Championship Season 25-26

[Rogerb]

On 20/11/2025 at 15:58, rog of the rovers said:

First images of Birmingham City's new stadium (no it isn't AI)

Looks great, though their owner and ownership model is American 'Soccer' Ownership at its most cringeworthy. 

Looks like a Pink Floyd album cover.

[RevidgeBlue]

1 hour ago, wilsdenrover said:

I once went in every pub between where I was living in Blackburn and Ewood.

I remember Le Tissier’s wonder goal but that’s about it.

To this day I’m not sure how I got home afterwards 😁

I was once speaking to a lady born in 1920 who said she remembered as a young girl Rovers bringing the FA Cup back on the bus in 1928.

As a side note also claimed that when she was young there were around 100 pubs between Witton lights and the town centre.

Not everything changes for the better!

[speeeeeeedie]

23 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

We’re just 3 points behind where we were after 15 matches last season.

 

 

I checked the table for the first time this season yesterday. Rovers are 6 points off 6th, and 6 points off a relegation spot.

It looks like a typical Championship year table. 1 team, Coventry, running away with top spot. 1 team, Sheff Wed, miles away at the bottom. The rest are fighting in the middle.

 

[RevidgeBlue]

23 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

We’re just 3 points behind where we were after 15 matches last season.

 

 

The problem with that stat is that as usual it paints a fairly misleading picture.

From the equivalent stage last season we won our next five games up to and including Luton at home. Six on the bounce in total prior to the annual collapse.

So we would need fifteen points from the next fifteen to still be three points behind where we were last season by the same point.

If we manage that, I will be sitting up and taking notice!

[wilsdenrover]

1 hour ago, speeeeeeedie said:

I checked the table for the first time this season yesterday. Rovers are 6 points off 6th, and 6 points off a relegation spot.

It looks like a typical Championship year table. 1 team, Coventry, running away with top spot. 1 team, Sheff Wed, miles away at the bottom. The rest are fighting in the middle.

 

Agreed but if anything it’s even more ‘condensed’ than usual.

[wilsdenrover]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

The problem with that stat is that as usual it paints a fairly misleading picture.

From the equivalent stage last season we won our next five games up to and including Luton at home. Six on the bounce in total prior to the annual collapse.

So we would need fifteen points from the next fifteen to still be three points behind where we were last season by the same point.

If we manage that, I will be sitting up and taking notice!

It paints the picture of exactly where we are right now* - as you say in 5 games time things could be much worse and can’t be any better (vs last year).

* this stat is fine as it’s proving the point I wanted to make, it’s the ones which     don’t which are wrong 😁😁

[wilsdenrover]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I was once speaking to a lady born in 1920 who said she remembered as a young girl Rovers bringing the FA Cup back on the bus in 1928.

As a side note also claimed that when she was young there were around 100 pubs between Witton lights and the town centre.

Not everything changes for the better!

Sounds like one hell of a pub crawl!

[Gav]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

As a side note also claimed that when she was young there were around 100 pubs between Witton lights and the town centre.

Not everything changes for the better!

Where I served my time, a bloke in our shop said, if you started at The Station pub at Cherry Tree with a thimble of beer, then doubled up in every pub, you’d not get anywhere near the town centre due to being pissed.

Backs your story up Rev.

[RevidgeBlue]

6 minutes ago, Gav said:

Where I served my time, a bloke in our shop said, if you started at The Station pub at Cherry Tree with a thimble of beer, then doubled up in every pub, you’d not get anywhere near the town centre due to being pissed.

Backs your story up Rev.

I certainly thought 100 was a bit of an exaggeration but who knows?

She said at the time that you can tell from some of the buildings they used to be Pubs

[StHelensRover]

3 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I was once speaking to a lady born in 1920 who said she remembered as a young girl Rovers bringing the FA Cup back on the bus in 1928.

As a side note also claimed that when she was young there were around 100 pubs between Witton lights and the town centre.

Not everything changes for the better!

I remember seeing something in Blackburn Museum about Blackburn being the 'Beeriest town in England" at one point, with the most pubs per capita of any major town or city. 

In more recent years I think it was reported in the Guardian that we have the most takeaways per capita and that people in Blackburn had better access to takeaways than GPs per capita. 

Interesting reasons to be on the map, or not(?). I'd rather we were back on the map for footballing reasons but appreciate that could be many years away.

Edited 18 hours ago by StHelensRover

[Bohinen1983]

There was a ton of pubs along Bolton Road leading into the town centre too. I'm sure I read somewhere they called it 'The Length'- Lots of pubs and house were knocked down around there and there was several massive mills so I could imagine that area being a hot-bed for pubs. Even now on the left you can see at least two pubs.  Such beautiful buildings, so many memories- if only the walls could talk eh?! 

If the owners of the Moorings don't already open on matchdays for a cheap beer a curry, they're missing a bloody trick.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

46 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

I remember seeing something in Blackburn Museum about Blackburn being the 'Beeriest town in England" at one point, with the most pubs per capita of any major town or city. 

