowd of 15,362. Scorers Ken Knighton, Brian Hill, John Connelly. Maybe that photo is Connelly in the act of scoring ? Eamon Rogers played right back in an emergency and looked a natural.

Team

Blacklaw

Rogers, Hunter, Mulvaney, Wilson.

Connelly, Metcalfe, Knighton, Hill

Martin, Darling.

That was the first game , I ever saw .

[Waggy76]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

1982/83 Season

 

Where's Glenn Keeley ?? Was he at Everton on loan ?

[darrenrover]

11 hours ago, Gav said:

OCTOBER 25 - 1969: John Connelly of Blackburn Rovers (right) goes past Leicester City goalkeeper Peter Shilton during a Football League Division Two match at Ewood Park.

I remember that game well for the wrong reasons though: It was the first time I recall football supporter violence at a game:

I was only 8 years old at the time but I can still distinctly remember a gang of Rovers' fans (Hells Angel types, long hair and leather jackets with motifs on the back) wading in and knocking seven bells out of their Leicester counterparts on The Darwen End. 

I believe that we had quite a reputation back then (Harry The Dog!)

During the first half I'd been wandering about The Darwen End collecting discarded coffee cups: when I'd got 40 empties, I went to the kiosk in the corner, at The Nuttall Street side of the stand, handed them in and got 2 free brews: one for my Dad and the other for my Grandad (The deal was a free brew for 20 empty coffee cups).

Whilst I was wandering about, I'd spotted a few people spitting on the floor (disgusting I know) and when I got back to our barrier, handed the coffees over, I 'snecked up' and gobbed. Problem was my aim was poor and it landed on an unsuspecting gentleman's back who was stood in front! Crack!!... I got a bloody good back hander off my Dad on the ear, was told to go and apologise and wipe it off his back with my Dad's handkerchief. I'd no choice but to do as he asked.....

Then it all 'kicked off'!.....

It was all character building but suffice it to say, I remember that game well!

Edited March 12, 2021 by darrenrover
Additional detail

[Stonesrick]

Such great away days 👍

Oh for those days of 1-0 wins.

But today it’s about the performance, not the result. 🤔

Edited March 12, 2021 by Stonesrick

[Waggy76]

2 hours ago, Stonesrick said:

Such great away days 👍

Oh for those days of 1-0 wins.

But today it’s about the performance, not the result. 🤔

Magic day !!

[Colt Seavers]

On 11/03/2021 at 21:28, Waggy76 said:

Where's Glenn Keeley ?? Was he at Everton on loan ?

Think he was frozen out of the squad over a contract dispute lasting several months.

[darrenrover]

9 hours ago, Stonesrick said:

Such great away days 👍

Oh for those days of 1-0 wins.

But today it’s about the performance, not the result. 🤔

I was at Uni in North Carolina then, my Mum and Dad went to Saltergate that day. Only recently my Dad recalled he had to take Mum shopping en route in the morning, in order to convince her to make the trip with him.

Me, I'd subscribed for an annual subscription for 'Sports Pink' to be mailed to me weekly and it used to appear in my mail box religiously on the Monday, some 9 days after the Saturday game over a week prior! (Alf Thornton was my hero!)

Imagine that in this day and age: having to wait 9 days to see how we'd gone on!?

I used to paper my room with the cuttings from the newspaper. I distinctly remember one where we'd played Chelsea and I was proud as punch because there were almost 16,000 on Ewood!

Bloody great memories, I love this thread.

Edited March 13, 2021 by darrenrover

[Elvis Biro]

On 11/03/2021 at 16:47, Gav said:

Blackburn Rovers footballer Don Martin takes a walk to the shops with his child on December 31, 1968

 

Not too far from Ewood. That's Bolton Road, just coming up to Ewood WMC. Don was probably nipping in for a quick pint and one of his 'lucky' fags.

[rigger]

Today I watch "Big match revisited". Sir Roger was in goal for Stoke against Aston Villa.

[bazza]

On 13/03/2021 at 05:25, darrenrover said:

I was at Uni in North Carolina then, my Mum and Dad went to Saltergate that day. Only recently my Dad recalled he had to take Mum shopping en route in the morning, in order to convince her to make the trip with him.

Me, I'd subscribed for an annual subscription for 'Sports Pink' to be mailed to me weekly and it used to appear in my mail box religiously on the Monday, some 9 days after the Saturday game over a week prior! (Alf Thornton was my hero!)

