Promising Luke

Young centre back Luke has a bright future ahead of him, we take a look at why.

Luke McCullough joined Rovers in the summer 2013 from Manchester United, whom he had joined in 2010 from Irish club Dungannon Swifts. At the age of 15, he played in the IFA Premiership, which is the top league in his native country, Northern Ireland.

Upon moving to Manchester, he made 25 youth appearances as team captain for the 2011-2012 season. And in January 2013 he made a short term loan move to Cheltenham making 1 appearance. Luke was released from Old Trafford in the summer 2013, and joined Doncaster on trial.

After impressing Paul Dickov, he was quickly signed up as one for the future, signing a 2 year contract. 

However, Paul needed to use the youngster quicker then expected with injury to Rob Jones andJamie McCombe, he made his debut and played the full game against Brighton in November. He has since made 13 appearances for Rovers.

Many people have been impressed with Luke, whilst he is not the defender that Rob Jones is, he does show a lot of promise. Especially with his ball playing skills, in fact it has been this that has called for many fans wondering if he could provide cover further up the field as a defensive midfielder.

During his first run in the side, he was partnering Khumalo, however, with the South African picking up an injury, fellow youngster Liam Wakefield was called on to step up. Unfortunately this partnership didn't have a great effect, mainly due to lack of experience of the two 20 year olds. This was not a decision Paul Dickov had wanted to do, but he was forced due to injury. The next game Liam moved to right back, and Paul Quinn partnered Luke, which worked much better and took the pressure off the too youngsters a bit.

Against Watford, with Tamas missing the game due to injury, the back 4 consisted of Coppinger, Quinn, Meite and Husband, however, injury to Meite saw Luke McCullough take his place, he put in a solid display despite the incident which led to Watford's goal, which seemed to involve lack of communication from Husband, allowing his man to run behind Luke who was watching the ball. This is expected with a defense that doesn't play together.

Watching Luke, reminds me a bit of Sam Hird, not in the style or way they play, but Sam was fantastic, when he had a strong character such as Matt Mills next to him, however when Sam was playing the lead role at the back, he wasn't as good. And I think at the moment Luke is the same, he would be great playing with and learning from a leader such as Rob Jones, but he is not ready to be the lead man.

One further thing that impresses me is his professionalism off the field, now I am aware of his naughty behavior whilst at Manchester United, but on the social media he does come across very well. Much more mature then a lot of youngsters, you only have to look at ex Rover Oscar Radford to see what I mean. This tells me Luke is the type of player that can develop and reach his potential.

Pior to joining Rovers, Luke had been capped for Northern Ireland at u16, u17 and u19 level. His move to Doncaster earned him his first call up for the u21 squad and he has gone on to make 6 appearances so far. I would certainly tip him to make a full international appearance within the next few years.

The future looks bright for Luke, he has shown he is quite capable at this level and will only improve the more experience he gains. Next season could be very important for him, with Rob having a career threatening injury and Jamie McCombe unknown how he will return. Also with Tamas and Meite only on short term deals and contracts expire at the end of the season, finally Khumalo is unlikely to play for Rovers again after a season ending injury picked up on international duty and will return to parent club,  Tottenham. This only leaves Luke and Liam Wakefield here next season, in my opinion Liam is not ready, I would also like to see Meite and Tamas here next season, but there are a lot of signs showing Luke could play am important part next season.

After this, who knows, he has the potential to go far in the game, let's hope this future star can bring a lot to Rovers.

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Mysterious Mark

Mark De Val Fernandez arrived at the Keepmoat in the last pre season as one of Paul Dickov's summer signings. But why has he only made a handful appearances so far during his Rovers career?

Mark joined from Spanish giants Real Madrid, whom he had joined at the age of 19 for 4 Million Euros from Espanyol. Mark played in their C team making 41 appearances. He also spent loan spells at UE Olot and CD Olimpic de Xativa, the latter he made 36 appearances for and scored on his debut. 

New Rovers manager Paul Dickov had been watching Mark since 2011, however could not make a deal due to Real's asking price of 260,000 Euros being too high for Oldham. Paul did however manager to land his man on 24th June 2013. After an impressive pre season, Mark was unfortunate to pick up a bad injury during a friendly against Motherwell, which would keep him out of action until mid November, however, since coming back he has only made 4 appearances so far. 

Many people have questioned why he has played so few games, is he not good enough? has Dickov made a mistake? or is he simply not fit?

Well Dickov has said that Mark has been struggling to adapt to life here in England, even so much that he cannot eat English food. Rather then cook him a Paella, maybe it is important to Paul that everyone who plays for Doncaster must eat Yorkshire puddings. However, maybe this is the main reason behind his lack of involvement, whilst having no experience myself, I do imagine moving countries can be very hard, especially going from the place most of us go to to get away from our weather.

Take a look at this, below is a picture from Wikipedia of Mark's hometown, Blanes

And here is Doncaster's

Has Dickov made a mistake? Well after years of keeping an eye of Mark, i highly doubt it, maybe Paul is a little disappointed that he hasn't been able to use Mark more, but i'm sure they have sat down together and had a chat and come up with a plan.

I have never spoke to Mark, but maybe communication is a problem, maybe he is not fitting in with the team, maybe after his injury he has struggled with confidence  and Paul knows, playing him in a game where every point is important may not help him.

Many fans have cried out for him to be given a chance, especially whilst we have missed players Paul Keegan (injury) and Richie Wellens (suspension). But I have heard mixed reviews, whilst many have praised his few contributions so far, some people have said he doesn't seem to have the quality. To me, Mark looks quite lightweight, maybe playing in one of the toughest leagues in the world in one of the most physically demanding positions is not the best idea.

In this case, I would normally be crying out for him to get some experience out on loan, get some playing time, however in this case, I don't think it would help, especially if he is not settled in to Doncaster. He could of started to get used to life here right now, it might not be for the best to ship him out to somewhere like Shrewsbury. The benefit of him staying at the Keepmoat is that he is in and around his team mates, he is training with them and is playing in development matches.

He seems pretty decent from dead balls

My opinion on this matter is one that I share with many, if he gets a chance this season the great, if not, give him next season, give him the whole summer to maybe take a trip back home, come back and prepare for the season, give him a run of 90 minutes in competitive games and see how he does. 

I for one am certainly not writing this player off as I would like to believe he could be a great coup for us. 

Many of you might recall when Dumbuya was signed, he joined from a non league club, and we barely saw him during his first season, O'Driscol used this first season for him to adjust, and by the time he was in his second season he impressed many of us. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a simular story here with Mark.

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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!

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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.

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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