Roy of the Rovers

I think the point at which I became disillusioned with Roy of the Rovers can be pinned down quite easily. It was in 1973 that Melchester Rovers changed from their traditional strip (red jersey with yellow sleeves and trim, blue shorts, red and yellow socks) to some "modern" red and yellow concoction.

It was also the year that Ben Galloway was pushed upstairs to become "general manager" (a device that I am convinced was based on Matt Busby's transformation, but which was rather more successdul).

I'm afraid it was never really the same again.

Limp Along Leslie

'Limp Along Leslie' is another character who originally emerged in the DC Thomson story-papers, in his case The Wizard from 1951-1955. The stories were reprinted in the early 60s and then reproduced in picture-story form in other Thomson comics (I think The New Hotspur), in the late 60s/70s. He also featured in the first issue of Buddy another Thomson launch of 1981 (along with other recycled heroes like The Wolf of Kabul, Captain Bill Sampson, who fought for the empire in the east, along with his faithful companion Chung - a splendid native chap who smashed in bad people's skulls with an old cricket bat). Thomson were clearly convinced that, for normal people at least, the comic reading "window" was about five years and that they could recycle a story after that sort of period.

Leslie Tomson is a creative footballer, an inside-forward, and captain of a team called Darbury Rangers. Due to a childhood car accident, in which both his parents were killed, his left leg was shorter than his right, and he walked with a slight limp, hence the nickname. "Leslie could not move as fast as other players, but what he lacked in speed he more than make up for in skill and craft". Amongst his skills is an amazing ability to bend the ball, something which in those days was largely limited to foreign players (I remain convinced that there are more connotations to "banana shot" than just the shape of the fruit).

As so many characters in comics have to have a second life, if only to vary the plot and to produce situations of conflict, Leslie spends his time running Low Dyke Farm, a sheep-farm in the Peak District (well in "Peakshire") outside Dalestone for his widowed aunt.

"Leslie’s brilliant hat-trick had put the Rangers into the semi-finals of the cup. Dad Moss, the team manager, was flushed with excitement as he watched the players come in. “Les, two England selectors have been watching the game,” he said. “I reckon you’ll be well in the running for an international Cap against Scotland at Hampden Park.” “I don’t know that I want to be picked for England,” muttered Leslie. “You don’t want a Cap?” gasped Moss. “Of course I do!” snapped Leslie. “But the Hampden Park match is on the same day as the National Sheepdog Trial, and I’ve entered Pal.” Leslie referred to his small black and white sheepdog. Leslie’s father, the late John Tomson, had won an International Trial with his famous dog, Skipper. He had also been captain of the Rangers and an England internationalist. Les wanted to follow in his footsteps. Now it looked as if Leslie might have to sacrifice one ambition for the sake of the other."


Limp Along Leslie 18 episodes in The Wizard issues 1302 – 1313 (1951)
Limp Along Leslie 37 episodes in The Wizard issues 1333 - 1369 (1951 – 1952)
Limp Along Leslie 35 episodes in The Wizard issues 1386 - 1420 (1952 - 1953)
Limp Along Leslie in Summer 3 episodes in The Wizard issues 1429 - 1430 (1953)
The Wild Man of the Rangers 34 episodes in The Wizard issues 1439 - 1472 (1953 - 1954)
He Never Said a Word 20 episodes in The Wizard issues 1490 - 1509 (1954 - 1955)
Limp Along Leslie 9 episodes in The Wizard issues 1541 - 1549 (1955)


Limp Along Leslie 52 episodes (Reprint of two series) in The Wizard issues 1740 – 1791 (1959 - 1960)
Mister Ninety Minutes 34 episodes (Reprint of The Wild Man of the Rangers) in The Wizard issues 1854 – 1887 (1961 - 1962)



Source : http://www.britishcomics.20m.com/home.htm Vic Whittle's marvellous site.

The Unbeatable Manny Critch

This story was in the Rover in 1966, to fit in with the World Cup finals.

It featured the ultimate giantkillers, a small island nation (somewhere in the Pacific I fancy) who enter the World Cup and get to the finals, because they have a goalkeeper who never concedes a goal. The rest of the team are pretty much there to make up the numbers, although I think there is one chap who occasionally scores a goal so they can win 1-0.

In fact, the team get all the way to the final of the World Cup and, eventually, lose on the toss of a coin, because no-one can break the deadlock. Manny Kritch, the goalkeeper, gets to call the toss and gets it wrong.

The historical interest, of course, is that in 1966, there was clearly no provision for a penalty shoot-out. If there had been, one must assume that a small Pacific island would have been world cup winners, and Kenneth Wolstenholme, Sir Geoff Hurst et al would never have had their moment of fame.

Wally Brand : the Ball of Fire

Too much attention has been given to the wrong characters when talking about footballers in comics, fond though I was for a long time of Roy Race.


So I would like to celebrate some of the other characters I remember from my eternal childhood.

Wally Brand

Wally Brand was a centre-forward who first featured in the DC Thomson story papers in the early 1950s. The stories were reprinted at intervals and later (like so many Thomson characters and stories) recycled in illustrated form in the picture-story The Victor or The New Hotspur in the later 1960s, when story papers had gone the way of The Magnet and The Gem.

Brand was naturally a trouble-maker, one of those men who rankled with authority by his "plain-speaking" and won few caps for England because of his "attitude". I believe his nickname, "the ball of fire" also referred to his red hair and the fact he wasn't that tall. Of course, these were the days when the England manager was given a team by his selection committee rather than picking it himself, so Brand doesn't get nearly as many caps as his ability deserves.

I recall one story when Brand finds himself, by various accidents, wearing a bowler hat and carrying a tightly rolled umbrella. He is seen by an England selector, who is so impressed by his smartness that Brand finds himself back in the England team.

In the series "Wanted : Men with two right feet", Brand finds himself as captain of a struggling league side, and trying to rebuild it by bringing in young, untried players. As this is a comic, he spots a winger ("Twisty" Topham, I think) in a spiv, street trader running away from the police; he spots a goalkeeper unloading bricks from a wagon.

But the stories are larded with a particular philospophy of football : "never apologise" (we know you were trying to do your best); "the best way to beat a man is pass the ball".

As always with Thomson, the identity of the authors isn't given. Pity.