In more recent years I think it was reported in the Guardian that we have the most takeaways per capita and that people in Blackburn had better access to takeaways than GPs per capita. 

Interesting reasons to be on the map, or not(?). I'd rather we were back on the map for footballing reasons but appreciate that could be many years away.

I once read that around the turn of the 19th century ( 1895 -1900 ish ) there was 1 pub or beer house for every 14 people in Blackburn.

[Gav]

We are digressing here but Blackburn historically has always been a ‘brewing town’. 

Whitbread, Thwaites, Duttons and Lions all had brewery’s in the town employing thousands of people.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16268836.pictures-looking-back-east-lancashire-breweries/

[47er]

6 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I once read that around the turn of the 19th century ( 1895 -1900 ish ) there was 1 pub or beer house for every 14 people in Blackburn.

Whereas in London 1 house in three was a brothel!

[RevidgeBlue]

4 minutes ago, Gav said:

We are digressing here but Blackburn historically has always been a ‘brewing town’. 

Whitbread, Thwaites, Duttons and Lions all had brewery’s in the town employing thousands of people.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16268836.pictures-looking-back-east-lancashire-breweries/

Whitbreads were Duttons but you're right there used to be 3 major breweries in town.

Whitbreads Brewery was on High St where Morrisons is now before they moved to Salmesbury.

Edited 17 hours ago by RevidgeBlue

[jim mk2]

The smell hanging over the town centre from the Thwaites brewery 🤢

Duttons were taken over by Whitbread and Lion Ales the first to close IIRC

[Mattyblue]

I used to love that smell hitting you as you left the Penny Street market (after having a sarsaparilla, of course).

Edited 17 hours ago by Mattyblue

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

My uncle was a drayman at the “ Thwaites “ brewery.

[Upside Down]

That smell always reminds me of walking into town with my grandma heading towards the old market.

[Tom]

Not sure the victory is worth the level of celebration no matter the opponent. Imagine if they go down!

 

 

[DE.]

They haven't had much to celebrate this season tbf.

Every game in the Championship this weekend had a player scoring their first of the season, with the exception of Ipswich vs Wrexham in which nobody scored. That can't have happened too often. 

[Mercer]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

We are digressing here but Blackburn historically has always been a ‘brewing town’. 

Whitbread, Thwaites, Duttons and Lions all had brewery’s in the town employing thousands of people.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16268836.pictures-looking-back-east-lancashire-breweries/

 

2 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Whitbreads were Duttons but you're right there used to be 3 major breweries in town.

Whitbreads Brewery was on High St where Morrisons is now before they moved to Salmesbury.

 

Whitbread acquired Duttons in the 1960's but, if my memory is correct,  stopped their brewing operation in High Street (Blackburn town centre) in the late 1970's - Samlesbury was one of Whitbread's 'super' breweries and came into operation the the early 1970's.  Whitbread sold their beer business to the Belgian owners of Stella Artois about 25 years ago and that business is now part of the biggest brewer in the world (Anheuser-Busch InBev) - from little acorns...!!!

Lion Brewery was taken over by Matthew Brown about 100 years ago who in turn were taken over by Scottish & Newcastle in the 1990's - S & N closed the site at Little Harwood within 2 or 3 years of their acquisition.

Thwaites was Blackburn's oldest brewer with its iconic Christmas Star on its roof.  Sadly, Thwaites' beer business declined pretty rapidly and a number of its brands were sold to Marstons Brewery about 10 years ago who in turn are now part of Carlsberg.   All that remains of the Thwaites brewing operation is a craft brewery at Mellor Brook but Thwaites still do have a number of hotels and pubs.

Talking of pubs and pub runs, I would think there are a good number on here who will remember the 'Revidge run' starting at Bulls Head, Wilpshire, up Pleckgate Road, along Revidge Road and finishing at Woodlands (top of Preston New Road).  Of those 10 / 12 pubs, sadly I think there are only 3 / 4 still open.  A blurry blast it was!!! 

Edited 14 hours ago by Mercer

[Mattyblue]

My neck of the woods. Hundreds of folk (many in fancy dress) traipsing up Pleckgate Road on the way to the Sportsman’s… can’t speak for others but I’d end up in Jazzy Kexs.

Sigh. A very different time in a very different town.
 

[rigger]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

My neck of the woods. Hundreds of folk (many in fancy dress) traipsing up Pleckgate Road on the way to the Sportsman’s… can’t speak for others but I’d end up in Jazzy Kexs.

Sigh. A very different time in a very different town.
 

Sportsmans was my local.

[wilsdenrover]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

My neck of the woods. Hundreds of folk (many in fancy dress) traipsing up Pleckgate Road on the way to the Sportsman’s… can’t speak for others but I’d end up in Jazzy Kexs.

Sigh. A very different time in a very different town.
 

I used to end up there now and then.

Am I right in remembering it having a rather distinct aroma?