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It is one of the most notable title wins of the Premier League era.
On May 14, 1995, four years after finishing 19th in the former Second Division, Blackburn Rovers was crowned champion after beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United by one point.
In an exciting run, Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn increased eight points to lose just three of his last five games, before celebrating after a dramatic final day.
Those who remember that season particularly remember Rovers owner Jack Walker, the Blackburn-born steel magnate who stood on the terraces of Ewood Park before funding his beloved club, as well as the explosive 49-goal partnership between Alan Shearer. and Chris Sutton. SAS by the media.
On the 25th anniversary of Blackburn’s best day, this is the story of his Premier League triumph, told by those who lived through it.
How a broken leg caused the SAS
It’s the summer of 1994 and after finishing second in the previous season, eight points behind champion Manchester United, Blackburn’s hierarchy is gearing up for a third season in the Premier League.
Having spent around £ 20 million since 1991, including a national transfer record of £ 3.6 million for Alan Shearer, Rovers pays Norwich City £ 5 million for 21-year-old forward Chris Sutton, a 25-goal scorer in the He flirts the previous season, after losing Scottish striker Kevin Gallacher to injury five months earlier.
Robert Coar, President of Blackburn at the time: “All the clubs wanted Chris. We had tried to contact Robert Chase, the president of Norwich, but he did not answer his phone. I was at a test match at Old Trafford on July 1 and kept going out of my seat to call him. Finally he called and said, “Okay, well, I’m coming to see you.” A couple of nights later he flew to Blackpool airport and we settled the deal for a meal. We announced the signing a few days later.
Midfielder Mark Atkins, who scored six goals in 34 league games: “It was a real signing of intention. We needed it because Kevin, who was our second-leading scorer the previous season behind Shearer, was injured. We needed someone to push us.”
Gallacher “I always say with my mouth open that if I hadn’t broken my leg, Blackburn would not have bought Chris and there would have been no SAS. Jack and Kenny always told the new signings that the dream was to win the League.”
| 1994-95 transfers: Blackburn v Man Utd | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Black burn | Share | Man Utd | Share |
| Chris Sutton (Norwich) | £ 5m | David May (Blackburn) | £ 1.4 million |
| Robbie Slater (Lens) | £ 300,000 | Graeme Tomlinson (City of Bradford) | £ 100,000 |
| Tony Gale (West Ham) | Free | Andy Cole (Newcastle) | £ 6m |
| Jeff Kenna (Southampton) | £ 1.5m | ||
| Richard Witschge (Bordeaux) | Loan | ||
| TOTAL | £ 6.8 million | £ 7.5 million | |
The court jester and a broken coach window
In addition to missing Gallacher, Blackburn also begins the season without influential midfielder David Batty, who is recovering from a broken foot.
Sutton scores a 21-minute hat-trick in his third league game, a 4-0 home win over Coventry, while Rovers ends the second of September in the table, two points behind pioneers Newcastle United, where Andy Cole continues to impress in front of target.
Dalglish’s backroom team includes former England U-21 boss Ray Harford, as well as club stalwart Tony Parkes.
Coar: “Kenny was a magnet for the players because of his previous success. Shearer came to Blackburn because he wanted to play for him, Sutton wanted to play for him. Ray, besides being a very good coach, was a bit of a jester court. He used to walk down the training ground corridor singing “Always look on the bright side of life.”
Blackburn was eight points from the top on one stage
Atkins “We had a lot of fun with Kenny and Ray. Kenny was good as one of the guys during the week. We went to West Ham as the team coach and some of the players were bored. Someone suggested they give him the hammer he uses for the start. fire at the back of the coach. You had to touch the window and pass it to the next player who had to touch it harder. We were heading towards the M6 when the window suddenly broke. Kenny got down to the back of the coach to investigate, but nothing was ever said. We traveled to London with a plastic sheet covering the broken window. Mike Newell had to sit next to her with about four coats because it was freezing. “
Winger Jason Wilcox, who scored five times in 27 league games: “It was a healthy dressing room full of leaders under Kenny and Ray. I was 23 at the time and they called me many times if I wasn’t in the right areas. I didn’t take it personally.” “
Dalglish’s backroom team included Tony Parkes (left) and Ray Harford (center), who were tasked with managing Blackburn. Recognized as one of the best coaches of his generation, Harford died in 2003 after a long illness.
‘They forgot about me’
It is January 1995 and excitement is being created in the old mill town. Blackburn has opened a five-point lead at the top after winning 11 of 12 games. Manchester United reacted by spending a British record of £ 6 million on Newcastle striker Andrew Cole. At Ewood, Gallacher is about to return after almost a year.
Atkins “Signing Cole was going to make United a better team because he was scoring at a phenomenal rate.”
Coar: Being Blackburn born and raised and a fan since the age of four, the excitement grew as the season wore on. I ran a construction business in the area, the city was packed with people for what was happening at the club. It was the best momentum Blackburn had had in a long time. “
Gallacher “I forgot after my injury the previous season. My incentive for myself in 1994-95 was to get back in shape and separate Shearer and Sutton. I wanted to be the one to play up front. I didn’t care if it was with Alan or Chris “
Nine Blackburn players played 30 league games or more during the 1994-95 season. After Jason Wilcox was injured, Graeme Le Saux played on the left wing, with new signing Jeff Kenna on the left side. David Batty replaced Mark Atkins in midfield towards the end of the season.
