Blackburn Rovers; Their finest hour
The Rovers’ greatest moment may have been at the Racecourse
Ground in Derby in 1886 where they defeated West Brom 2-0 in the replayed FA
Cup Final to make it three consecutive wins in the competition; a still unparalleled
feat. The club won 3 other FA Cups and 2 League titles in the succeeding years
but their fortunes then slumped after the last triumph in 1928. You have to fast
forward to the 1990s to find a similar outpouring of joy in the town. Jack
Walker made his fortune in the steel industry in Blackburn and as a fanatical
“Roverite”, he grabbed the opportunity to take over the club during the 1990-91
season. At the time they were a 2nd Tier side and he quickly brought
in the biggest possible name to manage the club. Kenny Dalglish was a legend in
the game and he secured promotion in his first season. Alan Shearer was bought
from Southampton for a then record £3.5 million and Dalglish’s side finished 4th
and 2nd in their first two years in the Premier League. In 1994-95,
they went head to head with Manchester United and Shearer, playing in every
game, knocked in 34 goals. He was ably supported by his strike partner Chris
Sutton who netted 15 times, but the solid defensive set up featuring
internationals Hendry, Berg and Le Saux was
equally as important. The title was decided on the final day of the
season; United at Upton Park, the Blues at Anfield. Liverpool dominated but the
Rovers hung on until the last minute; a Jamie Rednapp free kick appearing to
scupper them. But then news filtered in that United had only drawn so Blackburn
were champions by 1 point. Notts Forest limped home third, 11 points behind, as
the town celebrated the Rovers’ finest hour within living memory. 
The “haves and have nots” in
Premier League history
Everton’s valiant defeat at Tottenham on Sunday was the last nail
in the coffin for teams trying to break into the “Top 6” this season. It now
seems certain to be a North West/London carve up as Tottenham, Arsenal, the 2
Manchester clubs and Liverpool scrap over the final 2nd-6th placings behind
runaway leaders Chelsea. These are the current royalty of the English game with
upstarts like Leicester banished to the Tower. There has always been
footballing aristocracy, but the participants and locations in this annual
drama do change. Those of you who have only known the Sky TV years may believe
that these have always been the top clubs and accountants will confirm that that
they are the wealthiest amongst the current crop, but their places in the
hierarchy are certainly not set in stone. Owning a football club is not a
license to print money; in fact it is often a money pit and the Oligarchs, the
Arab Princes and American billionaire business men may tire of throwing money
at pampered players. Sky may also discover a more profitable sport to promote
so it will then be down to the real fans again to provide the cash. This is
when the likes of Newcastle United, Sunderland and Everton, Leeds United,
Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa, all sleeping giants with huge fan bases,
could have a renaissance. They have fanatical working class fans; all they
currently need is a combination of stronger investment and sounder management. As
long as the game remains “sexy”, promoted to the hilt by Sky and its acolytes,
there is the possibility that the Brightons and the Bournemouths, havens of the
wealthy, will continue to make progress. The small town clubs from the working
class areas of the North and Midlands where money is in short supply will
struggle to compete. But this is where professional football began and
interestingly, only Accrington of the 12 original clubs has failed to last the
distance, although the game does continue in “Accy” under the guise of the
Stanley. The only 2 clubs not to have been relegated since 1954 are Arsenal and
Everton, while Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have spent just one
season in Tier 2, but during the 60 plus years that I have avidly followed the sport,
there have been many changes in the Top 6. Arsenal, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Manchester
United, Wolves and Newcastle were the elite when I was first taken to games but
by the mid-70s, Leeds, Liverpool and Notts Forest had joined the party as Newcastle,
Pompey and Wolves went into decline. In 1992, immediately before the birth of
the Premier League, the pecking order was Leeds United, Manchester United,
Sheffield Wednesday, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Six members of the
League that season are no longer in the top 2 Divisions, with only Sheffield
United showing signs of resurgence. Oldham Athletic, Notts County, Coventry
City, Wimbledon/MK Dons and Luton Town seem destined for further spells in the
lower reaches of the game, as do the once formidable Portsmouth. And like Roman candles on November 5th,
other clubs have briefly burned brightly and been crowned champions before fizzling
out, some massively so. These include Burnley, Ipswich Town, Derby County,
Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and (I suspect) Leicester City. But Newcastle and
possibly Leeds are on their way back, Burnley have found a toe-hold in the
Premier League and let us not forget that Man City were briefly in the 3rd
Tier this millennium. Because of promotion and relegation, the game is never
dormant. It is active and fluid with an ever-changing scenery. If it seems that
a small group of clubs have cornered the market, fear not because history tells
us that it will not be forever. So if you support the sky blues or the reds
from Manchester, the reds, whites or blues from London or the reds from
Merseyside, enjoy it while you can. You could be facing an away trip to
Plymouth or Crawley in 10 years’ time.
Performances of the last week
Liverpool 3 Liverpool 1 (Premier
League)
Liverpool
briefly nosed back into 3rd spot with this comprehensive victory.
