Souness on Rovers

[TheRoversReturn]

28 minutes ago, LDRover said:

Rover6, he was a boyo wasn't he. He was big on getting young players into the team from the academy if I remember correctly.

To be fair to him, he was never afraid to voice an unpopular opinion and always put them across with good reasoning. He was a good poster - is he still on here under another 'name'?

I'm pretty sure he is, but I won't reveal who I think he now is...

I think a number of those from BRFCS from those days are here under different names. The Venkys takeover and few years after were traumatic. People argued and fretted and walked away.

After some time, many (albeit reluctantly) returned. Rovers is in the blood. But...by God, blood poisoning via chicken farmers stings, doesn't it!!!!

Edited August 15, 2021 by TheRoversReturn

[TheRoversReturn]

3 hours ago, 47er said:

I'll bet Jan hasn't!

She'll be in Parkhead, no doubt about it!

[TheRoversReturn]

22 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Good post

The question always was, why didn't Williams sack Souness when it was clear by that stage he was a failing manager?

Williams gets lots of praise but that lack of action over Souness (and the Ince appointment) shows he didn't always get it right

 

Why does anyone linger over a once great relationship gone bad? Why do marriages turn stale? 

He'd sorted out the sinking ship, won promotion, played amazing football, brought in some of the greatest EVER Rovers players (Tugay, Friedel), won a cup (!!!), got us into the top ten, then the top six, dominated Celtic at their place, smashed Spurs at White Hart Lane. 

When it went bad...it went bad quickly. But you still hope the good times return.

They were all very human failings by Williams. The fans were torn just as he must have been. Including on BRFCS.

Newcastle coming calling was a godsend...

[47er]

On 14/08/2021 at 21:50, TheRoversReturn said:

Which was better? That or the "2-0 in your Dingledome" earlier on that season when their fans were so enraged that smashed up their own town centre?!?!? Hahaha...great days!

 

Bloody hell, I'd forgotten how spicy that game was! 

[SuperBrfc]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Cole and Jansen were a terrific partnership. Once Yorke arrived he seemed to have a competition with Cole as to who was going to run the least.

Agreed. I remember a game at Ewood where somebody in the Riverside bellowed at the top of his voice "YORKIE, you're not on the beach now...MOVE!!". He definitely heard it as he looked sheepishly towards the floor.

Yorke had a few good games for us here and there in his first season. Villa away in the cup, Spurs away, but overall he was a disappointing buy and him being at the club didn't help Cole.

[47er]

1 minute ago, 47er said:

Bloody hell, I'd forgotten how spicy that game was! 

I'd also forgotten how spiteful the site could be in those days. Its unimaginable now that a poster should be written off as a Dingle because he dared to call for the manager's sacking! LT stuff that.

(Just replied to my own post!)

[dallydally]

6 minutes ago, 47er said:

Bloody hell, I'd forgotten how spicy that game was! 

Oh to have those days back!! 

[AllRoverAsia]

The Big Man, good days

 

[1864roverite]

I was at the dinner and listening to the squad and indeed Souness, he made it very clear he loved his time at Blackburn and regrets moving away. His words the grass isnt always greener rings loud and true wit Rovers. Praised John Williams and his staff to the highest and spoke fondly of the players. A great evening.

[Mattyblue]

Still has that aura about him. Must have a decent surgeon too… looks younger now then when he arrived 22 years ago!

[tomphil]

Love Souness what an impact he had here and is down in history as one of our best managers.

Ok it went sour at the end but he cleaned a mess up when he came in and we had a spectacular few years and he is a great example to ownership. Get the right man and back him and he will deliver, stop backing him and he won't, go for cheaper options and you'll go back to where you started.

[roverandout]

He got jansen duff and dunn playing to their prime when parkes was ready to offload them.  Also brought In two of our greatest players, friedel and tugay

[Rover_in_the_South]

My fondest memories as a Rovers fan - I always wanted him to have a second spell, and probably still would!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

He was great for us and gave the club some brilliant times but - hand on heart he’d seriously lost the plot at the end. It was fun while it lasted though.

[Upside Down]

The best times I have ever had following Rovers were when he was in charge.

The atmosphere in Ewood back then was unreal and we were never a team to be taken for mugs.

[DE.]

Sometimes a manager and a club just click, and for a few years we were lucky to have that happen with Souey. Things went badly wrong at the end - I still occasionally have nightmares over witnessing Dominic Matteo as a left winger - but even then Newcastle gave us decent compo to take him off our hands and we moved forward with Hughes. 

[chaddyrovers]

Souness was very good manager and its sad how it ended here. 

I remember these days very well. We had an excellent side under him. Friedel, Berg, Short, Dunn, Duff, Flitcroft, Tugay, Jansen, Hignett and Cole

I always the Worthington cup final and winning promotion at Deepdale as 2 of my proudest moments being a Rovers along with winning the PL in 1994/95. 

[SuperBrfc]

Now that is a real manager. It's great to hear how happy he was when managing Rovers. Brad and a couple of others have also said similar, about being happiest when playing for Rovers. The thing they all mention is how well the club was ran and the support from people upstairs, such as John Williams, being a key factor.

I absolutely loved the Souness days. Some of the football we played back then was superb. We could mix it with anybody on our day and had the big clubs on edge about coming to Ewood. When you think about the players we had...Duff, Dunn, Tugay, Jansen, Cole, Friedel, warriors like Flitcroft, Short, Neill, Berg. It was a golden time.

Yeah, things went south towards the end and he left at the right time, but there are a lot more good memories than bad from Souness' time here.

It's a proud feeling to know that two of the best strikers the Premier League has seen in Shearer and Andy Cole both played for Rovers and both played key roles in Rovers winning trophies. Fantastic stuff.

Souness was the man who bought Cole here. He also bought Brad and Tugay to the club, that's some serious quality in that trio and I thank him for that. Souey, what you did for our Rovers won't ever be forgotten. Top man 👏.

[Gav]

Those bastards in Pune can't take away our memories chaps, I still have to pinch myself at times to believe what we achieved as a town and a football club.

Phenomenal.  

[1864roverite]

9 minutes ago, Gav said:

Those bastards in Pune can't take away our memories chaps, I still have to pinch myself at times to believe what we achieved as a town and a football club.

Phenomenal.  

They have nothing to do what went before so keep them in your heart, it is what has happened since that makes us all angry

[damo100]

I was there for the dinner and thought Souness was quite emotional in his speech and praise of his time here.

He also mentioned two of his greatest regrets in football were leaving Rovers when he did and his time at Liverpool as a manager. 

[Ricky]

If he hadn’t left when he did he would have probably been sacked fairly soon after as it had all turned a bit sour if I recall. Pretty sure there were quite a few calling for his head.

[Upside Down]

It did go a bit sour in the end but he walked away at least. And why would we bother reminiscing about that?

Won promotion, won the league cup and made us a force to be reckoned with once again.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 hours ago, Upside Down said:

It did go a bit sour in the end but he walked away at least. And why would we bother reminiscing about that?

Won promotion, won the league cup and made us a force to be reckoned with once again.

We played some great football doing it as well but it was never going to last. He was too confrontational with players.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

7 hours ago, Upside Down said:

It did go a bit sour in the end but he walked away at least. And why would we bother reminiscing about that?

Won promotion, won the league cup and made us a force to be reckoned with once again.

Lets put it this way,his worst times in the Ewood hotset were better than anything we have witnessed these last tortuous twelve years.

Great Manager for Rovers.Promotion,Cardiff,Europe...the memories live long and strong.

Edited October 10, 2022 by SIMON GARNERS 194