Does anyone know why videos of Ruben's arrival/training havent been posted by Rovers like the Mauro ones have? Is he even here yet?

Rochina has arrived and according to reports he scored in his first game in a Rovers shirt for the reserves today in a 1-1 draw against Wrexham. Not sure of the full starting line-up, but a good positive boost for Ruben!!

Barton sounds like some far right thug.

Doesn't just sound it, looks the part of one in the CCTV footage.

Someone, please, put your disdain for me aside for a second and support me in my claim that Steven Reid was goddam awful when he first arrived at the club. He was playing on the wings and he displayed zero technical ability, zero skill, zero crossing ability and many were calling for him to get the chop.

Reid wasn't 'goddam awful', when he arrived.

He certainly didn't get of to a great start after getting injured in pre-season and then getting sent-off in his debut vs Bolton after coming on as a substitute. Further injuries were sustained in a team that was lurking in trouble until Hughes' took over. I think his longest run was something like 10 games before another injury appeared.

I would never say Reid was 'goddam awful', however he didn't get the opportunity to play to the best of his ability. How would you rate Kevin Davies or Ciccio Grabbi if Reid was goddam useless?

The management persevere with new signings - why not youth players? Steven Reid was not good enough to be considered a good Prem player when he arrived, but the management persevered with him and MADE use of his talent. Same with Mokoena, same with Pedersen, same with Emerton (barring debut).

Absolute nonesence about Reid mate?

He wasn't good enough to be considered a good Prem player?

Who's eyes was that? Yours?

Steven Reid was brought to the club as the potential was seen by Mr Souness and his suitors. Lucas-h Neill also recommended Reid to Blackburn as he was an ex-colleague of his at Millwall. His early part of his career was plagued by injuries and when Hughes took over from Souness, then he has started to play him in the centre of midfield. Not once was Reid ever consider not good enough to be a Prem Player and was never surplus to requirements at Rovers, however perhaps it might have been questioned about his ability to stay injury free!!

Rover6, for a man who has had the ability to talk a lot of sense, you certainly loosing it your posts in this thread.

I'm nearly lost for words with what you've basically said.

rover 6 how many times have you watched the Reserves over the past few years? You talk about our best young players being an 'elite' but in truth they are not very good. If our best young reserve full-back, which you imply that Taylor was, is worse than Bruno Berner, why should the manager pick him?

The manager has a duty to select the strongest side possible from the players he has available to him. My firm belief is that the management team should be OBLIGED to select the strongest team at all times and win matches, irrespective of where the players originate from.

I have to laugh at what Parsons has picked up from Rover6 and agree with all that he says.

With one persons view on a player, stating that this player has been overlooked is quite a bit far off the mark. All players, including youth and no matter what senior team he is in at Brockhall, will be known by Mark Hughes. He has been at youth and reserve games and has accurate feedback from his colleagues about which ones are performing and the ones who aren't, so you just can't state that these players have been overlooked.

After speaking to quite a few players, both from senior and youth squads, they would certify that Mr Hughes knows exactly what is going on with each player, make no bones about that!!

Unlikely Parson, I thought he was a midfielder.

Also travelled with the first team to the Portsmouth game by all accounts. R6 - think you need to channel you argument to why we are not producing anybody of real talent.

CK, as Parson later stated that Judge has played in a few different roles, namely one as a striker and a few different positions across the midfield.

He is a decent asset and could be useful to throw on upfront if injuries, form played a part at some stage. But that isn't likely to happen for a while, but is an option as a striker somewhere along the line.

Neilsen, Olsson, Judge ... you might agree to including Nolan. And I think Fielding should be included for his outstanding season with Wycombe.

I wouldn't be including Nolan just yet, as there are quite a few ahead of him.

For instance, for right-back we have, Reidy, Emo, Andre and Tony Kane. So to think that Eddie could be one of the players to break through to the first team squad, then he'll need to have one heck of a start to the campaign with reserves.

I recall speaking to Mark and asking him about heading out on his own. One of his comments was that not everything is greener on the other side.

However, if Sparky packs his bags I could envisage him going along with him for the next 3-4 years. He will stay beside his master and after the next few years then I would think he's picked up an awful by that stage and head out on his own. A very shrewd and intelligent number 2 we have here.

I'm starting to get very worried about the Reid situation. Has anyone got any recent injury info on him? Last I heard he was sent on a holiday to recover from a hamstring strain, but was set to be available in 2-3 weeks time. That was about 2-3 weeks ago I think.

We're going well but a fully fit Reid would be an awesome addition.

MABP, It would be best to let time heal his injuries.

