v Preston North End (h) - 10/11/23

[jim mk2]

4 hours ago, JohnD said:

Ronnie Clayton will always be regarded as one of the greatest players to pull on a Blackburn Rovers shirt. During a gittering career, he captained both club and country

Football legend Sir Tom Finney remembers one particularly crunching tackle in a Preston v Blackburn derby at Deepdale.

The Preston Plumber was sent cartwheeling into the air before thudding onto the ground with blood pouring from his leg and face after Ronnie Clayton tackled him.

“Fizzin’ ‘eck!” wailed Sir Tom as he gingerly picked himself up off the turf with blood dripping from his leg and face.

“Wash your mouth out Finney,” replied Ronnie Clayton with a grin on his face.

Rovers were in charge against their rivals.

The great Sir Tom Finney was Ronnie Clayton’s favourite player – and the pair were friends off the field despite that crunching moment in the heat of a Lancashire derby.

It was football from a different era, and Ronnie was a giant in that different era – but then again, Ronnie would be a giant now and a giant in any era.

To put the death of Ronnie into perspective, the town of Blackburn and the game of football lost one of its true legends in October 2010.

In the modern game, the word ‘great’ is over-used in relation to the modern footballer – the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham get that tag – they really don’t deserve it.

On the other hand, true greats like Ronnie more than deserved the title, and deserved it delivering with a capital G.

The terribly sad news of Ronnie’s death at the age of 76 sent waves of emotion across East Lancashire as fans of all generations fondly remembered one of the true legends of English football, a man who had the respect and admiration of supporters of all clubs.

Footballing rivalries must be laid to one side on those saddest of days because Clayton was a man the like you simply don’t see in any sport in the modern day, a time when players live in their own celebrity bubbles, miles and miles away from the people who pay their wages.

Clayton was from an era when the fans used to mix with the players in the pub and in the shops, he and his colleagues were the real local heroes.

He played more than 600 first team game for his beloved Rovers – and in that era of hard tackling and almost primitive medical care, that was some major achievement.

But it was more than that. Ronnie Clayton was part and parcel of Blackburn Rovers and will always be remembered as a true legend. No, it is more than that.

Ronnie WAS Blackburn Rovers and because of that, news of his death was particularly poignant at a time when the game is becoming overtaken by money talk and unsavoury behaviour from the so-called modern day stars.

Clayton’s career took him from kicking a ball around in the back streets of Preston to the very peak of the game and captaining his country – but he never ever forgot his roots and never deserted the area that adored him.

You could almost describe him as the father of the town; a town that revolves around the football club; a town that respects its legends.

And those legends respect the town.

Once Clayton turned up to present trophies at Wilpshire Wanderers junior football club, a club he was honorary president of.

Tucked into a carrier bag were his 35 England caps for the children to try on. You can only imagine the thrill on those little faces.

Somehow you can’t imagine that sort of gesture from many of the modern day players.

You also can’t really envisage a modern player running a newsagent’s shop in Darwen’s Blackburn Road while turning out for one of the country’s biggest football clubs and playing as the captain of England.

The story goes that his team-mates used to gently rib the hero, who captained Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final, because he was often running late for training, making sure the newspapers – of which he was often making the headlines in – were all sorted first.

But when you are as good as Ronnie Clayton was, no-one could complain about little details like that.

After all, this was a man who played alongside Bobby Moore, his great friend Bryan Douglas and Tom Finney and played against the likes of Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Greaves and Pele, who he marked in front of 187,000 fans in Rio de Janeiro.

You would take that on your CV in a flash.

Ronnie Clayton’s debut for Rovers came in 1951, a couple of years after he had arrived at Ewood Park from those Preston back street football grounds with his older brother Ken.

The people who watched that 2-1 Ewood Park win over QPR would not have realised it at the time but they were witnessing the beginning of a legend, a legend that will never ever be forgotten.