The Gunners scarcely turned up in the first half, Mane setting up Firmino for
the first goal and scoring the second himself to create daylight between the
sides. Welbeck pulled one back for Arsenal before a late Wijnaldum strike
settled the game late on. It was exactly what Klopp’s side needed following
their woeful performance at Leicester but the race for Champions’ League places
shows no sign of abating; probably running till the season’s end.
Blackburn Rovers 1 Wigan Athletic 0
(EFL Championship)
Marvin
Emnes scored a wonder goal, controlling a 70 yard punt from the keeper on his
instep while at full speed and blasting the ball into the net. The 3 points
lift the Rovers away from relegation making it 7 from 9 at the start of Tony
Mowbray’s managerial tenure. Wigan came for the draw, offered nothing until
they went behind and got what they deserved.
Scunthorpe United 0 Fleetwood Town 2
(EFL Division 1)
Fleetwood
players and supporters may need oxygen this weekend to help to breathe in the
rarefied air of second spot in this league. The Cod Army climbed above their
opponents following this win at Glanford Park. It was back to the wall tactics
for much of the game, but Uwe Rosler sets his side up to do just that, hitting
the opposition on the break as they did for the goals at the end of each half
from Devante Cole and Bobby Grant. It is now 18 unbeaten and still counting for
the surprise packet of English football.
Accrington Stanley 1 Barnet 0 (EFL
Division 2)
Stanley
had by far the better of the game against a struggling Barnet side with only 1
win in 10 games. Shay McCartan’s 20 yard free kick extended their unbeaten run
to 5 games and lifted them further from the relegation zone, 6 points above
Leyton Orient in 23rd place.
In
the National League North, AFC Fylde grabbed
a late point in a topsy-turvy 3-3 draw at Harrogate Town, remaining 11 clear of
the opposition. They were helped by FC
United of Manchester edging past Kidderminster Harriers 1-0, by Salford losing at Tamworth 2-0 and Chorley battling out a
goalless draw away to Stockport County. Warrington
Town moved up to 8th in the Northern
Premier League by virtue of a 2-0 win at lowly Ilkeston Town and in the North Division of the same league; Colne thrashed Goole AFC 4-0 to remain
in 5th place. Leaders Lancaster
City slipped up, losing 3-2 at home to Brighouse Town, but retained their
lead, whilst Ramsbottom United climbed
into the top ten by winning at Tadcaster Albion. Finally in the North West Counties Premier Division,
strugglers Nelson and AFC Darwen had surprising away wins at
Congleton Town 3-0 and Irlam Town 3-1
respectively, encouraging hopes that relegation could be avoided.
Games
to look forward to this week
Oldham Athletic v Bury (EFL Division
1) Saturday March 11, 15.00Both these Greater Manchester clubs have benefitted from the arrival of new managers, John Sheridan at Oldham and Lee Clark at Bury. This has enabled them both to climb out of the bottom four, but neither 19th nor 20th positions can be considered safe havens. The 3 points for a victory will considerably lessen the tension but the defeat could plunge the victims back into a relegation spot. It will be tense at Boundary Park on Saturday. A draw?
Fleetwood Town v Bolton Wanderers (EFL
Division 1) Saturday March 11, 15.00
It
is impossible to ignore Fleetwood Town at the moment. Twelve years ago, Bolton
finished 6th in the Premier League, 8 Tiers above Fleetwood in the
North West Counties League. Now this tiny town with little football pedigree or
tradition will start favourites against one of the great names from the past. The
Wanderers are 4 points behind in 4th place but the gap can quickly
narrow so this is yet another massive 6 pointer for both sides.
Liverpool v Burnley (Premier League)
Saturday March 11, 17.30
It
is a banana skin scenario for the Reds; remember they only lose to lowly sides.
Burnley has yet to win away from home and although 9 points clear of the drop
zone, the team is still well short of the accepted safety target of 40 points.
Liverpool cannot afford to drop points here whereas Burnley possibly can. The
Clarets could not hold out for a draw at Swansea so they will have to be at
their obdurate best to glean anything from this fixture.
Tom Heaton; he will need to be at his best at
Anfield
Chelsea v Manchester United (FA Cup 6th
Round) Monday March 13, 19.45
It
is the tie of the round and possibly the game of the season. Two Leviathans,
the two most successful clubs of this millennium, go head to head and play to
the finish. United last lost in the Premier League in October, a 4-0 thrashing
at Stamford Bridge so revenge will be just one of a number of sub plots. Add to
that the return of Mourinho, Conte desperate for a domestic cup to supplement
Chelsea’s inevitable league title and a host of household names desperate to
prove that they earn their inflated salaries. What a game is in prospect.
Quiz
of the Week (Answers at the foot of the
Blog)
All of the questions have Red
Rose County connections
It is a different format this week. The answer is the leading
appearance maker in league games amongst the current squad at the listed club. Clues
are provided.
1
This
England international has made 386 appearances Old Trafford and his brother
plays for Wrexham.
