Champions League campaign 95/96

[Nuttall is lost]

Memories?  An absolutely disastrous campaign bar the final game.   Who was at the games?  Would we have done better under King Kenny?

[BRFCS.com]

Started off badly against Spartak Moscow because Tim Flowers went walkabouts, as described in this article: https://www.brfcs.com/magazine/articles/flowers-uprooted/261

[MarkBRFC]

Went to the 3 home games, really enjoyed the Rosenborg game even if it was a dead rubber.

 

[Gav]

I was almost signed up and booked on the trip to Moscow, so glad I never bothered with the players on the ale and Batty vrs Le Saux handbags live on national Tv.

Rubbish group for the fans, we had dreams of Barcelona, Madrid and Milan……
 

 

[Mattyblue]

Aye, if we we going to get knocked out in the group stage anyway, at least let it be a glamorous group.

[Gav]

My money would have been on Batty.

I heard an interview with Sutton recently who said everyone in the dressing room wanted to plant one of Le Saux at this time, he never elaborated as to why.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Gav

[SuperBrfc]

I was too young to go on my own and remember being told "we can watch the games on ITV". That's what we ended up doing.

I've always been intrigued by the visiting fans for those group games at Ewood, for some reason. Wondering how many they bought, were they loud etc. I read somewhere that one of the opponents only bought 50 or so fans and were placed in the Jack Walker Upper Tier. How true that is, I don't know.

A dull group to end up with when you consider the possibilities. Favourite memory, Mike Newell's hat-trick, even though it was in a dead rubber game.

[Nuttall is lost]

I hated that kit.  If it had the normal crest on it it wouldnt have been too bad.  

LeSaux was thought of as an oddball as he read The Guardian and wasn't your typical cockney lout.  I imagine David Batty wouldnt be glued to University Challenge.

[Nuttall is lost]

  On 07/09/2022 at 10:49, Mattyblue said:

Aye, if we we going to get knocked out in the group stage anyway, at least let it be a glamorous group.

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I remember thinking the likes of Barca, Bayern Munich, AC Milan would be playing at Ewood and then the draw comes out and it the Z listers of the Champions League.  I remember over in Ireland they werent even going to bother showing the games as the group was so underwhelming.  They were going to show Rangers instead.  In thr end they showed the first 2 games but when we lost both they showed Rangers instead.  From memory the last game with Mike Newells hat trick wasn't on tv here due to loss of interest. 

[MarkBRFC]

  On 07/09/2022 at 23:00, Nuttall is lost said:

I remember thinking the likes of Barca, Bayern Munich, AC Milan would be playing at Ewood and then the draw comes out and it the Z listers of the Champions League.  I remember over in Ireland they werent even going to bother showing the games as the group was so underwhelming.  They were going to show Rangers instead.  In thr end they showed the first 2 games but when we lost both they showed Rangers instead.  From memory the last game with Mike Newells hat trick wasn't on tv here due to loss of interest. 

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It was, but only in the North West. All the other regions showed the Rangers game.

Why, I'm not sure as they didn't even win a game in there group, at least we managed one!

Edited September 8, 2022 by MarkBRFC

[Mattyblue]

I suppose because of all the plastic Old Firm fans you see across England…

[roverandout]

We never got good draws in Europe.  Trelleborgs before that.  Lyon in 98. 

[Mattyblue]

We might not have played ‘elite’ clubs in 06/07, but the trips were great.

Salzburg, Krakow, Feyennord, Bayer Leverkusen.