Useless But Interesting Rovers History Facts

[benhben]

During my lunchbreak I often read about all sorts of random things on Wikipedia...this can lead down all sorts of strange avenues of interesting articles which have no use other than a pub quiz. 

Today I happen to be reading about how Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were founded over 100 years ago and stumbled across this about how Athletico Madrid chose their kits after they were founded..

"They began playing in blue and white, similarly to Athletic Bilbao, but by 1911, Athletic were playing in their current colours of red and white stripes. Many believe the change was influenced because red and white striped tops were the cheapest stripes to make, because the same combination was used to make bed mattresses, and the unused cloth was easily converted into football shirts. This discovery of a cheaper option probably persuaded them to change and influenced the Madrid club being come to known as Los Colchoneros nickname. Another more plausible account of the reason to change colours is that both Athletic Bilbao and Athletic Madrid used to buy Blackburn Rovers blue and white kits in England.^[8] Once in 1911, Juanito Elorduy, former player and member of the board of Athletic Madrid, went to England to buy kits for both teams. When he failed to find Blackburn Rovers kits to purchase, he instead boughtSouthampton red and white ones. Athletic Madrid adopted the red and white shirt but opted to keep Blackburn Rovers' blue shorts, leading to them also being known as Los Rojiblancos."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlético_Madrid

 

Completely useless but still an interesting fact I didnt know about Rovers. 

 

Ben

 

 

[philipl]

And still the only football club in the world to have won major honours in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries is....

Keep expecting that one to go but the clubs which could spoil our party of one by winning something are mostly in the Championship or lower. I guess the newly rich Wolves are now the most likely to join us now. 

[oldjamfan1]

9 minutes ago, philipl said:

And still the only football club in the world to have won major honours in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries is....

 

I think that is my favourite Rovers stat.

[Mike E]

We were the first club to gave a widely regarded 'World's Best' player: Sir Bob of Crompton.

It took the likes of Charles, Puskas, DiStefano to knock him from that perch.

[JHRover]

My favourites:

1) The only club to have won major trophies in 19th, 20th and 21st centuries

2) The only extant club to have won 3 consecutive FA Cups

3) The only club to have founded and won both the Football League and Premier League

4) Blackburn the only town in England (UK?) to have competed in the Champions League

5) Blackburn the only town to have been home to 2 different clubs to win the FA Cup.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

6) THE most successful Town Club in the UK.

Our cup runneth over!

[Mattyblue]

Remember when you used to hear this from fans of the likes of PNE/Burnley when they were consumed with jealousy:

’Blackburn? Not a football town’.

[only2garners]

2 hours ago, JHRover said:

My favourites:

1) The only club to have won major trophies in 19th, 20th and 21st centuries

2) The only extant club to have won 3 consecutive FA Cups

3) The only club to have founded and won both the Football League and Premier League

4) Blackburn the only town in England (UK?) to have competed in the Champions League

5) Blackburn the only town to have been home to 2 different clubs to win the FA Cup.

The only town in the UK won't be true because of all the little Welsh clubs who enter each year. Probably true if you say the group stages.

[JHRover]

2 minutes ago, only2garners said:

The only town in the UK won't be true because of all the little Welsh clubs who enter each year. Probably true if you say the group stages.

Yes I wasn't referring to qualification. Don't think it counts if you go out at the qualification stage. Scotland haven't qualified for a World Cup since 1998, getting beat in the qualification group doesn't count.

[only2garners]

I would say that there is a difference between qualifying for the World Cup and for the Champions League. In the former any country can enter, in the latter you are in because you have qualified from your domestic league, even if it is at a low level.

[mac5630]

I believe the Town is the only one to win The FA Cup 4 years on the bounce... Blackburn Olympic won it the year before we won it three on the bounce..

 

3 Centuries of Silverware is a great strap line..?

[JacknOry]

5 hours ago, benhben said:

During my lunchbreak I often read about all sorts of random things on Wikipedia...this can lead down all sorts of strange avenues of interesting articles which have no use other than a pub quiz. 

Today I happen to be reading about how Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were founded over 100 years ago and stumbled across this about how Athletico Madrid chose their kits after they were founded..

