Colin Hendry celebrates scoring the only goal in Rovers 1-0 win at Villa Park in 1995

Colin ‘Braveheart’ Hendry was an immense figure in the Rovers team of the nineties.

As well as being my personal favourite all-time player, he was a rock at the centre of defence, without which the Premiership title would never have been won.

The Scot ironically started as a striker for Dundee before moving to Rovers in 1987. He famously scored the goal that won us the Full Members Cup against Charlton. The Addicks at the time were playing in the First Division, a league above Rovers.

Hendry was converted to a centre back before moving on to First Division Manchester City in 1989 after making 102 appearances for Rovers. Hendry won Player of the Year for the 1989/1990 season. However, after a fall-out with manager Peter Reid he lost his place in the team.

After becoming Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish re-signed Hendry for around half a million pounds and he became a key figure of the side Dalglish would go on to build with Jack Walker’s millions.

He was part of the team that got promotion from the Second Division into the newly formed Premiership in 1992 and continued to be one of the best defenders in English football. He helped us to fourth place in our first season, then second before becoming champions!

As much as our championship win in 1995 can be attributed to the goals of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, it can never be under-estimated how vital Hendry’s solid defending was to our title charge.

He was also something of a joker, and was once given a ticking off by a female police officer during a game at Ewood when, while retrieving the ball which had gone out for a throw in, he decided to knock the PC’s hat off. She didn’t take it in the manner the little joke was expected.

He was also famous for revealing his bottom to the Rovers faithful on numerous occasions, to the chant ‘Hendry, show us yer arse!’

He chose to move to Rangers in 1998 for £4 million but was never overly successful.

He went on to play for Coventry, Bolton, Preston and Blackpool whom he later managed. His spell as Blackpool manager was unsuccessful and he was sacked. He spent some of last season as Steve Evans’ assistant at Boston United before becoming going on to manage Clyde for a time.

He now lives in Blackpool, in a house dry-lined by the Rovers Return’s father, with his children and tragically lost his wife last month after a botched liposuction operation

Colin Hendry was a Rovers legend.

We salute you!

Denise and Colin Hendry

Colin Hendry, passing away last week.

Colin was, and is, a true lionheart and I wish him my condolences.

Denise, who leaves Colin with four children, underwent liposuction seven years ago at a private hospital in Preston.

The procedure went very wrong and Denise suffered nine punctures to her bowel and colon, causing septicaemia and multiple organ failure. She went into cardiac arrest and her heart stopped for four minutes.

The pair won damages and the surgeon responsible left the register, but that will be no consolation to Colin as Denise, who spent the past few weeks in critical condition in hospital in Salford, finally died on Friday.

Once more, my sympathy is with Colin and his four children. As, I am sure, is the sympathy of everyone who ever saw him pull on the blue and white halves.

Image courtesy of Mark Waugh – www.markwaugh.net