Would hate to rush him into action until he is more than 130% fit. I would have a feeling he'll feature in a match behind closed doors. As you said a fully fit Reid would be an awesome addition.

The drums have never been a problem for me personally, i've always thought they were good for the atmosphere HOWEVER those plastic bloody horns...god no! I had 2 kids behind me with one EACH for a game last season and they sound bloody awful... they are a cheap replacement for the good old fashioned air horn, which in moderation I don't mind!

I'm off the same opinion Ben. I side just off the flanks to them and it hasn't bothered me at all. In fairness they can be fairly loud, but I'm usually too engaged into whats happening on the pitch, never mind around me.

This is fantastic work ! Keep it going guys.

If would be brilliant if so somebody (Groo ? FLB ? Dillo ?) would volenteer to update this info on the new wiki we're working on. In that form it'll be far more easy to both read and update.

Hi Glenn,

Yeah I will assist with this duty if needed. I've always had a strong interest knowing where all the former Rovers have ended up. BTW I'm not some kind of stalker, but this spiralled out from finding out about all past Rovers from Northern Ireland. As Le Chuck stated, maybe a few people could contribute to this.

Will keep a note of any further upates and do another release later this month:-

• Micheal Holt is now a Police Officer in Accrington.

An updated list for all players/staff since Premiership era :-

Accrington Stanley - Leam Richardson.

AIK Solna - Nils-Eric Johansson.

Arezzo AC- Corrado Grabbi.

Ayr United - Paul Weaver.

AZ Alkmaar - Toni Kolehmainen

Ballymena - Garth Scates.

Barnoldswick Town - Michael Holt.

Barnsley - Marc Richards.

Bayer Leverkusen (Vratislav Gresko).

Birmingham City - Damien Johnson, Neil Danns, Martin Taylor.

Blackpool - Ben Burgess, Tony Parkes (Assistant Manager), Simon Grayson (Manager).

Blyth Spartans - Graham Fenton (Caretaker/player-manager).

Bolton Wanderers - Kevin Davies.

Bournemouth - Gareth Stewart.

Bradford City - Peter Thorne.

Brescia Calcio FC: Dario Marcolin (Coach)

Burgos CF - Javier De Pedro.

Burnley - Alan Mahon.

Bury - John Fitzgerald.

Cercle Brugge - Dwight Willie.

Cambridge United - Jimmy Quinn (Manager).

Charlton Athletic - Marcus Bent.

Clitheroe FC - Joel Byrom, Clark Walsh.

Clyde - Colin Hendry (Manager).

Crystal Palace - Shefki Kuqi.

Coventry City - David Mcnamee, Tim Flowers (Assistant Manager).

Derby County - Jay McEveley, Andy Todd, Alan Fettis (Assistant goalkeeping coach).

Derry City - Eddie McCallion.

Doncaster Rovers - Gordon Greer.

Dunalk - Robbie Doyle.

Dundee - David Worrell.

Elgin City FC - Kieron Renton, Adam Nelson.

Everton - James Beattie, Lee Carsley, Alan Irvine, Mick Rathbone.

Exeter City - Andy Marriott.

Finland national side - Roy Hodgson (Manager).

Forest Green - Ryan Robinson.

Fulham - Ian Pearce, Billy McKinlay (Reserve Team Coach).

Galatasaray -Hakan Sukur.

Gaziantepspor (Turkey) -Kaba Diaware.

Glentoran - Gary Hamilton.

Gretna - Craig Barr, Ryan Baldacchino.

Grimsby Town - Gary Harkins.

Harrogate Town -Darren Dunning.

IK Start (Kristiansand, Norway) - Stig Inge Bjornebye (Manager)

Inverness Calendonian Thistle - Alan Morgan, Ian Black.

Ipswich Town - Alex Bruce, Jon Walters.

Kidderminster Harriers - Jeff Kenna.

Kilmarnock - Gordon Greer.

Lancaster City - Michael Taylor, Wayne Gill (physio).

Larisa AE - Giorgos Donis (Manager)

Leeds United - Jonathon Douglas.

Livingston - Lee Makel.

Llanelli - James Thomas.

Lincoln City - Gary Croft.

Lisburn Distillery - Peter McCann.

Lyn FC (Oslo) - Henning Berg (Manager).

Malmo FF - Anders Andersson.

Manchester City - Paul Dickov, Derek Fazackerley (Scout).

Montrose - Stuart Cumming.

Morecambe - Steve Drench, Ryan Robinson.

Newcastle United - Damien Duff, Shay Given, Terry Gennoe (Goalkeeping Coach).

Northampton Town - Jerome Watt.

Panionios - Oumar Konde.

Port Vale - Marc Richards.