"They began playing in blue and white, similarly to Athletic Bilbao, but by 1911, Athletic were playing in their current colours of red and white stripes. Many believe the change was influenced because red and white striped tops were the cheapest stripes to make, because the same combination was used to make bed mattresses, and the unused cloth was easily converted into football shirts. This discovery of a cheaper option probably persuaded them to change and influenced the Madrid club being come to known as Los Colchoneros nickname. Another more plausible account of the reason to change colours is that both Athletic Bilbao and Athletic Madrid used to buy Blackburn Rovers blue and white kits in England.^[8] Once in 1911, Juanito Elorduy, former player and member of the board of Athletic Madrid, went to England to buy kits for both teams. When he failed to find Blackburn Rovers kits to purchase, he instead boughtSouthampton red and white ones. Athletic Madrid adopted the red and white shirt but opted to keep Blackburn Rovers' blue shorts, leading to them also being known as Los Rojiblancos."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlético_Madrid

 

Completely useless but still an interesting fact I didnt know about Rovers. 

 

Ben

 

 

Already knew that

[McClarky]

3 hours ago, philipl said:

And still the only football club in the world to have won major honours in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries is....

Keep expecting that one to go but the clubs which could spoil our party of one by winning something are mostly in the Championship or lower. I guess the newly rich Wolves are now the most likely to join us now. 

Apart from Celtic and Rangers.

[philipl]

58 minutes ago, McClarky said:

Apart from Celtic and Rangers.

Major honours...

[Leonard Venkhater]

1 hour ago, mac5630 said:

I believe the Town is the only one to win The FA Cup 4 years on the bounce... Blackburn Olympic won it the year before we won it three on the bounce..

 

3 Centuries of Silverware is a great strap line..?

Saatchi and Saatchi would have had a field day:

                Three centuries of silverware,

                 Seven years of S***t

[blueboy3333]

4 minutes ago, philipl said:

Major honours...

They have.

[Salgado Is Still A Hero]

There was a Spanish poster on here who told the story once of the link between us and Bilbao.

Here's the thread -

 

Mike Newell is also the scorer of the quickest Champions League hat trick in only 9 minutes.

 

[bazza]

2 minutes ago, Salgado Is Still A Hero said:

 

Mike Newell is also the scorer of the quickest Champions League hat trick in only 9 minutes.

 

I think that record has been beaten recently. I forget who by.

[bluebruce]

Officially had the first professional player, in Fergus Suter. Unofficially, it was probably Darwen first...with Fergus Suter. Not sure if that record was just England or worldwide.

I seem to remember reading we had the first floodlit game, but I checked and seems we were about 3 weeks too late.

We had the first dedicated football club radio station (RIP).

Still the only 'town' with a Premier League trophy.7The oldest known footage of a football match? Rovers vs West Brom.

Batafembi Gomis broke Newell's record.

[McClarky]

1 hour ago, philipl said:

Major honours...

Still sounds a good thing but if you exclude Scotland you’re really saying we are the only team 8n England to have won honours in 3 centuries. 

[AllRoverAsia]

2 minutes ago, bazza said:

I think that record has been beaten recently. I forget who by.

7 mins by Gomis of Lyon but that was not recent, about 6 years ago

[had.e.nuff]

the oldest known football match on film was at Ewwod

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2877268/Blackburn-West-Brom-feature-oldest-footage-football-match-dating-1898.html

[Mike E]

21 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

7 mins by Gomis of Lyon but that was not recent, about 6 years ago

Didn't Lewandowski score 3 in 5mins for Bayern recently?

[AllRoverAsia]

38 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Didn't Lewandowski score 3 in 5mins for Bayern recently?

In the Bundesliga, in a game where he scored 5.

[the original david brent]

1 hour ago, bluebruce said:

Officially had the first professional player, in Fergus Suter. Unofficially, it was probably Darwen first...with Fergus Suter. Not sure if that record was just England or worldwide.

 

Which leads onto a more infamous fact, but the first ever recorded incident of football hooliganism was the Darwen v Rovers game in the circa 1890s. Fergus Suter, Darwens star player, was tapped up by Rovers who offered more money. Coincidentally the very next game was Darwen v Rovers (I think at Darwens old ground which was off Barley Bank St).

The Darwen fans were understandably upset with Suter who copped a load of abuse off the Darwen faithful. Suter scored for Rovers and antagonised the Darwen fans with his celebrations. The Darwen fans invaded the pitch and tried to attack Suter who made his escape. The Darwen fans then attacked the Rovers fans with sticks! The ref had no choice but to abandon the game.

The story is documented in the book Rovers A-Z history.