The new Premier League season began with the razzmatazz of Sky Sports, with Andy Gray and Richard Keys giving real life glitz to the Roy of the Rovers universe. Derek 'Mozzie' Mostin had arrived in Melchester and a brash new formation looked set to dominate English football for the foreseeable future.
Exciting European football and big domestic matches eventually took their toll on the great Roy Race, as the legend resigned his managerial duties after a match against North Vale. One of the most famous ROTR scenes and one that sticks in the mind.
Free of the strains of management Roy played some of the very best football of his career, leading Rovers to smashing victories and scoring an array of spectacular goals. Melboro' boss Ralph Gordon and his all-out-attack philosophy, was the only applicant for the vacant Rovers job. Some incredible matches followed, as Rovers employed Gordon's kamikaze tactics. With Roy relegated to the reserves Rovers were dumped out of the FA Cup and fell from contention in the Premier League. Gordon would resign as the first-team players rebelled against his tactics, returning to Roy's "Melchester way."
Roy Race was reappointed player-manager and immediately set about restoring a traditional Melchester Rovers approach. But it was his desire to promote youth that would ultimately end many fans' own Melchester dreams.
I can remember the empty feeling, as if a part of me had been lost, taken away by some faceless devil. Roy Race was dead...
...to me he was anyway and I wouldn't rediscover the greatest story for twenty years. While Roy Race would never play again...
League: 5th or below
League Cup: Unknown
F.A. Cup: 4th Round
Champions League: Group Stage
Squad:
G - Hardisty, Styles
D - Wootten, Chapman, Bruckner, Dexter, B.Gray
M - Croker, Mostin, Spring, Clark, M.Gray
F - Race, Maclaren, Gunn, Harper, Bamber
Line-up:
Players in:
Derek Mostin (Selbridge)
Players out:
Alex Ritchie (Unknown)
Notes:
- unknown 3rd scorer vs Deans Park
- TV reporter says Maclaren is replaced by Race for Zarosa but not true
- Rovers drew with Portdean but the score is unkown
- unknown 3rd scorer vs Redstoke
- Rovers needed to beat Daleswitch by 3 goals to finish in the UEFA Cup places
- Melboro' haven't won a trophy in ten years
7 Comments
Please share your own stories about this season. I can remember it so vividly, it still brings a tear to the eye!
ReplyDeleteThis was probably my favorite season looking back.... the art was outstanding and the story was just as strong. It kind of felt different to previous seasons and the inclusion of Sky Sports kinda reflected the changes in the real world of football.
ReplyDeleteI remember being shocked that it was coming to an end... was also gutted I had to wait for 20+ years to get to read the final issue as it was sold out everywhere. I had to read in a newspaper that Roy had been in a helicopter crash!
The best season! Excellent storyline and Barrie Mitchell! Enough said... Too bad it ended so early and so dramatically...
ReplyDeleteA very complete story up to the finish.
DeleteI love the artwork and am working on a story using it today. The big problem is for a season with so much turmoil we only see Rovers lose twice and Barrie Mitchell only drew Rovers conceding a goal 7 times too. So making a good story to fill in the poor end to the season is proving hard so far because Rovers must lose and I've already used up 2 of the 7 goals...
What does "OO2" indicate against the last match in the stats......?
ReplyDeleteThat's the page number from StrKav's scans, found on his site.
DeleteWhen was mentioned that Melboro hadnt won trophy in 10 years? was it the end of the season?
ReplyDelete