The Ultimate 150 Rovers List - BRFCS Members Edition

[rog of the rovers]

The question is simple.

"Which 150 names tell the Rovers story? From 1875 to 2025…" ⚪️🔵

 

These can be heroes, villains, players, officials, owners, fans.

Any person who you feel is integral to Rovers past, present and future - to go onto a DEFINITIVE LIST as chosen by BRFCS Members. For posterity, for lively discussion and debate…& quite possibly…merchandise 😉

 

There is currently a “shortlist” (!) of 225 names*.

The Polls will be split into nine different eras. And will be open from Wednesday to Wednesday for the next nine weeks.

 

Part One: The Foundation Years - 1875-1900 - (15th October - 22nd October)

Part Two: 20th Century and Post World War I - 1900-1930 - (22nd October - 29th October)

Part Three: Inter War and Post World War II - 1930-1950 (29th October - 5th November)

Part Four: The Boomer Generation - 1950 - 1970 (5th November - 12th November)

Part Five: The Seventies - 1970 - 1980 (12th November - 19th November)

Part Six: The Eighties and Three Points Era - 1980-1992 (19th November - 26th November)

Part Seven: The Early Premier League and Jack Walker Era - 1992 - 2000 (26th November - 3rd December)

Part Eight: The Walker Trust and later Premier League Era - 2000 - 2012 (3rd December - 10th December)

Part Nine: The Venky's and EFL Era - 2012 - 2025 (10th December - 17th December)

 

Your job as a Forum, is to help us whittle down these suggestions by choosing who you think deserves to make our definitive list. You can vote as many times as you like (but we suggest no more than say, 5 votes per list), only the top voted names/figures will make the final cut.

 

 

*This list has been created by myself and has been corroborated with the help of @Herbie6590 @4,000 Holes @Fred Cumpstey along with several other fans and commentators on and off the message boards. Thanks for all the assistance.

[Herbie6590]

This is an exciting project for us…it kind of takes the “Mount Rushmore” theme on here & injects it with steroids!

It’s possibly important to emphasise the “tells the story” element here - in other words it’s not just the best players, indeed it’s not just players. There are many other actors in the Rovers story who have influenced the tale for better or worse…without taking the field. 

What we do with the final list is the subject of much discussion but the possibility of a special 4000 Holes edition - perhaps even a book (there’s an idea eh?) &/or other merchandise possibilities are all on the table. 

 

Please do get involved over the next few weeks…🤍💙

[Upside Down]

The date for the venky era is wrong. 

We were infected with them in 2010 and symptoms starting showing almost immediately. 

It is very important to emphasize how everything was going great right until we contracted the venky virus. November 2010 is when Blackburn Rovers ceased to exist and venky FC was born.

[Herbie6590]

1 hour ago, Upside Down said:

The date for the venky era is wrong. 

We were infected with them in 2010 and symptoms starting showing almost immediately. 

It is very important to emphasize how everything was going great right until we contracted the venky virus. November 2010 is when Blackburn Rovers ceased to exist and venky FC was born.

Don’t look at Part Five - that will blow your mind…😆

 

They aren’t literal - they are broad brush labels to attach to the lists…👍

[rog of the rovers]

Upon reflection and to target the main forum members who remember with fondness the 1970s and the 1980s these will now be split into two sections.

Part Five: The Seventies and Eighties - 1970 - 1980 (12th November - 19th November)

Part Six: The Eighties and Three Points Era - 1980-1992 (19th November - 26th November)

So 9 parts in total leading us up to the full list reveal in time for Christmas and the conclusion of our 150th celebrations.

