Doncaster Rovers Reserves vs Rotherham United Reserves (Louis Tomlinson Debut)

I am excited to say the article today is the very first guest article on thedonnypop, this is where someone other than myself writes for the blog. This is something that I want to encourage and see more of so feel free to send in your blogs to me at thedonnypop@gmail.com

The writer today is big One Direction fan Lizi, Lizi travelled to the keepmoat all the way from Cheltenham to watch the game, and this is her take on it. Below you will find her twitter name, give her a follow.

Yesterday was my first time at a Doncaster Rovers game, my main reason for attending was because One Direction's Louis Tomlinson was playing. After the relatively long train journey from Cheltenham (early mornings and me do not mix!) I arrived at the Keepmoat Stadium around lunchtime, about 100 teenage girls already there waiting to catch a glimpse of their idol. As more arrived, they started to get louder and if I'm honest, some were quite irritating. The group I was in were the calm side and we got talking about different things to do with Louis and the lads, wondering how he would do up against professional athletes. Louis arrived to some of the loudest screams I've ever heard outside of a concert and after taking pictures with a very few extremely lucky fans, he headed inside, leaving the majority of the 500 or so girls disappointed. After having a lovely chat with Louis' grandad Keith (and learning some new facts), it was time to head into the ground. The outside of the stadium was impressive, a modern and classic take on stadia throughout England.

When I got to my seat, front row right next to the Rotherham dugout, I had to try and get a view of the pitch as the gap between the seats and the barrier was rammed with teenage girls, trying to get a picture of their idol warming up at the other end of the pitch. As the game was about to start, everyone was told to sit down and thankfully they obliged. As Louis' name was read out among the replacements, deafening cheers were heard.

Doncaster started the game brightly, with numbers 7 and 11(Mark Duffy and David Cotterill? - Not sure if they are the correct names as I didnt hear the whole team announcement and they were the ones listed in the squad on the programme) putting in a top standard performance, with many tricks, slick passes and brilliant shots. Many of which were sure to have given Doncaster the lead had it not been for a stellar performance by Rotherham United's goalkeeper, pulling off a number of superb saves in a short space of time to keep the score level. Unfortunately due to the location of my seat, I was unable to see much of Doncaster defending as I had the dugout blocking my view. 

Deafening screams again rocked the stadium as Louis went to warm up along with the substitutes. Getting louder each time he did anything to warm up and earning chuckles from the rest of the Rovers replacements. Security also doubled on him as he was warming up, in case any of the over-excited fans got any ideas.

The first half continued in an entertaining manner, with both teams giving their all, sometimes a bit too much, although the referee managed to miss quite a few blatant fouls from both sides. Again Doncaster were the main ones to press, troubling the keeper on several more occasions than Rotherham but as the half-time whistle went, the score remained 0-0.

For the second half, due to my seat location, I was only able to see Doncaster's defending, however this would come to be a bonus when Louis came on as I would be able to see just how well he can actually play. I got this chance around the 65 minute mark when to thunderous applause and ear-splitting screams, Louis made his way onto the pitch replacing Doncaster's right back, number 2 (Paul Quinn?). The pop star, 22, did seem to spend more time sorting his hair out as it kept blowing all over the place, signalling a few shouts and comments about needing a haircut. However, for an amateur playing with and against professional athletes, he didn't have a bad game. The few passes he made weren't the strongest of passes that you would expect to see from a professional, but then again, he isn't a professional, but each time they found their target. However, after one pass, he lost his footing and slipped. I missed the photo opportunity but it gave the crowd a good laugh. He also managed to hold his ground and win a throw. He did seem to shy away from headers however, although successfully making one towards the end of the game. His man marking was pretty impressive, only getting tricked a couple of times. 

The game ended 0-0 which really, was a fair result to both teams. Once the game was over, I made my way out of the ground, finding that the teenage girls were again surrounding the barriers, hoping to get a glimpse of their idol. However, what they didn't realise was that he left another way so again were left disappointed.

All in all, it was a good day out with an entertaining game of football. Louis showed that he does have some promise on the pitch, however, it will take a lot more training for him to match up to the level of the rest of the squad. 

I would like to go to another Doncaster game, whether Louis would play or not as the atmosphere was great, mainly due to the screaming from the girls.

Elizabeth

Many thanks to Elizabeth for her article really good to read about Rovers I

a different perspective. Interesting to hear how she credits the atmosphere, obviously on different occasion but it is something we have talked about a lot recently.

Be sure to go and follow her on twitter @Lbirt1993 if you check thedonnypop twitter you will find her.

Thanks for reading.

Before they were Rovers: Rob Jones

Once again we take a look at a current Rovers player, and where they was before coming to the Keepmoat, this week it is super Rob Jones we look at.