By the time he left Ewood Park in 1969, Ronnie had played a quite staggering - and then record - 581 games for his only Football League club, a club that he loved right up until the sad day when he died and weill now love from his seat in the grandstand in the sky.

In 1969 and at the age of 35 Ronnie’s professional career was over.

But he wasn’t finished with football as he dipped his toes into player-management with Morecambe, then of the Lancashire Combination.

After a couple of years, though, Ronnie was back in East Lancashire and turned out briefly for Great Harwood Town.

That was quite simply the biggest moment in Harwood’s history.

And it says much about the man that one of his proudest moments was helping the Showground side along their best FA Cup run, when they reached the first round proper before bravely bowing out to Rotherham United.

Like all young men in the early 50s Ronnie had to forgo his football career for a couple of years because of National Service.

Again, if you suggested that to one of the current crop of millionaires they would assume you had just landed on earth from a totally different universe.

But the game then was from a different universe - and people like Ronnie Clayton were masters of that universe.

The great man will never be forgotten.

Lancashire Telegraph

 

 

Lovely post, great memories. I was lucky enough to meet Ronnie Clayton and Bobby Moore - they were "gentlemen" footballers from another generation, humble, respectful, different men and breed to the current mob.

As for tonight, they've a good record against us in recent times and we've so many players missing I'll be happy with a draw.

 

[garnersfags]

11 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

...As for tonight, they've a good record against us in recent times and we've so many players missing I'll be happy with a draw.

 

That's better.

It's matchday. 

Hope any waverers are deciding to bite the bullet and get down to Ewood. We genuinely need the vocal support. 

Hoping our new defensive unit benefit from the impressive but tough 90 min at Norwich. If we can repell them defensively for 45 minutes, we should be in front.

I've told my PNE mates, and neutrals watching the tele, they they will see some neat, controlled football, with phases of brilliant, intricate passing, which SS and maybe even TD may finish off. 

If he decides to play LT, then AW needs to push on and look to directly test their keeper more. 

JRC is a miss, but as a result I look forward to CB ghosting into his usual midfield and forward roles, which no team can prepare for or manage. 

I'm nervous, it would be great to continue our momentum with a good '90 min', quality performance, and even hopefully the 3 points.

Can we put 3 of our 9 decent chances away???

COYB, for Birdy....

[WacoRover]

48 minutes ago, white boy said:

I have no knowledge about you so i have no idea if your American or English but i can provide you with the following meaning from the English dictionary..

 

a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity:

 

 

By this definition, a team would be a rival with everyone they play. We know this is not true. 
Some games simply mean more to admin, coaches, players & fans. 
 

And, you do know something about me; I said I was a Texan. 

Edited November 10, 2023 by WacoRover

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

They're just a bit pointless 

Confident we will make up for last year's efforts against them tonight 

Sounds like they're bringing all of their fans with them though, which is nice 

[tomphil]

3 hours ago, white boy said:

Have you seen the form table for the last 8 games?

 

Relegation form.

That's why you are in a relegation spot then.

[simongarnerisgod]

beat pne tonight,put ourselves in the play off race and have a nice break,courtesy of pointless international football,i usually hate the international stoppage but this one is very welcome looking at our injury list

[tomphil]

International breaks have rarely done us any favours but this one might and as always it's so important to sign off with a good result of some sort.

Anything but defeat in other words but it's a tough job tonight for this patched up team.

[simongarnerisgod]

i know the bookies don`t often get it wrong but rovers at odds on,thats shocking😮if i was a neutral i would`nt be going anywhere near that price

value bet is a red card for either side tonight,reffing in the championship is erratic,thats a nice way of putting it

[Oldgregg86]

COME ON !!!

LETS HAVE IT !!!!

[oldjamfan1]

3 hours ago, WacoRover said:

A rivalry has to mean something special to both sides; if it doesn’t, it isn’t a rivalry. 

