Roy of the Rovers - New Stories: Roy of the Rovers - A New Beginning - The 2013/14 Season FORUM Roy of the Rovers - A New Beginning - The 2013/14 Season Melchester Rovers begin the 2013/14 season with new owners and a new management team. Can Vernon Eliot, Gerry Holloway and Roy Race lead Rovers back to the top? What dramatic off-field events will happen? Find out by reading the full collection here... THE STORY CONTINUES EVERY WEDNESDAY Some parts of the story are written as prose but each edition includes BRAND NEW comic book action (as seen below), newspaper extracts, statistics and match reports. Feedback is of course welcome, please use the comments section below or under each weekly release... Yelcomb Roy of the Rovers - A New Beginning | Association Football Roy of the Rovers - A New Beginning Melchester Rovers begin preparations for the 2013/14 Premier League season. New manager Vernon Eliot along with the legendary Roy Race must get Rovers back where they belong; the top of the league.

Copyright: Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC) – A New Beginning Trevor Brinsden, the new co-Chairman of Melchester Rovers Community Football Club stood,proudly before the assembled ranks of pressmen and television cameras. It was 1 st July 2013 andMelchester Rovers had just become the first community-owned football club in top-flight Englishfootball. Brinsden, a fan for over thirty years, was flanked by the legendary Roy Race and former-Melchester stalwarts Vernon Eliot and Gerry Holloway. “Thank you all for being here ! On this historic day, Melchester Rovers CFC begins the journey back to the top, back to where we belong!” Brinsden was bubbling with enthusiasm; in his younger days hehad allowed that passion to overflow, but in the early ‘80s that was commonplace among young soccer fans. The people of Melchester had forgiven his past indiscretions and they as a communitywere not going to let spiteful newspaper articles ruin their big day. “For ten years th is club has beenin terminal decline, but not any longer! As a community-owned club we will operate within aprudent budget.

We will spend wisely and never again live beyond our means. Many Premier Leagueclubs are nothing but the toys of super-rich foreigners. We say no more and we will compete! Wewill win! ” Brinsden ’s heartfelt statement split the room ; some reporters stood and applauded, otherswhispered disparaging remarks to colleagues. John Lucas of the Daily Gazette was the first toquestion the new co- Chairman, “So Mr Brinsden, in this era of mega-bucks football, how willMelchester compete? What is this master plan? I take it you have one!” Chuckles punctuated the Lucas’ comments were clearly designed to rile Brinsden, to provoke an inappropriate response. “Well to answer that question, let me introduce you to the new management team. I’m sure you all know Roy Race, probably the greatest Englishman ever to play the game and probablythe greatest English manager. He has a key role to play. Roy Race is the new Director of FootballDevelopment . I’ll let Racey explain his position.” A respectful silence fell over the packed conference room as Roy Race, ‘ ever player, English football ’s most successful manager, took the microphone.

“Throughout my years as Melchester player, captain, player-manager and manager, we had one constant; a core of Melchester-raised players; boys who were trained to play the Melchester way. We cannot buysuccess, so we will develop success. It is my responsibility to ensure that Melchester Rovers againhave the most productive youth system in Europe. Currently our academy lags behind the likes of Kelburn, Tynecaster and even Melboro’. Top Premier League clubs now scour the globe for young Trevor Brinsden was involved in many unsavoury incidents during the early ‘80s. talent, bringing children over from Africa and South America before they have even finished school. I don’t believe that is right. In fact I believe that this process has greatly damaged English football. Butmore importantly I know that these clubs are ignoring tremendously talented players that are right here, in England, in the Midlands, in Melchester.” Lucas had the nerve to interrupt the great ma n, “But that’s a long -term plan Roy. Melchester needto compete now, football is played in the short-term these days.

We’re not in the ‘70s anymore!While Kelburn and Melboro’ are spending £40million on proven international talent, Roy Race is still traini ng boys on Melchester Marshes! It’s a new ball game!”“So now let me introduce the men to lead the first -team of Melchester Rovers, the new manager,Vernon Eliot and his assistant Gerry Hollowa y.” Brinsden had had enough of John Lucas’ mouth so cut him off, giving him a deathly stare.It was no secret that Vernon Eliot was to be the new manager, but still a bit of a shock. Eliot had been a key part of the great Melchester side of the ‘70s. The Jamaican born winger had played forEngland and was at the top of his game when he was forced to retire from injury before the 1982/83season. It was then that he joined the Melchester coaching staff, in charge of the under-18s. But hestayed in the role only two years, finding that he just was not fit enough to coach the youngsters theway he wanted.

Vernon believed that young players needed hands-on coaching; they need to beshown, not just told, the right way to do things. So he left and retired to the Caribbean with his wife.But Eliot missed the thrills of the football world, so began coaching his local side in Jamaica. Beforelong his raw team were transformed into multiple national champions and in 1994 the Minister forSport offered Vernon the job as manager of the Reggae Boyz, the national team of Jamaica. Hisstrength of character was severely tested as he used his reputation in England to persuade Football League players of Jamaican heritage, like Melchester’s Broz Bamber, to join the Reggae Boyz. Many islanders fiercely resisted the move, but soon, as the side started winning and winning well, footballovertook cricket on the back pages of national newspapers. Vernon was leading a revolution inJamaican sport.In the autumn of 1998, Vernon cemented his reputation as a top coach, when Jamaica qualified forthe World Cup in France. But as the nation celebrated, the newly-formed Jamaican Football Board Vernon was hurt in a crush after a charity cricket match. He never played again. were plotting greater success.