If you read the article about Mark Duffy, you will remember how he was playing none league but impressed and has since risen through the leagues, Rob Jones has a simular story.

Rob's footballing story started at York City, where he spent his youth career, believe it all not and many who have watched Rob may understand this, whilst at York he was playing as a striker before being moved to left back.
It is reported that he almost fef love with playing football and became disillusioned, he nearly gave up. Rob became a teacher, one that you would certainly hand in your homework on time for, whilst doing this he played non league football for Whitby Town in the Northern Premier League. In 1999 he moved to Northallerton Town and in 2000 he moved to Spennymoor United.

In the summer 2001 Rob moved to Gateshead town, he went on to play in 87 games for Gateshead, playing in central defense, he scored a staggering 19 goals before leaving the club in 2003.

Rob at Stockport 2003

In March 2003 he signed his first professional contract at Stockport County, he was signed to provide backup for centre defense and only manager to make 16 appearances during his time at the club, he still scored 2 goals though! Whilst at Stockport, Rob spent a short period on loan to Maccelsfield Town where he made just 1 appearance. 2004 saw the end of his time at Stockport and he was released.

Rob during his days at Grimsby

He joined Grimsby after a successful trial, first team chances during his first season were hard to come by, however during his second season Rob became a more important for the club. Rob played in the 2005 win against Tottenham Hotspurs in the League cup, impressing so much, the fan carried Rob off the pitch at Blundell Park. Grimsby that were hopeful of promotion into League 1 missed out on the automatic spots and instead played in the playoffs, beating local rivals Lincoln City in the semi but losing to Cheltenham in the final. Following this, Rob and a number of other players left the club. He had made 60 appearances scoring 5 goals before leaving in 2006.

Ripped shirt? Jones doesn't care

Rob moved north to Scottish side Hibernian, in his first season he was made captain and became a fans favorite, the Hibs fans also gave him the chant, still used today, "always believe in Rob Jones". In 2007 he helped Hibs win the 2007 league cup, scoring the first goal of the match in the final, a game they won beating Kilmarnock 5-1. The summer of 2007 saw Jones receive a lot of interest from clubs including Leeds, Ipswich and Colchester, with a 6 figure offer being made. All offers were rejected for Rob, which frustrated him. He remained for a further 2 years, still impressing he was linked with a number of Championship clubs including, Scunthorpe, Derby, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Swansea. He left Hibs after making 96 appearances and scoring 8 goals.

As always, Rob is fully committed

Summer 2009 saw him join Scunthorpe for a Club record fee by manager Nigel Atkins. Rob remained at the club making 42 appearances and scoring 2 goals until a 2011 loan move to Sheffield Wednesday, here he would make 8 appearances and scored 1 goal.

In the close season 2011 Rob made his loan spell at Hillsborough permanent. Like at most clubs he has been at he became a fans favorite and was also made captain, he made a further 33 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday and scored a further 4 goals, he also helped them earn promotion from League 1 in 2011-2012 season, it was this promotion that saw the end of his time at his childhood favorite time. It was thought Rob wasn't good enough to play with the club at Championship level.

Rob tells Miguel Llera to man up or get off the field wearing that hat

In 2012 Rob joined Rovers where he remains today, I recall a Wednesday supporting friend said to me after we had signed him 'he is a great player, true leader, and will score a few goals' even though these words came from a Sheffield supporting mouth, they couldn't be more true. Although this season he has struggled with injuries he played an important part in our promotion last season. Rob also took over as a player/coach following the departure of Dean Saunders, along with Brian Flynn, however he is now concentrating on playing. With Rob still looking some way from returning to playing due to setbacks, he is still heavily involved in the team and often seen on match days helping the players in the dressing room.

Rob celebrating after helping Rovers win League 1 at Brentford

We know nothing hurts Rob Jones, we saw him gain concussion and have a nice lump on his head and saw him return the next game. But we hope Rob doesn't rush himself back with this big injury, better to be safe. Rob will always be remembered by Rovers fans for the way he plays. True Passion.

So far in his career, playing at centre back the 6ft.7 giant has a goal scoring record that would rival some strikers, in fact, after spending too much time researching I have found 2 strikers that Rob's record rivals. For Rovers Rob has scored 8 in 56, Mark McCammon scored just 6 in 54 and it took Neil Roberts 61 games for his 8 goals.

When asked what he wants to do after he finishes playing, Rob replied he wants to become a manager, I and many fans of teams that he has played for will think he will do an excellent job when he does hang up the boots.

There you have it, Rob Jones, before he was Rovers, a career that nearly ended before it had truly started. It goes to show that not everyone is right, many would of thought that having not made the grade at York and becoming a teacher would of been the end of his career, but he came back even stronger and went on to have a great career.