& all this being said, Rovers/Preston is a rivalry. I am a newcomer to Rovers fandom (since 2013), but 14 pages before the game even starts, says it means a little more than playing brum big club, Ipswich, QPR, etc. 

Half of them can be attributed to the Knob ender wanting to have the last word in every conversation. Let's hope he has a shit evening.

[matt83]

No idea what to expect this evening. Could be 0-4, 4-0, 4-4, 0-0 and anything in between. Relieved to 2 have centre halves having won the appeal. Dolan played v well vs Norwich but the other 99% of time he’s like a headless chicken. Keeper one of the worst ever had in my lifetime only surpassed by Pears/Walton.

[tomphil]

2 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Half of them can be attributed to the Knob ender wanting to have the last word in every conversation. Let's hope he has a shit evening.

For a self professed balanced fan with no axe to grind the whiff of arrogance and veiled digs were numerous.

Bit of a trojan horse i reckon and we'll see his true colours at some point.

Anyway COYB !

[simongarnerisgod]

3 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Half of them can be attributed to the Knob ender wanting to have the last word in every conversation. Let's hope he has a shit evening.

pne are the most boring club in the whole wide football world,for 60 years they`ve done and won **** all and bounced around the bottom two divisions like zebedee,they obviously need their hatred of rovers to get excited about something,i used to go out with a girl from penwortham,nice girl but her dad a right miserable ****,on account of having a season ticket to deepdale no doubt

[ABBEY]

4 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Half of them can be attributed to the Knob ender wanting to have the last word in every conversation. Let's hope he has a shit evening.

strange bunch the nobbers. Biggest club in the world if you listen to them without laughing.

all have a Premier league team they support  due to being only real  lancs side never to grace the Premier league. In my life we've won the league , league Cup,  played in champions league and the uefa Cup.  Meanwhile the fans all wear primarks finest clobber for there Cup final.

[simongarnerisgod]

even blackpool have had their day in the premier league,pne lot must still be seething about that😁

[ItsRoverZ]

Preston if they are smart will have watched the Norwich game and now know to cross as much as they can into our box. 

Think tonight is a game we might struggle in, injuries etc Preston are direct in a way and we always struggle against sides like that.

Heart says 3-1 Rovers 

Head says 2-1 Preston

[matt83]

4 minutes ago, ItsRoverZ said:

Preston if they are smart will have watched the Norwich game and now know to cross as much as they can into our box. 

As appalling as the keeper has been I also think he’s got away with a few as well because strikers have switched off at a bread and butter catch only for him to drop it. Every striker worth his salt will be laser focused on him off every cross and ball in to the box now. 

[Trinidad Rover]

There’s stretched then there’s us currently. Pickering now injured.

Any guesses on the back 4? 

[ItsRoverZ]

With that line up who's playing left back? 

Is it Travis at RB and Brittain at LB?

[davulsukur]

Just now, Trinidad Rover said:

There’s stretched then there’s us currently. Pickering now injured.

Any guesses on the back 4? 

Trav, Hill, Wharton, Brittain

[neophox]

Boy we are stretched...youngsters with Ennis on the bench.

Wahlstedt, Travis (c), Hill, S. Wharton, Brittain, Tronstad, A. Wharton, Szmodics, Moran, Sigurdsson, Dolan

Subs: HiltEnnis, Gamble, Markanday, Leonard, Batty, Garrett, Atcheson, Telalovic

[neophox]

Leo

Trav Hill Scotty Brittney

Trond Adam

Moran Sammie Siggy

Dolan 

[Displaced Rover]

3 minutes ago, Trinidad Rover said:

There’s stretched then there’s us currently. Pickering now injured.

Any guesses on the back 4? 

Either Travis RB, Brittain LB or (and think this very unlikely) back 3 of Hill, Wharton, Brittain?

[davulsukur]

That's a very weak bench

Edited November 10, 2023 by davulsukur

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

What are we doing to get all these injuries ? The most energetic training this week should have been on the dart board ! Maybe Pickering got a dart in his foot.