Bob Crompton

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Bob Crompton - Rovers captain, manager and chairman. (picture taken from Cottontown) Whenever these kind of ‘greatest ever’ polls trundle along, whether it be regarding musical taste, films, politicians, kings, military tacticians or even Greatest Ever Plumber, they are always skewed towards the modern. As such you can find lists where inside can be found battles between the last release by Busted and Revolver by The Beatles in a tussle for greatest ever album. Maybe the Spice Girls knocking Led Zeppelin into second place on the greatest bands list. Or even ‘Dude where’s my car?’ putting one over on Citizen Kane in the greatest movie list. When it comes to rating footballers, the old timers come off even worse. At least you can see old films or listen to albums from the sixties. Old footballers from the time before television only remain in the memory. Those memories soon go the way of the footballers though and end up in the stadium in the sky. So what do we have left? We have the legend. The greatest legend Rovers have ever had is Bob Crompton. Once when I was having a heated debate with some West Ham-supporting friends the talk got on to honours each of our clubs had won. They mentioned the three FA Cup wins in the last forty or so years. To which I said…big deal, Rovers once won three FA Cups in a row. When was that they asked? 1884 to 1886 I said. It took a few minutes for them to stop rolling around the floor howling with laughter. Yet why should we be embarrassed about the past? Rather, we should be proud of it and trust the legends and the views of Roverites throughout the ages, many of whom are no longer with us. Born in Blackburn in 1879, the same year as Einstein, Stalin and Trotsky entered the world and Thomas Edison unveiled the light bulb to an awed public; Crompton was something you don’t see any longer. A hometown club man and only ever represented the one club and the one country (he did also play some friendlies for Blackpool when stationed there as a PE instructor in the war). The likes of Tony Adams may play for Arsenal but then move onto the likes of Wycombe but Crompton was at Rovers in various capacities for half a century. After his debut for Rovers in 1897 as a seventeen year old he played as right back for 23 years, making over 600 appearances in a career and would have had more were it not for World War I. In 1902 he made his debut as England right back and was the first name on the international team sheet until war broke out. Crompton is the only player Rovers have had that has regularly been thought of as the greatest player in the world. It’s a shame we couldn’t have seen him but his legend lives on. Quite simply Crompton was so involved with the club that his nickname was ‘Mr Blackburn Rovers’. - Bob Crompton is still the most capped England player while playing at Rovers (41). With so few internationals being played then, that is probably equivalent to about 120 caps in modern times. Certainly he held the record for a few more decades. - Crompton was the first ever professional England captain. It was thought that only amateurs should captain the country but Bob was so good he couldn’t be ignored and captained England for a decade on his way to setting the appearance record. Enough about England though, it’s Rovers we care about, just like Bob who was captain for over a decade. As regards playing style, he was an excellent tactician, rarely beaten in the air and had the kind of leadership abilities that were associated with the imperial builders and empire makers around the globe. The man who was king at Ewood. Crompton was the rock and driving force behind the most successful side Rovers have had in the league. In the last four seasons before the ‘War to End All Wars’ (a title it never lived up to) Rovers finished first, fifth, first and third. The first two titles and the last time they have been the truly dominant force in football. Rovers also went on tour to Austria and Hungary (thought as the most progressive football countries outside of the home nations) and won their games with ease and left the central European supporters spellbound with amazement and admiration. Crompton was the star of this Rovers side and has to be in a Greatest Rovers Side unless we are saying we don’t care about the traditions of the club and only want those players from the last ten years or so. Do others care who the greatest player is that you actually saw yourself in the flesh? I seriously doubt it, I’m not even that interested in who the best one was that I saw!!! We have enough ‘best XI’s’ on this board to last a lifetime; be nice if we actually kept an open mind on this one for once. If we are going for greatest ever though we need to look at the whole picture and use imagination. Trust in secondary evidence such as what generations before us believed and trust that the legendary figures of our club should be remembered as well as being proud that our club has such great traditions. Bob Crompton as greatest Rovers player ever? Quite probably. Bob Crompton as greatest Rovers right back ever? Definitely. Finally, just to mention…after his legendary spell as a Rovers player (and come on, he must have been awesome if he is still remembered a century later) Crompton did another great job for Rovers- as possibly our greatest manager. In his first spell he led us to the FA Cup in 1928, the only time we have won it in the last eleven decades(!) before retiring. Not that he could rest for long however as without Crompton Rovers were relegated for the first time ever in the 1930s and struggled in the second division. Crowds were down and Rovers finished sixteenth in the second division; their lowest ever finish at that point. What else could they do but beg Superman to return? Back came ‘Mr Blackburn Rovers’ and won the second division to take us back to top flight and allow for a World War to once again intervene. The greatest Rover of all died in March 1941, still at the club and supervising wartime activities almost fifty years after first joining. The last match he was in charge of says it all about Crompton and was a fitting end to a true local hero. Rovers played Burnley in a wartime game. In Crompton’s last ever present to the club, he led them from the touchlines to a 3-2 victory. A winner to his dying day and a proud servant of the club he loved so much he gave his life to it. I’ve obviously never watched Crompton play or even know anyone who remembers when he was manager but I tell you what...I know a bloody legend when I see one!!!