Ahead of this weekend's trip to Carrow Road, here's an article from the archives from 2004 - originally written as a weekly columnist for the now defunct www.roversactive.co.uk
We used to score seven...
by Craig R. Haydock, 3rd November, 2004
by Craig R. Haydock, 3rd November, 2004
Cast your mind back to Saturday, 3rd October 1992. Its days like these that the tabloid headlines have a tendency to write themselves. When Rovers thrashed seven goals past a hapless Norwich City it was more than a ‘lucky’ number, it was more than ‘magnificent’ and the Ewood faithful was in more than ’seventh heaven’.
I strutted with pride the whole of the following week at school. You’d have thought that I’d managed an under the table peak up Dayna Harrison’s skirt in double Geography or finally discovered my first pubic hair. 7up had become my latest break-time tipple and I became the scourge of my next-door neighbour’s garden in a vain attempt to re-create Alan Shearer’s glorious chip over a startled Bryan Gunn.
I’m a tad large for a back-garden slog in the mud these days, but last Sunday’s hangover viewing took in a dusted down copy of Rovers’ 92/93 Season Review, one word: bloody marvellous (okay, two). My mouth literally watered as I basked in the glory of better days, by the time the Norwich demolition came onto the screen my eyes were already aglow with the feast of football unfolding before me.
Scoring seven goals in football is the ultimate definition of a complete and utter rout and watching your team score seven goals can only be described as pure unbridled joy, watching them concede seven goals? I wouldn’t know, touch wood.
Norwich was the first, since then Rovers fans have enjoyed similar routs against Nottingham Forest 7-0 (95/96), Sheffield Wednesday 7-2 (97/98) and West Ham 7-1 (01/02). More acute finishing and our not-so-friendly neighbours from the other side of Accrington may have suffered similar humiliation (00/01) and the ’suicide squad’ may have had a more realistic meaning, although five against our bitter rivals did indeed feel like ten.
Incidentally, Rovers nearly managed it on my debut appearance at Ewood Park in 1986. Six goals against Sunderland and four from a certain legendary Number 10 was ample enough to make me fall in love with Blackburn Rovers and Simon Garner forever. We’ve managed six a few times since as well, but six just isn’t seven, is it?
The win over Norwich sent us to the top of the Premier League, replacing the Canaries as a result. This weekend we’ll be hoping to do likewise - although nineteenth spot and above is the aim of the day, how the times have changed.
Was it really that long ago when Roy Wegerle fell on his arse before slotting home and Gordon Cowans (god bless him) curled a delightful free-kick in off the post? Alan Shearer twice, another from Wegerle and token gestures from Ripley and Sherwood completed the scoring that day. One look at the Norwich back four and the appearance of a beleaguered Chris Sutton and time tells it’s own story. Twelve years is a long time in football, evidently so.
A point against Liverpool last Saturday was satisfying enough for a louder than usual home following, who had braced themselves for the worse. After the game we were talking ’sevens’ again, but it was the ‘Number 7′ not seven goals that had captivated the Blackburn End with a series of dazzling runs and potent play. While Brett Emerton was busy tormenting the opposition, doubting Thomas’s everywhere were hanging their heads in shame.
I’m a fully signed up member of the Brett Emerton appreciation society, I was delighted when we signed him from under the noses of a host of top clubs for the paltry sum of 2.2 million, ecstatic when he notched on his debut with a 20 yarder and well, okay, he’s not been brilliant since but the talent is there, believe. With quality players around him, Emerton, not unlike Barry Ferguson, has the promise to excel.
That quality will be needed in East Anglia if Rovers are to overcome their away-day blues and not suffer the indignity of becoming Norwich’s first Premiership scalp of the season.
The last time the two sides met, Mark Hughes was sent off on New Years Day 2001, with Marcus Bent securing a plucky point. The last time Rovers played at Carrow Road in the top flight we were humbled 2-1 en route to the championship, while the Canaries would go on to be relegated. A prediction for Saturday? ‘One nil to the Millionaires.’ Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.