The week before the draw for the World Cup was made in Paris,Vernon Eliot was sacked and replaced by the man who had led Brazil to the World Cup four yearsearlier in the United States. Eliot had the backing of the players, but who would turn down the oncein a lifetime chance to play in the World Cup? Broz Bamber, the captain was a vocal supporter andhis protests led to him being stripped of the title. At the World Cup, the Reggae Boyz were crowdfavourites, but lost all three matches scoring just one goal (from Bamber) and the Brazilian was firedafter the tournament.Vernon had worked as a pundit on English television during the World Cup, proving to be such apopular character that he was offered a permanent position as co-presenter of the flagship show Game of the Week , which he accepted. After a two year spell, Vernon ‘transferred’ to the satellite show Goals Galore to co-anchor with veteran football presenter Chippy Croker. While the moneywas very good and the job secure, Eliot still longed for the training ground. Like many TV pundits hewas often linked with vacant jobs at Premier League clubs but was never interviewed.

There were mumblings in the football world that racism may be playing a part in Vernon’s conti nued exile fromtop-level management, but he himself did not believe it. He thought that his big personality put off top clubs. On television he had to say things that managers would keep private, it made him appearlike a troublemaker and many professionals had told him that they had been disappointed by hiscriticism. But that was his job and that was what made him such a popular figure with viewers.Eventually in 2006 Vernon Eliot became a Football League manager. Redpool, who had been apermanent fixture in the First Division for decades, had plummeted to the third tier of Englishfootball. They were a sleeping giant, waiting to be aroused and led back to the glory days beforetheir relegation from the First Division in 1982/83. Eliot had resources, a good transfer budget,thanks to a remarkable average crowd of over twenty thousand, and a strong group of young,hungry players. His first season was a triumph, as Redpool romped to the title and promotionbreaking club records left, right and centre.

However success was short-lived, and with Redpoolwinless after six matches of the 2007/08 season, Vernon Eliot was sacked for the second time in hiscareer.This second spell out of work, prompted Eliot to complete his UEFA coaching badges. He workedvoluntarily at a number of lower division clubs, before travelling to Vengeren in Belgium for a seasonto observe leading trainer, Freddie Sepp. Sepp was so impressed with his contribution that he hiredhim as his assistant when he was appointed manager of London side Kelburn. It was in West Londonthat Vernon Eliot forged a reputation as one of the finest first-team coaches around, capable of transforming journeymen, raising youngsters and bringing the best out of the very best players.Under the guidance of Sepp and Eliot, Kelburn won their first ever league title in 2009 and reachedthe Champions League Final in 2010. Kelburn are now an established Champions League contenderhaving reached the semi-finals again in 2011 and a constant presence in the top four of the PremierLeague. “Vernon Eliot is probably the most respected coach in all English football.

It is about time that he was given the opportunity to manage a top club. We have no doubt that Vernon will have a long andsuccessful spell as manager of Melchester, which is why he has signed a five- year deal,” Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years – football’s comic-book role model | Football | The Guardian Soccer Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years – football’s comic-book role model Launched in Tiger magazine in 1954, the Melchester Rovers striker’s career captured the imagination of youngsters and adults alike – and even former England manager Alf Ramsey. Click here to see how Roy of the Rovers has changed over the years in our gallery Roy of the Rovers through the ages. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Monday 8 September 2014 11.50 EDT Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.43 EDT Share on Messenger Close It is a phrase embedded in the game’s vernacular, a character from a bygone age and a team that, somehow, overcame the odds on a weekly basis.

Sixty years ago Roy of the Rovers was first published as a comic strip – six decades since Roy Race’s golden locks and debonair charm first enraptured youngsters and adults alike to evoke dreams of glory and unlikely tales of sporting bravura. “He was everything you would want a footballer to be,” says Barrie Tomlinson, who worked on the comic strip for 30 years. “Roy was an example of how it should be done. I know it sounds corny but that’s how it was.” Say the words Roy Race and Melchester Rovers to someone of a certain generation and the eyes mist up, a reflective pause follows before a wistful smile. To many those names represent childhood, escapism and sheer joy – the weekly ritual of buying a comic , reading in rapid time before poring over the same pages again and again until the next edition hit the shelves. It was a time before the digital age, when readers wrote letters to voice their disapproval of a particular storyline or merely to ask for Roy’s autograph. It was a time when the England manager would be asked for his opinions on a fictional character and responded, sincerely. It was a time when a comic book regularly became national news.

Roy of the Rovers tackled issues of the day: here the comic addressed football hooliganism in a 1977 strip. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Roy of the Rovers first appeared in Tiger magazine on 11 September 1954 and during its heyday had a circulation of about 400,000. After 22 years of success it moved from Tiger in 1976 and became its own weekly publication until 1993, when sales had declined to 20,000, although the story did run on a monthly basis until 2001 in various forms . The drama never stopped. Aside from Race’s nine league titles, eight FA Cup victories, three European Cups and many international caps, there was plenty to keep readers entertained off the field. Melchester were ambushed by rebels in South America, an assassination attempt on Roy Race failed in 1981, an earthquake at Mel Park and the appointment of Geoffrey Boycott as chairman were just a few examples of the remarkable struggles at the club.

There was also the time eight Melchester players were killed by terrorist activity in the Middle-East state of Basran, before the eventual demise of Race himself, the centre-forward turned player-manager’s career cruelly cut short after losing a foot in a disastrous helicopter crash. “In the early days Melchester Rovers would always do remarkably well and almost win every match that they played,” says Tomlinson, a former editor of Tiger who launched Roy of the Rovers magazine. “Then they changed it and it went much more true to life, the audience began to expect a more sophisticated storyline. Roy was the first comic book hero to get married and that had lots of support from the readers. “His wife, Penny, left him because he was spending too much time at the football club and it was national news. Every newspaper carried the story and it was on TV and radio. I was whisked on to ITN to discuss the serious situation and then in the evening on the BBC.

