NFL Tickets
This week’s photo comes to us courtesy of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph via the Cotton Town digitization project. The photo is of Blackburn Rovers full-back Fergus Suter, who, according to his wikipedia entry, was “arguably the first recognised professional footballer.” Suter was a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and played for Partick Thistle and Rangers F.C. before moving to England to play for Darwen F.C. and Blackburn Rovers from 1880-1889. He died in Blackpool in 1916.
His FA Cup winner’s medals, which he received while playing for Rovers, were auctioned in 2000, and hopefully now rest in either a museum or someone’s private collection in Blackburn. “Fighting Fergie,” as he is known, gained his reputation not just from his play but from his temper; according to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, “Suter’s on-pitch activities were not the only reason his name lives on. The fiery Scot was no stranger to controversy and caused more stirs than Eric Cantona and Vinnie Jones together could have mustered.”
Strangely, to have such a nickname, Fergie doesn’t look like the fighting type to me. Something about his parted hair, hipstery mustache, skinny arms, and draped fur (is it a lion?) makes me wonder just how successful he would be in any kind of hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps he used his appearance to lull his foes into a false sense of security? Also, where was this portrait taken? In some kind of prefab Victorian photo booth?
And lastly, since no post about Blackburn would be complete without a “Day In The Life” reference, here is a list of Guardian readers’ educated guesses as to the origin of the cryptic “4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire” line. Potholes, graves, acoustics-augmenting plastic cups? You decide.
Share 
