Inside: What happened throughout the 94/95 title winning season.
Marking 20 years since Uncle Jack made our dreams come true.
A look back on the life of Uncle Jack. Interview with former Rovers and Scotland forward Kevin Gallacher
Credit: Getty Images
The Rovers A
By Lewis Horsfield
ny die-hard Blackburn Rovers fan will tell you that 14th May 1995 marks the most important day in their time supporting the club. The day they won the Premier League. Led by the Glaswegian who made his name at Liverpool, and bankrolled by Rovers greatest fan, Jack Walker, the 94/95 season had the ingredients to be a special one. And it duly delivered. The spine of the team that year was Tim Flowers; The ‘Braveheart’ himself Colin Hendry; Tim Sherwood; and THE real SAS – Shearer and Sutton. And what a team it was. Shearer and Sutton scoring nearly 50 goals between them set the benchmark for success, the rest of them just had to follow suit. Berg Special Service: SAS (Shearer and Sutton) accounted for over and Hendry were rocks in the defence and Sherwood was a midfield dynamo who just controlled ter United had spent. Henning Berg for under half a play for fun. Leeds United spent more on Carl- million and wide man Wilcox, who Anyone you ask to summarise ton Palmer than Walker did on the came through the academy also that season will recall Jack Walkwhole of Rovers starting midfield proves that the popoular saying ers wealth as one of the main ‘Rovers bought the league’ is a false reasons for success. To win such four. Newcastle also forked out more for accusation, and most people like to a competitive league requires investment in playing staff (obvi- Darren Peacock than Rovers did on turn a blind eye to Dalglish’s keen eye in the transfer market. ously) and this was emphasised their entire back four. when they parted with £8.3 mil- While most of the outlay was spent However, there is no doubt that Rovers were able to offer substantial lion to break the British transfer on the SAS partnership, a number of astute signings helped cover wages to stave off any competitors record twice, and Tim Flowers the losses throughout the season. in the transfer market. but comsigning in a record deal for a Atkins, for example cost a measly pared to the Liverpool and Tottengoalkeeper. But based on the combined price £45,000 from Scunthorpe who went ham sides of today, they bought on to become an important player wisely rather than overly. for rough starting XI’s, Blackin the midfield, playing 30 games in The success never really came after burn’s comes in at £14.7m, comthe 94/95 season though as manparably low when you line it up the league and contributing with 6 goals in the absence of David Batty. ager Kenny Dalglish moved on to a against the £19.3m that Manches-
s Revolution
er stopped helping his club as it is believed that his money also paid for purchase and wages of Steve Archibald and Ossie Ardiles in the 87/88 season. It took him just 5 years to take full control of the club and in 1991 he did just that, in his first three years he spent almost £25 million on new players, in an attempt to build a squad that could challenge for honours for years to come. Just over £8 million of that was spent on one of the most deadliest strike partnerships the premier league has ever seen in Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. Eventually, Uncle Jack decided it was time to reconstruct Ewood Park, so he did, at a cost of over £20million. To give it a capacity of 30,000+, an immortal tribute to Rovers’ greatest ever fan. Kenny Dalglish was brought in as manager in October 1991 and by may 1992 they had been promoted to the newly formed Premier League via the Then vs. now: Picture above compares the average/best play offs. starting XI of both teams from 2014/15 and 1994/95 In January 1995 Dalglish expressed a desire to sign Zinedine Zidane and Christophe Dugarry. But although many claim Blackburn ‘Bought the league title’ Jack Walker replied “Why do you want Zidane when we have half of Blackburns goals in the 1994/95 season. Tim Sherwood? Five years after the famous win, on 17 August 2000, Blackburn lost one of director of football role and was bright still to this day. their most loved ‘family members’ as replaced by his former assistant The state of the art stands at Ray Harford. Ewood and the prestige Brockhall Uncle Jack lost his battle with cancer. The season started badly with Academy are just little remind- In November 2004 the club opened the Jack Walker Memorial Garden, a defeat to Manchester United ers of how much he helped his and patches of bad form here and club. The replica Premier League where, in the middle, stands the Jack there stopped them from gaining trophy in the clubs trophy cabi- Walker Memorial Statue. any real momentum and ended net epitomises the influence Jack up finishing seventh 21 points off Walker had on his beloved club. the pace. It all started in 1986 when chairman Bill Fox invited then Greatest Ever Fan Vice-chairman Jack Walker to donate funds to build a new stand When Rovers’ greatest ever at Ewood Park, The WalkerSteel supporter took over his boyhood Stand (now known as the Riverclub, they were rooted in the side) was erected and it was just second tier of English football. beginning of a boyhood dream Known simply as ‘Uncle Jack’, his Tribute: The memorial statue was for Uncle Jack. His money nevlove for Blackburn Rovers shines Credit: www.footballfancast.com
unveiled in 2004 in remembrance.
“I thought my career had ended before it had even taken off!”
Credit: www.sportalink.com
Winners: Despite losing 2-1 on the final day Rovers won the league due to Man Utd drawing 1-1 on the final day meaning Rovers would seal their first PL trophy.
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omewhat a forgotten man from the class of ‘95, Kevin Gallacher has vivid and painful memories of sitting out the majority of the season. As Alan Shearer got injured, Blackburn Rovers came in and spent £1.5million bringing him in from Coventry City as cover for the England striker. “The fee didn’t really phase me, I just wanted to get in and impress the coaches, I knew they wanted me as cover but I thought I could challenge for a starting spot.” Gallacher made an instant impact on his debut against Liverpool, scoring in a 4-1 win. “I couldn’t believe it when I scored on my debut in front of the fans, I felt like any pressure that was put on me was quickly erased.” After a good start to his Blackburn career, his season took a turn for the worst.
would have given up. But not me. I wanted my career to go on for as long as possible. It was another chance to prove myself up against another challenge.” “I had come back, scored an important goal against Crystal Palace, I did a step over and John Humphreys caught me late, I thought I couldn’t break it again, but I was wrong.” Seven years on, after he had retired, a regular meeting with his surgeon made clear how lucky he was to have played football professionally for twenty years. “My surgeon told me that the first of two breaks could, and probably should have ended my career.” “I was teary eyed, partly because the news shocked me, but partly because I felt I was so
lucky to have even had a sniff at being part of our title winning season.” “The boys at the club at the time were amazing with me, they backed me to the hills and back, Chris (Sutton) and Alan (Shearer), fellow forwards were always sympathetic to me, they wanted me to just get back to full fitness.” He went on to earn 53 caps for Scotland, playing in Euro 92, 96 and the 1998 World Cup, feats that couldn’t have been achieved if he didn’t overcome the devastation of not one, but two leg breaks and spells at Newcastle, Preston, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield proved that people still rated him and believed he could carry on at the top regardless of the chance of his leg going again.
“In March 1995, the title winning season, I suffered a leg break against Arsenal. Surgeons told me I wouldn’t play again and I feared for my career, I thought it had ended before it had even properly started!” “I lost a week of my life when it happened, I remember it happening but after that, nothing. I was so drugged up with painkillers. At the time I didn’t realise it was that bad. I had always thought it was just a run of the mill broken leg.” He used his rehabilitation time wisely, getting Credit: www.brfcactiongroup.co.uk everything right, doing everything by the book. “I just wanted to play a part in that season.” After eight and a half months out, he was able to play his part, until his comeback was halted again with another break to the same leg just a few games after his comeLucky: Gallacher was only told about the severity of his first back. break after he retired, some seven years after the incident. “I broke it again in April, some people