Roy of the Rovers is such an important character in children’s comics – I was very fortunate to be part of it for so long.” Frank Pepper was the author of the original strip, while early stories were written alongside Bobby Charlton, who many associate with Race’s gentlemanly demeanour. Throughout the controversy that engulfed Melchester, throughout the myriad scandals, he remained the quintessential model professional, regularly emerging with his integrity intact and, quite often, with it enhanced. Yet while Race was a constant protagonist from 1954 to 1993, the cast of illustrators and writers changed significantly. Joe Colquhoun was the original artist but was followed by Paul Trevillion, Yvonne Hutton, David Sque and Michael White. Derek Birnage, an early editor of Tiger, played a key writing role before Tom Tully. It was in the 60s when the strip’s popularity accelerated. Trevillion, who illustrated the strip in a new style of comic realism between 1963-65, recalls one particular moment when he first realised how famous the story had become.

He said: “I was at Tottenham’s training ground one day and Danny Blanchflower said to Bill Nicholson as Cliff Jones went past about three players: ‘He thinks he’s Roy of the Rovers.’ I couldn’t believe it. Then I was told that kids were writing in for Roy’s autograph.” It was at that time when Alf Ramsey took a keen interest in Race’s travails. The England manager was an avid reader and often provided Trevillion with his constructive criticism on the illustrations, before becoming a character in the strip himself. “Alf was my art teacher,” joked Trevillion. “It was always the same argument, Alf would always call me and say: ‘He’s in the wrong position, he’s leaning too far back and the ball would have gone over the bar.’ It was Alf who always said: ‘Go out and watch Bobby Charlton.’ ” However, there were storylines that readers did not always appreciate, such as the introduction to the team of Martin Kemp and Steve Norman from Spandau Ballet, or Bob Wilson and Emlyn Hughes, who many associated with TV and celebrity culture rather than football.

Sque, the illustrator between 1974 and 1986, said: “Someone came up with the idea and I knew it would be the death of Roy, to make him into a ‘real character’. He married his secretary Penny, she had twins and it all tied in with Prince Charles and Diana getting married at the same time. I knew when we made him a real character his son would end up taking over. That put a time-limit on it.” Indeed, after the helicopter crash of 1993 it was Rocky Race, Roy’s son, who became the driving force of the strip. However, in the face of digital competition, there was to be no return to the glory days of old. Roy Race was involved in a terrible helicopter crash onto a football pitch in March 1993. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Egmont UK currently holds the rights and is commemorating the strip’s 60th anniversary with a new Roy Race autobiography next month. There may be many young fans of the modern game for whom this will not even register, oblivious to a character who once was entwined in the very fabric of English football.

For some, though, Roy of the Rovers will never die. “I think it’s a tragedy that Roy isn’t around any more,” says Tomlinson.

“Football is so much more dramatic now than it was in Roy’s day that the storylines would be much easier to write – but he’s still my best friend.” Roy of the Rovers - Total Football - Part 7 | Association Football | Defender (Association Football) Roy of the Rovers – Total FootballPart 7 Forward Marco De Loon scored Melchester Rovers’ first competitive goal of the season as they eased past Blackton Wanderers into the third round of the League Cup !he ""#year#old slid a shot past Luke $ay after a neat turn inside the %o& to put the 'remier League side ahead Blackton(s %est chance fell to )ack Curtsey* whose effort was %locked %ythe sliding Ryan +mall* and after that the visitors rarely threatenedRovers %oss )ohan +eegrun made ,- changes to the team that lost .#- at /ings%ay on +aturday evening* giving de%uts to $ary Canning and )immy +tein0t was Melchester who had the %etter of the first half %efore De Loon found the %ottom right#hand corner after the Dutchman worked himself into a

 shooting positionChampionship outfit Blackton did put the away side under pressure from set pieces and throw#ins* %ut without stretching the Rovers defenceDe%utant winger Canning hit the side netting after a well#worked corner in the second half for the hosts* who face Rotherton in the 'remier League on +aturdayMelchester Rovers entertain Bradfield !own in the third round Melchester manager Johan Seegrun: 12ll forwards want to score and Marco has that !he goal will give him confidence %ut he put in a very good shift What we learned from /ings%ay was we knew the e&tra width was coming !he %est way to control that is %y us keeping the %all and we managed to do that in the second half when the long %alls into the corners that were coming in were spread out1 Blackton assistant manager George Pearson: 10(d like to think we can leave with our heads held high We(ve come up against a very talented Melchester team and apart from thelast ,- minutes 0 think we created some good chances�

� 0f we were a %it more ruthless we might have gone into e&tra#time1 * * * Tension mixed with pungent Deep Heat at Melchester Training Ground.

The victory over a weak Blackton Wanderers had done nothing to ease the strain etween !ohan "eegrun# his supporters in the s$uad and the mutineers# led y %ichie &yons. Thursday was the day that "eegrun and 'alker(s training sessions )ocussed entirely on Total Football . &yons# Drew owell and Harry !acos already knew they were dropped )or the "unday match at home to %otherton# they showed no intention o) +oining the morning(s workout# pre)erring to stay in the gymnasium. The captain# !ake ,heetham# scowled at his est )riend owell# who avoided eye contact as he pounded the running machine. ,heetham had stuck y his pal# egged his manager to reconsider his sanctions# ut the Dutchman was not one to ack down# as stuorn as they come.

The -ingsay # as they were now +okingly re)erred to in the %overs dressing room# had een training alone# apart )rom the one session in preparation )or the Blackton &eague ,up match# in which &yons and owell were to e sustitutes. "eegrun(s response to his dissenters would e considered extreme in the real world o) work# ut in )ootall players do occasionally need reminding o) who is ultimately accountale )or team per)ormance. layers were never sacked )or playing poorly# the manager would e removed as a result o) such events. "eegrun had made it clear that his system was at )ault# ut so were the players who could not trans)er their good work on the training /eld to the remier &eague.0s !ake stretched with the other /rst1team s$uad he thought ack to earlier in the week.

