Sorry this ended up being longer than I thought! My Grandad was a huge Rovers fan, and my mum was/is a huge Rovers fan too, she was a bit of a tomboy growing up, she went on Ewood all through the 70's and early 80's up to giving birth to me, she tells me all her friends used to joke that she would actually give birth to me on the Nuttal Street stand, what a sight that would have been! Due to a marriage breakup when I was a baby, and relocating us Cheshire where my grandparents had moved to she had a few years off going to Ewood when I was born, and started up again around 1988 taking me on infrequent visits as a very uninterested 5/6 year old. She tells me my first game was a home game against Oldham at the start of the 88-89 season, followed by an away game against Stoke shortly afterwards as that was only a 15 minute train journey for us. I literally have no memory of either game, or the other games we attended during that and the following season, I was more interested In running around and playing at the front of the stand apparently with some other children. My first real interest in Football was during Italia 90, something seemed to click there as a 7 year old, I was hooked and watched every bit of the tournament I could, started using all my spare time kicking a ball around in our back garden. I started taking an interest in club football the following season, wasn't particularly bothered about Rovers as they were 60 miles away and you got very little coverage of clubs like that back then, my mum took me to a few more games early on in 90-91 season, I vaguely recall actually watching a bit more of the matches but still wasn't too fussed, I was actually a bit more interested in Liverpool as I think literally everyone supported them in my school back then, with the odd Man Utd/Stoke fan knocking about too. Everything changed in January 1991 just after Christmas, my mum got us tickets to the Rovers/Liverpool FA Cup tie, with the carrot of watching Liverpool and being the envy of all my school pals I was itching to go, and this is where my first real memory of Rovers comes in, I had my old Rovers Perspex shirt on despite only really being excited to see Liverpool, I would say that changed within 5 minutes of getting into Ewood, I couldn't believe how full it was and the atmosphere was rocking. Simon Garner scored and the place erupted and sounded much louder than my other visits to Ewood, I was genuinely hooked and actually cried when Mark Atkins scored that last minute own goal, despite my tears my mum and grandad were absolutely beaming, they knew that they achieved the goal of making me a fully fledged Rovers fan. From then on I have been an absolute Rovers fanatic, constantly asking them when the next match we could go was, and my mum from then on took me every home game she could, which for a single parent, who didn't drive was some dedication, because the trains were not very frequent to our town back then we used to leave at 9am and get back at around 8pm most games. We got season tickets after promotion in 1992, and with the exception of the Coyle season I have had them ever since. Other great memories growing up are going down to Plymouth with my mum and grandad for the weekend on bostocks coaches for the game in 1992, getting the train to Wembley for the play off final in the same year, and going to Oldham in 1993/94 with my grandad which turned out to be his last ever away game, and moaning at him the whole way on the mammoth walk from the old Oldham Mumps station to the ground and back again. The best one though is obviously Anfield in 95, we didn't get tickets for it to which we were genuinely gutted about, but a couple of my mums friends were Liverpool season ticket holders, and obviously knowing my mum was a lifelong Rovers fan, single parent etc, they very kindly gave us there season tickets for the day so we could attend the game, my mum surprised me with them on the morning of the game, and never mind favourite Rovers memory I think this is my favourite memory of my entire childhood, they even drove us to the game and went to watch it in a local boozer, an incredible gesture that I have never forgotten, and one I would like to think I would repay to someone if there was ever a similar situation.

This is all incredibly tedious to read. I really dislike Paul Cook and want to destroy them next week. Merry Christmas.