Thanks for reading, I would love to hear some feedback, if you enjoyed reading this please share it. Also remember to find us on facebook and twitter. And if you would like to get involved in thedonnypop please email me thedonnypop@gmail.com


Thanks Once again

Before they were Rovers: Chris Brown

Welcome to the blog, once again we will be looking where a current player applied their trade before signing for Doncaster. I previously wrote about Mark Duffy, an article which has been read and liked by Mark and has become the most read article on the blog, you can read it by clicking here the link will open an new window, allowing you to keep reading this one.


This time we take a look at super striker, Chris Brown.

Last December the current Rovers number 9 turned 29, and he had a good career before coming to the Keepmoat.
Many people don't realize Chris is actually a local lad and was born in Doncaster. However Chris spent his youth career at the team he supports, Sunderland where he built up a reputation for scoring goals. Chris was looking so promising that at the age of 15, he was included in Sunderland's u19 team. Unfortunately his progress came to a halt when damaging his crucial ligament in a reserves game during 2002.

He then missed the whole 2002/2003 season, a season which saw Sunderland's first team relegated from the Premiership. This helped his playing career, with him making a full recovery he earned his place in the first team, it was during this season, Chris was loaned to his hometown team, Doncaster Rovers (03/04). He became popular with the fans at Belle Vue scoring 10 goals in 23 games, helping the club win the Division Three.

Chris then returned to his parent club and was a feature in the first team during the 2004-2005 season making a total of 37 appearances, many of which coming of the bench, he scored 7 goals in this campaign.
Chris was then loaned out again in 2005 to Hull City after manager Mick McCarthy believed Chris needed to gain more experience, Hull had finished second behind Doncaster the season he played for Rovers. He played 13 games for Hull scoring just 1 goal after a difficult loan spell.

He returned to Sunderland in what was a disastrous season seeing them relegated from the Premiership which just three wins and 15 points. Chris was injured for most of this season but returned in March and scored in their final home game of the season against Fulham.

The next season with new Sunderland manager, Roy Keane, Chris featured often in the team scoring 3 goals in 16 games before a January move to Norwich for 325,000 in 2007.

His start to his stay at Norwich was hit by being suspended after receiving two yellows in his first start and picking up an injury to his hamstring. It took him 20 appearances to score his first and only goal for the club.

On January 2008 he moved to Preston for 400,000 where he became a regular and even won the man of the match award on his debut, something that was by far a better start then he had at Norwich. He went on to play 108 games at the Deepdale club scoring 18 goals, often the 6ft 3 striker would play upfront with Jon Parkin, 'the beast' who would later play for Rovers.

With his contract expired in July 2011 he returned to his hometown club, and has since become popular with his fans, many credit Brown not for his goalscoring but for his work rate. He played an important part in the season that saw Rovers win the League 1 and earn promotion back into the Championship and has since being a key player when not injured.

Now aged 29 he has won the Divison 3 in 2004 with Rovers, Championship with Sunderland 2005 and 2007 and League 1 with Rovers 2013. And when Chris decides to hang the boots up, i'm sure he could go on to a good career in media, especially commentary.


Thanks for Reading, as always check us out of Twitter and Facebook as well as the fansite, other articles and the forum. If you would like to get in contact with me email me at thedonnypop@gmail.com

Is Louis Tomlinson good for Rovers?

The lad has come under a lot of stick since 'signing' for Doncaster Rovers, he signed as a publicity stunt and to raise money for charity. Ahead of his debut for us, we look at the effect his signing has.

Who is he?
Well if you don't know the answer to this question, you have dine very well hiding from the radio and TV. Louis is part of the pop group, One Direction, the group that were formed on x factor. Despite not actually winning the TV show, they have gone on to be quite successful, especially amongst teenage girls . Louis is actually Doncaster born and attended Hall Cross school. The local lad has always had a passion for football,  playing for Bessacarr as a kid, he also played for a doncaster pub team before finding fame. It is well documented that Louis is a lifelong Doncaster Rovers fan, however I have heard he is also a Manchester United fan...

When did he sign?
Rovers and louis found the ideal time to get this publicity stunt to the nation, and the secret signing was revealed live on sky when they visited every club in one day, during the pre season of 2013. I had my fears upon hearing something along the lines of 'stay tuned as we visit more grounds across the country, we will also have a special appearance from One Direction, and we will be going to Doncaster where they will reveal a new signing'. Of course hearing that for the first time gets you excited,  who is the new signing? Unfortunately it wasn't anything special.
It wasn't long before the fans of every club in the country had taken to facebook and twitter to mock Rovers with our new signing of Louis. The next few days were actually embarrassing to be a Rovers fan. However the publicity stunt had worked, as Rovers were written in most nation newspapers and mentioned in many places online. The official twitter account also grew in the number of followers, a figure that now stands at 91.3k which is more then Leeds United on 45.5k.

