May 14, 1995. Where were you?

I’ll tell you where I was.

As an eight-year-old lad, just making my first forays into becoming a Rovers fan, I was sat on my Dad’s settee in Oswaldtwistle.

There, with my Dad, I was watching Rovers take on Liverpool at Anfield in the final game of the Premier League season – the third season in the league’s history.

Rovers, at that point, were two points clear of Manchester United at the top of the league. United, champions for two seasons running, were playing West Ham United at Upton Park, knowing only a win would suffice.

Throughout a frantic hour-and-a-half, my Dad was up and down, constantly flicking between the two channels to monitor the situation at both grounds. This was in the days of Sky before remote controls, so he probably got a fair bit of exercise.

Rovers took the lead through Alan Shearer. Stuart Ripley tearing down the right and playing it along the ground towards the centre spot, where Shearer slotted the ball through John Scales’s legs to put us ahead.

Unfortunately, John Barnes equalised, making things very nervy.

At West Ham, United were drawing and Ludek Miklosko, the West Ham goalkeeper was on fire, while United’s record signing Andy Cole floundered in front of goal.

As Rovers fans begun preparations for a title party, with United being held 1-1 by West Ham and Rovers level with Liverpool, Paul Warhurst brought down Steve McManaman on the edge of the box. Jamie Redknapp took the free kick and, to the dismay of just about everyone at Anfield – Liverpool fans wanting us to win the title almost as much as we did, just to prevent it from going to Old Trafford – it flew into the top corner.

Everyone went pale. This couldn’t be happening. We’d been top for months. It can’t be thrown away now.

Then, the final whistle blew at West Ham, sparking jubilant scenes across the Blackburn area. As I said, I was only a nipper then, but I can still remember being driven home by my Dad and seeing all the fans outside the pubs. My Dad pipping his horn at them as we drove by. Magical.

At the time, I didn’t really recognise the magnitutde of the situation. In the time I started to become aware of football and Rovers, Jack Walker’s millions had already had their effect. I knew no better – I still don’t, really.

But Rovers winning the title then was unthinkable. An unfashionable small town team with barely a receptacle to urinate into taking the biggest prize in English football.

I said the other week we are the most successful town team in English football. What more proof do you need than a Premier League trophy?

Please feel free to suggest potential winners/nominees of these awards and suggestions for other awards.

Player of the Season

Pretty self-explanatory.

Young Player of the Year

Awarded to the best player this year, under the age of 24.

Emerging Player of the Year

Awarded to a youth player, either bought in or from within our ranks, who has caught the eye. Again, under-24s.

Most Improved Player

Awarded to any player who has seen a significant improvement in their performances, be that over the course of this season or improving on last season.

Goal of the Season

In no way connected to the Rovers’ own competition, and will include all goals scored this season!

Steady Eddie Unsung Hero of the Year

Awarded to a consistent performer who receives little praise in the media.

Performance of the Year

Awarded to the greatest individual performance in a single match.

Got to cheer myself up after a disappointing result today.

From the Daily Mail:

For all the records Lionel Messi is breaking, for all the plaudits that are being thrown his way, there is one man who remains out of his reach: Mike Newell.

The former Blackburn Rovers No 10 still holds the record for the fastest Champions League hat-trick – scored in nine minutes in a 4-1 win against Rosenborg at Ewood Park in 1995 – and Newell admits there was a moment on Tuesday when he feared his place in history was under threat from Barcelona striker Messi.

He said: ‘It was fantastic to watch but there was a moment after his second when he went through on goal and was going to break the record. He took a bad touch and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t say “Thank God” when he missed.

For all the records Lionel Messi is breaking, for all the plaudits that are being thrown his way, there is one man who remains out of his reach: Mike Newell.

The former Blackburn Rovers No 10 still holds the record for the fastest Champions League hat-trick – scored in nine minutes in a 4-1 win against Rosenborg at Ewood Park in 1995 – and Newell admits there was a moment on Tuesday when he feared his place in history was under threat from Barcelona striker Messi.

He said: ‘It was fantastic to watch but there was a moment after his second when he went through on goal and was going to break the record. He took a bad touch and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t say “Thank God” when he missed.

Newell, who won the Premier League title with Blackburn in 1995 and represented England at Under 21 and B level, said: ‘I can’t even be mentioned in the same breath as him. It’s embarrassing to be asked about him, to be honest. He is on a different level.

The nearest I ever saw to him in my playing days was facing Brazilian Romario in a friendly against Barcelona. Or maybe playing alongside Gazza.

‘Messi looks like he can just turn it on at the drop of hat, whenever he wants.

‘When you look at him making a team like Arsenal, who are challenging for the Premier League title, look ordinary, it puts everything into perspective.’

It’s just one of those random pictures that crops up. But it happens to be from 1953, in a game at Boothferry Park played between Hull City and Rovers.

The picture shows Eddie Quigley, who between 1951 and 1956 scored 92 goals in 159 appearances for the club, hitting a shot just wide.

