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

Day: 30/30

Season: 1994/95

Fixture: Liverpool 2-1 Rovers (14/5/95)

Highlights

Why Chosen

The final supplement in the 30 Year Christmas Countdown and we’re ending with the highest of highs.

Rovers’ most famous ever defeat as late goals from John Barnes and Jamie Redknapp snatched victory from Dalglish’s side in the final minutes. Shearer had earlier given Rovers the lead and should have wrapped up the victory in the closing moments but, inexplicably and uncharacteristically, he blasted into the Kop when it looked easier to score. Minutes later Redknapp would fire home the winner. Thankfully it didn’t even matter as West Ham United held Manchester United giving Jack Walker the fairytale ending and making Blackburn Rovers Football Club – Champions of England.

Aftermath 

The match I’m sure holds many memories for you, where you were, who you were with, how you celebrated. I’d love to hear those stories in the comments or on the BRFCS Messageboards. 

I always used to say “I wish I was older when we won the league.” Being just 8 years old at the time, the magnitude of the achievement was lost on me. I’d only ever seen Rovers in the ‘golden age’, the Playoff Final at Wembley in 1992 being my earliest Rovers memory, with three top 4 finishes in the Premier League, I assumed this happened all the time?!! I suppose the following 30 years have proven otherwise, though as I hope this series has shown, good times and happy memories occur every season.

Of course now with the wisdom of years and a generation of Rovers fans who weren’t even born when Sherwood lifted the trophy at Anfield, I feel very fortunate to have been of an age where I can remember that Champion feeling and that brief moment in time when we were ‘Simply the Best.’ 

I suppose you could argue that everything that has followed in the last 30 years counts as ‘Aftermath’. 

In the broader sense that title victory can still be felt around the country and around the world. Particularly Rovers fans (from outside of the area) between the ages of 35-45 can no doubt trace a love for the club back to those early Premiership seasons when they were drawn to the famous blue n white halved kits, Shearer, Kenny and the fact “they weren’t Man United!”. I remember being at University in 2005 and running into a chap in a Rovers shirt. I asked him “Which part of Blackburn are you from?” his response, in a thick cockney accent, was “I’m not mate, I’m from Sidcup.” Further adding “all my mates at school supported Man United. I wanted to be different!”

Similarly, the often-used claim of “Rovers bought the title” has subsided in more recent years. Manchester City’s billions making Jack Walker look a mere pauper in comparison. 

Sure the Leicester City title victory is perhaps seen through more romantic eyes (and recency bias) but I would always argue, a local lad, born and bred in the town, builds up a business empire in the Steel industry, sells the business for a huge sum, sees his boyhood football club heading towards the abyss (relegation to Division 3 – now League One), decides to help out with the money from the sale of his business, then takes on a more active role, convinces a top manager to come out of retirement to oversee his project, builds a new stadium, buys a team full of international standard footballers (most of whom are the best players for generations) and ultimately deliver a Premier League title?

It’s the dream of every fan up and down the country. Uncle Jack got to live out his dream, we were all lucky to join him on the ride.

Honourable Mentions 

Rovers 2-4 Manchester United (23/10/94) and Manchester United 1-0 Rovers (22/1/95) – Rovers would face nearest rivals Man Utd twice in the 94/95 campaign and were left swindled by poor refereeing decisions in both contests. At Ewood, with Rovers 1-0 ahead heading towards half-time, Henning Berg saw red for a legitimate challenge on Lee Sharpe. Gerald Ashby enemy number 1 for a truly ridiculous decision. Eric Cantona would convert the spot kick to level at 1-1. Rovers would take the lead again in the 51st minute through Colin Hendry, before the numerical advantage for the visitors started to show. Russian flier Andrei Kanchelskis drew United level, before Mark Hughes made it 3-2, then Kanchelskis added his second and United’s fourth. At Old Trafford a cagey contest was settled by an Eric Cantona goal ten minutes from time. Rovers still had time to see a refereeing blunder, as Paul Durkin gave a foul against Alan Shearer for a push on Roy Keane as his headed cross was turned home by Tim Sherwood. Again, this looked a very harsh call and the challengers felt duped by the champions.

Everton 1-2 Rovers (1/4/95) – Heroic defending, typified by Colin Hendry using his head to block a goal bound effort, gave Rovers a scrappy April Fools Day victory on Merseyside. The men in red and black had raced into a two-goal lead inside 7 minutes. Sutton after 12.94 seconds (Rovers fastest ever Premier League goal) and Shearer with a low drive that stunned the Glawdys Street End. Back came the Toffees though, Graham Stuart equalised midway through the first half as Rovers dug in for the remainder of the match and claimed a crucial three points. 

Rovers 1-0 Newcastle United (8/5/95) – “VE Day is also Victory at Ewood Day for Blackburn Rovers!” An emotionally charged Ewood had seen a Rovers side struggling to finish the job. 1 win in 4 going into the match had brought Manchester United back onto the coat tails of Rovers. A victory against Newcastle United was imperative and that’s what we got. But not without 90 minutes of nail biting tension! Rovers led in the 29th minute, great work from left back Graeme Le Saux saw him cross to the back post where Alan Shearer rose powerfully to head home and send the fans into pandemonium. From that point on it was a rollercoaster ride. Tim Flowers pulling out a string of saves worthy of an end of season highlight reel. Beardsley’s shot tipped over on the stroke of half time, again from Rob Lee’s dipping drive and stunning saves from Ruel Fox and John Beresford. A night to remember for the England stopper, made more famous for his post-match comments. When asked about Rovers’ staying power in the title race, Flowers famously replied “Don’t talk to me about bottling it, cause that’s bottle out there….We’re gonna fight to the death, cause we’ve got bottle…We’ll gave exactly what we gave today, exactly what we’ve given all season and that is 100% bottle!”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane over the past 30 days, all that’s left for me to say is here’s to the next thirty!

A very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, prosperous, promotion filled 2025!

16,000 words later, we've made it. 

Arte et Labore