Portadown – Jon Topley.

Portsmouth - Andy Cole.

Preston North End - Callum Davidson, Brett Ormerod, Rob Kelly (Coach).

QPR - John Curtis

Rangers - Barry Ferguson.

Real Sociedad - Chris Coleman (Manager)

Recreativo Huelva - Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Rochdale - Keith Hill (Manager).

Roma AS - Shabani Nonda.

Saltergate - Lee Richardson (Manager).

Scarborough - Mark Patterson (Manager).

Sheffield Wednesday - Burton O'Brien, Graham Coughlan.

Sheffield United - Bryan Kidd (coach). Keith Gillespie (signing new deal), Alan Wright, Jon Stead.

Shelbourne - Ciarán Ryan.

Shrewsbury Town - Luke Jones.

SK Brann (Bergen, Norway)- Martin Andresen.

Sligo Town - Gavin Peers.

Stabæk - Lars Bohinen (Director of Football-type role).

Stoke City - Marlon Broomes, Dominic Matteo

Stuttgart Kickers - David Yelldell.

Stuttgart VfB - Markus Babbel (Assistant Coach).

Sunderland - Dwight Yorke.

Troon Juniors - Andy Reid.

Viking - Egil Østenstad (Director).

Wales National Team - Dean Saunders (Assistant Manager).

Watford - Richard Lee.

West Ham United - Christian Dailly, Lucash Neill, Craig Bellamy.

Wolverhampton Wanderers- Jay Bothroyd, Micheal Gray, Jemal Johnson, Darren Potter, Bobby Mimms (Goalkeeping Coach).

Worcester City - Andy Morrison (Assistant Manager)

Workington Reds - Gari Rowntree.

Wrexham - Richard Hope, Anthony Williams.

Wycombe Wanderers - Frank Talia (contract ends 30/06/07 and is expected to return to Australia).

Xerez CD - Jorge Yordi.

- - -

Back at the club after playing:-

Kevin Gallagher (working as for Radio Rovers), Alan Kelly (Academy goalkeeping coach)

Deceased:- (Rest In Peace)

Ray Harford, Jack Walker

Released/Unattached:-

Mark Atkins, Ciaran Donnelly, John Filan, Craig Hignett, Matt Jansen (training with Carlisle United), Peter Murphy, Andy Morrison, Fred Murray, Mike Newell, Sebastian Pelzer, Adam Reed, David Thompson, Paul Warhurst.

Retired and now taking coaching license or working as football pundits or agents:-

Per Frandsen (football agent), Tony Gale (soccer pundit with Sky Sports), Matty Holmes (qualified soccer coach & owns soccer coaching club), Graeme Le Saux (football pundit & ambassador for ABN Amro Bank), Jason McAteer (undertaking coaching badge), Kevin Moran (football pundit for Irish TV), Alan Shearer (football pundit & completed his coaching badge), Robbie Slater (football pundit in Australia), Hakan Ünsal (Football pundit in Turkey), Graeme Souness (football pundit), Frank Stapleton (football pundit).

Retired and in another field:-

David Batty (appeared in 'The Match and is involved with advertising campaigns for Cancer Research), Nathan Blake (runs property management company), Martin Dahlin (partner in introducing a new line of Men's wear for Heab Clothing firm), Garry Flitcroft ((running a magazine based for professional footballers), David May (working in wine distribution), Alan Miller (retired and runs his own cruise company with his brother in Mallorca), Stuart Ripley (graduated with a degree in Law at University of Central Lancashire), Tim Sherwood (in partnership with Garry Flitcroft), Craig Short (co-owns a sailing club), Ashley Ward (runs a luxury development company in Cheshire).

Retired and never heard of since:-

Patrik Andersson, Dino Baggio, Eyal Berkovic, Youri Djorkaeff, Nicky Marker, Darren Peacock (retired and living in Portugal with his family), Per Pedersen, Sebastien Perez, Chris Sutton, Patrick Valéry.

Not Sure:-

n/a

If we hadn't given Bellamy a clause then he wouldn't have signed.

Either we sign top players with clauses or we don't sign them at all, which do you want?

Very true Bryan.

We kinda have to face the harsh reality of this situation, but maybe a very good season and a future with Hughes at the helm would ensure that a clause is not necessary for other 'so-called' big name players. A chance to offer UEFA Cup/Champions League.

Just cam accross this and it is a good interview Ryan has just done with a New Zealand radio station.

http://yahooxtra.net.nz/sport/0,,14629-7610363-25,00.html

Superb link MattyM.

Great interview from the captain.

having met him a couple of times, i can confirm he's a throughly decent bloke, very different from the way he's portrayed.

