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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/17/20 in all areas

  1. I've just watched the Liverpool game in full on Sky, how many chances did we have in the last 15 mins to wrap things up? Sutton open goal fluffed his shot, Shearer 7yrds out blazed over the bar and a deflection that wrong footed James and went inches wide? I still found myself wanting to jump off the settee. brilliant, just brilliant. The height of my ambition as a Rovers fan growing up in the 70/80's was to possibly make an FA Cup semi final, I never thought for one minute we'd win the league, win the league cup and travel the length and breadth of Europe following Blackburn Rovers Tremendous, can't thank you enough Jack Walker
    5 points
  2. I used to live across the road from Kevin - although not for too long, I moved in just after we'd been relegated and he'd bought the house after his move to Rovers, so then his mum and brother lived there after he left us to go back down to Southampton. I remember the local pub landlord telling me once that Kevin had gone completely off the rails during that first season with us - basically the move to us had made him a millionaire overnight and, at 21, it had just messed with his head and thrown him off kilter. I also think that the fact things hadn't gone well at Rovers must have shattered his confidence - I remember, a couple of days after I had moved in, I was standing at the bus stop and could see him in his garden. He had a set of full size goalposts in his garden he and was standing about 10/12 yards back from them and was flicking the ball up and then volleying it at the goal. In the time I was stood watching he did it 7 times, but only 1 of his shots actually went in! I remember thinking that I would have backed myself to have had a better conversion rate. Another player that comes to mind is Lee Makel - I remember seeing him play in a cup game back in about 94 or 95 (certainly when Kenny was still in charge), and he just ran the game. Both myself and my dad went away that day convinced that he was going to be the next big thing - but then he just disappeared and never really went on to do much as far as I know.
    3 points
  3. Terry Bush - Maybe Tomorrow (Theme to 'The Littlest Hobo' for those old enough to remember it)
    3 points
  4. What didn't go wrong? For starters breaking up GAS - Gally and Sutton was a bad start. It only lasted a few games with Davis instead of Gally, before the swap came back in, but it set the tone for a hard season. A ton of injuries, especially to these two, also massively didn't help. I think losing Flitty for most of the campaign was a huge blow. If the season before petered out because the squad was too thin, the opposite was in effect this season. We had far too many players, which resulted in little consistency whatsoever. For example we had 6 strikers on the books, which back then was huge. I think manure only had 4 recognised strikers for example back then. We had a squad of 30+ which, even with a huge injury list, didn't really allow for much continuity or for us to have a proper style. Take the striker situation - Gally and Jansen play very differently to Sutton, who plays differently to Ward and Blake, who was different to Davis. Between the volume of personnel, and the injuries it was very hard to get a style of play, to have a plan A or B, or any kind of continuity or other marginal gains that comes from a settled squad. It also started badly as Hodgeson's two big signings didn't work out Perez and Davis. One didn't settle, the other wasn't mature enough to deal with the big price tag, and apply himself properly. I also wonder with Perez whether he was a bit too different from the traditional wingers of Ripley, Wilcox and Duff which gave us the success of before. There was a notable drop in quality at the back. Peacock and Dally weren't Hendry's quality, or necessary quality whatsoever. Another clanger was that Dailly, brought as a centre back spent the first half of the season rotating between different full back positions, which can't have helped him or the team. Sure, Kidd was hopeless, but Hodgeson gave him a heck of a bad start, with a ton of failed signings and breaking what was fixed rather than building upon it. The last minute signings of his reign, Blake, Marcolin and Konde, added nothing but expense. All in all, it was a poor situation to hand over. I can't remember at what point Sherwood left in the season but between his leaving and Flitty's injury, there was a huge loss of leadership. Throw in no Hendry in their too and that's a lot of leaders and maturity to lose from a squad. Kidd did pretty badly too. Whilst he had an eye for a player - most of his signings were solid - I do think it was too many, and tactically and his man management was pretty inept. The number of games we lost or didn't win was poor, and even now I can recall