However, according to the photographer, Rovers won the game 2-0.

Here’s the picture zoomed in a bit:

If by some remarkable coincidence you are reading this and went to this game, or even saw Eddie Quigley in action, please tell me about it in the comments.

Tommy Briggs heads a goal against Charlton, December 14th 1957.

In my mind, there is probably no better name for a northern footballer than Tommy Briggs.

A true Rovers great and yet one that few Rovers fans will have heard of.

Briggs holds the record for the most amount of goals scored in one game, when he scored seven for Rovers in an 8-2 victory over Bristol Rovers 55 years ago today in the 1954/55  season…

From givemefootball.com:

Blackburn Rovers’ Tommy Briggs scores seven goals – six in a row in 57 minutes – in an 8-3 thrashing of Bristol Rovers, who lead twice in the game! 

Blackburn’s penalty-taker Bobby Langton gave Tommy a hand to become the best-ever Second Division individual scorer when he steps aside to let him take a spot-kick when he is on six. 

Formerly with Grimsby Town, Birmingham City and Coventry City, Bobby played 194 games and scored 140 goals for Rovers before returning to Grimsby Town in 1958.

He finished his career at Glentoran as player-manager and died on 10th February 1984. 

During his career he achieved numerous records such as the being First Division top scorer in 1950 (35 goals for Grimsby Town) and 1955 (35 goals for Blackburn Rovers). 

After retiring from the game he lived in Grimsby and worked as a butcher. The record score by one man in a match remains that of Joe Payne of Luton Town in a 1936 12-0 hammering of – Bristol Rovers.

One-hundred-and-forty goals in 194 games. That is an amazing return! Let’s put that into context. Scoring at that rate, Simon Garner, the club’s record scorer and absolute hero, would have hit just under 350 goals in his 484 appearances!

As well as a Rovers legend and record-holder, Briggs, whose Dad was a First World War veteran, is a real unsung hero.

Tommy Briggs, we salute you.

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.

We were drawn at home, again, to Manchester City, in the next round. A solid performance and a goal at the end of each half, one from Nil-Eric Johansson and one from Damien Johnson sending us through.

Another home game followed, this time against Arsenal, who put out a load of kids, as is Arsene Wenger’s usual League Cup tactic. It failed miserable for the Frenchman as a Matt Jansen hattrick  and Mark Hughes’s first of the season gave Rovers a crushing 4-0 victory, seeing us into the semi-finals.

With Chelsea, Spurs and Sheffield Wednesday in the hat with us for the final four, it was obvious which team everyone wanted. And we got them. An ‘easy’ tie against Championship Wednesday meant we had to go away for the first of a two-legged semi.

At Hillsborough we won 2-0, Craig Hignett’s opener being eclipsed by Andy Cole, who had recently become Rovers’s record signing, scored his first goal for the club. In the return leg it was 4-2, 6-2 on aggregate, with goals from Jansen, Duff, Cole and Hignett.

Rovers were through to the final at Cardiff and Chelsea had been beaten by Tottenham.

It was a final Rovers were massive underdogs for. No one expected us to win, but a goal from Matt Jansen, making him the tournament’s top scorer, gave Rovers the lead, before Christian Ziege equalised for Spurs.

In the second half, Henning Berg launched it forward from just inside the Rovers half and, when Ledley King couldn’t deal with it, Andy Cole pounced to score Rovers’ second of the match, which would eventually prove to be the winner.

There were 30,000 Rovers fans at Cardiff that day, compared to the 9,000-ish that turned up at Ewood for the first round…

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.”

Dear Rovers fans

Just to let you know that we will be filming Rovers fans again this Saturday.  We’ll be at The Fox and Hounds from about 11.30 filming fans there before the Portsmouth game and we’ll be at The Aqueduct after the game.

For those of you that have already been filmed – it would be great to see you again as I need to get some written stories.  If you can spare me 5 or 10 mins that would be greatly appreciated – I’ll do the writing I just need to capture a story or two that we didn’t talk about on film.  Incidentally the videos are looking good – the passion for Rovers shines through.

Naturally we are keen to film more fans on Saturday.  There are some on this distribution list that couldn’t make it last time – hopefully we can see you on Saturday.
Also maybe you’d be kind enough to mention to some friends or relatives that support Rovers that they should come along. We have already captured some great memories but it is undoubtedly the case that the more that participate, the more stories, the more interesting the website.
Depending on how many we film on Saturday it is likely that this will be the last chance to have a profile created and be filmed for free.  We have already filmed in excess of 50 fans (Rovers, PNE and Burnley) and others have written memories but not been filmed, to ensure the site is a good experience from day one.  The site will be launched this month and will be free to view but there will be a charge for being featured.

Soon we’ll be moving on to the delights of Bolton, Bury, Blackpool and Wigan – if you have some friends that support these teams and would be up for telling their stories please let us know.

Hope to see you on Saturday.  Once again, to all of you that have helped so far, I offer a sincere thank you.  A big thank you also to the landlady/landlord at the pubs.