[Archived] Original Strip

[Jock]

Which way round was the first blue and white halves? ive seen a site that shows the blue on the left from 1875-1897 and a cross as the badge.Is this correct?

What's peoples thoughts on which way round the famous blue and white should be?

[had.e.nuff]

a picture from 1878 and it has the blue on either side

first picture at the bottom of this link

http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Blackburn_Rovers/Blackburn_Rovers.htm

[MCMC1875]

Look carefully at the black and white photograph at the top of the link (taken at Alexandra Meadows or Leamington Road) and you will see that the shirts are being worn both ways. Maybe it didn't matter or two lads are wearing 'em inside out.

[JHRover]

Does anyone know the reason why our original badge was a version of the Maltese Cross?

I've always wondered why for the first few years we wore that on the kit and then dropped it and subsequently played with no badge.

Infact we must be quite unique among the established Football League clubs in that for almost 100 years we played with no badge/logo on our shirts, the famous blue and white halves being so recognisable that a badge wasn't needed.

Am I right in thinking that apart from the FA Cup Final in 1960 that we wore no badge between the 1870s and 1970s and only wore the red rose from the mid-70s onwards?

[rigger]

When I saw the kits the first thing I did, was go to the year I first went to the Rovers. Strangely the image that came to my mind was Keith Newton's legs in the white socks.

[AllRoverAsia]

Does anyone know the reason why our original badge was a version of the Maltese Cross?

I've always wondered why for the first few years we wore that on the kit and then dropped it and subsequently played with no badge.

Infact we must be quite unique among the established Football League clubs in that for almost 100 years we played with no badge/logo on our shirts, the famous blue and white halves being so recognisable that a badge wasn't needed.

Am I right in thinking that apart from the FA Cup Final in 1960 that we wore no badge between the 1870s and 1970s and only wore the red rose from the mid-70s onwards?

Some of the original founders/players went to Malvern or Shrewsbury Schools both of whom had used the Malteste Cross.

You are right re the wearing of Club badges and apart from Cup Finals we only started wearing them from 1974 ... the famous Lancashire Red Rose.

[Jock]

Photos of Bob Crompton show him with the blue on the left but some of the cigarette cards (drawings) show him with blue on the right,

Love the photo of him at the kick off. Looks a proper hard footballer.

[AllRoverAsia]

Look carefully at the black and white photograph at the top of the link (taken at Alexandra Meadows or Leamington Road perhaps) and the shirts are being worn both ways. Maybe it didn't matter.

Good spot! I was thinking maybe just put on inside out or whatever but not feasible really as they would have been collared shirts

[Al]

Some of the original founders/players went to Malvern or Shrewsbury Schools both of whom had used the Malteste Cross.

You are right re the wearing of Club badges and apart from Cup Finals we only started wearing them from 1974 ... the famous Lancashire Red Rose.

I seem to remember them having a badge with the Blackburn coat of arms with the bees and "Arte et Labore" although it's not shown on any of the historical shirts. I could be mistaken though.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

When I saw the kits the first thing I did, was go to the year I first went to the Rovers. Strangely the image that came to my mind was Keith Newton's legs in the white socks.

White with two thin blue bands around the top. That was a great kit. I remember the first game that the long sleeved round neck shirt replaced the short sleeved very neck shirt, Everton at home in 1963 I think.

The Rugby League team I support had a great idea with the away shirt last season. It was completely reversible so you got two shirts for the price of one !

[AllRoverAsia]

I seem to remember them having a badge with the Blackburn coat of arms with the bees and "Arte et Labore" although it's not shown on any of the historical shirts. I could be mistaken though.

The 1960 Cup Final shirt had a badge just as you describe.

[MCMC1875]

Looking at photos the 1928 cup final strip, that also had the towns coat of arms.

As has been said early pictures show some players having blue on the right and others with blue on the left. I imagine this was because in those early days players probably had to buy there own shirts and just picked up whichever side blue happened to be on.

Doubt that. Look at the black and white photograph at the top of the link and the shirts look identical down to the collars with the halves reversed, apart from the two that look to be worn inside out.

[had.e.nuff]

Looking at photos the 1928 cup final strip, that also had the towns coat of arms.

As has been said early pictures show some players having blue on the right and others with blue on the left. I imagine this was because in those early days players probably had to buy there own shirts and just picked up whichever side blue happened to be on.

maybe they were made that way to save money just buy 5 white shirts and 5 blue and get them cut and sewn back together

[AllRoverAsia]

Which way round was the first blue and white halves? ive seen a site that shows the blue on the left from 1875-1897 and a cross as the badge.Is this correct?

What's peoples thoughts on which way round the famous blue and white should be?

I believe that the (light) blue was on the players right hand side in the early years then after years of changing it settled on the left in the mid 1940's. Apart from a couple of recent perhaps money raising exercises under the current Club ownership it has stayed on the left.

I prefer the blue on the left with colours reversed on the back.

Blue and White halves known as quarters in days gone bye when such colour combinationd were made from 4 pieces of cloth.