A slightly longer version of this week's "Accrington Observer" column... Everybody Look What’s Going Down At the end of a tortuous and hard-fought campaign, the candidates had put their records out there to be evaluated, making strong claims, though each arriving at this judgement day from fundamentally different positions. Irrespective of your personal opinions and preferences, the winner had to be respected, whilst all that was left for the loser was simply to learn from the experience and try harder next time. Marcelo Bielsa may have won the November Manager of the Month, but Tony Mowbray has perhaps won the intellectual argument. Mowbray remains in charge to oversee a period of mature reflection over his personal contribution, no doubt relieved that the curse of the award would be a burden for Bielsa to carry. The results from last Saturday certainly backed up that presumption. Rovers recent form has served to demonstrate that the Championship this season is far from cut and dried. The top two may have opened up a gap, but it is far from irretrievable; especially if the curse of the Manager of the Month continues to work its magic. Simply string a couple of wins together and a rise up the table is assured. Win five out of six and Robert may well be your mother's brother. At the time of writing, the points spread from third to thirteenth is six points – merely a couple of wins..! In hindsight, the Preston game might well prove to be a watershed moment in the season. All of Rovers’ foibles laid bare in one handy ninety-minute package. Vibrant, penetrative attacking, leading to fragile confidence and shambolic defending; would the real Blackburn Rovers please stand up ? Since then, something has definitely changed. In the words of the old Buffalo Springfield song;(this'll bring the teenagers flocking - ed) “There’s something happening here, What it is ain’t exactly clear...” First up, another resilient midweek performance, away to a sprightly Swansea City, one of the early favourites for promotion, who themselves had hit a rocky patch of form in November. Would Rovers provide their by now, surely patented, opposition rehabilitation service? Well no, not this time. In fact, had Bradley Dack not demonstrated a serious inability to calculate, (with the precision usually associated with his finishing); just when and how to secure a red card in order to ensure Christmas off, (it needed to be violent conduct Bradders, or wait until the Bristol City game); then all three points really ought to have been travelling north after the game. The opening goal from Graham, against one of his many former employers was a delight. A fluent move, slick inter-passing, prompted once again by the reborn Evans, to Dack and then Armstrong and a clinical finish from DG. Swansea responded quickly though; a corner led to Ayew being allowed a virtually free header at the edge of the six-yard box. Gallagher created a great chance for himself towards the end but was foiled by the keeper. With Dack’s foolish dismissal evening things up, Rovers were unable to capitalise fully on a man advantage, a draw was probably a fair result. Last season, the trip to Ashton Gate proved to be one of the horror show away performances that have punctuated the last year or so. It was in fairness a horrible performance and I suspect that many travelling fans heading south this time around, did so in hope rather than expectation. Once the team-sheet was published, showing six changes, then it seemed that “Tony’s Tombola” was in full use. “Courageous”, “foolhardy”, “reckless”, “ballsy”; you pays your money you takes your choice as to how to describe the selection. From my perspective, it was brave, but it served to reduce my expectations of a decent result come 5pm. Mowbray called it spot on though. He sees the players day in day out, he knows who is in or is approaching the "red zone", his decision is final. In what was proving to be a great week for Johnsons, Bradley of the Ewood parish seized the opportunity provided, by scoring a belter early on from a smart corner routine from Holtby. How nice it was to see Rovers score a training ground move rather than concede one. Through some robust midfield tackling on his part, Johnson capped off a fine performance by setting up the second for substitute Armstrong to finish coolly, late in the second half. His early celebration of the impending goal, captured on the camera behind the goal was a delightful cameo. City had two glorious gilt-edged chances, one in each half and taking just one of them clearly would have potentially changed the outcome of this encounter. But Rovers capitalised on these errors and with a clean sheet to boot, this was a very different outcome than 2018’s vintage. It was pleasing to see a side accommodate six changes yet still play with cohesion, confidence and no little style. No problems with impending cabinet reshuffles here. Each player knew his portfolio and much like an underwear model, had been well briefed. Special mention to Christian Walton who seems a lot happier playing behind this new-look defence. The return of Lenihan and Nyambe has certainly provided solidity, but one of the most pleasing features has been the performances of Amari’i Bell – much maligned and in fairness, not entirely without justification, he has blossomed in recent weeks when called into action. Long may his performances chime with the Rovers fans. Since the Deepdale disaster, it’s six wins, one draw and one defeat. That’s promotion form...if it sustains over the second half of the season of course and that is the key question. I’m not sure who the real Blackburn Rovers are, but I do rather like this incarnation and there is certainly something happening here. The song continues : “A thousand people in the street Singing songs and carrying signs Mostly say, hooray for our side...” The Christmas and New Year programme is renowned for its unlikely scorelines. It seems just the whiff of basting turkey or mince pies causes football teams to do crazy things, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but that said, we should not fear any of our upcoming opponents. It just remains to wish you, our lovely readers, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; may 2020 bring you and your's health and happiness (and may Mrs Old Blackburnian’s recovering broken ankle soon have her back in first-team contention!).