Indeed Pleasure.

I was amazed when chatting to him after a club do and really saw how sound the fella was. He walked us from outside the room and down to the car-park to where he was parked. A real family man and as you said 'a throughly decent bloke'.

Best of luck Andy Todd. If the next £750k player gives equal service we'll all be happy. Some felt him erratic on occassions but I never worried if Todd was at the back. You knew he was going to give it all.

Well said Paul.

I feel that Andy will be truly missed at the club. A player for all occasions and someone who always gave his all and I can say he never really let us down. The occasions when he left the ground when dropped wasn't to prove a point, but he said he wasn't mentally prepared for the game when this happened after being informed on one occasion that he would be starting.

He left us with soem great moments at Ewood and was certainly some sort of a fans favourite as he showed what it means by playing in a team. He stuck up for his team-mates against Dugarry when he elbowed one of our players, then he dived under a challenge and then......

When souness had signed him, he was due into the changing room before the last game of the season. So when he tried to make an entrance into the stadium the security guard wouldn't let him in and questioned him where are you going? Todd who was just in casuals replied "I'm going in to meet the manager and players" and the bloke wouldn't believe him, so I had to put in my own 20p and how could he reject a Blackburn player from entering Ewood Park!

I'm now glad that he's been given the chance to still play in the Premiership and hope it all works out well for him. Andy, I know you don't read any message boards, but thanks anyway for your magnificent years of service. You'll be missed and good luck at Derby.

Quite surprised by this announcement due to the one he signed last season, but one that I am delighted to hear about this one.

I've never seen a proper centre half at the club since the days of Colin Hendry (bar the exception of Craig Short) and will never forget that clearance against West Ham a two seasons ago. I've spoken to the man on a numerous occasions and he is a very down to earth person and extremely intelligent. Lets hope that he can manage these next five years on top form, free from injury and less insults from 'Arry' with a poxy £6million bid.

StroppyMoppy ~ its better you can get some money for them so I will let rover-goo have them, i got enough from the past few seasons anyway!

Thanks Fernhurst for your decent offer.

I've not heard any word as of yet, but maybe in due course. Any idea what programmes these are??

Calling Dwight Wille an ex-rover is a bit much, I'm pretty certain he was only here on loan, and from an affiliate for a look-see at that?

Yeah, I do understand that it's a bit extreme. However he did manage a few games with the Academy after joining Rovers on-loan from Cercle Brugge.

Great list!

If you don't mind, Could I put the list on my site data section?

Work away as long as the mods from here agree to it.

I have a feeling this would be impossible though, lol.!!

Further updates on players:

• Apologies about not adding Matt Jansen. I forgot to add him onto the unattached list as well, but maybe he could be on Carlisle as they are rumoured to be making a move for their former player.

• Gary Croft has an offer from one club and is currently training with another. However he'll remain on the unattached list.

• Ryan Robinson was loaned out to Southport, which ran out at Christmas 2006. I have a feeling that he could be still training with Morecambe even though he officially doens't have a squad number and his one-year extension to his contract expired on 27th June 2007.

• I have no futher sightings or info on Michael Taylor, so he'll have to join the unattached list as he currently isn't signed with Lancaster.

• Former striker Peter Thorne joins Bradford City on a free transfer.

Any of these programmes left SAS?

Yep - have PM'd you.

Can you PM me as well.

Will be happy to throw an extra few quid as well as the postage for these if they are in decent nick.

No, groo. I remember the Spurs one well, Carr had just upended someone (was it Vrati himself?) and got away with it and it was so sweet to see Vrati's goal go in off of Carr's backside of all places! The thought of that goal still cheers me up!

The Bolton one was after Nolan had scored an early goal if I remember and Vrati shot from over by the Riverside and celebrated with the fans there. found the match report here with pic of the lad celebrating date 10th January 2004.

Thanks mum.

I forgot that moment, until now. For some reason I thought the only goal he scored for us was taken away from him!!

- - -

Anyhow an updated list as of 02/07/07.

An updated list for all players/staff since Premiership era :-

Accrington Stanley - Leam Richardson.

AIK Solna - Nils-Eric Johansson.

Arezzo AC- Corrado Grabbi.

Aston Villa - Chris Sutton.

Ayr United - Paul Weaver.

Ballymena - Garth Scates.

Barnoldswick Town - Michael Holt.

Barnsley - Marc Richards.

Bayer Leverkusen (Vratislav Gresko).

Birmingham City - Damien Johnson, Neil Danns, Martin Taylor.

Blackpool - Ben Burgess, Tony Parkes (Assistant Manager), Simon Grayson (Manager).

Blyth Spartans - Graham Fenton (Caretaker/player-manager).