Louis as he appears on Football Manager 2014

Why did this happen?
Louis signing for the Rovers as mentioned before was both a publicity stunt for the club and also a great way to raise money for children's charity Bluebell wood children's hospice.
It was announced Louis would play for the reserves team at least one time. And the date was set against Scunthorpe. Louis did make an appearance against Scunthorpe, however it was only sat on the bench. This was because whilst playing in Stan Petrov's testimonial game in Scotland, Louis picked up an injury after a great tackle by Gabby Agbonlahor. Louis limped off the field and was sick. Would hate to see what a tackle with Colin Sutherland would of done to the lad. a gif of this tackle has been made and watched many of times.

When will he play?
Early 2014, with the One Direction boys back from touring in the USA, it was announced Louis would finally play his debut on 26th February against Rotherham, at the keepmoat. You can get tickets by calling the Doncaster Rovers ticket office on 01302 590250. To some this announcement came as a relief that Damien Plessis had returned. Louis will also feature as a spectator for first team games.

The negatives
Louis wasn't signed for footballing reasons of course and it does make us a bit of a laughing stock amongst rival fans for it. It is quite embarrassing.

The positives
The club gets more publicity, remember al publicity is good publicity,  or something like that. Thousands of people have heard of Doncaster Rovers  since his signings, albeit mainly 13 year old girls, but this will generate some extra money for the club. The reserves game Louis will play in there is already many tickets sold, a game that would struggle to attract 200 people on usually circumstances.

Let's not forget the money raised to local charity Bluebell wood. It is a fantastic charity that supports kids and families, that have a shortened life expectancy, the charity was founded in 1998 and opened it's hospice in North Anston in 2008.
Every penny raised by Louis Tomlinson doing signing for Rovers is a positive reason, because every penny raised will go to helping children and the families that need the support. Guys we need to remember that, the real true reason behind this. When your feeling embarrassed because your Leeds mate is giving you stick for it, just tell him about the good cause that benefited from it.
At the end if the day, it is hard to remember when your passions get in the way, football is a game, but if we can use this to help Children that need help, it is a great thing and credit to all involved. Rovers as a club have always been fantastic helping the community and charities,  everything from green kits, beards and walks. Once again Well done Rovers.

Louis playing in a charity match

What the club should do
Milk it, 100%. Stock the club shop with signed photos, Tomlinson shirts and meet Louis chance to win. Everything that can be thought of. Would certainly get the tills ringing. I'm not sure how it is set up to aid both club and charity, whether it is ticket money to one, everything else to the other or whether it is split, unfortunately i'm not aware.

Other 1 Direction members at the Keepmoat

So let's embrace it, who knows one day Louis might put some of his fame earned cash into Rovers too!

Thanks for reading as always remember to leave a comment, follow us on twitter @thedonnypop like us on facebook, and check out the fansite thedonnypop.moonfruit.com also check out the forum.

If you would like to write an article about anything you can email it to me at thedonnypop@gmail.com I will also be looking for someone who will attend the Lpuis Tomlinson match and would like to write a review, maybe your a regular rover or a first timer, email me.

Thanks Again!

Why is the Keepmoat atmosphere so poor?

Lot's of people talking about this at the moment, we will look at various reasons why, and how it could be improved.

Low attendances

We have all seen the Keepmoat rocking when full, if you was at the playoff semi final against Southend, you will know exactly what I mean. Rovers thrashed Southend, the copps show as many people call it, with him bagging one of the most stunning hattricks you will ever see in football. Us fans were buzzing, and with lots of reasons to be, the stadium was full, it was a big occasion, we played great and we was winning. However recently even the bigger matches we haven't got near the 15000 capacity attendance, even with us winning League 1 last campaign. This could be for many reasons, many people put this down to expensive ticket prices, people often say they cannot afford to go to watch Rovers play no more. Whilst this maybe true, the club has put and got many offers in place to help bring down the ever growing cost of watching football, but we don't get great reaction from these offers. This maybe down to the offers not being good enough, however people need to remember we are playing second tier football, not quid a kid conference no more. Another reason could be people just are not interested in supporting little old donny, but if this was true why do so many fans come out for the big games, the fans that were at stoke, Cardiff and Wembley? Many people put our low attendances down to our recent history, whilst our local rivals can boast ex premiership history, maybe we should shout more about our rise through the football league in recent years. I have also read how people have recently stopped going to the Keepmoat due to poor atmosphere and not enjoying it any more, I find this a poor excuse. My thoughts, take advantage of any offers the club put on, take your mates, get your kids involved, the more positive response the clubs gets from its offers on tickets, the more likely they are to have further incentives, thus increasing the attendance. Let's face it, theres no quick fixes due to recent history,  but it will come round in our favor!

