Category: Blackburn Rovers

Turquoise Shirts And Zebras

Don't Cross Me!

Don’t Cross Me!

Rovers played out a 1-1 draw with Stoke City in our only home pre-season friendly. It was a rare visit to the Blackburn End instead of my usual Riverside seat this time. But what made things more unfamiliar was Rovers playing in their new turquoise away shirts.

Being a hot sunny afternoon, I had to blink a few times to get accustomed to this strange shade of greeny-blue. My mates and I all agreed the colour was turquoise. Reading the black letters on the shirt proved even more difficult to my waning eyesight. We all agreed red is far more effective on top of blue and white. At least there was no mistaking the new kit sponsor’s zebra.

Unfortunately zebras only come in shades of black and white. Apart from the ones who didn’t manage to escape from hungry lions. But having a red and white zebra on the shirt might not have gone down well with squeamish Rovers fans. Blue and white zebras are a strange concept and could become quite distinctive. But they might be seen as frivolous and probably not something our new kit sponsors may wish to be associated with.

But it looks like zebras might be replacing chickens as the creatures we’ve been associated with over the last few years. Our first three opponents in this new Championship season, like us, are also linked to birds and animals. Cardiff City, who we open the season with, has always been known as the Bluebirds. But their Malaysian owner not only changed their kit from blue to red, he now wants to rename the club Cardiff Dragons.

Cardiff fans have taken a lot of stick over the years due to their ‘Soul Crew’ hooligan minority. But their refusal to succumb to Vincent Tan’s attempts to destroy their club’s culture has received admiration from many fans across the football community. At the other stadium in their city, Welsh fans of the oval ball are often seen waving aloft blow-up sheep. This time they can play with blow-up zebras

A week later we trot across to the Lancashire coast for a local derby at Blackpool. We play the donkey lashers, who are going through their own tales of woe at the watering hole. Ironically, their most famous visitor came from Blackburn. He was called Albert and was swallowed by a lion. Let’s just hope it’s a good away day for us Blackburners this time and three points for Rovers. Our four legged friends keep their pyjamas on and earn their stripes at the seaside.[ebook_store ebook_id=”590″]

Rovers Season Tickets

Season Tickets

Roving Mick’s Season ticket collection

It’s that time of the year again.  Another season over and a new one not so far away.  This means me having to put my hand in my pocket for a new season ticket.

As my photo illustrates, this isn’t a new experience for me, more of an annual ritual really.  I bought my first ticket in 1977 and have never missed a single season since.

For Season 1977-78, my lovely grey hard-bound Ground book of tickets was printed by local Blackburn printers: Hulme & Whitehead and cost me £13 (inclusive of V.A.T.).  It was excellent value at the time, the adult gate price was 90p.  Whereas I got to watch 21 first team league matches and it was free to watch the reserves.  Season ticket holders also got first pick with their tickets when cup ties took place.

Inside its cover was a roll of club officials, including Chairman:  WH Bancroft; Vice-Chairman:  DT Keighley.

Directors:  AL Fryars; WI Hubert; D Brown; W Fox and Dr M Jeffries.  Secretary:  JW Howarth and Manager:  JM Smith.

The actual tickets inside the booklet were also grey and 42 league and 10 cup tie tickets were originally there.  Nobody knew which ticket it would be when the games came round.  This was to stop illegal use and ticket touting.

There would be a lot more season tickets on the photo, but technology took over some years ago.  Now my electronic ticket is automatically switched on when the money is debited from my bank account.  So I’ve been using the same piece of plastic for quite a few years now and another piece of plastic was used to pay for it too.

Maybe my season ticket reflects the current state of how football is these days.  Fans like me – who actually turn up at matches – are seen as mugs and just there to be milked like cows.  Yet matches are laid out to suit viewers on TV, many who have never even been to a professional football match and probably harbour no intentions of ever attending one.

Fortunately, there are a lot of supporters around like me who still enjoy watching their local team.  I look forward to buying my 38th Blackburn Rovers season ticket in a row.  Another pre-season ritual will also be followed – my hoping the price will be as competitive as the football team.

