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Day: 28/30

Season: 1996/97

Fixture: Rovers 1-0 Newcastle United (26/12/96)

Highlights

Unfortunately not many highlights exist of this match on the internet, but here is the goal.

Why Chosen

Where were you when you found out Alan Shearer had been sold? If you were alive (and of an age) I have no doubt you’ll remember where you were when the news broke.

Personally, I was on holiday with my family in Florida, walking around one of the theme parks when a fellow Brit pointed towards my Rovers shirt and gave a weeping rendition of “Shearer! Shearer!” of course in those pre internet days the context and news hadn’t reached my family until the following day. A phone call home delivered the painful, yet inevitable, news that Shearer was going home. £15m to Newcastle United to join his boyhood club and idol Kevin Keegan. Fresh off the back of a summer where the marksman had excelled in an England shirt (at Euro 96) and after a season where Rovers had failed to mount any sort of title defence, the news came as little surprise. It however did confirm that Rovers time as one of the top two or three of English football had come and gone, not even Jack Walker and his millions (and the reported offer of a player/manager/coach role) was enough to keep the superstar in blue n white.

As soon as the fixture list was released, only one game was on everyone’s mind. When do we play Newcastle at home? Rovers v Shearer.

The answer was the marquee matchup over the Festive period. Boxing Day! What reception would Shearer get? And this is the one we REALLY want to win! 

Earlier that season Shearer had scored against Rovers (in his first game against us since his departure) at St James’s Park, a penalty (on the back of a ridiculously harsh handball decision against Colin Hendry) and an assist in a 2-1 victory for the Geordies, which, only added further spice to the return fixture at Ewood. 

The game itself was perhaps mostly remembered for the ‘welcome’ Shearer received from the Rovers fans. “Mixed – tilting to hostile – reception” wrote the great Peter White, in his Lancashire Telegraph match report, concluding “Rarely have I seen Shearer as ineffective, as if his team-mates do not know the best way to utilise his unique talents as Rovers did so well for four years.”

Inspired performances from Henning Berg and Colin Hendry in the heart of defence kept both Shearer and Les Ferdinand (another prolific number 9 from the 90s) quiet as Kevin Gallacher stole the headlines with a hooked overhead kick into the goal at the Darwen End to send the home fans into raptures. Shearer would have his moments against Rovers at Ewood in the years that followed, but we always had Boxing Day 1996. 

Aftermath 

Shearer, now long since retired, is universally popular amongst the Rovers fanbase and received a civic honour from the town who named a road that runs parallel to Ewood Park ‘Alan Shearer Way’ in 2015. An inaugural member of the Blackburn Rovers Hall of Fame and arguably the best player to ever play in the famous blue n white halves. If you’re a fan of a certain vintage then just the name Alan Shearer is enough to bring a smile to your face. Shearer would wear the Rovers colours at Ewood one final time in the testimonial match of another Rovers great, Tony Parkes.

Parkes was himself the Rovers boss that day back in 1996, steering the club to Premier League survival after a rocky start to the season saw Rovers bottom after eleven games, assistant turned manager Ray Harford departing the club in, yet another, tale of ‘Assistants never become great managers’. Parkes’ third spell as caretaker boss was his longest, 30 games that season as Rovers boss from the end of October 1996 to June 1997 when Roy Hodgson was appointed. 

Honourable Mentions 

Rovers 0-1 Stockport County (22/10/96) – Ray Harford’s time at Rovers came to an embarrassing end as the Premier League side were dumped out of the cup at Ewood by Second Division (now League One) side Stockport. Whilst embarrassing at the time and the final straw for Harford, County would go on to have (arguably) the best year in the clubs history as they achieved promotion to the First Division (now Championship) and also reached the League Cup Semi Final, knocking out more Premier League sides in West Ham United and Southampton on the way.

Rovers 3-0 Liverpool (3/11/96) – With Parkes in charge, Rovers finally won their first game of the season at home to Liverpool. Two from Chris Sutton (one from the spot) and one from Jason Wilcox enough to restore some faith and pride, whilst kickstarting the road to recovery.

Rovers 4-1 Sheffield Wednesday (22/4/97) – Survival assured as Rovers ran riot at Ewood. Parkes’ mission accomplished. Goals from Berg, Sherwood, Le Saux and Flitcroft.

Source

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6190490.rovers-sheepish-shearers-sad-return-ewood/