Monday(s team meeting had not een as stress)ul as he had )eared. "eegrun spoke con/dently and calmly aout his concerns. layers with concerns o) their own were o2ered the opportunity to speak up. 3one did# except the captain# 4Boss# 5 get the system# 5 think we all do. But it goes against our instincts. When we(re playing poorly# what we usually do is revert to a simple game plan and try and get the asics right6 like at the end o) last season. 7ou(re asking a team that(s out o) )orm to play the most complex tactics we(ve ever known. ,an(t you understand why some o) us are getting )rustrated89 The manager paused )or thought# he knew ,heetham had made a very good point. 45 do understand. What 5 do not understand is the panic. Too many o) you seem too concerned with the )orm. :orm is irrelevant# results are what matter. We have lost two games# we have drawn two games.

7es# we have not scored# ut in two games we kept did not concede. That is a positive. Too many o) you respond too much to )eedack )rom outside this clu. The )eedack that matters comes )rom me and )rom 'alker6 understand845 am not entirely unhappy with what 5 am seeing. ;ntil -ingsay we were a solidside# di<cult to eat. 5 think some o) you do not understand that Total Football is total# it is not +ust an attacking system# it is as much a de)ensive system. 5n )act the de)ensive positions are the most vital# the sweeper6 ,arruthers=9 he pointed at the young de)ender# 47our main duties8 Tell me=9 0s i) he were ack in grammar school !ames stood as he spoke# 4To start attacks with short passes=9 "eegrun span on the spot# arms >ailing# 43o= 7our main duty is to sweep ? sweeper ?

you move along ehind the ackline and clean up= 7ou are a de)ender /rst# always=9"eegrun(s mission to change the )ootalling philosophy at Melchester %overs wasnever going to e easy. But the manager was only +ust eginning to realise the )undamental lack o) understanding many o) his players had o) his system. His captain elieved that they all understood what he was asking o) them# ut he was wrong. ,arruthers was y )ar the most academically gi)ted memer o) the %overs s$uad. 7et even he had )ailed to grasp the asic concepts o) Total Football Roy of the Rovers - New Stories: Opponents - No.1 - Burndean Saturday, 5 July 2014 Opponents - No.1 - Burndean One of the issues that fans had with Roy of the Rovers was the lack of information given about opponents, both players and teams.

This series will attempt to right that. Burndean were one of the strongest teams in the late 80s and early 90s and a permanent fixture in the First Division since the early 70s, peaking with the League title in 1973/74, when they were also beaten in the F.A. Cup Final by the mighty Melchester Rovers. The two would meet in the Charity Shield match at Wembley to open the following season. Burndean traditionally wear white combined with green. The image on the left shows a nice strip with green sleeves and shorts from 1976/77, as Mervyn Wallace is about to be denied a goal by a great save from goalkeeper John Makepeace. Rovers won the match 2-1, with goals from Roy Race and Jimmy Slade. The young blond goalie, Makepeace, had recently been promoted to the first team in place of Trevor Dawson. In the 70s Burndean were a mid-table team, neither threatened by relegation nor troubling the teams at the top end of the table.

For two seasons, 1977/78 and 1978/79, they wore a smart all white strip, featuring a nice badge in the latter season. Rovers won at Burnham Park 3-0 in 77/78 and continued their unbeaten record against 'Dean after a 3-3 draw in 78/79. Burndean's clashes with Melchester were not well documented in the early 80s. But they featured again in a flashback scene, featuring Carl Hunt in 1984. Carford City midfield enforcer Hunt, had broken the leg of popular defender Les Anderson during a league match. Burndean are shown wearing their away strip of red shirts and white shorts. In 1985/86 Rovers resumed their normal thrashing of 'Dean with a comfortable 4-0 win. The goals came from Hunt, Race, Vic Guthrie and Spandau Ballet star Steve Norman. Mulleted striker, Mason, had missed an excellent early chance, and Rovers were ruthless from that point forward. The late 80s saw the emergence of three of the best players to ever wear the Burndean shirt.

Brian 'Crawler' Tebbit, came to prominence in the 1987/88 F.A. Cup Semi-Final, as he tormented Roy Race in an attempt to get the great man sent-off. However his tricks backfired as he himself was dismissed, as Melchester ran out 4-0 winners to secure their place at Wembley. Some confusion rests around the quarter-final as Burndean were named as opponents, despite wearing a black and white striped strip. I believe this to be a typo and perhaps it should read Blackport. 1988/89 introduced probably Burndean's greatest ever player. Newton Oates, a tall, strong centre-forward, with tremendous pace and power, burst onto the scene scoring four goals as 'Dean destroyed Rovers 6-3. Inspirational and tough captain, Don Palmer, led this Burndean side, managed by Bob Sturges. In the league match, Burndean's long-ball tactics dominated as Rovers just could not cope with Oates. But Rovers would gain revenge soon enough, in the 5th Round of the F.A. Cup.

An amazing 8-1 victory punctuated with a hat-trick for Rovers young forward Wes Harper. This period in Burndean's history saw a change in secondary colour, as green was replaced with blue. Personally I believe this was a consistency error as writers muddled Portdean (who now wear green and white stripes), with similarly named Burndean. The 'error' is corrected in 1991/92 as Burndean return in a white and green striped jersey. Newton Oates and Don Palmer were part of a very good Burndean team, that finally challenged at the very top end of English football. Burndean have a history of having very good goalkeepers, from John Makepeace, up to the early 90s as Bob Harvey and Wales international Gareth Evans make the number one jersey their own. Oates was replaced by Phil Garret, who was partnered by Scotsman MacNally. Rovers defeated 'Dean 1-0 in 1990/91 with a goal from Roy Race. But Burndean would gain some revenge over Melchester with a famous win in the 1991/92 F.A. Cup Semi-Final.