The Keepmoat on it's first game against Huddersfield, the club put a red or white shirt on every seat for fans, creating the hoops around the home stands.

Singing Section

Great idea on paper, takes it's idea from away games where all the singers are together instead of dotted about around the stadium. As one we are quiet, as many we are mighty, or something like that. Remember standing on the pop when everyone around you was singing? People get more involved when everyone is doing it. The Keepmoat doesn't have a kop, the singing section failed in the east and at the time of writing will be trialed in the west stand on saturday against barnsley, the biggest problem with this idea failing, is the singing section not singing. Especially if the time goes 1-0 down, it defeats the objective of a singing section. A further problem would be where to put it, there is limited room for growth in the west stand towards the away fans, and it would be unfair to move season ticket holders that have sat there since the Keepmoat opened.
The game against Barnsley has now been played and the singing section had Iit's first outing, it was not bad for a first attempt with small numbers but if it will have any effect it needs to be much bigger. For me the main worry is location and lack of space, dispite being far away from the away fans, the South stand might be the place to have it. Or maybe the best idea is keeping it in the West until there are more numbers and then try and move to the East Stand near the away fans. Here the section will have space to grown and still be close to away fans, without the need for Doncaster Rovers to attempt to move season ticket holders sat in the West that don't sing.I really think one thing that is important is the singing section should be able to get in by pay on the gate, this could further increase numbers.

We was in full voice in Cardiff winning the JPT

Standing

many people put lack of atmosphere throughout the countries football grounds down to all seated stadiums. We look at teams such as Dortmund and get jealous,  of course dortmund have such a large standing stand. The FSF are currently working on bringing safe standing to England, with progress being made. It is likely to be years before we see any effect as the club would have to pay for the conversion which wouldn't be cheap. Again talking about the old days, the pop rarely had atmosphere problems, we was standing back then. I honestly think this does make a difference. We go to away games make lots of noise and stand up all game, at home we sit down and shut up. I really think having the option to sit or stand can improve things. Over the last few day, safe standing has moved another step closer with Bristol City hopeful to installing it during the summer.

Rail seats, allow people to stand, stopping any rush forward, whilst still providing a seat when needed

Price

With the ever growing price of football, we have seen a class change in supporters. People in the stadiums today are usually a higher class then the ones that were stood on the old terraces. Mainly due to the price of going to watch football. With campaigns such as 20s plenty, we could hopefully see the ticket prices come down slightly, in theory making football available to the masses again.


Family friendly

Nowadays clubs try to be more family friendly which could have an effect on the old hostile atmosphere, for me this is a move in the right direction. But maybe by having designated sections the atmosphere can still be good for example and family stand, and a singing section.


Drum

Contrary to some people's believes a drum doesn't make an atmosphere. You can have a great atmosphere without, I cannot recall a drum on the pop. I do remember the guy with the trumpet mind. A drum can be used to make a good atmosphere better, but you need a good atmosphere first, otherwise it's just a loud annoying noise. The drum at the Keepmoat was donated to fans by the club and recently removed for the drum persistently standing on the stairs. The club have said that if a fan brought their own drum it would be aloud, however, the drum cannot be used in the singing section in the west stand due to the press boxes. Therefore it's original place in the south stand is the only location it can be affect. However if the singing section is in the west towards the away fans, a drum in the south would be completely pointless. Also the person that does the hitting needs to be capable,  and it is incredibly annoying when a bunch of kids hit the drum to literally no tune with no one singing. Now I'm not knocking the drum, it is good but needs to be used correctly, and if you are the drummer, fair play, it takes some balls to be doing it, but please, do it right.



What can we learn from other grounds and clubs?
Unfortunately I couldn't make the trip to the amex this time round, but did go for it's opening game. Which I enjoyed besides the Sharp, Hayter incidents and the result. The ground was nice, one thing Rovers should learn from this ground to improve the match day experience is branding. The Keepmoat is a soulless bowl, however it has recently improved with big banners of players on the outside etc. And is set to improve with the heritage provide, credit to IRWT and the club, one thing we should learn from the amex in Brighton was, in the concourse, clips from past games was played on projectors even in the away end our rovers past moments. Now this is simple, and I am aware this isn't going to make the atmosphere much better. But just image walking into the Keepmoat, stood having a beer with your mates, or a coke and a burger, watching Copps destroy Southend or Spike scoring at the millennium. Small things like this would add up and make a difference. What I basically mean that if the overall match day experience is improved by adding or changing little things, then the attendances could improve, therefore making a good atmosphere much more possible.

