[Archived] Other Premier League Happenings

[broadsword]

That Berbatov penalty was appalling!

[Guest Vinjay606]

That Berbatov penalty was appalling!

No it was a brilliant penalty. Best of the season for me.

[Tom]

Seeing that scummy United fan with the tatts before the pens giving it large really made me want everton to beat them. What a tool.

Berba's pen was diabolical to be honest. Disgusting lack of effort.

[Rovermatt]

Brilliant to see United crash out. The sight of the gutted United fans weeping into their scarves after the game was hilarious. Still it's not like they all have to endure painful coach journeys home is it?

[Stuart]

Still it's not like they all have to endure painful coach journeys home is it?

[philipl]

Wanting Spurs, City and Everton all to win on one afternoon- oh Rovers, what have you driven me to?

[Amo]

Excellent? To see one of our rival achieving success? To see a squad that really isn't that impressive possibly lifting a trophy? Makes me feel even worse about where we are in the league.

Yeah it's not like it could be inspiration, or the alternative would leave us bemoaning the continued dominance of the Top Four, eh?

[Eddie]

I never bemoan the dominance of the top 4. I openly admit that I want the top 4 to beat every side but Rovers unless we are in the race for the top 4 or playing the winner in the next round of a cup. I don't want to see any success for our more immediate rivals.

[RevidgeBlue]

Man Utd have fielded a lot of youngsters in their semi-final against Everton. Very strange.

Ferguson got exactly what he deserved for that team selection - what a disgrace.

Even more delighted than normal they've been beaten.

[Stuart]

I never bemoan the dominance of the top 4. I openly admit that I want the top 4 to beat every side but Rovers unless we are in the race for the top 4 or playing the winner in the next round of a cup. I don't want to see any success for our more immediate rivals.

Is it too early to describe them as former rivals? If anything it should be wistfulness at what could have been for Rovers not so long ago rather than trying to say we've been outdone by one of our rivals. Ultimately every Premier League team is one of our rivals but our rivals for the foreseeable future are those who escape relegation and those that win promotion from the Championship. And that's looking on the bright side!

[Amo]

I'm chuffed for Everton. I don't understand all the ill-will towards every other team in the league. They're a hard-working side, with a talented manager, and one of my favourite midfielders. All the best to them in the final.

[gumboots]

Excellent? To see one of our rival achieving success? To see a squad that really isn't that impressive possibly lifting a trophy? Makes me feel even worse about where we are in the league.

I never thought the day would come when I would agree with you as we seem to disagree about most things. We have taken 4 points from Everton and put them out of the Carling Cup and they are going to the FA cup final. I don't like it either. i don't want to hear how well Moyes has done on a shoestring that would buy most of our first team. I don't want to hear how brilliant this Everton team are for getting there. At least we know Utd are much richer and better than us and although I hate to see them win things it doesn't hurt in the same way as seeing Everton win. We couldn't be Utd; we could be Everton and that's what's painful.

[Guest Vinjay606]

I never thought the day would come when I would agree with you as we seem to disagree about most things. We have taken 4 points from Everton and put them out of the Carling Cup and they are going to the FA cup final. I don't like it either. i don't want to hear how well Moyes has done on a shoestring that would buy most of our first team. I don't want to hear how brilliant this Everton team are for getting there. At least we know Utd are much richer and better than us and although I hate to see them win things it doesn't hurt in the same way as seeing Everton win. We couldn't be Utd; we could be Everton and that's what's painful.

Should have been like Everton in 2007 when a great chance (pedersen v chelsea) came and went. Plus the league cup semi finals in the past few years. This club has had chances and didn't take them. Everton did today (albeit in shootout form against a weakened side) and full credit to them. Very pleased they won.

Though of course 2002 is relatively recent and that chance was taken.

[DE.]

Good to see Everton go through and upset the order a little. I'm sure the world will cope without another Man Utd - Chelsea match.

[DP]

Good to see Everton go through and upset the order a little. I'm sure the world will cope without another Man Utd - Chelsea match.

My thoughts exactly.

I might actually watch the cup final this year.

[grizfoot]

I guess Fulham can't call Chelsea rivals then since Chelsea don't care about them. Man United had a long list of established rivals before BRFC were rejuvenated most of whom continued to rival them at the top level. So BRFC are hardly going to hit the top of their list.

Jack Walker used the term "new Blackburn Rovers" to illustrate that the club has moved on. Dosen't mean he was disrepecting the club's history.

If people are trying to say BRFC fans never hated Man United read my signature. Oh and in other articles White referred to them as "arch rivals" also. I think people know White was a good representative for the fans unless people are going to call him a liar.

When I started supporting this club there was mentions of a past rivalry but the only impression I got was that it was now defunct. I don't see why that changed based on one season. At least I've kept the same rivals throughout my support of this club rather than changing it when position suits. There's nothing wrong with changing rivals when it makes sense either but I won't be criticised for refusing to hate a club I didn't care about in 97-98 and don't care about in 08-09.