Wasn't it Shebby Singh who, through a Portuguese agent who he knew signed all of them? I have a vague recollection that the agent was the son of a guy who was connected to the Malaysian national team for who Singh had a gazillion caps. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/blackburns-portuguese-players-fuming-after-1835598 Irrespective of who it was the level of corruption around that time was staggering.

Jesus this is more like it Very difficult team to pick. A lot of competition

Yup, but the £100k+ a week prob makes a difference. Plus an 8 figure agent fee for getting it done ?

This is why I despair at Venkys and Bowyer and more recently Waggott and Mowbray. Yes, it takes money but it also takes ambition. Jack talked up our club, then put his money where his mouth was and put the town on the map. Think big!

Just south of Blackburn

Think that picking a player of the Decade is quite hard. Mainly because you have to plough thru the period from 2010 to 16 at least....and wince. SO what is the worst team of the decade? The one with all the wastrels in. The one that cost all the money or the players who were always injured. Captain : Danny Murphy Dickson Etuhu (wince) Bradley Orr Vince Grella (sicknote) Maybe Jason Steele (never saved anything) That Centre Forward that came on at Watford Away in the 85th minute and got sent off Jordan Slew Maybe: Ben Goodwin (saw him at Morecambe and looked good) Numerous Portuguese players who never played Manager: Steve K***** (undisputed) What do you think? I suppose if we put them in formation they would not stick to it.

I'm wrong? You're going on about PNE who don't even have an u23s team, and have a Cat3 academy so any youth player they send out on loan is coming from either their18s or is not getting any game time due to being to old for the 18s and not good enough for their 1st team, so a loan to a non league club is about the LEVEL they are at as football is about levels (but you seem to have more knowledge about that than me haha, yeah right) and their youth players are nowhere near the level of Rovers Yes I've seen a hell of a lot of Buckley, in fact the only people who may have seen more of him are his family, he may be slight but he is very technical, he is a clever footballer who knows how to carry the ball well and protect it, if Buckley was made available tommorow the clubs chasing him would be ridiculous trust me, I've been watching youth football at the highest level for the last 15 years (not just Rovers) I know a decent footballer when I see one and I also know what footballers need for development, and your idea is antiquated in fact it's going back to the 60s and 70s so sorry if you don't get football mate, that's not my problem Buckley is so far above Conference level he would get kicked to fuck and that is not developing anyone what so ever Rovers is a different animal, as I've stated and if you knew about academy football you would know that the U23s play against the top youth players in the country, ask yourself this, would Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester City ect ect ect send their youngsters to the conference North, would they balls, Man United u23s are a division below Rovers u23s, you won't see any of their lads anywhere near the conference North, the players they have out on loan are at Southend, Tromso (Norway) and Morecombe to name a few that's because it doesn't suit player development to place them in a club at a level we'll below the developing player, (see levels again) 1st and foremost it's about the football nothing else, simple as that, but you expect Rovers to send their youngsters down there, even the one that has shown he has something about him and is actually involved day in day out with the 1st team, I think you are the one that is Wrong massively, so if you have nothing more than send him to a conference North team to toughen him up or whatever don't bother responding to this as it will show me your LEVEL of knowledge, which at the min ain't much mate

Perhaps 'accidentally standing on his toes a lot' counts as bullying? ?

So you replace him when he is actually struggling , not because he may struggle in a future game.

All recent comments from Mowbray and Waggott lead me to think we're in for another dry January. Hope I'm wrong on that though.