Another thing we should learn from is our neighbors,  a lot of people mention recently "even Barnsley had more fans then us' and the reason why is because they have gave away tickets, Rovers should be in schools around Doncaster given kids free tickets, given sunday league teams tickets. Not only would this boost attendances, but think long term, it took me one time watching rovers to want to go again, and it would be the same with other kids. Encouraging the next generation of supporters. The club would even be making money short term, a free kid would go to the game with a paying adult, thats two people through the gate that the club wouldn't have. Before you know it "I want a rovers shirt for Christmas" and "can we go and watch rovers again" I'm not aware if the club are currently doing this, but the community team should do this every week, the club should give away thousands of tickets and really push this. It would improve the atmosphere too, kids love to join in with the songs, most don't have the lack of confidence some of the older fans seem to have.


Maybe supporting football is changing in England, stadiums will become quieter as people sit at home watching games on the TV, but as Rovers fans we need to do everything we can. Credit to the fans that have set up the singing section for last Saturday, and the club for allowing it. Hopefully this could be the start of something. But where ever you are sat on Saturdays, make some noise, cheer us on to 3 points every week. 12th man!

We are asking you;
What did you think about the singing section? Was in it?
How could the atmosphere and match day experience be improved?
How can we improve attendances at the keepmoat?


Thanks for Reading, as always check us out on twitter and facebook. I would also like to remind people that my idea for this blog is to get everyone involved, I will hopefully be running some voting polls shortly in the forum and creating articles about this. I also don't want to be doing this alone, I would like this blog to be a fans blog, so if you have any ideas or want to write your own article, about anything Doncaster related, email me at thedonnypop@gmail.com
Everyon has been fantastic so far and we have had many views on the fansite and blog, however very few have got involved. You do not have to write articles to get involved, simply a comment in response or some feedback is showing some support.

Thanks once again 

Valentines Day Special: Roses for Rovers

Just a quick article for fun, today related

• It was love at first sight and I have loved for many years
• She is an old girl with lots of history but still looks young
• She have changed a lot of the years
• Many have told me I can do better, but I stay true to her
• We have been through good and bad times
• She have often made me angry
• She gets played by many, but I just support her
• She currently has a young Husband
• She often has bad spells every couple of weeks
• She can have a massive effect on my mood
• I have spent a fortune on her
• She takes up a lot of my time
• She even chooses what I wear at the weekend
• I have seen her grow over the years
• An ex nearly killed her, but she came back strong
• Many friends don't see what I see in her
• Sometimes she has been ugly, but got the job done
• Often been pretty but failed
• She has a lot of passion
• I will always love her
• She is Doncaster Rovers

Just a little fun, hope a few of them made yoy smile today. fear not, it will be back to usual business again. We take on Barnsley tomorrow it what will be a tough but hopefully good game.

Thanks for reading, and remember to make your woman happy today, gice her lots of attention because the last thing you want is to have to give up your day tomorrow.

Forgotten Rovers: Jamie Price

In this section we will be looking at players that you might have forgotten about, this time we will be looking at ex young Rover, Jamie Price.

The defender started his career in Leeds Academy before being released in 1999, like James Baxendale and James Husband, Price joined Rovers after this. Jamie then played in the successful youth team and was an important part of this. In the summer of 2001 he signed a full time pro contract with Rovers, who were then in the Conference. He managed to earn his place in the first team during the 2001/02 season. Jamie recalls his most successful time was helping Rovers win the Division 3 title, the next season he made 12 appearances in League one before leaving Belle Vue. Whilst at Rovers he has loan spells at Halifax Town and Burton Albion. He was released from Doncaster in 2005 and joined York City, for whom he made 23 league appearances for before joining Halifax in 2006.  Jamie would stay here until 2008 and made 76 league appearances.  He then had a spell with Farsley Celtic before joining Bradford Park Avenue in 2009 where he stayed for 2 seasons, playing with ex Rovers players and possibly two more players you have forgotten about Robbie O'Brien, a youngster that didn't make the grade and Andy Campbell, who was on loan at Rovers for a short time and brother of Neil. Since he has played for Garford Town and Ossett Town. 

In 2013, he returned to Bradford Park Avenue where he plays currently. He is also doing coaching with children.

There you have it, Jamie Price, played alongside the unforgettable Paul Green, having found his way into the first team Jamie's Rovers career probably didn't benefit from Rovers rapid raise through the football league.

Jamie is a true pro, and after contacting him on twitter, he helped edit a few details on this article.

Thanks for reading

Player Link: Physio and Yeovil Player

In this Article we will look at what could link the Tranmere Rovers Physio to and on loan Yeovil Player. Now I imagine many of you will be able to guess the two people in question, let's take a look.

Meet the Physio.

Recognize him? Yes, that's Gregg Blundell.