Bolton Wanderers - Kevin Davies.

Bournemouth - Gareth Stewart.

Brescia Calcio FC: Dario Marcolin (Coach)

Burgos CF - Javier De Pedro.

Burnley - Alan Mahon.

Bury - John Fitzgerald.

Cercle Brugge - Dwight Willie.

Cambridge United - Jimmy Quinn (Manager).

Charlton Athletic - Marcus Bent.

Clitheroe FC - Joel Byrom, Clark Walsh.

Clyde - Colin Hendry (Manager).

Crystal Palace - Shefki Kuqi.

Coventry City - David Mcnamee, Tim Flowers (Assistant Manager).

Derby County - Jay McEveley.

Derry City - Eddie McCallion.

Dundee - David Worrell.

Elgin City FC - Kieron Renton, Adam Nelson

Everton - James Beattie, Lee Carsley, Alan Irvine, Mick Rathbone.

Exeter City - Andy Marriott

Finland national side - Roy Hodgson (Manager).

Fulham - Ian Pearce, Billy McKinlay (Reserve Team Coach)

Galatasaray -Hakan Sukur.

Gaziantepspor (Turkey) -Kaba Diaware

Glentoran - Gary Hamilton.

Gretna - Craig Barr, Ryan Baldacchino.

Grimsby Town - Gary Harkins.

Harrogate Town -Darren Dunning.

IK Start (Kristiansand, Norway) - Stig Inge Bjornebye (Manager)

Inverness Calendonian Thistle - Alan Morgan, Ian Black.

Ipswich Town - Alex Bruce, Jon Walters.

Kidderminster Harriers - Jeff Kenna.

Kilmarnock - Gordon Greer.

Lancaster City - Michael Taylor, Wayne Gill (physio).

Larisa AE - Giorgos Donis (Manager)

Leeds United - Jonathon Douglas.

Liverpool - Craig Bellamy.

Livingston - Lee Makel.

Llanelli - James Thomas.

Lisburn Distillery - Peter McCann.

Loughgall – Jon Topley.

Lyn FC (Oslo) - Henning Berg (Manager).

Malmo FF - Anders Andersson.

Manchester City - Paul Dickov, Derek Fazackerley (Scout).

Montrose - Stuart Cumming.

Morecambe - Steve Drench, Ryan Robinson.

Newcastle United - Damien Duff, Shay Given, Terry Gennoe (Goalkeeping Coach).

Northampton Town - Jerome Watt.

Panionios - Oumar Konde.

Port Vale - Marc Richards.

Portsmouth - Andy Cole.

Preston North End - Callum Davidson, Brett Ormerod, Rob Kelly (Coach).

QPR - John Curtis

Rangers - Barry Ferguson.

Real Sociedad - Chris Coleman (Manager)

Recreativo Huelva - Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Rochdale - Keith Hill (Manager).

Roma AS - Shabani Nonda.

Saltergate - Lee Richardson (Manager).

Scarborough - Mark Patterson (Manager).

Sheffield Wednesday - Burton O'Brien, Graham Coughlan.

Sheffield United - Bryan Kidd (coach). Keith Gillespie (signing new deal), Alan Wright, Jon Stead.

Shelbourne - Ciarán Ryan.

Shrewsbury Town - Luke Jones.

SK Brann (Bergen, Norway)- Martin Andresen.

Sligo Town - Gavin Peers.

Stabæk - Lars Bohinen (Director of Football-type role).

Stoke City - Marlon Broomes, Dominic Matteo

Stuttgart Kickers - David Yelldell.

Stuttgart VfB - Markus Babbel (Assistant Coach).

Sunderland - Dwight Yorke.

Troon Juniors - Andy Reid.

Viking - Egil Østenstad (Director).

Wales National Team - Dean Saunders (Assistant Manager).

Watford - Richard Lee.

West Ham United - Christian Dailly, Lucash Neill.

Wolverhampton Wanderers- Jay Bothroyd, Jemal Johnson, Darren Potter, Bobby Mimms (Goalkeeping Coach).

Worcester City - Andy Morrison (Assistant Manager)

Wrexham - Richard Hope, Anthony Williams.

Wycombe Wanderers - Frank Talia (contract ends 30/06/07 and is expected to return to Australia).

Xerez CD - Jorge Yordi.

- - -

Back at the club after playing:-

Kevin Gallagher (working as for Radio Rovers), Alan Kelly (Academy goalkeeping coach)

Deceased:- (Rest In Peace)

Ray Harford, Jack Walker

Released/Unattached:-

Mark Atkins, Gary Croft, John Curtis, Ciaran Donnelly, Alan Fettis, John Filan, Craig Hignett, Peter Murphy, Andy Morrison, Fred Murray, Mike Newell, Sebastian Pelzer, Adam Reed, David Thompson, Peter Thorne, Paul Warhurst.