 

Edited October 17 by rog of the rovers

[Herbie6590]

Part 2 polling now live

[rog of the rovers]

The Confirmed BRFCS List (so far)

 

1. John Lewis (Founder)

2. Arthur Constantine (Founder)

3. Joe Lofthouse

4. Joe Sowerbutts

5. Fergus Suter

6. Jimmy Forrest

7. Jack Southworth

8. Herbie Arthur

9. Walter Duckworth (Secretary)

10. Thomas Greenwood

11. Joe Lofthouse

12. Billy Townley

13. Jimmy Brown

14. John Forbes

15. Hugh McIntyre

16. Thomas Mitchell (Secretary)

 

15. Lawrence Cotton (Chairman)

16. Fred Blackburn

17. Billy Davies

18. Eddie Latheron

19. Wattie Aikenhead

20. George Chapman

21. Bob Crompton (Player, Manager)

22. Billy Bradshaw

23. Arthur Cowell

24. Albert Walmsley

25. Percy Smith

26. Danny Shea

27. Jock Simpson

28. Robert Middleton (Secretary)

29. Joe Hodkinson

30. Alfred Robinson

31. Aussie Campbell

32. Arthur Rigby

 

33. Ted Harper

34. Jack Roscamp

35. Syd Puddefoot

35. Harry Healless

36. Herbert 'Taffy' Jones

37. Tommy McLean

38. Jack Bruton

39. Jack Weddle

40. Len Butt

41. Albert Clarke

42. Walter Crook

43. Billy Rogers

44. Arnold Whiteside

45. Bob Pryde 

 

46. Eddie Quigley

47. Bobby Langton

48. Tommy Briggs

49. Roy Vernon

50. Bill Eckersley

51. Peter Dobing

52. Ally McLeod

53. Matt Woods

54. Mike England

55. Mick McGrath

56. Andy McEvoy

57. Mike Ferguson

58. Ronnie Clayton

59. Bryan Douglas

60. Keith Newton

 

61. Johnny Carey (Manager)

62. Ken Knighton

63. Fred Pickering

64. John McNamee

65. Ken Furphy (Manager)

66. Tony Field

67. Gordon Lee (Manager)

68. Don Martin

69. Roger Jones

70. Ken Beamish

71. John Byrom

72. Mick Heaton

73. John Bailey

74. Kevin Hird

75. Tony Parkes (Player, Coach, Assistant Manager, Caretaker Manager)

76. Dave Wagstaffe

 

73. Howard Kendall (Player, Manager)

74. Stuart Metcalfe

75. Derek Fazackerley

76. Glenn Keeley

77. Noel Brotherston

78. Mick Rathbone

79. Steve Archibald

80. Simon Barker

81. Ian Miller

82. William 'Bill' Fox (Chairman)

83. Don Mackay (Manager)

84. Terry Gennoe

85. Simon Garner

86. Scott Sellars

87. David Speedie

 

88. Kevin Moran

89. Sir Kenny Dalglish (Manager)

90. Mark Atkins

91. Ray Harford (Assistant Manager, Manager)

92. Bobby Mimms

93. Mike Newell

94. Alan Shearer

95. David Batty

96. Graeme Le Saux

97. Stuart Ripley

98. Colin Hendry

99. Tim Sherwood

100. Tim Flowers

101. Jason Wilcox

102. Chris Sutton

103. Kevin Gallacher

104. Jack Walker (Owner)

105. Henning Berg

 

101. Graeme Souness (Manager)

102. Damien Duff

103. Andrew Cole

104. Matt Jansen

105. Garry Flitcroft

106. Craig Bellamy

107. Brad Friedel

108. Mark Hughes (Player, Manager)

109. David Bentley

110. Roque Santa Cruz

111. Tugay

112. Benni McCarthy

113. Brett Emerton

114. Morten Gamst Pedersen

115. Ryan Nelsen

116. Chris Samba

117. John Williams (Chairman)

118. David Dunn

 

119. Venkys (Owners)

120. Suhail Pasha (Owners Representative)

121. Sam Allardyce (Manager)

122. Steve Kean (First Team Coach, Manager)

123. Shebby Singh (Global Advisor)

124. Jordan Rhodes

125. Keira Walsh (Rovers Ladies)

126. Georgia Stanway (Rovers Ladies)

127. Ella Toone (Rovers Ladies)

128. Danny Graham

129. Charlie Mulgrew

130. Tony Mowbray (Manager)

131. Bradley Dack

132. Ben Brereton Diaz

133. Gemma Donnelly (Rovers Ladies Manager)

134. Sammie Szmodics

135. Adam Wharton

136. Lewis Travis

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:22 by rog of the rovers

[RoversTilliDie]