Who is Gregg Blundell? He is a scouse born ex footballer who played as a striker for many teams. He started his career as a youth at Tranmere Rovers before dropping into non league football with Knowsley United and then Vauxhall Motors, he was known during his time here as being able to find the back of the net, he left Vauxhall Motors in 2001 and signed for Northwich Victoria. His stats whilst at Northwich were impressive too making 90 appearances and scoring 39 league goals. He attracted a fair amount of interested and in 2003 moved from his bottom half club to Doncaster Rovers who were closing in on promotion. Shortly after this move he was playing in the play-offs against Chester City and in the final Dagenham & Redbridge, in which saw Rovers earn promotion back into the football League. Many can remember Gregg sustaining an injury to his head, in which he carried on playing with his head strapped up Paul Ince and Terry Butcher style.

The next season, with Rovers favorites for relegation, Blundell helped earn back to back promotions, scoring 18 in what was the Division 3, this season he won Doncaster player of the year.

Unfortunately, Gregg wasn't quite up to the League 1 level and dropped down to League 2 when he left Rovers for Chester City in 2005, which was reportedly a then club record fee of 105,000 pounds. Gregg made 86 appearances scoring 28 goals for Doncaster. He continued his impressive record at Chester making an immediate impact, however his season took a turn for the worst after picking up an injury against Rochdale, in October, this saw him miss 3 months of action, when he came back he struggled to find his form and on January deadline day 2007 he moved to Darlington to play under his ex boss from his Doncaster days, Dave Penney. He made 71 appearances here scoring 10 goals before leaving Darlington in 2007 to rejoin Chester City who were now back in the Conference, he remained here for half a season making 18 appearances scoring 3 goals. With financial trouble at Chester, Gregg moved to Barrow in 2009 before signing for them preeminently. This would be the last club he played for, and towards the end of his career was a Player/Physio for them, would of been interesting to see what would happen if he picked up an injury. Previously in 2008 he has picked up a degree in Physiotherapy for the University of Salford. 

In the summer 2011 he joined Tranmere Rovers as their Physio, a position he is still in today.

So what about the on loan Yeovil Player?

Many will remember this guy, It is John Lundstram

Who is John Lundstram? John is a 19 year old midfielder, who is on loan from Everton. Having coming through the academy there, in February 2013, he was loaned to Doncaster when we were in League 1, following our relegation the year before. John became an important part of our team making 14 appearances. He also played during the match at Brentford, which we can all remember. At the end of the season he returned to Everton and in November was loaned to Yeovil Town, who were promoted with Doncaster the year before. He is currently still at Yeovil, where he plays with ex Rovers players Bryon Webster and James Hayter. He has also gained caps for England at u17, u18, u19 and u20. He has recieved praise by Steven Gerrard for his tackling and passing. John looks to have a promising career ahead of him, and seems like a good lad.

The Links

So lets have a look at what links these two.

Now there is the obvious, they have both played for Doncaster Rovers, they were both born in Liverpool.

They have also both won promotions with Rovers, Gregg in 2003 Conference Play-offs and in 2004 Division 3 champions. John in 2013 League 1 champions. Also they both played in the only two doncaster teams that were crowned league champions since 1969.

John as part of the team that were champions of League 1 2012/13

Gregg as part of the team that were champions of Division 3 2004

The final link, Gregg Blundell appears to be dating John's sister, Jodie.

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Picture Sources

http://mobile.tranmererovers.co.uk/news/article/moore-wallace-261213-1256893.aspx?pd=635236886720000000

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/football_heaven/big_match_galleries/rovers_cambridge/index.shtml

http://www.ytfc.net/team/player-profile/index.aspx?playerid=430584

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lundstram

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/22228814

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/photo_galleries/3656243.stm

Before they were Rovers: Mark Duffy

Welcome all, in this bit we will take a look at careers of rovers players, before they donned the mighty hooped shirt.

This time the player in focus is non other then Mark Duffy.

Mark was born in Liverpool in 1985, which makes him currently 28. So where has he been before join Rovers last summer.
He started his youth career at Liverpool before being released and moving to Wrexham's academy. In 2004 Mark made his professional début for non league Vauxhall Motors. He only stayed here for a year and then moved to a team called Prescot Cables Fc. Based in Merseyside, they play in the Northern Premier League Davison One North. Which is one of the leagues at the 8th tier in English football. After 2 years, in 2007 at the age of 23, Mark moved to Southport where he made 71 League appearances scoring 13 goals.

Mark upon signing for Southport 2005

He attracted a fair amount of attention and in January 2009 Mark moved on loan to Morecambe for whom he later signed for permanently at the end of the season. After making a total appearances of 76 scoring 7 goals, Mark signed for Scunthorpe, for an undisclosed fee in January, where he would stay until July 2013. Mark was including in the Scunthorpe team immediately.

