The Rovers Return

McCarthy celebrates giving Rovers the lead at Wigan.

It’s not been a festive period full of cheer for the Rovers faithful. More a dreaded sense of uncertainty as Rovers bumbled their way through a month that should have been so much more successful.

2-0 defeat at home against Spurs – a game I was 40 minutes late for due to the previous nights festivities in Scunthorpe – was a game we didn’t deserve to lose. Spurs did what we can’t do and took their chances.

Wigan away on Boxing Day was a lot of fun until the match. I went on the coach with the Darwen Blues from the Craven Heifer – cheers guys – and, full of beer and festive cheer, watched a drab encounter between two poor sides.

We should have won, but our inability to convert chances into goals cost us dear as we left the DW Stadium with just a point.

I couldn’t get to the Sunderland match as I was stuck at work, and I haven’t seen the highlights, but from the radio commentary I listened to we should have won this one as well. An awful first half, from both sides it would appear, followed by a half of yet more missed Rovers chances while Sunderland took theirs. Luckily, we were able to take two of our chances to avoid a second consecutive home defeat. Read more »

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Wishing all the readers of the Rovers Return a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year.

I did go to the Spurs game and have been keeping up-to-date with Rovers news throughout the week but have been busy.

I’ll be at Wigan on Boxing Day and hope to post something soon after that!

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Two games, one point. Not a good return from these encounters.

At Hull, we deserved a win. We were the better side and had Nikola Kalinic been capable of scoring goals, which I’m beginning to be convinced he is not, we would have done quite comfortably.

As for Hull, they were shite. Their ground is nice to look at, but the ridiculous narrow walkway you have to traverse to get to the stadium is ridiculous, and it’s even worse coming out at the end of the game when there’s 15,000-odd folk trying to get over it.

Then there was no beer for sale at half time. Why? We had beer last year, and I know for a fact Everton had beer this season, so why not sell it to Rovers fans?

On top of this the toilet facilities leave a lot to be desired!

Back to the match and, apart from his lack of scoring, Kalinic’s introduction certainly saw us creating a lot more chances.

Robinson was superb again also. His save from Fagan was of huge importance and from that point on Hull didn’t really have any clear cut chances, but everything they did throw at Robbo, he was more than a match for. Read more »

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My ticket collection from the 2001/02 Worthington Cup run.

Bobatron, this one’s for you. Admittedly, I should have looked this up before you mentioned it…

Rovers have been included in the running for best League Cup moment, a competition celebrating 50 years of the competition, for beating Spurs 2-1 in the 2001/02 final.

Vote here.

For anyone who doesn’t remember, or doesn’t know, in 2001/02 Rovers were struggling. We’d just been promoted back to the Premiership after a two-year absence and were embroiled in a bit of a relegation battle.

The Worthington Cup, as the League Cup, now the Carling Cup, was then known, provided us with a welcome distraction from the difficulties of league football, and, ultimately, gave us the boost we needed to mount a late surge into the top half of the table, where we eventually finished 10th.

It was a great cup run, one I was lucky enough to go to every match of, starting with Oldham Athletic, where fewer than 10,000 saw Matt Jansen and Darren Dunning (remember him? He now plays for Gainsborough Trinity) score in a 2-0 win, with Marcus Bent sent off in the last minute.

Middlesbrough followed, as did another crowd of just fewer than 10,000. This one went to extra time as Craig Hignett, the former Boro midfielder, put Rovers ahead, only for Nemeth to equalise. Craig Short rescued us from the brink of penalties with a winner in the 113th minute. Read more »

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The teamsheet from Rovers' shock defeat to Workington Reds in the League Cup, 1964/65.

From Cumbria’s News And Star:

Workington Reds fans can vote to make their side’s 5-1 thumping of Blackburn Rovers the most memorable League Cup moment of all time.

To celebrate its 50 years, the Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup, has listed its top 50 moments and is calling on fans to vote for their favourite.

Reds’ victory over Division One side Blackburn at Ewood Park during the 1964/65 season has been ranked as one of the top moments.

That day, a crowd of 11,800 saw Reds net five of the best with Kit Nappier and Barry Lowes both bagging a brace. Dave Carr added the fifth to complete the rout.

During the mid-sixties Workington developed a proud record in the League Cup, twice reaching the quarter-final stage.

The headline Red-faced Rovers the next day said it all. Workington went on to face eventual winners Chelsea, drew 2-2 at home and then lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the replay where a certain debutant – Peter Osgood – scored both goals.

Chairman Humphrey Dobie said: “It is a great honour to be named among some great sporting moments.

