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

Day: 17/30

Season: 2007/08

Fixture: Wigan Athletic 5-3 Rovers (15/12/07)

Highlights

Why Chosen 

Firstly, apologies for Wigan Athletic twice in four days! 

But a standout result from that campaign and one of the all time classic Premier League matches, saw new signing Roque Santa Cruz, score a memorable hat-trick away at Wigan. A swashbuckling contest ultimately saw Rovers slip to defeat, but if you’re doing an advent countdown, how can you not include a Rovers striker in a Santa hat? A hat-trick, a red card, a missed penalty, Rovers 3-0 down and back level within the hour. Look out for some shocking defending, a hat-trick from an ex-Rover and a reminder of what Premier League of football was like in the pre Pep era! Oh and no VAR too……simpler times, delicious chaos!

Aftermath 

Its almost amazing to look back on a season in which Blackburn Rovers finished 7th in the Premier League and feel a little underwhelmed. Mark Hughes’ last season as Rovers manager started with a bang. As early as 22nd July in fact, as Rovers travelled to Lithuania to take on FK Vetra Vilnius in the Intertoto Cup 3rd Round. Rovers ran out comfortable winners (6-0 on aggregate) and started the league season like a house on fire. Just one defeat in the opening 10 games, including 6 victories, put Rovers 6th as the clocks went back. Despite some wobbles they’d remain in the top half all campaign, led by the goals of new striker Roque Santa Cruz and a breakout campaign from England hopeful David Bentley. 

What was most disappointing though, was the lack of cup success, particularly for such a talented squad. Losing so cheaply to Larissa in the UEFA Cup 1st Round proper and a 3rd Round FA Cup humbling at Ewood against Coventry City (1-4 to the Sky Blues), particularly on the back of some of Hughes’ previous teams (see tomorrow) left the Ewood faithful a little flat. A decade and a half on perhaps we now realise how lucky we were!

Honourable Mentions 

Middlesbrough 1-2 Rovers (11/8/07) – A debut goal off the substitutes bench for the new Paraguayan sensation Roque Santa Cruz. The talented forward would go on to enjoy a memorable campaign scoring 19 Premier League goals and 23 in all competitions.

Rovers 2-1 Larissa (4/10/07) – Rovers crash out of Europe 2-3 on aggregate as the European hoodoo strikes again. Rovers last game to date in European competition and in the current climate of football its almost impossible to imagine Rovers in Europe again!

Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Rovers (28/10/07) – A last minute screamer from defender Christopher Samba completes the Rovers comeback and claims all three points. This would be the clubs last victory at White Hart Lane.