No chance, you don't do this when developing players, I wouldn't recommend any player that is in and around the 1st team no matter what build or strgths or weekness they have dropping any lower than L2 Rovers u23s play at the highest level of youth football available in this country, I see players dropping into conference North etc and think its a waste, if you aren't getting game time fair enough I see that maybe your only option, but to think any of the highly rated players would benefit from dropping down so many levels is ridiculous and counter productive for both the player and the club, especially the likes of Buckley, JRC, Butterworth, Vale etc

Could be argued Wagner's real achievement was getting Huddersfield promoted in the first instance and then keeping them up for another twelve months with what he had to work with

I was in the Riverside in that era and I’m sure there used to be a lady with a tea trolly and urn at the corner with the Darwen End. I distinctly remember queueing up for a brew/wagon wheel in the 91/92 promotion season as I had a close up view of Brighton’s away kit that was a pink and white patterned number. All very early 90s Also, remember when you had pie sellers wandering around the stands with that blue pie box fastened to them (or have I dreamt that too?).

My parents go to every home game. They say he has had a good impact in most games. Back to his omission though, facts are, Mowbray can't pick shite players out of position for the best part of a year, then criticise the attitude of players who he hasn't given anything like the fair crack of the whip to. Rothwell was another obvious choice that was overlooked and treated unfairly in terms of the criticism aimed at him in the press and how quickly he was dropped...yet TM consistently picked unfit players like Johnson and is kinder with his criticism of the experienced pros. Despite very recent results, I for one am not buying into the Mowbray love in just yet. I've ranted about his failings for at least 12months and if anything, he has cost us a shit load of points and a heck of a lot of ground on the automatic spots with his ridiculous selections. I hope I am wrong but history suggests tinkering and a long run of draws and defeats are around the corner.

know it`s not last decade but it still makes me laugh,i was there and it was fantastic!!!!!!!!!

Documentary from 1992. "I'm only interested in putting Rovers where they should be. Blackburn Rovers is one of the greatest football teams in England. They are one of the founder members and we want them right back on top."

Not sure how to change the font size I used something else to write, to copy n paste in; My first rovers experiences are difficult to fully decipher, present at games as a young child, though I specifically remember the Middlesbrough home game in the 90/91 season. Match Not because of the towering Tony Mowbray playing for Boro at the time, or the quick winger named Stuart Ripley playing on their right wing - but just the colours, sounds, smells and overall feeling of “home” at Ewood for the first time. One aspect I vividly remember from those days was the prospect of moving seats in the lower riverside at half time to sit and our attacking end. Something that I did that day to see Paul Shepstone’s (who?!) only goal for Rovers. I particularly remember Bobby Mimms (one of my favourites of that time) making some good saves, in a season I couldn’t tell you much about at the time. I started sharing a ST for the 1991/1992 season (year after) and it’s not difficult to see why the following few years got me hooked. First away game was early 1992 I think - Notts County away in the FA cup. A team above us a league (lost 2-1) at the time, and I still get the same buzz seeing new away grounds for the first time to this day. Strangely, still never played Notts Co since - somewhere I’ve vowed to re-visit at some point. Thankfully, that doesn’t look as likely at the current time, bar a cup tie!

Can't believe that comment from TM. That's what worries me about him. He is discounting the possibility of Lenihan not getting injured when he has a known injury record. He's recently come back from a fair lay-off and our record in defence at the time was dire. In a nutshell, comments like that remind me why I have no faith in him long-term.

Sounds about right for the kind of saddo that apparently screenshots websites for his twitter account. You'd think being a journalist/blogger of some sort he'd be able to generate his own content. It's actually quite hilarious how obsessed he seems to be with trying to paint the site in a particular light while driving web traffic here as a result.

Is it not very harsh on Armstrong after 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games to drop him? Especially at home for the much more conservative Bennett who did OK at Bristol City but doesnt offer much of an attacking threat. Its also quite a slow team. Johnson would be a harsh dropping too, but then I suppose so would either of the other 2. Thats an area whereby someone has to be dropped because of a selection headache of a positive kind. Graham and Dack have to play, as does Downing, definitely agree there.