Burndean were struggling at the bottom of the First Division, but won 1-0 thanks to a Phil Garret strike and a superb display from Bob Harvey in goal. The classy veteran keeper saving a Roy Race penalty in the final seconds of the match. The 1992/93 season saw Rovers win a F.A. Cup 3rd Round clash, 3-2 in Ralph Gordon's first match in charge. MacNally scored, but Rovers dominated an the to goals scored by 'Dean gave an unrealistic slant to the scoreline. So Burndean have been a constant thorn in the side of Melchester Rovers since the mid-70s. Despite never being a consistently top side, they have had a fair amount of success. Two great players wore their shirt, Newton Oates and Don Palmer and they had a tradition for top goalies, the best being Bob Harvey. One of my favourite sides, it would be great to see Burndean, in their white and green, challenge at the top of English football again. Perhaps Palmer or Oates will return one day as manager.

Notes: The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s | The List The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s Rovers return comments He may have lost his left foot and been the victim of a suicide bomber, but Roy Race will never die. David Pollock has a ball as the comeback kid bounces back Forget Teddy Sheringham or Craig Brewster. Each would have to play on for almost another 20 years to match the footballing career of Roy Race, who turned out for and then player-managed the famous Melchester Rovers from 1954 to 1993 (with a brief sojourn at Walford Rovers in 1983). Who has been as iconic a representative of British football as Roy of the Rovers over the last half century and more: Best, Gascoigne, Cantona, maybe a couple more? Not bad for a made-up character, now is it? ‘I think Roy’s appeal always lay in his honesty and his flair for the spectacular,’ says Mark Towers, who runs fansite . ‘He’s even given the English language a new phrase.

You still hear commentators referring to something as “real Roy of the Rovers stuff” when a game has been won against the odds. That sums up the excitement of the strip, but also the fact that Roy stood for honesty and integrity.’ Making his debut in the sport and adventure comic Tiger in 1954, Roy was created by the collaborative efforts of writer Frank S Pepper, artist ‘Stewart Colwyn’ (a pen-name of Joe Colquhoun, who went on to co-create the seminal war strip ‘Charley’s War’ for Battle in the 70s) and editor Derek Birnage. Pepper would only write the strip for four issues, before Colquhoun took over, until being replaced in turn by Birnage four-and-a-half years later. It wasn’t until 1976 that Roy’s adventures were spun out into his own weekly comic, which went monthly just as Roy moved into management in 1993 and eventually folded in 1995. Yet, Roy still had one more comeback left in him, with a short monthly strip in the pages of Match of the Day magazine from 1997 to 2001.

In his time he married and had three children with Penny (who died in 1995), won a hatful of domestic and European trophies (despite an England career which lasted 24 years, Roy sadly missed out on international honours), and also variously contended with a shooting incident, the death of half the Melchester first team in a suicide bomb attack, and finally the loss of his famous left foot in a helicopter crash. Now a new generation of fans are being given the chance to catch up with Roy’s life with reprint books from Titan, including the Roy of the Rovers Archives (to kick off in August), which will tell Roy’s story in chronological order from 1954. ‘Roy’s an exceedingly unusual comic character as he’s the subject of one continuous story,’ says David Leach, editor of the new collections. ‘If kids were to pick up this story from the beginning they’d become hooked. Look at the way Harry Potter moves from one academic year to the next.

Roy’s sporting life is the same.’ Although Leach points to the dramatic downturn in the early 90s kids’ comics market as a cause for Roy’s disappearance, it’s ironic that his weekly adventures finished during the ‘92/’93 season, the first year of the English Premier League and the advent of an avaricious era of wags, oligarchs and television money. His return, as well as a nostalgia trip for many, is also a reminder of simpler days when footballers really did seem like heroes. The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s is published by Titan in June. Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years - in pictures | Football | The Guardian Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years - in pictures Roy of the Rovers celebrates 60 years - in pictures Share on Messenger Close Launched in Tiger magazine in 1954, the Melchester Rovers striker’s career captured the imagination of youngsters and adults alike – here we take a look through the archive of football’s comic-book role model. Click here to read more about Roy Race.

Steven Bloor Monday 8 September 2014 18.09 EDT Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.43 EDT The evolution of Roy of the Rovers. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved 11th September 1954 saw the first ever issue of Tiger - The sport and adventure picture story weekly - which features Roy of the Rovers. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Roy of the Rovers in the 13 April 1963 issue of Tiger. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved The Roy of the Rovers take on the 1966 World Cup. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Roy Race’s thumping shot stops a crook in his tracks in an issue of Tiger from February 1969. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd.

All rights reserved Melchester’s substitute keeper Reg stands in for the king of El Manador in the 18 July 1970 edition of Tiger. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Roy of the Rovers gets married to Penny Laine in the 15 May 1976 issue of Tiger. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Such was the popularity of Roy of the Rovers in Tiger that Roy Race was given his own comic, the first issue of which came out in September 1976. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Roy of the Rovers addresses the issue of football hooliganism in December 1977. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Trevor Francis and Malcolm MacDonald join Roy Race in the England team in January 1978 Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd.

All rights reserved Pinterest With the phrase ‘Real Roy of the Rovers stuff’ entering into the footballing lexicon, even the comic itself started referencing the popular phrase. In this instance it’s the ferocious Roy Race-esque shot by Bristol City’s Don Gillies that has got the headline writers excited in March 1978. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved. A Racey Rocket in September 1978. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Roy Race is given a tempting offer to coach the Basran national team in September 1978. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved An August 1981 Super Celebration Issue of Roy of the Rovers showing Roy, Penny and family at the Royal Wedding. Photograph: 2014 Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Roy Race is shot in December 1981. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd.