Retired and now taking coaching license or working as football pundits or agents:-

Per Frandsen (football agent), Tony Gale (soccer pundit with Sky Sports), Matty Holmes (qualified soccer coach & owns soccer coaching club), Graeme Le Saux (football pundit & ambassador for ABN Amro Bank), Jason McAteer (undertaking coaching badge), Kevin Moran (football pundit for Irish TV), Alan Shearer (football pundit & completed his coaching badge), Robbie Slater (football pundit in Australia), Hakan Ünsal (Football pundit in Turkey), Graeme Souness (football pundit), Frank Stapleton (football pundit).

Retired and in another field:-

David Batty (appeared in 'The Match and is involved with advertising campaigns for Cancer Research), Nathan Blake (runs property management company), Martin Dahlin (partner in introducing a new line of Men's wear for Heab Clothing firm), Garry Flitcroft ((running a magazine based for professional footballers), David May (working in wine distribution), Alan Miller (retired and runs his own cruise company with his brother in Mallorca), Stuart Ripley (last heard he was studying Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire), Tim Sherwood ( in partnership with Garry Flitcroft), Craig Short (co-owns a sailing club), Ashley Ward (runs a luxury development company in Cheshire).

Retired and never heard of since:-

Patrik Andersson, Dino Baggio, Eyal Berkovic, Youri Djorkaeff, Nicky Marker, Darren Peacock (retired and living in Portugal with his family), Per Pedersen, Sebastien Perez, Patrick Valéry.

Not Sure:-

n/a

Not trying to be pedantic, but that should rule Ossie Ardilles out too.

Fair enough Fife. I only copied and pasted the previous listing and updated it to as far as my knowledge took me.

By the way, does anyone remember his cook book, "Love Food, by Amoruso"? I meant to get a copy for my Dad's Christmas present one year but never got round to it.....

Yeah I remember I couldn't get my hands on this one but believe it was for sale in 'Rover the Moon'. I was chatting to Lorenzo and informed him I couldn't get a copy. He said he would sort me out and if I could get a memo to him. Forgot and all I have is his own autobiography.

I know it won't be a very popular opinion on here :ph34r: , but I love Big Lorenzo! His header on the opening day against Wolves in 2003 remains one of my favourite goals...unstoppable!

I'm convinced that if he had stayed fit and played in a settled team under Mark Hughes, he would have been a big asset to the Rovers.

Lorenzo had an amazing debut and was one of the first times in ages that I saw a centre-half really dribble with the ball. However it wasn't too long until teams were able to expose his distinct lack of pace. If we had signed him about 2-3 years earlier he would have been a superb player.

I liked Vrati too, remember that cracking goal he scored against Bolton?

I think it was against Spurs and then the dodgy goals panel awarded it as an own goal. All in all it saved the club in circa. of £1,000 on his bonuses, lol.

Also, you've got Dario Marcolin listed twice. Very impressive list though!

Thanks. Removed Dario Marcolin.

However this list is for players and staff since 1995 as we could get too far embroiled into it.

An updated list for all players/staff since 1995:-

Accrington Stanley - Leam Richardson, Joel Byrom.

AIK Solna - Nils-Eric Johansson.

Arezzo AC- Corrado Grabbi.

Aston Villa - Chris Sutton.

Ayr United - Paul Weaver.

Ballymena - Garth Scates.

Barnoldswick Town - Michael Holt.

Barnsley - Marc Richards.

Beitar Jerusalem - Osvaldo Ardiles (Manager).

Birmingham City - Damien Johnson, Neil Danns, Martin Taylor.

Blackpool - Ben Burgess, Tony Parkes (Assistant Manager), Simon Grayson (Manager).

Blyth Spartans - Graham Fenton (Caretaker/player-manager).

Bolton Wanderers - Kevin Davies.

Bournemouth - Gareth Stewart.

Brescia Calcio FC: Dario Marcolin (Coach)

Burnley - Alan Mahon.

Bury - John Fitzgerald.

Cambridge United - Jimmy Quinn (Manager)

Charlton Athletic - Marcus Bent.

Clitheroe FC - Clark Walsh.

Clyde - Colin Hendry (Manager).

Crystal Palace - Shefki Kuqi.

Coventry City - David Mcnamee, Tim Flowers (Assistant Manager).

Derby County - Jay McEveley.

Derry City - Eddie McCallion

Elgin City FC - Kieron Renton, Adam Nelson

Everton - James Beattie, Lee Carsley, Alan Irvine, Mick Rathbone.