“I can vaguely remember the game and we did really well that day.

“That was in a time for Workington when we played some of the top teams around.

“We played Manchester United, Fulham with the likes of Jimmy Hill and Chelsea too.

“We did really well to draw 2-2 with them at home but they thumped us at their place in the replay.

“I hope the fans come out in force and vote for us because it is fantastic to be mentioned in this way.”

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Big Sam returns

Before the game, if you’d have told me we could take a point, I’d probably have settled for it. But on this occasion, despite holding one of the ‘top’ sides in the league to a draw, I was disappointed we didn’t win.

I’m not going along with some of these media reports about us hanging on for the draw with solid defence. We had as many, if not more, chances than Liverpool and just as much of the play as they did.

Matt Le Tissier knows the score. On Sky Sports he said:

“(Nikola) Kalinic had an absolutely perfect chance late on to win the game; Reina did well to come out of goal and close down the angle but Kalinic for me, showed a lack of composure, panicked a little bit. They had another one late on when (Benni) McCarthy turned but should’ve done better.

“Big Sam would’ve probably snatched your hand off for a point at the start of the day, but in the end, they had more chances.”

Allardyce will be pleased with his first game back. Another clean sheet, a solid point, another home game unbeaten and rising above Burnley in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Glenn Johnson can fuck off. He’s been whingeing to Sky Sports about our style of play. Ironic that, having succeeded in not allowing Liverpool to beat us and spending a good proportion of the game on top, he decides to open his gob. Read more »

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Thirty were arrested at The Station in Cherry Tree.

Football hooligans involved in an organised fight between Rovers and Burnley fans were arrested in the aftermath of October’s East Lancashire derby.

That’s what the police would have you believe anyway.

Someone I know was able to tell me all about what happened.

Yes, there was a fight organised. The police got wind of it and turned up, mob handed and ready for battle at The Station pub in Cherry Tree.

These were young lads, pumped up and hoping for trouble, just so they could put the boot in.

When they arrived, the pub was just full of Rovers fans, but that didn’t stop them.

For the purpose of this story, the man who told me this story will be called Rover.

Rover was in the pub, his mate was outside having a fag. Rover went outside to see if his mate wanted a pint, only to see a police officer shoving his mate around. Read more »

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England's number one! Paul Robinson is a hero

Wow, what a night, and I didn’t even go.

Before you start shouting at me for being a part time supporter and all that, I finished work at 6:30pm, more than two hours from Blackburn! But boy, do I wish I could have been there.

I hope Sam gave this one a miss, otherwise his heart may have taken a bashing. Taking the lead came as a surprise, and when we were 1-0 up at half time I was feeling quietly confident we’d hang on. How nice was it to see Nikola Kalinic score as well? More of the same please Niko, if we ever see you play again…

Cue a Chelsea shake-up and we were 2-1 down pretty quickly. That’s it, we’re going to get steamrollered. Oh ye of little faith.

A shock equaliser, plus a disallowed goal, which I haven’t seen a proper replay of, saw us take the league leaders into extra time.

Then, an almighty shock as we are awarded a penalty! And Benni scores it! 120 minutes passes and it looks like we may have sealed the victory. Then, in the dying moments, Robbo flaps at the ball, his poor punch fins Ferreira and it’s 3-3 and penalties. Read more »

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What a difference a week makes.

Following my optimism that came from the win at Bolton, Rovers went and made things look shit again by throwing away games at Fulham and at home to Stoke.

At Fulham, a 3-0 defeat in a game most have said we were on top in. In fact, when my Dad asked Dunny (he’s still dry lining his house) what happened, Dunny said, “We battered them!”

As I said about the Everton match. A bad day at the office. Move on and forget about it.

Then came the Stoke game. Reverting back to one up front didn’t work in a game where had we attacked from the outset, we could well have taken the points.

Despite being the hero against Burnley, Franco Di Santo is going to have to accept some flak now. He’s constantly preferred up front instead of the other (admittedly limited) options, yet he has still only scored once.

In the past three games he has missed four one-on-ones with keepers. One at Bolton, two at Fulham and one against Stoke which would have given us the win.

Granted, we were unlucky on Saturday as both keepers were in form (Robbo for England anyone?), and N’Zonzi saw his shot come agonisingly back off the post, but the result was not good enough, especially as it would have put us back above Burnley, who’s last minute consolation saw them draw level with us on goal difference!

With any luck, we’ll up our game in the cup match with Chelsea tomorrow. A win there and a semi-final appearance would really make our season at the moment!

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