All rights reserved In March 1982 Roy Race returns to Melchester Rovers after coming out of the coma he was in following his shooting. He is welcomed by Sir Alf Ramsey who had stepped in as manager whilst Race was in hospital. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved The Great Melchester Massacre in July 1986 Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Spandau Ballet’s Steve Norman and Martin Kemp join Melchester Rovers Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved A new look for Roy of the Rovers magazine, and Roy Race in August 1986. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved An earthquake hits Melchester in August 1988. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved. The cover of the last ever issue of the weekly Roy of the Rovers comic in March 1993. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved.

Roy Race lies unconscious in the wreckage of his crashed helicopter in the cliff-hanger ending in the last issue of the weekly Roy of the Rovers comic. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved Pinterest The fate of Race was revealed in the new Roy of the Rovers monthly magazine. Readers discovered that the helicopter crash had resulted in the amputation of his famous left foot, ending his playing career and resulting in his move to Italy as the manager of fictional Serie A side AC Monza. Photograph: 2014 ©Egmont UK Ltd. All rights reserved. True Colours Football Kits » Melchester Rovers Kits 1956â2001 Melchester Rovers Kits 1956â2001 Posted by John Devlin There’s not many kits that stand out as being truly individual and iconic; there’s Liverpool’s all red, the red and blue of Barcelona and the all white of Real Madrid. But in my view one of the classic strips of all time is that of Melchester Rovers – the team that gave the world Roy Race or Roy of the Rovers as he’s better known.

The seldom seen combination of red and yellow gives the Rovers a distinctive position in the football world – making a Rovers’ kit instantly recognisable. OK, so the club is not real and Roy of the Rovers is ‘only’ a comic strip but for me and thousands of other football fans Melchester Rovers was always our favourite ‘other’ club. I learnt all about the workings of football through its dilution in weekly editions of Roy of the Rovers albeit in a fantasy and rather far-fetched form. I was an avid reader in the late 70s and early 80s and only lost interest when Melchester signed those two blokes from Spandau Ballet. I remember being thrilled when I saw Race lead the team out at the start of the 81-82 (with the club facing life in the 2nd Division) with a brand new kit! Gone was the classic asymmetrical 70s look and in was a classy hooped look. And it featured a proper manufacturer and sponsor name in Gola!! So began my love affair of Melchester Rovers’ kits. Looking back through their kit history its funny how the writers never seemed to get it quite right.

Club badges were seldom and erratically worn, shirt sponsor and kit manufacturers (even fake ones) took a while to become established (although as part 2 reveals the club have had some BIG corporate names behind them in their lifetime) and away kits were a rarity as virtually no other club in the Roy of the Rovers universe wore red. Still, none of this matters and to this day I regret never asking my Mum to buy me the official Melchester Gola strip… When we first encounter Melchester Rovers in the 55â56 season they are sporting a typical button up heavyweight jersey in a unique colour combination of red shirt with yellow sleeves, blue shorts and red socks with yellow turnover. It was in this kit that a young Roy Race made his debut. By the 56â57 season though the side ditched the long sleeved shorts and instead opted for a short sleeved shirt coupled strangely with a ‘futuristic’ 70s style wing collar – quite unlike anything else knocking around at the time. In 1958 a more regular shirt appeared with a plunging continental V-neck and a club shield. The yellow turnover also now gained a single red band.

It was a classic kit without a doubt. Bit of a change in the Mel Park kitbag occured in 1959 when the yellow sleeves and club badge were scrapped and instead an all-red shirt (with yellow V-neck and cuffs though of course) was favoured. Another great looking design it only lasted for two seasons before the yellow sleeves returned although the badge was still mysteriously missing – perhaps it was too fiddly to draw? The ever-fashionable Rovers updated their kit in 1964 with an authentic 60s long-sleeved shirt accompanied by a round crew-neck and new yellow socks. This kit was worn right up until 1973, interrupted only by a one-season wonder badged version that emerged in 1967. Replica versions of several of these kits are sold by the excellent TOFFS, although several of their designs also feature badges. In 1973 a new kit emerged that for the casual supporter is recognised as the definitive Rovers kit. Crew neck, long sleeved with a vertical yellow band running down the left hand side of the shirt and continued on the opposite leg of the shorts it was certainly stylish. A nice touch was the addition of numbers on each sleeve.

The socks were a curious affair with no discernable turnover and a ‘T’ shaped yellow trim. The first Melchester away kit I’ve found evidence for was this yellow reversal of the home outfit which ran until 1977 when to the glorious fanfare of a Roy of the Rovers front page a new blue shirt was launched featuring a shield badge device not used on any other Rovers kit of the time. The vertical banded shirt actually went through three incarnations in its eight year history. As well as the original design it also appeared with a standard 70s wing collar and for one season only at the start of the 80s with a V-neck. Both strips now sadly ditched the sleeve numbers. This period also saw Rovers wear a white shirt/shorts away strip, followed by a return to blue – this time without shield but with the addition of a single white stripe down each sleeve. This design lasted for just one season before being replaced by an all-yellow away kit. Commercialism arrived at Mel Park courtesy of Gola in 1981 with this superb kit. A new style Rovers badges was also introduced and Gola’s support of the side was emphatically made as shirt sponsors.

The away kit saw more imagination than some previous Rovers efforts with its non-contrasting V-neck and cuffs and colour combination of white red and blue. Replica versions of the home kit were also sold at this time through the comic. Just one season later though the authenticity of the Gola kit disappeared as the deal ended and Rovers took the field in plain old shirts once again. After five years the Rovers kit was updated again with a new design featuring yellow panels on each side of the red shirt. The yellow v-neck remained but the cuffs changed to red. Although the shirt did not appear to be manufactured by a specific company it did feature the second sponsor in Melchester’s history: American sportswear giants Nike. Back in the 80s Nike had only dipped their toe into the football kit world with Sunderland and had not yet achieved the worldwide football fame they enjoy today. A new badge was also introduced in 1986. The Nike deal only lasted for one season and it wasn’t until 1989 that another sponsor arrived in the form of football sticker (and publishing) giants Panini followed a year later by Roy of the Rovers publisher Fleetway.