Aided by a kung fu kick
On April 20, Blackburn beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to leave eight points clear of their closest rivals Manchester United, who have been without influential Eric Cantona since January 25 after being banned by a Kung Fu Kick at a Crystal Palace Fanatic.
Gallacher marks his long-awaited return by scoring the winner, but he doesn’t finish the game after breaking his leg for the second time in 14 months.
Batty also returned to midfield after an injury, but Wilcox is out for the rest of the season after a cruciate ligament injury that threatens his career, while Dalglish has strengthened his team by signing the left-back of the Republic of Ireland Jeff Kenna of Southampton for £ 1.5 million.
Gallacher “Kenny wanted me to play on the left wing against Palace. It was like scoring for the first time. Shearer cut the ball for me to stand on the net. A few minutes later, John Humphrey came in with a challenge that opened until the break. At the time, I didn’t know I had broken my leg again. “
Wilcox: “The players were pulling out with the type of injury I suffered. It happened in a home game with Arsenal in March and it was devastating. I was frustrated that I couldn’t help the team in the last games of the season. I had a young man my family and I was concerned about my career. “
Kenna “Southampton offered me a new contract to stay, but as soon as I was told I had permission to speak to Rovers, as much as I loved Southampton, I was halfway to Blackburn. They were the only club to challenge Manchester United. Jack Walker it was the original Roman Abramovich and Kenny was the managers. It wasn’t a difficult sale. “
Atkins “Cantona was a massive loss for United. It would have been difficult for us to get past them if he had been involved all season. That was a great moment, but United still kept going. They beat Ipswich 9-0 in March, which wiped out our difference. superior goals. “
Coar: “When you have an eight-point lead at that stage of the season, things look good.”
Jeff Kenna (right) played in Blackburn’s last nine league games after signing for Southampton in March.
‘I thought we would have blown it up’
It is the last week of the season and Manchester United moves two points behind Blackburn with two games remaining after a 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on May 7. The following night, Rovers goalkeeper Tim Flowers stands out when Blackburn beats Newcastle 1-0, before United beat Southampton 2-1 in a game he must win on May 10 to lead the race. for the title until the last day.
Blackburn has a two point lead with one game to go. While Dalglish takes Rovers back to his old club Liverpool, which sits fifth at the table, United are in the middle of the West Ham table on May 14.
Coar: “United was catching up, it was getting really tight. United and Blackburn never started at the same time towards the end of the season. I couldn’t watch United’s games on television, so I would take the dog for a walk.”
Kenna “I sat down with the Southampton fans at Manchester United. We had beaten Newcastle a couple of nights earlier to go five free and it was a must-win game for United. I hoped my old club could prevent them from winning so we would be champions. “It wasn’t going to be and I was in Liverpool. When the Blackburn team coach approached Anfield, Liverpool fans applauded us. They didn’t want United to win the title.”
Atkins “There was me, Kevin Gallacher, Tony Gale and Jason Wilcox standing in the locker room away about 90 minutes before kickoff. None of us were playing that day. Kenny came over and said ‘It will be hell for you if you just stand up, go to the bar ” We entered the sponsor room and we could hear some songs that were not very good. It was Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock, who was not playing, entertaining the sponsors. He came over and joined us and we probably had too many drinks because when the game started we were all sitting on the bench and we wanted to go to the bathroom. You couldn’t pass Kenny during a game. It was a no-no. We had to wait until half time. “
Kenna “We started well and Shearer scored in front of where our fans were sitting. We could have been 3-0 up before John Barnes equalized with 25 minutes remaining. The whole tone of the game changed and then Liverpool got a free kick in the 90th minute. He was at the end of the wall when Jamie Redknapp hit him. He whistled next to my ear on the net. I thought ‘oh my, we blew it up.’ “
Gallacher “United’s game ended about 90 seconds before our game ended. When we found out that they had only drawn 1-1, our bench exploded. Our game was still going on and we were losing 2-1 but our players were celebrating on the field.” We were champions. “
Jack Walker celebrates Blackburn’s title win with Alan Shearer, who ended the season with 34 top-tier goals
‘My mom and dad were at MOTD’
Walker’s dream comes true. Despite the defeat at Liverpool, Blackburn is England’s champion after finishing ahead of Manchester United.
Coar: “After the full-time whistle, Shearer and Tim Sherwood motioned for Jack to come down from the directors box to the field. Liverpool fans helped him down. David Moores, the president of Liverpool, had champagne waiting at the boardroom. He said “I would have been very upset, Robert, if I couldn’t have opened this champagne.”
Wilcox: “I felt like I didn’t want a medal because I was full of excitement and Kenny took over and said, ‘Don’t be so stupid.’ It was quite a childish reaction, a mixture of being so proud but also being annoying because I couldn’t contribute in the end. “
Blackburn won 27 league games and lost just seven
Kenna “My mother, Kathleen, and my father, Liam, sat down with Blackburn fans. During Game of the Day highlights, when we discovered we had won the title, the camera zooms in on the Blackburn crowd and you can see my Parents There was an endless supply of beers waiting for us in the locker room after the game. I left Anfield feeling drunk. We ended up spending the night at a restaurant in Preston. It was great that a small town club won the Premier League. “