Imagine that in this day and age: having to wait 9 days to see how we'd gone on!?

I used to paper my room with the cuttings from the newspaper. I distinctly remember one where we'd played Chelsea and I was proud as punch because there were almost 16,000 on Ewood!

Bloody great memories, I love this thread.

I was living and working in the newly named Zimbabwe. My son and I had to rely on one column on the back page of the Sunday newspaper which had the British football results and league tables. We were amazed and delighted to find out Chesterfield 0 Rovers 1 and the other one Colchester Utd 0 Rovers 1. The last day of one season we couldn't understand why Bradford City v Lincoln City had been abandoned. We heard nothing of the fire.

My mate in Clitheroe used to cut out all the match reports and other news about Rovers and every 6 weeks or so he would post them to me for hours of reading over and over again.

I wrote a letter to the LET about this and about the Rovers. I even voted Glen Keeley player of the year. It got published. A few days after, there was a cartoon in the LET which showed a bill board with "Rovers supporter in Rhodesia votes Keeley player of the year" written on it. Underneath was written, "He must have had a good pair of binoculars". 

[Stonesrick]

Don’t know if this has been posted before. You could challenge the keeper in those days and a wonderful goal from Noel - The King Of Ewood Park. Our undersoil heating was a bit patchy as well 😄

 

[darrenrover]

6 minutes ago, bazza said:

I was living and working in the newly named Zimbabwe. My son and I had to rely on one column on the back page of the Sunday newspaper which had the British football results and league tables. We were amazed and delighted to find out Chesterfield 0 Rovers 1 and the other one Colchester Utd 0 Rovers 1. The last day of one season we couldn't understand why Bradford City v Lincoln City had been abandoned. We heard nothing of the fire.

My mate in Clitheroe used to cut out all the match reports and other news about Rovers and every 6 weeks or so he would post them to me for hours of reading over and over again.

I wrote a letter to the LET about this and about the Rovers. I even voted Glen Keeley player of the year. It got published. A few days after, there was a cartoon in the LET which showed a bill board with "Rovers supporter in Rhodesia votes Keeley player of the year" written on it. Underneath was written, "He must have had a good pair of binoculars". 

Brilliant bazza: We've all so many fantastic stories to tell, there's gotta be a book in there, surely?

[Roving Mick]

14 minutes ago, bazza said:

I was living and working in the newly named Zimbabwe. My son and I had to rely on one column on the back page of the Sunday newspaper which had the British football results and league tables. We were amazed and delighted to find out Chesterfield 0 Rovers 1 and the other one Colchester Utd 0 Rovers 1. The last day of one season we couldn't understand why Bradford City v Lincoln City had been abandoned. We heard nothing of the fire.

My mate in Clitheroe used to cut out all the match reports and other news about Rovers and every 6 weeks or so he would post them to me for hours of reading over and over again.

I wrote a letter to the LET about this and about the Rovers. I even voted Glen Keeley player of the year. It got published. A few days after, there was a cartoon in the LET which showed a bill board with "Rovers supporter in Rhodesia votes Keeley player of the year" written on it. Underneath was written, "He must have had a good pair of binoculars". 

The LET had another story about you from back then.  Your mum said you didn't know Rovers had been relegated.  This was followed by a Tipping's Topic cartoon which showed a yokel and said they still didn't know in Tockholes.

[darrenrover]

2 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

Brilliant bazza: We've all so many fantastic stories to tell, there's gotta be a book in there, surely?

For my sins, amongst everything else I'm currently on with, I'm preparing a site in my back garden for a greenhouse and a decent sized veg plot. In the middle of my proposed veg plot is a Rhodendron and 2 Camellia bushes, all long established. I was going to leave them all in but then thought sod it, they've got to come out, so out came the chainsaw and big axe: I made mincemeat of the Rhodendron and white Camellia in a matter of minutes. I was about to set about the final pink Camellia and stopped myself. I thought "shit, I can't destroy 'Speedie', it's of sentimental value"!

I bought it as a twig for a couple of quid from a garden centre in Plymouth in 1992 when my Dad and I were killing time having arrived early for the match.

Obviously Speedie went on to score a hat-trick and secured our place in the play offs (hence my naming of the bush)

No way could I cut him down!

[Exiled in Toronto]

2 hours ago, Roving Mick said:

The LET had another story about you from back then.  Your mum said you didn't know Rovers had been relegated.  This was followed by a Tipping's Topic cartoon which showed a yokel and said they still didn't know in Tockholes.

We were relegated???