[rigger]

White with two thin blue bands around the top. That was a great kit. I remember the first game that the long sleeved round neck shirt replaced the short sleeved very neck shirt, Everton at home in 1963 I think.

The Rugby League team I support had a great idea with the away shirt last season. It was completely reversible so you got two shirts for the price of one !

In football you would probably get two shirts for the price of.............. two shirts.

[AllRoverAsia]

This thread has brought back some good childhood memories. I made my first Rovers shirt myself. I must have been about 7 years old when Dad brought home an old adult size Rovers coloured shirt. He worked at a RAF camp and 'obtained' it from there. I spent hours cutting and stiching, Mum offered but as a young lad I wanted to do it myself. TBH I made a bloody good job of it and wore it for ages. Always remember having to tell my mates which team the colours were. This was way before you could buy a kids size football shirt anywhere near where lived.

Also remember buying my first Rovers shirt in Blackburn at a sports shop opposite or close to KGH as I recall. I did see Mike Harrison shopping in the same street the same day!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

This thread has brought back some good childhood memories. I made my first Rovers shirt myself. I must have been about 7 years old when Dad brought home an old adult size Rovers coloured shirt. He worked at a RAF camp and 'obtained' it from there. I spent hours cutting and stiching, Mum offered but as a young lad I wanted to do it myself. TBH I made a bloody good job of it and wore it for ages. Always remember having to tell my mates which team the colours were. This was way before you could buy a kids size football shirt anywhere near where lived.

Also remember buying my first Rovers shirt in Blackburn at a sports shop opposite or close to KGH as I recall. I did see Mike Harrison shopping in the same street the same day!

I got my first Rovers shirt from the same sports shop. The vee neck, short sleeve version same as the one we wore for the 1960 cup final.

Subsequently I bought a few similar ones with the crest from " Toffs ". I had the red No 10 sewn on the back obviously in tribute to the the great Bryan Douglas.

Bristol Rovers played in blue and white quarters, we played in blue and white halves.

[arbitro]

This thread has brought back some good childhood memories. I made my first Rovers shirt myself. I must have been about 7 years old when Dad brought home an old adult size Rovers coloured shirt. He worked at a RAF camp and 'obtained' it from there. I spent hours cutting and stiching, Mum offered but as a young lad I wanted to do it myself. TBH I made a bloody good job of it and wore it for ages. Always remember having to tell my mates which team the colours were. This was way before you could buy a kids size football shirt anywhere near where lived.

Also remember buying my first Rovers shirt in Blackburn at a sports shop opposite or close to KGH as I recall. I did see Mike Harrison shopping in the same street the same day!

That shop could well have been Johnny Forbes from where I was bought my first kit circa 1964. It was made of a heavyweight cotton and when wet the weight increased threefold.

[Hanks]

I got my first Rovers top from Johnny Forbes, It was on the corner of Lord st and Northgate I think. The Original J Forbes got FA cup winners medals for Rovers and I think his descendants who had the shop were on the board in the late fifties /early sixties.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

In the early years of Association Football if a player was capped by England he could wear the three Lions emblem on his shirt.Two Rovers men on the back row worn with pride...

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

That shop could well have been Johnny Forbes from where I was bought my first kit circa 1964. It was made of a heavyweight cotton and when wet the weight increased threefold.

You're not kidding. I remember wearing some similar shorts with nothing on underneath ! Half way through the game the heavens opened and the rain came down like stair rods. I spent the rest of game holding up my shorts with one hand !

[jim mk2]

a picture from 1878 and it has the blue on either side

first picture at the bottom of this link

http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Blackburn_Rovers/Blackburn_Rovers.htm

Best kit by a mile is the 1963-71 kit ..... but then I'm biased.

If I had my way we'd still be wearing, and without the sponsors logos too.

Incidentally, why don't clubs wear their proper kit for away matches when there's no colour clash? There's no reason why we shouldn't have been in blue and white halves at Newcastle

[bazza]

Bristol Rovers played in blue and white quarters, we played in blue and white halves.

Arguably, our shirts in my day were always referred to as blue and white quarters whereas Bristol shirts were blue and white eighths.

The description referred to the whole shirt and not just the front or back.

My favourite from the complete list is the 1932-36 colours of mid-blue on the right, long sleeves, white shorts and blue socks.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Arguably, our shirts in my day were always referred to as blue and white quarters whereas Bristol shirts were blue and white eighths.

The description referred to the whole shirt and not just the front or back.

My favourite from the complete list is the 1932-36 colours of mid-blue on the right, long sleeves, white shorts and blue socks.

I don't recall ever seeing our colours referred to as quarters in any of the away programmes I used to have. It was always blue and white halves.

[had.e.nuff]

Best kit by a mile is the 1963-71 kit ..... but then I'm biased.

If I had my way we'd still be wearing, and without the sponsors logos too.

Incidentally, why don't clubs wear their proper kit for away matches when there's no colour clash? There's no reason why we shouldn't have been in blue and white halves at Newcastle

Its probably contractual that you have to wear the away kit so many times per season, there was no way a colour clash last night at QPR but wolves wore an away kit