Review of the Rovers year

Winning the championship for the first time in 81 years was the realisation of what had long seemed an impossible dream for every single Blackburn Rovers supporter.

And it was certainly a dream come true for one very special fan - Jack Walker, the man whose backing made it all possible.

The title triumph ensures that 1995 will always be remembered with great pride and huge pleasure at Ewood, yet the second half of the year did bring its share of major disappointment.

For whatever reason - and no-one quite seems to know why - Rovers' defence of their crown stuttered, alarmingly at times. And they also had to suffer criticism and abuse as a depleted squad belly flopped in Europe.

A fluctuating year of the usual highs and lows, and, of course, a change of manager. But the biggest buzz of all came on that wonderful weekend in May.

JANUARY: Rovers began the year where they were to finish the season, in first place, and a 4-2 win over West Ham - courtesy of an Alan Shearer hat trick - on January 2 left them six points clear of Manchester United.

The new Ewood was in full use for the first time this month, staging a 3-0 romp against Nottingham Forest, and, despite another controversial defeat at Old Trafford, Rovers ended January on a high with Shearer's second hat trick of the month.

Ipswich were the fall guys this time and, though Rovers' lead was down to four points, they had a match in hand.

But it wasn't all joy, as FA Cup hopes were ended in a third round replay by Newcastle at Ewood. It did, however, leave Rovers free to concentrate on their prime objective. FEBRUARY: It wasn't the most productive of months, with two wins and two home draws from five games.

Tim Flowers got his marching orders in the opening minutes of the game against Leeds but the 10 men, given incredible vocal backing by a near full house, came within minutes of a remarkable victory.

That night, the belief was perhaps born that the championship really could be claimed.

Sky TV's demands meant that, for a matter of hours, Rovers were demoted to second place until they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Ewood, with Tim Sherwood hitting a screamer.

At the end of the month the gap between the only two realistic contenders, Rovers and United, was down to three points from the same number of games.

MARCH: Alan Wright departed for Aston Villa for £900,000 with thanks for a job well done but unable to dislodge the best left back in the country, Graeme Le Saux.

Kenny Dalglish brought in Jeff Kenna from Southampton for £1.5 million and he was to play a significant part in the last nine games of the title run-in. Dutchman Richard Witschge also came from Bordeaux on loan to replace Jason Wilcox in the squad.

But Witschge was to figure only briefly, despite the horrendous blow of losing Wilcox with cruciate ligament damage which could have proved critical in the final reckoning.

Results wise, it was a good month with three wins and a draw, the single point gained at Coventry through a last-gasp Shearer header. Colin Hendry scored a vital winner at Aston Villa, on the day United were putting nine past Ipswich and Shearer's goal in the 2-1 win over Chelsea was his 100th in League football, 77 for Rovers, 23 for Southampton.

The end of the month saw Rovers' lead stretched to six points.

APRIL: One of the highlights was Shearer's crowning as the PFA Player of the Year and Rovers had a record six men in the PFA Premier League select: Flowers, Hendry, Le Saux, Sherwood, Shearer and Chris Sutton who got April off to a flying start with the season's quickest Premiership goal in only 13 seconds at Everton.

Rovers had to withstand a bombardment before winning but their character was showing and it was needed.

To counter the blow of losing Paul Warhurst with another broken leg, in training, David Batty and Kevin Gallacher were back on the senior scene this month for the first time in the season.

Sadly for Gallacher it was only a brief re-appearance but he contributed a crucial goal in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. Three wins, a draw and two defeats was a mixed bag of results and Rovers seemed to be rocking.

But with two games left, they led by eight points from United who had four to play. MAY: Monday, May 8, at Ewood was a stunning occasion. The packed stands generated a tremendous atmosphere and Shearer's superb header left Rovers knowing that, if they won their final match at Anfield, they would be crowned champions.

It's legend now that Rovers lost, but United could only draw at West Ham and Blackburn witnessed unprecedented scenes as the area went title crazy. On the night the championship was won, thousands flocked to Ewood and the town centre.

The following night, more than 30,000 squeezed into the ground to see the trophy presented again and Dalglish named as manager of the year. The celebrations went on for a long time.

Meanwhile, Tony Gale, who had done such a valuable job early in the season, left on a free transfer after what had been a real bonus season for the veteran.

JUNE: After the celebrations came the big shock, Dalglish was stepping down from the manager's job and was to be made director of football in a new role, with his right-hand man Ray Harford taking charge.