there seemed to be an it's ok we can fix it next week sort of atmosphere about the place. Certainly I recall that being the vibe of the interviews on Radio Rovers (which I miss, even if they do make certain posters on here seem unbiased) from that season. As for tactics they also seemed way off. That fateful Forest game I remember us whacking it long to Jansen and Gally, and wondering who on earth thought that was a good idea. If the long balls to Rhodes vs Millwall was a stupid idea in the FA Cup, this was its predecessor. Clueless. The more I think on it the more I do wonder about the injury situation. Really Flitty, Gally, McKinlay, Sutton and Flowers all missing for huge chunks. (Although with Flowers we got an upgrade in the performances of his lifetime from Filan, but still.) I find it hard to imagine that so many key players were out for so long. Did having another 25+ players to compete with or the club culture make a difference to how quickly we got them back? Was there thoughts, it's ok, we'll just buy our way out of trouble rather than improve what we had? Speaking of culture that seemed to be very different too. The 97-98 Rovers team were the original in your face Mark Hughes type Rovers. The defence, midfield and strike force was all up for a good battle. We weren't thugs on the pitch but the team could mix it. I remember in beating Arsenal away in 97-98 Gally was badly fouled and half the Rovers team came steaming into the confrontation. That up for the fight and togetherness just wasn't there the following year. Perhaps changes to personnel or change in management and culture,(or probably both) but that gritty togetherness and up for a scrap attitude was badly missing. Realistically there is no way we should have gone down. We had a ton of money, a good core team, a bunch of promising youngsters coming through - the best bunch in mu lifetime. We even managed to buy some good players too, well under Kidd anyway. So it seems like, even with unlucky injuries it should not have gone wrong. That suggests to me terrible man management, tactics and culture. Even looking back now it's hard to see it all as one full season such was the turnover in players. The season before was one of my favourites, and yet it seemed a lifetime ago at the end of the 99 relegation. It seems a huge transition from the hardy and spirited team of 97-98 into the promotion team of Souness only a couple of seasons later, which suggests far too much change was going on for Rovers good. Just a few thoughts from the perspective of a (then) 16 year old lad as to what went wrong.
    3 points
  5. They need to test a few for STDs too. The ones with their brains in their crotch.
    2 points
  6. I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Sunderland season ticket holder about the Sunderland keeper and he said the following. I heard the rumours hes Class I love him hes tall great shot stopper commands the box comes and wins corners everytime hes made 2 miskates in the 2 seasons that's it , if you get him ull get a great keeper I'll be gutted if he goes
    2 points
  7. If there is any chance of that being true, then it would show I think the way expectations may change due to the current situation. In normal circumstances, the signing of a soon to be 33 year old goalkeeper who was dropped earlier in the season by Sunderland and who was released by Burton following his only season at Championship level would be seen maybe as a downgrade on Walton and a very underwhelming signing to be number 1 for a club supposedly with promotion aspirations. As it is, you cant imagine that we will sign any more than maybe a couple of low key free signings such as this to cover the losses of the loan players who will leave, so you would somewhat understand the signing. I suspect that much of if not all of next season will be behind closed doors so it is hard to be enthusiastic about any signing anyway!
    2 points
  8. I saw Tugay vs Shearer the other day. Did surprise me when a few folk picked Tugay, largely down to ‘loyalty’. Fair enough, but for me Shearer has to be number 1. The bloke was the best striker in the world (or one of) In the mid 90s - and he played for us.
    2 points
  9. David Bowie- Suffragette City
    2 points
  10. 2m from it at all times. It’s going to be a weird window.
    2 points
  11. That's down to the Government. You can't expect football to sort out every single aspect of Society
    1 point
  12. Modern Romance - Best Days of Our Lives (my first ever vinyl 7 inch record.)
    1 point
  13. Is that so, I hadn't realised! Queen - Days of Our Lives
    1 point
  14. And the vicar who is always on telly...Richard something Jimmy Polo - Better Days
    1 point
  15. I was going post war, the other time records began (after 1992)
    1 point
  16. I don't know, but I remember a relative of one tit of a player coming here and gobbing off around the Kean/manager tombola period.
