Welcome to Roger’s Rovers Advent Calendar - read the full story behind it and add your comments HERE.

Day: 25/30

Season: 1999/00

Fixture: Liverpool 0-1 Rovers (10/1/00)

Highlights

Why Chosen

By the end of the 90s it was clear that the early magic had gone, some thought possibly forever. Rovers rapid rise from Division 2 - to Premier League Champions - then back into the second tier (now Division 1) had all happened in the blink of an eye.

Hopes of an immediate return under Brian Kidd were high. Rovers retained a solid core of players from the team that had been in Europe as recently as the season before. But the season would be anything but straightforward. No victories in the first three games of the season seemed to set the tone and when the club went winless through 7 games in October and November 1999 the writing for (ex-Manchester United assistant manager) Kidd was on the wall.

In came caretaker manager extraordinaire Tony Parkes who steadied the ship (in his usual style) and would lead Rovers away from danger and into the featured match at Anfield.

Liverpool away in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. In the year that some would argue that the cup magic died (as Manchester United withdrew to play in the FIFA Club World Championship) Rovers saw off West Bromwich Albion in a replay in the 3rd Round at Ewood to setup the clash on Merseyside.

The Reds were 5th in the Premiership and had a team full of youthful talent. Gerrard, Carragher, Murphy plus Hamman, Berger and Hyypia. Rovers fielded a starting XI which was almost uniquely 1999/2000. Only Damien Duff would survive to become a key cog of the side that was promoted a season later. Filan, Kenna, Dailly, Peacock, Davidson, Johnson, Frandsen, Carsley, Blake and Østenstad the other members of the side. Rovers looked set to welcome Liverpool back to Ewood for a replay before tenacity from Duff allowed him to feed Per Frandsen, the composed Dane teed up Nathan Blake who lifted the ball past Westerveld and sent Rovers into Round 5.

Aftermath 

Tony Parkes said “That’s the biggest result of my management career.” As the victory ensured a home tie in the 5th Round against Alan Shearer’s Newcastle United. The England captain would score his first two goals against Rovers at Ewood to send the Geordies into the 6th Round. Liverpool meanwhile would go on to lift the FA Cup just a year later (2-1 against Arsenal – The Michael Owen final).

Parkes’ fifth spell as caretaker boss came to and end just 9 weeks later as Rovers appointed (ex-Liverpool icon) Graeme Souness on 15th March 2000. Parkes would remain at the club as Assistant Manager and play a key role in the success that would follow.

Honourable Mentions 

Rovers 0-1 Crewe Alexandra (12/3/00) – For long periods I would have said this was the low point of my Rovers supporting career (2016/17 would change that) as Rovers did everything but score as Alex keeper Jason Kearton had the game of a lifetime. Naturally Rovers would proceeded to lose as Colin Cramb stole a winner for the visitors.

Fulham 2-2 Rovers (18/3/00) – The first game of the Souness era. Rovers levelled twice (Dunn and Gillespie) to claim a point at Craven Cottage. Both teams would finish well outside the playoffs in 99/00 but both claim automatic promotion the season after (see yesterday)

Rovers 1-4 Manchester City (7/5/00) – City would follow Charlton Athletic as the two sides promoted to the Premier League both got to enjoy that clinching moment at Ewood Park. A 0-0 draw good enough for The Addicks two weeks earlier and for City it would be a 4-1 victory. The scoreline perhaps a little misleading as Rovers would hit the woodwork a staggering three times! City ran away with it at the end and celebrated in style with a pitch invasion.