Will this be the game when Cardiff City finally come up with a half decent home performance and end their latest miserable run on their own pitch? The only reason I can think of to believe they might is that, just as on Saturday against Stoke, we’re facing a team in equally poor form as us, but, whatever the outcome tonight, can we at least go out there and look like we’re not scared stiff of our opponents please.
Here’s seven Blackburn related questions.
60s. Starting off with religious war fighters, this forward moved to a ground, which no longer exists, that was famous for the noise generated there and proceeded to score goals at a tremendous rate, but the arrival of someone who scored at an even better rate saw him sidelined and it could be argued that his career went downhill from there. Blackburn, then an established First Division club, signed him at the age of twenty two and, over the next two seasons, he scored (including against City) at a perfectly respectable rate, but he was not as prolific as before. Blackburn recouped much of what they’d spent on him by selling him to a team that has since fallen on hard times (it looked like they were going to have to pack up in autumn 2023), but, despite further moves to London stripes, Yorkshire oranges (while he was there at least) and the other Hatters, he could never fully recapture the goalscoring prowess he had as a youngster. Nevertheless, when the time came for him to call it a day in his thirty seventh year, he’d scored one hundred and seventy nine league goals – who am I describing?
70s. Possessing what strikes me as a typically northern surname, this defender was in fact born in the midlands and started off with the city of his birth. His early years were interesting to say the least as he suffered badly with nerves at his first club and things got so bad for him there that he asked for a transfer only to be told by his, knighted, manager at the time;
“You can go by all means, but who’s going to sign you? You are f*cking crap!”
A move to Blackburn initially on loan helped as far as his nerves were concerned, but a new problem arose as his increasing confidence coincided with a decrease in discipline to leave him hitting the booze hard. His move to Ewood Park had been made a permanent one by now, but, a manager, who went on to much better things, had to suspend him for three months. It was during this time that he met his future wife and she appears to have helped bring about a change of attitude in him. After this he became a regular first choice for the majority of his eight years with Blackburn and late in his career there was a short move to play in white and then one across the Pennines to represent a side which has lost its Football League status twice since he left. Can you name the player concerned?
80s. Robot soldiers found in south east perhaps? (5,7)
90s. Sack butchers.
00s. Who is the forward who was signed by Blackburn for a club record fee, only scored in the Premier League against Everton and Liverpool and has said that the only player at the club he was friendly with was Tugay?
10s. Soap opera combines with name found in Agatha Christie book title to produce sixty nine times capped midfielder!
20s. Take a flyer on Irishman.
Answers
60s. Belfast born Ian Lawther was spotted by Sunderland while playing for Crusaders and broke into the first team at Roker Park as a teenager. Lawther scored goals at a sensational rate for one so young (forty one in seventy league matches), but the arrival of Brian Clough from Middlesbrough effectively signalled the end of his time at Sunderland. Moving on to Blackburn, Lawther scored a decent twenty one in his fifty nine league appearances, but next dropped into the lower divisions with Scunthorpe and stayed there for the rest of his career as he turned out for Brentford, Halifax and Stockport.
70s. Apparently, when Mick Rathbone was with Birmingham City, his nerves were so bad that he was intimidated by the presence of Trevor Francis in training and was told he was “f*cking crap” by Sir Alf Ramsey when he asked for a transfer. At one time, Rathbone told the next Birmingham manager, Jim Smith that he was going to pack the game in, but, instead, a loan to Blackburn was arranged which became a permanent deal in 1979. After initial disciplinary issues which led to Howard Kendall suspending him, Rathbone went on to play over two hundred and fifty league games for Blackburn and there were short spells with Preston and Halifax before he retired.
80s. Ossie Ardiles.
90s. Rob Dewhurst.
00s. Corrado Grabbi.
10s. Corry Evans (the Agatha Christie novel in question being “Why didn’t they ask Evans?).
20s. Patrick Gamble.