    1 point
  17. Yeah I remember there was a lot of excitement about him, but apart from a man of the match performance against Blythe Spartans in the FA Cup was never really given a chance. Matt Derbyshire, seemed he’d finally get a chance on merit, then didn’t he get sent off pre-season (Plymouth) and was back to bit part and off away to Greece?
    1 point
  18. I went to quite a few games that stood out during this rapid downward trajectory. Firstly the 2nd half of the 97/98 as we were tumbling down the table, I remember the 3-0 home defeat to a dreadful (Christian Gross) Spurs. I’d travelled up with my Spurs mate who phoned 606 on the way home to explain how shocked we were. I went with the same mate to the Wimbledon (Selhurst Park) match in Sep/Oct? We’d just signed Blake for £4m (I am sure he was a panic buy as we’d missed out on someone else) and he gave it all, but was woeful. We drew 1-1. Absolutely tipped it down, my mate was drenched and had to meet his new girlfriends parents for the first time in some swanky holiday - they were appalled. Finally the fateful Southampton 3-3 game with a few matches to go. Not only had we thrown away a 3-1 lead but were clinging on to the point in the end. Walking back after the match, it was the first time I (and seemingly many others around me) realised relegation was not just possible, but a very real threat. Thank God we still had Forest to play. I agree with many of the comments already made. We spent heavily, but mostly dross (panic buys), we had too many players, no leaders and no-one seemed to have twigged that Ashley Ward relegated everyone he played for. But for Filan it could have been much, much worse.
    1 point
  19. Several of my family worked at Walkersteel for years, they all hated Jack Walker with a passion and I don't use the word hate lightly. They mellowed over the years, all massive Rovers fans, but they never let me forget what a bastard he was, as you say OJF, even when he didn't have to be. Just to keep things on topic - Lenihan has all the tools to make it at the highest level, but the clocks ticking, he needs to build on his obvious potential soon or he'll miss the boat.
    1 point
  20. Problem is though, even though he had definitely been a bit of a dick over the years, it’s fair to say he mellowed in his later years of management. He is also the most successful manager in English football history, so chances are, he will be remembered as such. He’s definitely not worth obsessing over this much after the event, in any case.
    1 point
  21. Bob Dylan - Knockin" on Heaven's Door
    1 point
  22. Rod Stewart - Tonight's The Night
    1 point
  23. Absolutely Stuart. 100%. I'd even question whether social distancing etc should even be a thing once you emerge from lockdown, people are referring to it "the new normal". It isn't. It's an extremely abnormal measure to cover an unprecedented situation the worst of which is now over. Either you go back to normal or you dont, I think social distancing should be a courtesy and matter of good etiquette extended wherever possible not an automatic expectation or legal requirement. Going back to the specific football example the requirement for players to socially distance on a coach is plainly ridiculous. They've all been tested and cleared to play so there's absolutely no need for them to distance between themselves.
    1 point
  24. That makes sense (I think!) for the general public but not for a group who are effectively in a bubble and need protecting as a whole not from each other. I fear that pragmatism is dead, and COVID-19 couldn’t have hit a worse generation. We are going to have to learn to live with this for some time and everyone seems to be on a risk-free mission. They are in for disappointment.
    1 point
  25. He scored 34 goals in 3 seasons for Rovers (00/01 in Division 1; 01/02 & 02/03 in the Premier League) - in 124 appearances - 0.274 goals per game. In the subsequent 8 seasons after leaving he scored 10 goals in 140 appearances at 0.07 goals per game (7.5 seasons in the Premier League and 0.5 seasons in the Championship). He then had a good season in 09/10 scoring 10 goals in 28 games - but other than that his goal output really dropped. I remember the promotion season in division one with Jansen, Duff and Dunn as the crown jewels. He was outstanding that season. He had everything other than pace. He could score with both feet, his head, technically excellent, eye for a pass, great dribbler. He carried that on when we got back up to the Premier League as well. I remember him telling a story how he was supposed to be going out for James Beattie's birthday after we had played Southampton away. We lost the game and Dunny went to a hotel to get ready for a night out. He looked at his phone and had a load of messages/missed calls off team mates, basically telling him to switch his phone off as Souness was after him. So he did just that. He got ready for his night out and as he was walking out the front of the hotel, the team coach was waiting for him. He was made to get on and drive back with the rest of the lads, as Souness had decided they all needed to go into training the next day. Half way home, the coach pulls over and Souness gets out and gets in a separate vehicle. Then Tony Parkes tells everyone on the coach they aren't in for training in the morning. Dunny knew his time at Rovers was up at that point.