A competition amongst Roy of the Rovers readers resulted in a new strip for Melchester in 1991. It saw the introduction of a fairly traditional arrangement of stripes in the famous red and yellow. In line with the times a button-up collar was present. The shorts featured an unusual asymmetrical trim. Another big name became the club’s new sponsor; Sega whose logo brought the colour blue back to the Rovers’ strip. The same kit was used the following season withÂ TSB as sponsors but by 1996 the shirt’s stripes and collar were slightly altered, the old badge returned and plainer shorts and socks were introduced. A kit manufacturer was indicated on the shirt whose logo looked remarkably like the Umbro diamond! Football game legends Subbuteo became the new shirt sponsor. In 1993 another competition was launched to design the club’s new away kit. This brilliant design with horizontal red and yellow bands was the winner. The shirt featured a lace-up collar design clearly based on Manchester United’s iconic kit of the time. With typical Melchester inconsitency the kit featured no badge or manufacturer’s logo and was worn with white, red or blue shorts and also featured three different collar renderings in its brief lifespan.

After a two year hiatus Melchester Rovers returned to the newstands in 1997 sporting probably their most outrageous strip to date. Predominantly yellow the badgeless shirt featured a huge star with natty red trim on the sleeves. The shorts were yellow and the socks a classy hooped affair. As Roy’s adventures were now incorporated into Match of the Day magazine it was perhaps no surprise that the MOTD logo appeared on the shirts. For the 2007â2008 season a new classic Rovers kit was introduced along with arguably the club’s most high-profile sponsor yet â fast food giants McDonalds. It was also the first time a shirt sponsor’s corporate colours matched those of the Rovers perfectly. The shirt, which also incorporated a new badge, featured a dashing V design and the socks utilised an interesting zig-zag trim. The away was a stylish white and red incarnation. Another curious Roy of the Rovers moment in 1999 saw Roy introduce a special European kit in an attempt to raise transfer funds. This all white kit was a great design with horizontal red and yellow bands and Umbro-like diamonds on the sleeve and socks.

Readers last saw the famous Melchester Rovers in 2001 wearing the ‘V’ kit. Roy of the Rovers seems to be enjoying a bit of a revival so hopefully a relaunch may not be far away and if it does happen it will be interesting to see what combination of red and yellow kit accompanies it… Posted in: Articles Comments(40) Thursday, April 23, 2009 40 Responses to “Melchester Rovers Kits 1956â2001” Chris Varney Roy Of The Rovers Ruined The English Game - Sabotage Times Football Roy Of The Rovers Ruined The English Game From Gazza to Wazza, footballing talismen have become the stuff of legend in this country, thanks in no small part to Roy Race and his animated heroics. But is this dependance on one mercurial man the main reason "the continentals" are beating us at our own game? Avatar: Social count: 24 From Gazza to Wazza, footballing talismen have become the stuff of legend in this country, thanks in no small part to Roy Race and his animated heroics.

But is this dependance on one mercurial man the main reason "the continentals" are beating us at our own game? 24 0 The early 1950s saw English football suffer several hammer blows from which it has arguably never recovered. In 1950, the national team was knocked out of their first-ever World Cup by a gaggle of part-time chancers representing the USA: a pot washer, a hearse driver, some postmen and a Haitian accountant. In 1953, England were finally beaten at home by Johnny Foreigner, the little fat chaps of Hungary popping over to Wembley to hand their haughty hosts a 6-3 skelping. Ferenc Puskás and the lads went one better the following year, dishing out a record 7-1 whipping in Budapest, a humiliation arguably topped later in 1954 when England were shamed at the World Cup again, this time losing 4-2 to eight fit Uruguayans. These incidents knocked the stuffing out of the English, who had previously considered themselves the cocks of the walk when it came to the game they invented. But they had been given a rude awakening.

It was time to go back to the drawing board. In this they were not alone: the Brazilians , for example, had been outthought by Uruguay in 1950 and outfought by Hungary in 1954, so came up with the 4-2-4 to land the 1958 and 1962 World Cups. England too put their thinking caps on, Alf Ramsey eventually working out that repeatedly shuttling the ball out wide to a wiry gent who reeked of pomade and pre-match eggnog was a tactic that had been old since 1928. There would be benefits to this come the sixties. But the 1950s had still to plant one ticking time-bomb, one that when exploded would resonate through the ages. Seven months after Hungary had inflicted that record 7-1 defeat on England, someone came along to tell the nation’s kids that English football wasn’t on the bones of its arse. That in fact everything was fine, and would be forever more, so there was no need to worry, or indeed think, about anything. In September 1954, Roy Race signed for Melchester Rovers.

His attitudes to women were barely more sophisticated, marrying Penny and forcing her to follow him around for years like a spare part. Small mercies: at least he never spit-roasted her with Blackie Gray. Destined to become the greatest cartoon footballer of all time, Racey’s heroic influence on English football would, in fact, over the years prove disastrous. Roy was a good man at heart, virtuous, sporting and honest, attributes rewarded by his popularity with both the fictional Melchester faithful and the millions of young football fans who followed his adventures via the pages of Tiger magazine. He was super-talented, too, able to belt in goals from all angles, usually thundering home one of his trademark Racey’s Rockets in the last minute to save the day. But while his insistence on sportsmanship offered a valuable life lesson for impressionable young readers, his talent for timely goalscoring and pulling irons from fires warped their minds in far more harmful ways.