Cyber Rovers

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football.  Are your sure?

Can you imagine a future world, where Rovers fans only watch football on TV.  Where the growth of satellite TV and ‘streaming’ is making football more available for supporters to watch.  So the pub, computer and home telly becomes the only place fans ever see a match.

This Orwellian world is already with us (but don’t tell anyone).  So let us imagine our game’s hierarchy decide they want more of the money being paid to footballers and their agents going to them.  What’s to stop them creating their own cyber team?  Then using their football thought control to persuade us it’s a good thing.  Now they have the medium already.  Virtual teams wouldn’t need grounds, or fans inside them.  This would be great for health & safety.  No need to supply food or drink, or pay police or stewards.

Football games would become like ‘The Truman Show’.  Advertising could be taken to a new and sinister level.  Subliminal messages could be sent during play, as well as at half time.  Press your red button and you could even adjust your team’s performance or skill level.  A win, draw or even a loss could be your desired result.

And so our cyber game kicks off down the pub (behind closed doors is official FIFA newspeak – but there’s still plenty of canned noise).  After a delay to get in a few more adverts and a message from our sponsor.  It’s Rovers, with Shearer and Garner up front, playing a European game against Bayer Red Bull Philips.  These European fans seem to speak such good English:  “I’m lovin’ it” they sing.  Nobody understands this really as Rovers are already one up, with a goal by Shearer, from a Bryan Douglas cross.

While our players congratulate each other, all sorts of adverts are shown before the game kicks off again.  Several goals are scored for both sides.  But there are complaints from people watching this game about strange chants and singing changing from English into Mandarin Chinese.  A commentator apologises, saying it’s satellite interference from Shanghai Sports.  They are angry, saying Rovers broke a sponsorship agreement by not playing a Chinese player.

At the end of ninety minutes most viewers have some strange desire to eat turkey pizza and drink blueberry cola.  It came to them during a simultaneous camera flash.  But today’s match was played to a finish.  Our match ends with Rovers winning by just one goal – 7-6 – after extra time.  Today’s sponsor – Blueberry Pizzashop – was very pleased indeed.

This is fantasy football of a new kind.  Brainwashing with soap opera thrown in too.  But how would most football fans know anyway?  Do you control football?  Or does football control you?  Kick off time is when the clock strikes thirteen – anywhere in the world.  This could be football’s future.  So get down to Ewood Park instead, where the real thing isn’t just a fizzy drink.

Vouchers

Get them told!

Get them told!

Earlier this month, Rovers ground out a 1-0 home win over Watford.  Being a night match, I went to catch the special Outer Circle bus home after the final whistle.  I’d arranged to meet one of my mates and Quarryman’s regular, Rob MacNeall, at the bus stop.  Rob was there and so was a queue of Rovers fans, but no bus!  It was the same at the bus stop round the corner, where a sister bus travels in the opposite direction back to the depot. Rob and I waited for this elusive bus, but to no avail.  We came to the same conclusion; it wasn’t coming, so nipped for a pint in Ewood Park Workingmen’s Club.  We let the football traffic disperse and caught a taxi to the Quarryman’s.  This cost us £4.50, plus we had a pint apiece in the club and pub, costing us more loot. Now Rob and I are not unfamiliar with experiencing bus problems.  We recently teamed up to win a skirmish with the local bus operators over using our bus passes on evening services.  Both of us catch various buses to get to and from our respective workplaces.  At one point our paid-for bus passes were not accepted by certain operators when they took over certain routes at night.  This was resolved to our satisfaction after a bit of effort from Rob and me. And so we resolved to contact Transdev and complain about why tonight’s service had ducked and were these special buses still going to be laid on after Rovers night matches?  Next morning I sent a whingeing email to Transdev and tweeted my complaint to them on their Twitter site.  Rob followed suit and we both received apologies and three travel vouchers apiece.  Hopefully this was a one-off and I expect to be catching the Outer Circle home after our next night match at Ewood Park.  Maybe Rovers can grind out another result.  We certainly managed one.