Author: glen wilson

Former schoolboy, Glen Wilson writes on football and travel and has been editor of the award-winning popular STAND fanzine since before the award.
Rovers players

Jamie Coppinger’s Team-Mates – All 137 Of Them

by glen wilson2 Comments on Jamie Coppinger’s Team-Mates – All 137 Of Them
Jamie Coppinger’s Team-Mates – All 137 Of Them

 

It’s quite easy, particularly in the hyperbolic world of modern football, to oversell something, to exaggerate it’s standing or importance. However, even with that in mind, it is no exaggeration to call Jamie Coppinger’s departure from Doncaster on Friday night (hopefully temporarily we must add), the end of an era. Coppinger has been with Rovers since 2004, when they were beginning life in the third tier off the back of consecutive promotions, and has been central to everything the club has achieved since. Continue reading “Jamie Coppinger’s Team-Mates – All 137 Of Them” →

Rovers players

Can You Remember The First Time?

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Can You Remember The First Time?

 

Those of you familiar with the print edition of popular STAND, or indeed with long enough memories to recall Viva Rovers’ first online incarnation, will be familiar with our statistician. The man who goes by the name of Dutch Uncle, the self-proclaimed only Plaid Cymru voting Rovers fan in the Netherlands. From his underground bunker in Den Haag, Dutch churns out fascinating Doncaster statistics, hewn from the finest annuals money can haggle for on eBay, and if we’re lucky enough, he allows the fanzine to serve as a medium for them. And if we’re not as lucky, he posts them on the forums. Continue reading “Can You Remember The First Time?” →

Doncaster Rovers Belles, match reports

Double Headache; Rovers 0-1 Crawley Town / Belles 0-4 Arsenal

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Double Headache; Rovers 0-1 Crawley Town / Belles 0-4 Arsenal

Selling the fanzine over the course of a season gets you many things; sunburn, pneumonia, ignored, to name but three, but it also gets you an insight into the mood of supporters. Standing outside the ground for an hour and a half watching the day’s attendance drift by you are able to gain a sense of the fans’ prevailing mood. Saturday, was the first time in a year I had sold popular STAND to generally happy people. Yorkshire folk aren’t known for showing their emotions, but still, the overall optimism and enthusiasm brought from starting a new campaign with back to back wins was clearly evident. Continue reading “Double Headache; Rovers 0-1 Crawley Town / Belles 0-4 Arsenal” →

Rovers players

The 50yard Shoot-Out: Cotterill vs Utley

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The 50yard Shoot-Out: Cotterill vs Utley

The half-way line. A very distinct marking on a football field, with its exact position evident in its name. It is a white line dividing the two halves of the field, stretching between the two touch-lines, equidistant from the two by-lines. And yet, when it comes to long distance goals this strip of white paint takes on a much more fluid state. You can score a goal from the half-way line so long as you are within ten metres of the marking, sometimes even further away. Continue reading “The 50yard Shoot-Out: Cotterill vs Utley” →

non-league football, playing away

Playing Away: Bridlington Town vs Whitley Bay

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Playing Away: Bridlington Town vs Whitley Bay

We’re men of the world here at popular STAND, and so we realise that on occasion, there comes a time when you feel the need to seek alternate pleasure. Football sadly is not solely a game played by men (or women) in red and white hoops and so sometimes circumstances dictate that we must watch other people play. Rather than see this practice go underground we’ve taken steps to ensure it can be controlled and so have come up with a feature in which it can exist in small doses. In Playing Away we recount our tales of watching others play, starting with Editor Glen Wilson‘s trip to the seaside. Continue reading “Playing Away: Bridlington Town vs Whitley Bay” →

fan issues, football writing

Out of Love – On Finding it Hard to Follow Your Club

by glen wilson14 Comments on Out of Love – On Finding it Hard to Follow Your Club

Valentines Day. I suppose that’s as good a day as any to realise you no longer feel the attraction you once did. On Valentines Day Matt and I sat at the back of the West Stand and held something of a mid-match confessional. Whilst below us Gary Taylor-Fletcher, who looks more like the proprietor of a fish and chip shop at an out of season seaside resort than a footballer, meandered through the Rovers defence as if picking his way through pensioners in a shopping centre, we sat and confided to one another that we weren’t really enjoying this any more. Continue reading “Out of Love – On Finding it Hard to Follow Your Club” →

Rovers players

Hayters Gonna Hate

by glen wilson5 Comments on Hayters Gonna Hate
Hayters Gonna Hate

James Hayter has gone. Released at the end of the season, he this week joined Yeovil Town amidst generally wistful clattering from Rovers fans; tweets and forum posts wishing him well and commenting on how he’ll always be remembered for THAT goal. Because James Hayter didn’t score a goal at Wembley against Leeds, he scored THAT goal. His place in Rovers’ folklore seemingly defined by randomly deployed capitalisation. Continue reading “Hayters Gonna Hate” →

Doncaster Rovers Belles, match reports

Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-2 Liverpool: match report

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Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-2 Liverpool: match report

Disappointment for the Doncaster Rovers Belles on Saturday, as two great strikes from visitors Liverpool proved the difference between the two FAWSL sides. The 2-0 defeat drops the Belles back to the foot of the table as the League pauses for a mid-season break for international and Olympic fixtures Continue reading “Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-2 Liverpool: match report” →