The Geordie Connection

With Blackburn Rovers next opponents being Newcastle United boddingtonblue takes a look back at a few of the numerous links between the two clubs.

Matches between us and the Toon have not been short of incident in recent times, there are a number of connections between the two clubs forged over the years. The departure of Mr angry and his staff of course is recent history, but there was a time when Blackburn managers were coveted and frequently taken by the big clubs. The man who took us from the wasteland of the old 3rd Division, a Division which gave us the joy of a visit to Halifax Town or indeed the rapture of Walsall in bloom was a man from the potteries, a gaunt figure and previously the manager of Port Vale, his name was Gordon Lee.

His name may not trip off the tongue but he was the man who gave me my first taste of success as a Rovers supporter. He produced a team which was functional and difficult to beat. Names, such as Graham Hawkins, Don Martin and our own Ken Beamish flourished. We gained promotion, the toon made their pitch; off he went taking with him Roger Jones, a goalkeeper and Graham Oates. He also took Richard Dinnis, a contributor to Radio Lancashire, who took Lee`s place when he was sacked.

In more recent times we had the classic night game, when a win set us up for
the Premiership Title featuring a world class save from Tim Flowers when faced with Keith Gillespie (who went on to play for us) on the Nuttall street, Blackburn End. I can still see Flowers twist in the air, change direction and block Gillespie's effort…

Alan Shearer made one of his comebacks from injury at St James Park, he scored and the game ended in a draw. The replay was won by a strike from a loan signing, an unknown Louis Saha. His only goal for Newcastle (so memory tells me) though time does play tricks.

So when I am there on Saturday all these thoughts will be going through my mind as well as Mr Nonda trebling his goal tally! Perhaps I should not get too carried away, if only Beamoe were to bring his boots…

This article was written by boddingtonblue.

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