    1 point
  26. Im not saying that at that time England werent mis managed but the reason that Lampard and Gerrard were always in the team is because like Scholes they were all world class midfielders, as good as Dunn was he wasnt as good as them 3. Indeed out of the 3 I felt that Scholes was just about the best and should have played central but you can understand the desire to get them all in. Indeed Scholes retired not because he was played left where he said he did play on occasion for United but because he felt he underperformed. Heskey certainly lingered a little too long but he was a perfect foil for Owen.
    1 point
  27. I actually liked Gillespie. A proper old school winger. On his day (unfortunately not consistently enough), he was one of the most exciting players in the country for me. Out and out pace and ability to beat his man. I just think off the field issues stopped him being a real star.
    1 point
  28. I'm amazed Dunn's name has only been fleetingly mentioned a couple of times on here. I remember seeing him and Tugay against Lampard and Petit for Chelsea and thinking I'd much rather have our two. Dunn was thought of as the new Gascoigne at one stage. I remember him scoring a cracking goal for England U21's (possibly against Holland) and being raved about by the national media. He obviously did have injury problems, but I think he could have been top, top level. Should have had a long England career - he was that good.
    1 point
  29. A cursory glance at Dahlin's x-rays would confirm that he was not 'swinging the lead' but that aside if this is true then Sherwood is a twat of the highest order. The epitome of a rubber dinghy man. I expect every player wearing our famous shirt to give 100%. At all times, not just when the sun is shining. The inference here is that our premier league winning captain downed tools just when the club really needed leadership.
    1 point
  30. To be fair, it's not the Middle Ages anymore. I don't think anyone should be obligated to honour those titles, especially when knighthoods like Savile's make a mockery of the whole system.
    1 point
  31. Jack Walker, FFP, SAF and Utd - All buzz words that should not be mentioned unless you want to read rants from Vinjay
    1 point
  32. Vinjay, I'm hardly going to start naming people on here but suffice to say that an immediate relative of mine was a very senior manager at Walkersteel for 25 years. Believe me, Jack was a ruthless bastard of a businessman when he needed to be. And on occasions when he didn't need to be, too. Jock Stein? You think Shankly, Clough, Revie etc etc etc (the list from that era is almost endless) weren't also bullies (by modern standards). It has become obvious that Stein turned a blind eye to some seriously wrong things that were happening in the shadows of Celtic Football Club in the 70s early 80s as well. None of which is relevant to what we are discussing, really. Going back to the Walkers - One of the reasons Jack is 'well regarded' by many is because he played the good cop to Fred's bad cop. And if you think he didn't approve of or was unaware of any brutal decisions then you're even more naive than you come across. Without wishing to totally derail the thread, the notion of "Jack Walker = good guy, his family = a bad lot" is a twisted distortion of the actual truth, which as ever will be somewhere in the middle. The only general thing about them I would say is that pots of money inevitably causes trouble and bad behaviour somewhere along the way, whoever you are.
    1 point
  33. Rick Wakeman gave him a glowing tribute on the radio today.
    1 point
  34. Just woke up to this news, very sad. Very talented keyboard player which along with JJ's Bass gave The Stranglers that unique sound that set them apart in the early punk scene and over the following years.
    1 point
  35. RIP Dave Greenfield, keyboard player with The Stranglers. Died at 71 of Covid-19
    1 point
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