Blackburn Rovers have not been in the Premier League for a painfully long time now.
It was 2012 when the Ewood Park club last competed in the top-flight of English football, with the club playing almost exclusively in the Championship since then.
Prior to that though, they had been a regular at that level for some time, even for a while after the glory days of the 1994/95 title win.
As a result, being at Blackburn Rovers may have given some players the opportunity some memorable moments with some of the greats of the game.
One player who seemingly got such an opportunity during his time with the club, is Paul Dickov, who has a particular run-in with Jose Mourinho.
Former Blackburn Rovers man recalls Jose Mournho meeting
While speaking on BBC Radio 5Live Sport, Dickov recalled when he was with Scotland Under 15s, working at a training centre known as Largs in 1989.
The former striker revealed that numerous coaches would go there to complete courses. As one of the younger players, Dickov was among those tasked with helping them in various ways.
He then explained how on the final day, he was given a pair of Copa Mundial boots. These had come from two Portuguese coaches, who he described as being the most respectful there.
That story then picks up again around 2004, when the former Scotland international had signed for Blackburn Rovers.
Explaining how things played out, Dickov continued:
“So fast forward, obviously Jose wins the Champions League with Porto, still didn’t think anything of it, and I’ve just signed for Blackburn and Jose’s took over at Chelsea.
“We’re playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, I’m standing in the tunnel ready to go out and I don’t know if you remember, Jose used to walk past the players first, when he first went to Chelsea, and sit in the dugout on his own before they went out.
“So as he’s walking past me, obviously, a tap on the shoulder, and he just went ‘Paul!’ I’m looking, John Terry’s looking at me, Frank Lampard’s looking at me, all my Blackburn teammates are thinking…
“And it still didn’t click, and he went, ‘You don’t remember do you?’ I went ‘what’, and he went, ‘Largs, 1989’. He said ‘I’ve always followed your, career, well done’.”
In total, Dickov would spend two years at Ewood Park between 2004 and 2006. In total, he made 61 appearances in all competitions for Blackburn Rovers, scoring 17 goals.
A fascinating insight into Jose Mourinho
This story from Dickov does give a revealing insight into Mourinho himself.
The Portuguese manager’s air and demeanour have often led to suggestions of arrogance on his part.
However, these sort of things show a more humble person, who cares and takes an interest in those he comes across.
When you consider how much he will have experienced in the 15 years or so between these two meetings, it is remarkable that he remembered and followed Dickov all that time.
From a Blackburn Rovers perspective, many currently connected with the club will no doubt wish they were still in a position to go up against the likes of Mourinho.
Sadly though, the club are of course, currently embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation from the Championship.
Off the pitch, they are involved in a challenging financial situation as well, which does not help their current standing.
As a result, those sort of opportunities feel like they are a long way away for Blackburn Rovers.