One hopeful thing may be that Watford have only scored 3 (three) goals this season. Three 1-0 wins, a 0-0 draw and a 0-1 defeat. Amazing to only score that number of goals and still have 10 points.

Surprisingly, Rovers have drifted out slightly to 11/2 at Hill's for promotion.

Well, three and a numeral, strictly speaking.

Yours pedantically,

Elvis Biro

5 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I remember that game well, we lost 2-1 to Bury. Two things stick in my mind, their centre forward Steve Johnson ? got two really good goals. Also the pitch was really dusty and it was a very swirlingly windy day. As a consequence the referee had to keep stopping the game to get his hankie out to remove grit from the players eyes.

The game at Bury a day or two earlier was the real celebration.

The promotion celebration match under Gordon Lee was a 0-0 draw with Wrexham, not the greatest game I ever went to !

Didn't matter though, did it , Tyrone? Seeing Rovers actually win something was dreamland for a young lad who'd only seen two relegations before that.

That's exactly how I feel. Watching the mighty Rovers drop into Div 3 for the first time in their history in 1971 was gut-wrenching - but at least it was for purely football reasons: we were skint (so were the vast majority of other clubs), we'd made some rotten managerial choices, couldn't hang on to our better players. It was a bitter pill to swallow but fair dos - we couldn't blame anybody but ourselves. So we had to dig deep and remember that 'We've won the cup three times on the run, been champions of division one" as we used to sing when we  visited those 3rd tier shitholes for the first time.

At least then we were all in it together - club, fans, board, the whole town. That's the worst thing that these people have done - disconnected me from my club, our club. I don't think it can ever have been like this in the 135 years before they took over.

God damn their eyes.

2 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

if you asked bill if it was raining he`d say no comment?

19th Century Fox, we used to call him.

Still have him back as opposed the current shower of shit, however.

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yeah I was there, chaos reigned for about 10 minutes.

 

I remember being at a Rochdale v Brighton table topping Div 4 game, just think about that now. Early on in the game there was an almighty goal mouth scramble at the far end from me. The ball ended up in the net and the Rochdale players were celebrating a goal. The Brighton players went mad and drew the refs attention to the fact that part of the net wasn't attached to the cross bar and the ball had actually fallen into the goal through the gap !

So he disallowed the goal, cue the Rochdale players going mad. In all the chaos somebody notice the linesman was still flagging. The ref goes over, has a chat, comes back and awards ---- a penalty ! Apparently a Brighton player had handled the ball in the goal mouth scramble. Cue Brighton going mad again. Eventually Rochdale take the pen and score. It was a really feisty game, in the second half the Brighton centre half and Rochdale's centre forward had a stand up fight / come wrestling match and ended falling over the boundary wall and into the crowd.

Anybody else at that Bolton V  Rovers game were the ref got the time wrong and took everybody off about 15 minutes early ?  This was in spite of that big clock on the main stand at Burnden Park. We were all stood about wondering what was going on when after about five minutes or so the players came back out putting their kit on. Some had obviously jumped in the shower because their hair was soaking wet !  We were losing 2-1 at the time so I thought we might get a draw when we got started again but it stayed 2-1.

I was at that Notlob match. We were on our way back to the station when someone shouted 'They've come back on again' and we all ran back in. Still lost though.

Rochdale away in the old 3rd Division, early 1970's. Rovers fans stood behind one goal. Rochdale scored and ran off to re-start - however the netting wasn't properly pegged down and someone fished the ball out and passed it on to Birdy. He gave  it to Sir Roger Jones with a big wink - Roger then called over the ref and said it didn't go in because it's just been handed back to me by the crowd: Ref disallows it!  Rochdale players proceed to go bonkers and the ref sends one (or even two) off. Someone must have fessed up eventually as he later re-allowed the goal and then let the sent-off player(s) back on! The ref was genuinely Courtneyesque - I've never seen one get so many things wrong in one game. Bloody good laugh, though.

Anyone else remember this? The more I think about it about it, the more it seems like a surreal dream

I once went to watch Rovers play at Oldham back in the 80's round about Xmas time. Seems like Boundary park only had one turnstile open for away fans so it took ages to get in - queuing up i heard a big shout -Rovers 1-0 up, then another - Rovers 2-0 up! Finally got in and dashed straight to the gents, having had the obligatory few pints, and heard another shout from our end... We won 3-0 (I think) and I never saw a goal!

20 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Worst I remember was a Rovers fan climbing over the wall at the Blackburn End and attacking the QPR goalkeeper, Phil Parkes I think it was. Circa 1967. We had some real idiots supporters then.

Another memory is standing on Blackburn station around the same time as a returning football special to Burnley was passing through. Their finest wer leaning out of the windows throwing missiles at anyone who happened to be standing on the platform, little old ladies and children alike. It was frightening and a miracle no one was hurt

The headline in the Telegraph the next day was 'Ewood's Night of Shame' with a picture (probably by Wally Talbot) of a young nutter trying to kick their goalie in the nuts.

34 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

As long as the mud wasn't over the tops of your boots it was ok to play on.

I think it's what we we used to call slutchy.

I didn't hear him too many times, but our own Brad Friedel was an astonishingly good radio co-commentator. Proper analysis and real expert insights.

Rovers now 5/1 at wm Hill for promotion.

Was watching the scores come in on the telly in the pub this aft next to a Newcastle fan. I'd just mentioned to him that we seem to have stolen this lad Dolan for nothing and he could be a bit of a cracker and he replied that he, and a lot of fellow Toon fans, are saying the same thing about Armstrong. 

Picked up and old Rovers programme today from a market stall - Rovers V Derby County Dec 26th 1967. Rovers team:

Adam Blacklaw

Keith Newton

Billy Wilson

George Sharples

Bryan Coddington

Barry Hole

Eamon Rogers

Malcolm Darling

Mick Ferguson

Alan Gilliver

John Connelly

Derby team included Kevin Hector, Alan Durban and Bobby Saxton, McFarland CH and O'Hare CF

I must have been there but I can't remember it for the life of me. We ended up winning 3-0 with goals from Fergie, Darling and Gilliver. Att.17,902

We then played them away 4 days later, as we often did with Xmas matches in those days, if memory serves. (West Ham!)

If you wanted to follow the lads away it  was 13/9 for a ticket on Ribblesdale. "Departs Rishton, Gt Harwood, Clayton amd Accrington approx. 10.00am, Church and Ossy approx 10.15  etc etc.

Happy days. 

We're only a point off the play-offs!

It's a nap! I'm happy.

Just now, DE. said:

We want 5!

I can see the headline in the old Sports Pink - "Misery for Burnley as Rovers go nap!! hopefully, 

Match report by Alf Thornton, obvs.

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

Only a raw kid then to be fair, how long's Derek been around now ?

Nice to see Pompeys following a little more realistic as it used to be before their Prem purple patch and bus loads coming up with band and bell ringer. 

Do you remember them back in the 60's when they used to have a mascot dressed as a sailor wandering round the touchline? He always seemed to be pissed as well.

Just now, pick32 said:

BB makes me miss Varney and Brown

Would that be Reg Varney? "I 'ate you, Butler"

Takes me back to those days - my other half wanted to get two new pet cats. I wasn't that keen, but was allowed to name them as a bit of a sweetener. Hence my kids growing up wondering why our cats were called Howard and Scott.

Currently 5/1 on Wm Hill

Lionel Messi has just become available on a 'free'. Is he the sort of prospect we should be looking at?

Nice to see a perimeter advert for Tommy Ball's shoe emporium. Used to live just round the corner from there.

Ammonia.