The Blackburn End at its most full. The concrete terracing had been completed in the mid-1890s although the regulars standing on there would have to wait until 1960 for a roof, partly funded by the cup run of that year. © Cottontown

There was one very bright spot for Blackburn Rovers though as in the home game against Stoke, which was won 2-1, there appeared the man who would go on to become the greatest Blackburn Rovers player of all time. Blackburn born and bred, Bob Crompton was only 16 when he made his debut and wouldn’t regularly play in the side for another eighteen months but in time he would acquire the nickname ‘Mr Blackburn Rovers’. Crompton would go on to become the greatest player in the country between the turn of the century and the start of the First World War. The 41 caps he gained for England (many of those as captain) were easily a record at the time and, as so few internationals were played in each year; they represented a huge amount, certainly by modern standards he would have earned over a century of caps. For well over a decade he was the first name on the England team sheet. There is much more that will be said about Crompton but suffice it to say for now that he is the greatest player Rovers have ever had and also one of the best England ever had. That is as true today as it was a century ago. That should be enough to cement his place in Rovers folklore yet Crompton then went onto to become one of the greatest managers the club ever had as well! Truly Mr. Blackburn Rovers…and so had begun a 45(!) year career at Rovers for Big Bob…

As has been mentioned, the cup was no source of relief for the beleaguered Rovers. A double of 2-1 home victories (over Sheff Utd then Wolves) led to an away game at Everton which saw Rovers exit the competition after a 2-0 defeat. Another new phenomenon to hit the club that year was a managerial casualty. Secretary Thomas Mitchell resigned after having been in the position for twelve years. As picking the team was his responsibility he felt the blame for declining standards should be his and he later went on to become the first professional manager of Arsenal. Mitchell was replaced by Joseph Walmsley, a manager of a Blackburn cotton mill who was passionate about his home town team. Although he would become very popular during his nine year stint his departure is the darkest of any secretary/manager that Rovers have ever had, involving tales of corruption and bribery, although more of that anon. After leaving Rovers Walmsley became landlord of the Florence Hotel which still serves ales to thirsty drinkers in the Cob Wall/Daisyfield area of Blackburn on the corner of Moss Street and Florence Street, to this very day.

It was initially the misfortune of Walmsley to inherit a side rapidly going downwards. Quite simply it was the worst league season Rovers had in their first sixty years as a club. Things had never been this bad before and wouldn’t get this low again until well after the Wall Street Crash, and that was over three decades away itself. The FA Cup campaign couldn’t have been much worse, losing away to Everton for the second year in a row, this time by one goal to nil in the very first round. Still, at least they could concentrate on the league form. Unfortunately if there was one thing Rovers did not want to think about, it was the league form.