Blackburn Rovers was one of the 12 founders of the Football League in 1888, which means they have been in existence for 135 years. A club with such longevity can expect to have had some great names appear for them – here are some of Blackburn Rovers’ legendary players.

Alan Shearer

Robbie Fitzpartick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Although Blackburn won the football league twice before the First World War, for modern supporters their greatest achievement was winning the Premier League in 1994-1995, with a team managed by Kenny Dalglish and owned and financed by boyhood fan Jack Walker.

One of the key reasons why they won the league that season were the goals of striker Alan Shearer, who they had signed from Southampton for a then club record fee of £3.6 million.

In his four years with the club he would score 130 goals in 171 appearances, and was the Premier League player of the season and twice winner of the Golden Boot whilst wearing a Blackburn shirt.

He then joined his boyhood club Newcastle United for a world record fee at the time.

Chris Sutton

It was the arrival of Chris Sutton at Blackburn that really helped the club become such a potent force in the league that season. Their partnership became known as SAS (Shearer and Sutton), and he was the perfect foil, often setting up chances for his partner, whilst claiming 15 league goals for himself.

Read: Top 10 Best strikers of all time

He managed 59 goals in 161 appearances before going on to play for Chelsea and then Celtic.

Jason Wilcox

Another member of that league title winning team, Wilcox actually came through the Blackburn academy system, and he would go on to play for them more than 270 times over a ten year period.

Playing on the left flank of the attack, he formed a highly effective partnership with attacking full-back Graeme Le Saux. Injuries though hindered his later career with the club.

Derek Fazackerley

Nobody made more appearances for Blackburn than centre-back Fazackerley who played for them nearly 600 times between 1969 and 1987.

Although he did not achieve great success with the club, he did help them win promotion from the old Division Three (now League One) on two occasions. And, in his final season with the club, they did win the Full Members’ Cup.

Ronnie Clayton

The regard that winger Clayton is still held in by the club is evidenced by the fact that the stand at one end of the ground is named after him. A one club man, who turned down numerous offers move elsewhere to more glamorous clubs, he helped them win promotion to the First Division in 1958, and reach the FA Cup Final two years later.

He played for the club 581 times.

Bob Crompton

A player from an earlier era of the club, right-back Crompton’s playing career spanned from 1896 to 1920, with his first season the year that Blackburn won the FA for the third year in succession, the first team to do so.

He was also a member of the side that won the First Division in 1912, and, again, two years later.

Crompton would later go on to manage the side twice, leading them to FA Cup success in 1928, and then later, helping them win promotion as Champions from the Second Division.