2
He played
231 times at Oldham, then following spells at Blackburn & Bolton he is now
back at Boundary Park.
3
This
England international with 301 games at Goodison is an undoubted penalty king.
4
He started
his career at Tottenham, then played 125 times for Hull City and has since
logged up 202 appearances for the Turf Moor club.
5
This
England international was signed from Sunderland and has now clocked up 180
games at Anfield.
6
He
was signed from Tranmere 2 seasons ago and is now a regular in midfield with 78
games at the DW Stadium
7
He
has 1 Scottish cap, has played 161 times at Deepdale and turned out in the Premier
League for another Lancashire team.
8
He
has played 184 games for Bolton having been bought from Wolves in 2009. Sadly he
has missed most of this season through injury.
9
This
former England U21 international has been at Ewood Park from being a schoolboy
where he has now started 161 first team league games.
10
He
was bought from Hamburg, is much respected in the game and has represented
Manchester City on 223 occasions.
Joe Hart; 263 league starts at the Etihad
before he was shipped off to Torino
Southport lost for the 6th time in 7 games, this time 4-2 at Maidstone United. They are now rock bottom of the National League, staring relegation in the face.
No
doubt the FA Commission for Retrospective Action will decide who was in the
wrong in the first half debacle during the Manchester
United and Bournemouth game. Zlatan Ibrahimović’s suggestion however that
Tyrone Mings attacked his elbow with his head bore a strong resemblance to
defences provided by numerous assailants in GBH cases over the years; namely
“he head butted my fist m’lud”.
Romelu
Lukaku’s strike at White Hart Lane on Sunday made him Everton’s leading Premier League goalscorer, eclipsing the record
of Duncan Ferguson who scored 60 goals. Lukaku just needs another 250 (!!!) to surpass
Dixie Dean’s club record, the all-time second best in Tier 1 behind Jimmy
Greaves’ incredible 357 scored for 3 different clubs.
The legendary William Ralph “Dixie” Dean
Playing a game with 11 men can be difficult but when
you have a man sent off after 16 minutes and then another in the 81st
minute, it is no wonder that you finally crumple and go down to 2 late goals.
Lee Croft and Brian Wilson were the villains as Oldham Athletic’s mini revival hit the buffers at Walsall.
It goes without saying that Sergio Aguero is an
outstanding footballer; amongst the very best of a fine current crop of number
nines in the English game. He struggled to regain his place following a
suspension because of the outstanding form shown by the Brazilian Gabriel Jesus
but a serious injury to the youngster enabled Guardiola to reinstate Aguero. He
has since scored three times in two games and his manager has gone to great
lengths to praise his performances, but we need to be realistic here. He scored
against a virtual Huddersfield Town reserve side and against Sunderland. I feel
that the manager ought to reserve his comments until they play against a side
that knows how to defend.
Still on the Sky Blues, I feel that they are the
only side in the country that have even the slightest chance of catching
Chelsea. It will need consistently outstanding performances, a seismic loss of
form from the Londoners and a huge chunk of luck, but it is City or nobody.
Red
Rose County Player of the Week
With
a goal and an assist against Arsenal on Saturday, Sadio Mane once more showed
the Liverpool fans that he is possibly the most vital cog in the Klopp machine.
Not only a maker and scorer of goals, his energy and determination disrupts the
build-up of opposition attacks from deep, greatly contributing to Liverpool’s
success against top sides this season. As a result the Senegalese wins the
award for player of the week.
Tier 10 Club of the Week
Litherland REMYCA
All
clubs, even the great ones, started locally and then grew into the
multi-million pound businesses that they are today. Everton started life as St
Domingo’s FC in 1878 whereas Litherland REMYCA, founded 81 years later was
originally St Thomas’. Because of links with both REM Youth Club and Bootle
YMCA however, this club in the Merseyside Borough of Sefton became REMYCA. They
slowly made their way through the local leagues and Litherland (an urban
district to the north of Bootle) was added as a prefix in 2013 to give the club
a geographical identity. Two years later while members of the Liverpool County
Premier League, they were successful with their application to join the North
West Counties League Division 2. The first season saw a comfortable 9th
place finish, but this year the team managed by Phil Stafford has powered its
way to the top of the league and although they still have 10 more matches to
play, promotion is probably odds on. Colin McDonald with 21 goals is their
leading scorer, Colin Quirk was presented with the League Player of the Month
Award for January and for the same month, Sean Lake received the goalkeeping
award. Although Litherland REMYCA may never rise to the heights of Everton, a
club has to start somewhere and who knows what will be 50 years down the line.
The stand
at Litherland Sports Park, home of Litherland REMYCA
Quiz Answers
1 Wayne
Rooney, 2
Chris Taylor, 3 Leighton
Baines, 4
Dean Marney, 5 Jordan
Henderson,
6
Max
Power, 7 Paul
Gallagher, 8 Mark
Davies, 9 Jason
Lowe 10
Vincent Kompany.
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