Mark made a big impact at Scunthorpe during his time there. Many Rovers fans will remember him for his stunning performance against us. During the 2012/13 season Mark finished second in the assists table, with David Cotterill coming in first. What makes this even better is Mark's Scunthorpe got relegated, which shows he was the bright light in a team that wasn't good enough for the league. Which shows immense personal class. Overall Mark made 112 apperances scoring 10 goals.

Mark's goals and assists for Scunthorpe during 2012/13

In July 2013 Rovers made 2 bids for Mark, however both were rejected by Scunthorpe before making a 3rd bid which was accepted, the fee was undisclosed but is expected to be 6 figure. Chances at the start of his Rovers career were few and far between and it is no secret Mark was becoming frustrated with this lack of first team football. However he has since impressed and is arguably one of the first names on the team sheet. Mark is currently on the shortlist for player of the month for January 2014.

In 2009 Mark was playing non league football and didn't make it into the football league until that age of 24. He is another fine example of good quality players in the non league, now being an important part of a second tier club.

We want to hear what you think of Mark so far, are you a fan of one of his ex clubs, how was he for you?


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Picture Source
http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/southport-breaking-news/2009/02/23/mark-duffy-completes-his-move-from-southport-fc-to-morecambe-fc-101022-22988417/
http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/Scunthorpe-United-reject-bid-Mark-Duffy-Doncaster/story-19328436-detail/story.html
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/24951794
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgayUi2rI2jgO5fVWgn6Y5w?feature=watch

How to spot a Rover

If you are struggling to identify a fellow fan, here are some helpful points.

1) A Rovers fan will understand the importance of having stable ownership.

2) A Rovers fan will get bored if the club stays in the same league for more then a few years.

3) A Rovers fan will know Rovers should of beat Arsenal, and how Robin Van Pursie is garage compared to Sean Thornton.

4) A Rovers fan will cringe every time they hear the word 'experiment'.

5) A Rovers fan will take their Rovers shirt every time on holiday.

6) A Rovers fan will fully understand how you can be the better team in most matches, and still lose.

7) A Rovers fan knows the keep oat only gets rubbish refs.

8) A Rovers fan will not pretend the team they support are still the champions of Europe.

9) A Rovers fan will of seen some of the worst players in the history of the game.

10) A Rovers fan prefers a hard worker to a skilled player.

11) A Rovers fan will know age is just a number, isn't that right Mr Scullion.

12) A Rovers fan will not be suspicious if 10 of the starting 11 are injured at the same time.

13) A Rovers fan would probably help Macca hide in your loft.

14) A Rovers fan knows the peak of every players career is with the Rovers.

15) A Rovers fan will miss a girl called Belle.

16) A Rovers fan will of stood at a far away non league ground on an uncovered terraces in the pouring rain and watched us lose, and still go away.

17) A Rovers fan will know who Mud is.

18) A Rovers fan has waited by the players entrance at least once for an autograph.

19) A Rovers fan will know that we made Akinfenwa big.

20) A Rovers fan will know that a player coming from a so called big club is not always good.

21) A Rovers fan will never say 'but we have more fans'.

22) A Rovers fan will of been to two national stadiums. And watched Rovers win.

23) A Rovers fan remembers people stood behind the pop to sneak a watch at class. ItIis thought SAF used to go there undercover for tips.

24) A Rovers fan can name the whole squad.

25) A Rovers fan will remember the band at Belle Vue.

26) A Rovers fan will know Neil Kilkenny made the wrong choice.

27) A Rovers fan will know what it's like to miss a penalty at Newcastle.

28) A Rovers fan will know Sergio's goal for Man City is not the best end to a football season. Copps' goal was even more dramatic.

29) A Rovers fan will know how good it feels to watch Championship football after those years of pain.

30) A Rovers fan will expect every pundit to predict Rovers to get relegated every year.

31) A Rovers fan will know being tipped for relegation doesn't stop you winning the league.

32) A Rovers fan will remember copps' hattrick against Southend.

33) A Rovers fan will know Rovers were the last team to win the Division 3.

34) A Rovers fan will remember winning the Macmilan Trophy.

35) A Rovers fan will know having a roof over you, doesn't mean you will stay dry.

36) A Rovers fan will never stop supporting.

37) A Rovers fan wants Franny to get a knighthood.

38) A Rovers fan will remember that having one eye doesn't stop you playing football.

39) A Rovers fan should remember where we was in the conference years and look at us now.

40) A Rovers fan expects to hear the club being put down on TV, Radio and the Paper. After all we are 'the likes of' just a pub team.


So can you add to this list? We want to hear what makes you a Rovers fan.
How many of this list matches you?