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Day: 26/30

Season: 1998/99

Fixture: Southampton 3-3 Rovers (17/4/99)

Highlights

Why Chosen

The 1998/99 season showed how quickly things can unravel in football. Roy Hodgson’s side were flying high going into the start of the calendar year of 1998. Things would tail off in the remainder of the 97/98 campaign, but hopes remained high going into the new season. European football and a raft of new signings (including breaking the clubs transfer record to bring in £7.25m Kevin Davies from Southampton) had supporters hoping for another strong showing. Relegation? Very unlikely.

But behind the scenes the cracks that had shown the previous season had become chasms. Hodgson was gone by the end of November 1998 and new manager Brian Kidd was tasked with leading Rovers away from potential embarrassment and relegation, just four years after lifting the title. The former Manchester United assistant manager steadied the ship initially (4 wins, 5 draws and only 1 defeat in his first 10 Premiership games) but the tide would turn towards the impending doom once more in February 1999. Three Defeats in a row and only one win in six left Kidd’s men with it all to do heading into the final stretch of fixtures. Three of which pitted Rovers against the big guns (Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United) but crucially three relegation ‘six pointers’ as well. The first of which took Rovers to the south coast to face the Saints.

Rovers lead 3-1 just two minutes into the second half, giving them every chance of leaving with a massive three points. Ashley Ward, Darren Peacock and Jason Wilcox sent the travelling fans into dreamland, but back came the hosts. Mark Hughes made it 2-3 just after the hour, before Marian Pahars got a deserved equaliser making it 3-3 with five minutes to go. Southampton were aggrieved not to claim all three points, but it was Rovers who had thrown away the golden opportunity. 

Aftermath 

Rovers would go away to Charlton Athletic two weeks later, in a match best remembered for the referee deciding not to give Rovers a penalty when Ashley Ward was felled by Addicks keeper Dean Kiely. A stonewaller as they say, but nothing doing in a 0-0 draw. By the time (already relegated) Nottingham Forest travelled to Ewood, Rovers were in the last chance saloon (see Honourable Mentions) and the draw against Manchester United (on the verge of the treble), whilst spirited, was too little too late. Southampton would finish in 17th place, just above the dotted line.

The overall blame would shift between Hodgson, who was volatile on the sidelines – looking every bit the manager losing control (a bit like the current guise of Pep Guardiola) or Brian Kidd, who was the classic case of an extremely successful and revered coach, struggling to translate that into full time management. The players themselves have to apportion a huge amount of blame, though the fall off in quality within four years was stark. Colin Hendry to Darren Peacock, David Batty to Dario Marcolin, Alan Shearer to Ashley Ward – goodness me!

“You end up where you deserve to be” the old cliché in football was never truer than in 1998/99. Good times lay ahead, but the 1990s, arguably Rovers best decade (at least in living memory) ended with a desperate season and a cruel reality check.

Honourable Mentions 

Olympique Lyonnais 2-2 Rovers (29/9/98) – Long before all the relegation talk Rovers were actually in the UEFA Cup! Well for one round at least. A characterful display in France gave Roy Hodgson’s men a chance of progression but couldn’t muster a winner in the dying moments. Trailing 0-1 from the first leg (thanks to an inspired performance from French stopper Grégory Coupet and a wondergoal from Jacek Bąk). Rovers would show great heart to come back, both on the night and in the tie. Sebastien Perez and Garry Flitcroft with the goals (in a makeshift lineup). Jason Wilcox saw red late on to confirm the exit from Europe.

Rovers 1-2 Nottingham Forest (8/5/99) – Already relegated Forest came to Ewood and dragged Brian Kidd’s men down with them. Dougie Freedman opened the scoring for the away side, before a Kevin Gallacher equaliser just 13 minutes later. Gallacher then won a penalty but saw his effort saved by Mark Crossley. Never fear, Forest went down to 10 men on the stroke of half time as Steve Chettle (who had some stinkers at Ewood) saw red. But it was the visitors who ran out deserved winners as Chris Bart-Williams made it 1-2 in the second half. Rovers huffed and puffed, but Crossley and Forest prevailed. Wins that day for Charlton and Southampton all but ensured Rovers would face the drop.

Rovers 0-0 Manchester United (12/5/99) – The two great rivals from the early 90s went in two separate directions by decades end. A passionate home crowd tried to roar Rovers on to the most unlikely of survival escapes, but to no avail. Ashley Ward chipped wide late on as Alex Ferguson delivered the final blow to his former assistant and former foes.