16 hours ago, rog of the rovers said:

The Confirmed BRFCS List (so far)

John Lewis

Arthur Constantine

Fergus Suter

Jimmy Forrest

Jack Southworth

Herbie Arthur

Walter Duckworth

Thomas Greenwood

Joe Lofthouse

Billy Townley

Jack Walker

[Herbie6590]

5 hours ago, RoversTilliDie said:

Jack Walker

I’ve a funny feeling he might feature in the poll for the 90’s…🤨

[rog of the rovers]

1 hour ago, RoversTilliDie said:

Jack Walker

Yes Jack's time will come when we get to the 90s. I'm confident he'll make the list 🤣. 

Great to see Lawrence Cotton get some recognition also, he was the Jack Walker of his day with his money and influence improving the squad, ground and bringing silverware to Ewood Park.

[rog of the rovers]

Rovers giving more caps to players who don't make our initial list?

Simon Barker

John Buckley? The luckiest to get a cap so far?

[AspRover]

Late to the party but happy to see Pryde making the list - 

So a bit of family history here but 'Big Bob' Pryde and my Grandad served in the same regiment for a bit during the war and they were mates - though funnily not the Grandad from the side of my family that comes from/supports Blackburn.

Because of his status as a professional footballer Bob was given the job of PT instructor, and apparently his tendency was to get the men running, get outside of view of the camp and then tell them to have a sit down and a smoke break for 20 mins before jogging them back. Grandad didn't smoke (and would have been a sergeant or possibly acting staff sergeant at that point), so he got chatting to Pryde instead.

This would have been (off the top of my head) Royal Artillery in Italy - Grandad got moved about a fair bit - probably about the time Vesuvius erupted (which he saw). Quite likely they were both at Monte Cassino. I'd have to double check with the family though.

Grandad had a Pryde cigarette card which we ended up framing - not sure where it is now, it's got buried over the course of two or three house moves.

I'm not sure how many years Pryde was off fighting during the war, but it's probably fair to say that he'd have otherwise got more than the 320 games he played for us and could have been up towards the top end of all time appearances - probably not right at the top but could have conceivably cracked 400.

[rog of the rovers]

2 hours ago, AspRover said:

Late to the party but happy to see Pryde making the list - 

So a bit of family history here but 'Big Bob' Pryde and my Grandad served in the same regiment for a bit during the war and they were mates - though funnily not the Grandad from the side of my family that comes from/supports Blackburn.

Because of his status as a professional footballer Bob was given the job of PT instructor, and apparently his tendency was to get the men running, get outside of view of the camp and then tell them to have a sit down and a smoke break for 20 mins before jogging them back. Grandad didn't smoke (and would have been a sergeant or possibly acting staff sergeant at that point), so he got chatting to Pryde instead.

This would have been (off the top of my head) Royal Artillery in Italy - Grandad got moved about a fair bit - probably about the time Vesuvius erupted (which he saw). Quite likely they were both at Monte Cassino. I'd have to double check with the family though.

Grandad had a Pryde cigarette card which we ended up framing - not sure where it is now, it's got buried over the course of two or three house moves.

I'm not sure how many years Pryde was off fighting during the war, but it's probably fair to say that he'd have otherwise got more than the 320 games he played for us and could have been up towards the top end of all time appearances - probably not right at the top but could have conceivably cracked 400.

Welcome @AspRover and a lovely story.

As I mentioned in the thread my grandad (who had no interest in football whatsoever) knew all about Bob Pryde and would refer to him as I was growing up in the 1990s. If my grandad knew who he was he must have been some player/personality!

Dig out that cigarette card and send us a picture 🙂