Exeter City - Andy Marriott

Finland national side - Roy Hodgson (Manager).

Fulham - Ian Pearce, Billy McKinlay (Reserve Team Coach)

Galatasaray -Hakan Sukur.

Gaziantepspor (Turkey) -Kaba Diaware

Glentoran - Gary Hamilton.

Gretna - Craig Barr, Ryan Baldacchino.

Grimsby Town - Gary Croft, Gary Harkins.

Harrogate Town -Darren Dunning.

Hibernian - Oumar Konde.

IK Start (Kristiansand, Norway) - Stig Inge Bjornebye (Manager)

Inverness Calendonian Thistle - Alan Morgan, Ian Black.

Ipswich Town - Alex Bruce.

Kidderminster Harriers - Jeff Kenna.

Kilmarnock - Gordon Greer.

Lancaster City - Michael Taylor.

Leeds United - Jonathon Douglas.

Liverpool - Craig Bellamy.

Livingston - Lee Makel.

Llanelli - James Thomas.

Lisburn Distillery - Peter McCann.

Loughgall – Jon Topley.

Lyn FC (Oslo) - Henning Berg (Manager).

Mallorca RC - Jorge Yordi.

Malmo FF - Anders Andersson.

Manchester City - Paul Dickov, Derek Fazackerley (Scout).

Montrose - Stuart Cumming.

Morecambe - Steve Drench, Ryan Robinson.

Newcastle United - Damien Duff, Shay Given, Terry Gennoe (Goalkeeping Coach).

Northampton Town - Jerome Watt.

Portsmouth - Andy Cole.

Preston North End - Callum Davidson, Brett Ormerod.

Rangers - Barry Ferguson.

Real Sociedad - Chris Coleman (manager)

Recreativo Huelva - Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Rochdale - Keith Hill (manager).

Scarborough - Mark Patterson (manager).

Sheffield Wednesday - Burton O'Brien, Graham Coughlan.

Sheffield United - Bryan Kidd (coach). Keith Gillespie (signing new deal), Alan Wright, Jon Stead. Craig Short (retiring summer 2007).

SK Brann (Bergen, Norway)- Martin Andresen.

Sligo Town - Gavin Peers.

Stoke City - Marlon Broomes, Dominic Matteo

Stuttgart Kickers - David Yelldell.

Stuttgart VfB - Markus Babbel (Assistant Coach).

Sunderland - Dwight Yorke.

Vålerenga IF (Oslo, Norway)- Lars Bohinen (Director of Football-type role)

Viking - Egil Østenstad (Director).

Watford - Richard Lee.

West Ham United - Christian Dailly, Lucash Neill.

Wolverhampton Wanderers- Jay Bothroyd, Jemal Johnson, Bobby Mimms (Goalkeeping Coach).

Worcester City - Andy Morrison (Assistant Manager)

Wrexham - Anthony Williams.

Wycombe Wanderers - Frank Talia (contract ends 30/06/07 and is expected to return to Australia)

- - -

Back at the club after playing:

Kevin Gallagher (working as for Radio Rovers), Alan Kelly (Academy goalkeeping coach)

Deceased: (Rest In Peace)

Ray Harford, Jack Walker

Released/Unattached:

Mark Atkins, John Curtis, Ciaran Donnelly, Alan Fettis, John Filan, Vratislav Gresko, Craig Hignett, Mike Newell, Adam Reed, David Thompson, Peter Thorne, Paul Warhurst.

Retired and now taking coaching license or working as football pundits or agents:- Per Frandsen (football agent), Graeme Le Saux (football pundit & ambassador for ABN Amro Bank), Jason McAteer (undertaking coaching badge), Alan Shearer (football pundit & completed his coaching badge), Robbie Slater (football pundit in Australia), Hakan Ünsal (Football pundit in Turkey), Graeme Souness (football pundit).

Retired and in another field:-

David Batty (appeared in 'The Match and is involved with advertising campaigns for Cancer Research), Nathan Blake (runs property management company), MArtin Dahlin (partner in introducing a new line of Men's wear for Heab Clothing firm), Garry Flitcroft ((running a magazine based for professional footballers), David May (working in wine distribution), Stuart Ripley (last heard he was studying Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire), Tim Sherwood ( in partnership with Garry Flitcroft)

Retired and never heard of since: -

Patrik Andersson, Dino Baggio, Eyal Berkovic, Youri Djorkaeff, Nicky Marker, Darren Peacock (retired and living in Portugal with his family), Per Pedersen, Sebastien Perez.

Not Sure:

Andrew Reid.