I remember reading a Sunderland fanzine many years ago that contained a readers vote on all time best Sunderland 11 and all time worst Sunderland 11. Howard Gayle made both teams!

Undoubtedly my favourite season in a long time as a Rovers fan. Not just because we were winning, which of course helps, but because we saw some proper footballing grounds and places I'll probably (hopefully) see again unless they come up. Our travelling support was excellent that season. The Championship feels rather numb in comparison - too many stadiums on retail parks, not enough character.

Lindisfarne - Meet Me On the Corner

100%...what on earth does the current crop of scouts in Portugal have to do with the time JA levered Portugese no marks into Rovers for his own personal gain?

But there is nothing better than being there

Gladys Knight And The Pips - Come Back And Finish What You Started

Give me Warnock, Grant or Wagner over that prick anyday.

Mud - Tiger Feet ?

The way I see it either Tosin or Williams can play with Lenihan, but if Lenihan gets injured we're buggered. Why? Because Lenihan is committed and gets his head on the ball no matter what, whereas the other two want to play more of a luxury role. We need a second CB s solid as Lenihan, because if Darragh gets injured there is no chance of playoffs.

But that was the bit of the post that I liked!

As far as i can remember, Carew did have a trial/training stay at Rovers when he was young.

Emnes V Wigan was a special goal, great ball by Steele then ridiculous control and skill by Emnes

Ok ..the rest just simply ridiculed Mowbray as not having a clue.

here is the momentous dunny moment!!!!!!!

I would argue that the physical demands actually decrease the further down you go, the better the players towards the top of the pyramid, the faster the games are and the better athletes. It just becomes technically much worse, you get worse pitches etc so you might see more direct football at times but it is up to Buckley to show he can impact games in the lower leagues. But there is no point him playing in the Conference as even if he excelled there it wouldnt really do much to suggest he could come back and contribute. The problem is where he is at the minute is on the bench, not playing regular football, and when he plays first team football at this stage he isnt up to it. We cant really afford to keep drip feeding him minutes for experience if it potentially jeopardises our chances, which for me it will as he is well below the standard elsewhere. As well as that, such limited game time could cause stagnation. The key has to be finding a team in League 1 or if necessary League 2 who obviously cant guarantee him regular football as no one can but where he is likely to get game time as much as possible. Our recent history of loaning out players isnt particularly good though.

So did Derrick Williams lol

I'd play Dack but Graham would be on the bench we should be able to beat Wigan without him, Birmingham and HTFC are tougher games I'd want him fresh for boxing day to expect him to play 3 games in 6 days is to much.

Haha..connectivity...and what on earth did those, who appointed a certain, outstanding candidate in 2016 have to do with JA and greasy spivs from a previous era?

A contribution but more the achievement of the outstanding candidate and those who made the appointment

Walton Nyambe Lenihan Tosin Downing Evans Travis Holtby Dack Bennett Graham I think Bennett would be well up for this too, so I would give him the nod. I have such a feeling there will be a red in this game

My fear is the pressure of expectation might get to us. Hopefully the leaders in the team set the tone for the younger lads. I have a feeling young Bradley Dack will be well up for this one with it being on TV....

You have a very short memory my friend....

Ehhhh? Abysmal? Iv never seen a flying right winger track back as much in my life? The difference between him and Rothwell over 90 minutes is proof enough.

Given the laws of contract I'd be interested to know how you arrive at the savings you quote.

I really enjoyed watching Dickov, very underated player.. I do think GK and Centre half is a priority though. Walton might have had a few reasonable games, but I still think he's a massive downgrade on Raya. Can we not just bring Raya back and then sign that big lump Pontus Janson too? Be right with them two then I think..

The Man City cup tie in 1969 is my first complete memory of a game - put me down for that Herbie

I still wonder why his name is not mentioned whenever one of the top clubs are searching for a new manager. I mean, he was such a good man, excellent manager, could spot a talent and manged to bring championship football to the owners (still convinced that's what he said and the owners thought he meant champions league).