While little schemers from Italy dreamt of becoming fantasistas, conducting their team-mates to victory from the centre of the park, while South American youths honed their skills and picked up a few street-smarts in the dusty favelas, hoping to put it all together in a gambeta; thanks to Roy Race, English children spent their formative years sat on their arses being taught a very strange lesson: it doesn’t really matter what you do for 89 minutes, because a superhero will turn up eventually, welt the ball into the net, and you can all go home with your cups and medals. Such was the sermon preached from the Melchester pulpit. In the big games, Rovers were perfectly happy to wing it, knowing Racey would amble along to the rescue at some point. As a result, nobody would bother preparing for anything. More often than not, Melchester would yawn onto the pitch, and end up a goal or two down not long after kick off. A Race-inspired comeback was nearly always on the cards. In one early adventure, Melchester’s French winger Pierre Dupont was kidnapped ahead of a game, and only escaped his captors just in time for kick-off.

The match started as he was getting changed, Rovers not giving a toss about kicking off a man light. By the time Dupont arrived on the scene, Rovers were three down. Roy’s hat-trick helped them to a sweet 4-3 win. England have long pinned their hopes on a Roy Race figure to take them through the big tournaments only to suffer when something went wrong, the country’s mood zipping up and down at the mere crack of a metatarsal. Years later, having reached a European Cup-Winners Cup final in the mid 1970s, Racey – by now player-manager – simply could not be bothered to scout both sides from the opposite semi, deciding to run the rule over the one team he liked the look of. Sure enough, the team Race ignored and knew bugger all about won through. Once again, Racey did what the English do: shamble about, wing it, hold on for dear life, and grab a late winner. Tactics were usually non-existent in Roverland. And on the few occasions Race scrawled a few dots onto a blackboard, the results were underwhelming.

Here’s his tutorial as caretaker boss to the England squad ahead of a World Cup warm-up match against Holland in 1978: “I don’t think there’s any point in trying to match the continentals for skills. I think we’ve got to believe in ourselves and rely on the things we’re best at: fitness, speed, and POWER IN THE AIR!!!” The cartoonist’s use of bold type illustrated how central these tenets were to Racey’s credo; Gusztav Sebes our hero was not. England still won 5-1, though, and English football stumbled into the 1980s, a jurassic arena in which Harfords and Fashanus roamed the earth freely, creating wanton havoc. Race was aptly named, trumpeting attitudes to foreigners which could be charitably described as being a good width of Big Ron’s bulbous head to the right of the Daily Mail.

In the early years of the 1950s and 1960s – during which he was regularly kidnapped by swarthy Latin types, and once drugged while on tour in Australia by a poison dart launched by an “Abbo” – this take on foreign cultures could just about be explained away by the times, Rovers coming from a country still reeling from loss of Empire. But from the 1970s onwards, there really was no excuse. The “continentals” would regularly be portrayed kicking lumps out of their opponents, deploying cheeky antifútbol tactics that would have put Estudiantes to shame. Even as late as the early 1990s, Italian sides would be depicted surrounding referees demanding sending offs for spurious offences, while the national team of the USA once resorted to utilising hi-tech bugging equipment in the English changing room in order to lug in on whatever vacant nonsense Race was jabbering to his charges at half-time.

Racey’s sides, visibly piqued at the saucy boldness of Johnny’s wily ways, would inevitably storm onto the pitch with a steely determination to mete out a few strokes of punishment, the last lash inevitably coming from Racey’s left boot of justice. English children spent their formative years sat on their arses being taught a very strange lesson: it doesn’t really matter what you do for 89 minutes, because a superhero will turn up eventually, welt the ball into the net, and you can all go home with your cups and medals. His attitudes to women were barely more sophisticated, marrying Penny, a Rovers office administrator, and forcing her to follow him around for years like a spare part, with no useful function of her own. Small mercies: at least he never spit-roasted her with Blackie Gray. So, then: instilling into generations of children a disdain for tactics and organisation, a fear of progressive thought, and myopic Little Englander viewpoints. Yep, Racey single-handedly scuppered the progress of English football alright, snipping it off at the bud, warping young minds during those crucial formative years. Don’t believe it?

Then see how life subsequently imitated art at the highest level of England’s club and international game. The nation’s most feted European Cup wins are Liverpool’s 2005 miracle of Istanbul, a Melchesteresque tactical cock-up followed by a one-man supershow, and Manchester United ’s 1999 triumph, another organizational balls-up saved only by a last-minute whirlwind. Italians, by way of comparison, may point to Fabio Capello’s Milan coolly dissecting a superb Barcelona team 4-0 in 1994, while the Spanish have Real Madrid’s signature strokes of 1960 to fawn over. As far as we’re aware, Italian or Iberian kids were never lectured by a Roberto or Rafael Race. As for the national side? England have long pinned their hopes on a Roy Race figure to take them through the big tournaments – from the days of Kevin Keegan and Bryan Robson to the modern era of David Beckham and Wayne Rooney – only to suffer when something went wrong, the country’s mood zipping up and down at the mere crack of a metatarsal. It’s not healthy, this; by any other measurement, that’s manic depression.

And consider this: everybody involved in the 1966 World Cup squad, with the possible exception of Alan Ball, would have been too old to bother with comics when Racey made his debut in Tiger. And look what they achieved. Having taken on board the lessons from the Magical Magyars, while remaining blissfully unaffected by the pernicious influence of Roy Race that would stifle subsequent generations, England’s tactically innovative team, built around a system which took precedence over its stars – spare a thought for poor old Jimmy Greaves, the Roy Race of his day – took their country to the top of the world. "This piece is an extract from The Blizzard, a new quarterly journal of football writing available in print and digital formats on a pay-what-you-like basis from . Edited by Jonathan Wilson, its pilot issue includes articles by a host of top writers including Uli Hesse, Simon Kuper and Gabriele Marcotti." Click here for our interview with The Blizzard

Question: For which club did Roy of the Rovers play?
Answer: Melchester Rovers