• Nils Eric Johansson has left Leicester City and joined Swedish outfit AIK Solna on a free transfer on a four year deal. The former Rover turned down moves with other Swedish sides and also teams in Denmark and Noway.

• Former youth player Ciaran Donnelly has been released by Blackpool after going on loan to Macclesfield Town in March 2007.

• Defender John Curtis, who was the only player to play in all of our games during our promotion to the Premiership during the 2000/01 season has been released by Nottingham Forest.

• Former goalkeeper's Alan Fettis and John Filan have been released from Bury FC and Wigan Athletic respectively after their current deals ran out in May 2007.

• Full back and former academy product Gavin Peers is now playing for Sligo Town after being released by Mansfield at the end of last season. He's now been a regular for Rovers in the Eircom League.

• Signed on loan from Liverpool during the 2003/04 season, Markus Babbel announced his retirement as a player and took up as assistant coach of the VfB Stuttgart in May 2007.

Some excellent pointers there FLB. You've certainly taken time to write this and I'll just break into play what you've written and quite a bit I do agree on.

Whatever the reasons or side of the story the question still has to be did that justify putting in a transfer request on the morning of an FA Cup Final? The answer has to be no.

Yeah, I've never said it was correct of him to do so and was trying to find soem reasoning that he had given for this. All that I have basically said, why portray such a bad character of the man on one failing at Blackburn Rovers? If fans want to hold this against him, then say nothing at all in a thread that should be here to pay some respect to the 'Doog'.

Dougan himself expressed some regret I believe in later years. All he had to do was wait one day...I don't see how that act can be defended. In the end he stayed for an extra year at Rovers anyway and didn't move on until 1961. If I remember correctly I believe Dougan also challenged all things in football...he was a fighter...

Well it must have been something to spark Derek off to make such a ruthless decision and it's moments like these we all have. We make decisions and jump in head first only to regret it. But it's with these decisions that we all live and learn from and I don't think 'Doog' made any such drastic decisions in football.

The record of 26 goals in 59 appearances (from Mike Jackman although according to the club website it was 34 in 76...I'll go with Jackman!) is a superb goal return and is better than a goal every two games. It's true that he scored three goals on the way to the final but to suggest Rovers were only there because of him does a disservice to the rest of the team such as Bryan Douglas (architect of the comeback and subsequent win over Burnley) and Dobing who scored five goals in the cup run. It was a good team all round. However it doesn't make living around that time sound so great when you have polio outbreaks!!!

I presume that the 26 goals in 59 appearances were merely in the league, whilst the other eight came in other competitions along with the additional 17 appearances.

Never once has Derek's three goals in that Cup run been solely attributed to him being the success of the team who reached the final, but he played a huge part of that team and to acclaim all the accolades onto him would be sole destroying to the rest of the team. In fairness he did score Rovers two goals in the semi's to book the passage through, but Harry Leyland also had a super game in goals that day as well. So I'm sure there are a few more hero's that day apart from the afore mentioned two who have sadly passed away.

The cup final itself was just one massive disaster...Dougan played a part in it but it certainly wasn't all down to him. Whelan breaking his leg didn't help.

RIP to Derek Dougan...in death, as in life, he doesn't half split opinion!

'Doog' admitted to having a poor game that day and I'm glad to see that he wasn't being held responsible for Rovers loosing in such a big tie that day. Maybe we could have looked upon the management that day who could have said this man isn't mentally or physically fit (after picking up an injury in the game before) to play and we shouldn't let this affect the rest of the team.

Nonetheless, the leag break to Dave Whelan was severe and basically led Rovers onto a final 3-0 defeat. All in all, everyone of us will have memories of Derek Dougan.

THE funeral of Northern Ireland legend, Derek Dougan will take place on Thursday July 5 at 1pm at St Peter’s Church in Wolverhampton.

The former centre-forward died on Sunday, aged 69. Born in Belfast in January 1938, he was capped 43 times for his country. He made his international debut in June 1958 in 1-0 win against Czechoslovakia during the 1958 World Cup. His last appearance for Northern Ireland was in February 1973 in a World Cup qualifier against Cyprus.

Totally understand where you're coming from Rover groo. Was talking yesterday to someone who saw more of Cheyenne than I did. He reckons he was a superb centre forward.

Cheers Den.

I'm glad you know when I am coming from and not to take what I said personally. All I have had was literature and videos of what he had done both for club and country and to end up with 34 goals from 76 appearances certainly takes some beating.

Speaking to some of his former team-mates you can actually learn quite a bit from them with that little bit of insight that they give.

So who did you play for Fife?

The money must have been excellent down south for you to move away from your own home!!