Rovers supporters were stunned by the announcement but the club stressed the new roles were only a change of emphasis, with the same people still involved behind the scenes.

And a new contract for Shearer re-affirmed the belief that more success was on the horizon.

It was a huge challenge for Harford, especially with the club's entry into the European Cup for the first time and, with direct qualification for the Champions' League, a guarantee of at least six games against top-class foreign opposition.

JULY: New signings were expected, especially with the European campaign in mind but none materialised, with the men Rovers would have liked not available.

The draw for the Champions' League produced games against Russian champions Spartak Moscow, Norwegians Rosenborg and top Polish club Legia Warsaw.

Keen anticipation of a first-ever tilt at the European Cup, however, was soon to turn to disappointment.

AUGUST: Just before the start of the new season, Rovers finally added to their squad with Matty Holmes (West Ham) and Adam Reed (Darlington) coming in. Robbie Slater joined the Hammers as part of the Holmes deal and there was good news for Nicky Marker. He made his return to the senior scene, after cruciate ligament surgery, as a sub in the Charity Shield against Everton.

The Wembley date was lost for the second year in succession but Rovers got a winning start in the League, 1-0 against QPR. Shearer - who else? - scored the goal to maintain the form that brought him a share of the Premiership record of 34 in the title season.

Three successive defeats by Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton and Manchester United, however, signalled that the title honeymoon was over.

SEPTEMBER: Derek Fazackerley was back at Ewood, where he still holds the record for the number of League appearances by any player.

Having established his reputation as a top-class coach at Newcastle, he made a popular Rovers return as first team coach. While Harford was strengthening his backroom staff, however, long-serving Mark Atkins left for Wolves in a £1 million deal.

Not much sign of improvement on the field, with the first two Champions' League games being lost and only two wins in seven matches. They came against Swindon in the Coca-Cola Cup and Coventry in the Premiership.

Shearer hit another hat-trick against Coventry and reached 100 League and Cup goals for the club.

OCTOBER: Another departure, as Lee Makel left for Huddersfield for £300,000 but, at last, some signings with Billy McKinlay moving South from Dundee United and Lars Bohinen snapped up from Nottingham Forest.

Scottish international McKinlay cost £1.75 million, while Bohinen was a snip at £700,000 through a special clause in his contract. Young Irishman Graham Coughlan was also signed with an eye on the future.

The lack of summer signings was costing Rovers dearly in the Champions' League with a third successive defeat, but Coca-Cola progress was made via Swindon and Watford and League form was improving - Bohinen scoring on his debut against Southampton.

Rovers ended October in mid-table, with their Euro hopes also bleak.

NOVEMBER: Games continued to come thick and fast but the manager found time to make another major capture, paying Aston Villa £1.45 million for Graham Fenton.

But another major body blow hit his plans when Ian Pearce, a player who had made tremendous strides and looks a great prospect, suffered a long-term ankle injury.

There were mixed fortunes in the League but, on the day Jack Walker officially opened the new Ewood, Rovers hit their record Premier League score - 7-0 against Forest, with another hat trick for Shearer.

Hopes of European progress were officially ended, so too was the Coca-Cola Cup run, at Leeds, but the real low point was the night in Moscow and the now infamous flare-up between Graeme Le Saux and David Batty.

Hendry, one of my two men of the year - the other, of course, being Shearer - was harshly sent off to compound Rovers' misery.

DECEMBER: Shearer's third hat trick of the season - his fifth of 1995 - brought a 4-2 win over West Ham before a Euro consolation. Mike Newell scored the fastest hat trick ever seen in the Champions' League as a depleted and reshuffled Rovers team beat Rosenborg 4-1.

Yet this month too was to be marked by a real "downer", even though form and consistency continued to improve and Chris Coleman was signed from Crystal Palace for £2.8 million.

Le Saux's horrendous injury against Middlesbrough seems to have counted him out for the rest of the season and Rovers would happily have swapped Shearer's winner for the accident not to have happened.

Last Tuesday night, Shearer registered his 99th League goal for the club, from only 117 full appearances, plus six more as a sub.

On the same night, Batty scored his FIRST for Rovers. With that and the title in 1995, it just goes to show that little dreams as well as as big ones sometimes do come true in football.

As the manager said last night, reflecting on the past 12 months: "If someone had said at the turn of the year that we were going to get what we have had, you would have said - Yes please!"

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.