(Footnote: The game would end Norwich City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers, Paul Dickov earning ten-man Rovers a point, after Jay Bothroyd had been sent-off for kicking Mattias Jonson)
I strutted with pride the whole of the following week at school. You’d have thought that I’d managed an under the table peak up Dayna Harrison’s skirt in double Geography or finally discovered my first pubic hair. 7up had become my latest break-time tipple and I became the scourge of my next-door neighbour’s garden in a vain attempt to re-create Alan Shearer’s glorious chip over a startled Bryan Gunn.
I’m a tad large for a back-garden slog in the mud these days, but last Sunday’s hangover viewing took in a dusted down copy of Rovers’ 92/93 Season Review, one word: bloody marvellous (okay, two). My mouth literally watered as I basked in the glory of better days, by the time the Norwich demolition came onto the screen my eyes were already aglow with the feast of football unfolding before me.
Scoring seven goals in football is the ultimate definition of a complete and utter rout and watching your team score seven goals can only be described as pure unbridled joy, watching them concede seven goals? I wouldn’t know, touch wood.
Norwich was the first, since then Rovers fans have enjoyed similar routs against Nottingham Forest 7-0 (95/96), Sheffield Wednesday 7-2 (97/98) and West Ham 7-1 (01/02). More acute finishing and our not-so-friendly neighbours from the other side of Accrington may have suffered similar humiliation (00/01) and the ’suicide squad’ may have had a more realistic meaning, although five against our bitter rivals did indeed feel like ten.
Incidentally, Rovers nearly managed it on my debut appearance at Ewood Park in 1986. Six goals against Sunderland and four from a certain legendary Number 10 was ample enough to make me fall in love with Blackburn Rovers and Simon Garner forever. We’ve managed six a few times since as well, but six just isn’t seven, is it?
The win over Norwich sent us to the top of the Premier League, replacing the Canaries as a result. This weekend we’ll be hoping to do likewise - although nineteenth spot and above is the aim of the day, how the times have changed.
Was it really that long ago when Roy Wegerle fell on his arse before slotting home and Gordon Cowans (god bless him) curled a delightful free-kick in off the post? Alan Shearer twice, another from Wegerle and token gestures from Ripley and Sherwood completed the scoring that day. One look at the Norwich back four and the appearance of a beleaguered Chris Sutton and time tells it’s own story. Twelve years is a long time in football, evidently so.
A point against Liverpool last Saturday was satisfying enough for a louder than usual home following, who had braced themselves for the worse. After the game we were talking ’sevens’ again, but it was the ‘Number 7′ not seven goals that had captivated the Blackburn End with a series of dazzling runs and potent play. While Brett Emerton was busy tormenting the opposition, doubting Thomas’s everywhere were hanging their heads in shame.
I’m a fully signed up member of the Brett Emerton appreciation society, I was delighted when we signed him from under the noses of a host of top clubs for the paltry sum of 2.2 million, ecstatic when he notched on his debut with a 20 yarder and well, okay, he’s not been brilliant since but the talent is there, believe. With quality players around him, Emerton, not unlike Barry Ferguson, has the promise to excel.
That quality will be needed in East Anglia if Rovers are to overcome their away-day blues and not suffer the indignity of becoming Norwich’s first Premiership scalp of the season.
The last time the two sides met, Mark Hughes was sent off on New Years Day 2001, with Marcus Bent securing a plucky point. The last time Rovers played at Carrow Road in the top flight we were humbled 2-1 en route to the championship, while the Canaries would go on to be relegated. A prediction for Saturday? ‘One nil to the Millionaires.’ Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.
(Footnote: The game would end Norwich City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers, Paul Dickov earning ten-man Rovers a point, after Jay Bothroyd had been sent-off for kicking Mattias Jonson)
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