What type of perception does it give to younger fans comparing BRFC to such a lesser club? The majority of clubs normally consider the biggest club within local boundaries to be rivals. Man United were referred to as local rivals on the headline page here following the last league fixture at Ewood.

Man United are also a threat to local support far more so than a lower league club. Perhaps that's the case with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal but they aren't considered local...well some might say Liverpool is. People should be ancouraging an anti-Man United feeling in the town. I'm tired of seeing youngsters in Man United shirts round Blackburn because they haven't been encouraged to hate them from birth by Rovers fans.

I have no doubt that if BRFC was in Evcerton's location many fans would be calling Tranmere main rivals. It's a mentality issue. Jack Walker's mentality was to "think big" and that's the same mentality I've had since the day I started supporting Blackburn Rovers Football Club.

Good post Vinjay.

If people can call Burnley rivals whom we haven't even been in the same division for years. Then I think it's only right we can call Man United rivals as well. I was brought up to hate United and learnt that they were our biggest rivals, okay we may have fallen slighlty from the league winning team we had back than but that doesn't mean we have to stop hating them. I know some apparentley 'Rovers fans' who also support United as a second team, that just sickens me really. Also I've known a few Rovers fan who've wanted United to win because they are playing Chelsea and Liverpool. Can't understand that myself, I like to see the 'Big Four' lose but I'd never want United to win under any circumstances (well unless their result affected Rovers in someway).

I can't recall seeing a person wearing a Burnley shirt round Blackburn, yet I'd lose count of the amount of time I've seen people with United shirts on. I do my best to handout stick to supposed United fans who don't even know where Old Trafford is, maybe we all should. In addition United are just as hatable as they've always been, still got RFW in charge and Ronaldo/Rooney are just as despicable as Roy Keane was going back.

Didn't catch the match today but glad to hear that Everton won.

[Tom]

Without wanting to offend anyone I think there is possibly 2 trains of thought on the whole 'rivals' thing.

Vinjay see's United as our main rivals because as he freely admits he chose to support Rovers back in the nineties, for a lot of us that was never a choice we had to make we were bread to support Rover's and therefore inherently will see Burnley as our rivals.

Also if you were born at a time when we were challenging United at the top of the prem I can understand where the feelings come from. I still hate them from that time but no longer see them as our main rivals.

I'm not for a minute saying anyone is any less of a fan than anyone else i hope you understand I just think it explains how people see things differently.

[Rovermatt]

I don't despise United because they were once our rivals. That is simply incidental. I just hate them.

[broadsword]

Nothing like a bit of irrational hatred.

[Rovermatt]

Nothing like a bit of irrational hatred.

[Rover4ever]

I dont begrudge Everton their victory, there's something about them (and Villa, Wigan, Fulham) that makes them better than Toon, Spurs and West Ham .......cant really tell what it is.

Nevertheless, the press love-ins about Moyes doing a miracle on a shoestring is irritating considering we almost match them every other season, spending probably half of what they do every season.....

[Hughesy]

Shoestring of £11m for Felliani alone!! Saha £8m if he does the business too!

[Guest Vinjay606]

Without wanting to offend anyone I think there is possibly 2 trains of thought on the whole 'rivals' thing.

Vinjay see's United as our main rivals because as he freely admits he chose to support Rovers back in the nineties, for a lot of us that was never a choice we had to make we were bread to support Rover's and therefore inherently will see Burnley as our rivals.

Also if you were born at a time when we were challenging United at the top of the prem I can understand where the feelings come from. I still hate them from that time but no longer see them as our main rivals.

I'm not for a minute saying anyone is any less of a fan than anyone else i hope you understand I just think it explains how people see things differently.

The club didn't challenge at the top of the prem in 96-97. Yet supporters saw Man United as main rivals. The club finished in the top half last season (unlike 96-97 that was a bottom half finish) so I see no reason to change my view. 97-98 was my first season as a supporter and there was a challenge at the top of the table for a few months. However at the start of that season it was by no means certain there would be such a brilliant start.

I didn't have much choice but to start supporting Rovers in the 90's. My birth was in the mid 80's so I didn't understand football then. As it happens I didn't really take an interest towards football in general until 1997 (Obviously I knew BRFC existed in 1995 I just hadn't really watched football at this point) and it made sense to support BRFC since I live in the area/most people I know support this club.

[BRFC1995]

Shoestring of £11m for Felliani alone!! Saha £8m if he does the business too!

yak.........14m

jags...........4m

baines.........6m

yobo.........5m

penniless sods............heart bleeds

[Hughesy]

it made sense to support BRFC since I live in the area/most people I know support this club.

If only we could find more who took this attitude......

Exactly BRFC95 - Thats almost £50m worth of signings alone!!