Wellens

[dickos1]

Shrewsbury cancelled his contract

[Retdon1]

I've read somewhere him being linked to Blackpool

[podrover73]

Closer to home

[Canadian Rover]

Should drop down to non league... closer to his current standard.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Overall good business to let him go. Fergie's old man has always had a good nose for knowing when a player has lost his use to him. With Wellens it was pretty obvious to us all though. There are plenty of sides round his area, i'm sure somebody will take him on. He might even wangle oldham or fleetwood.

[dickos1]

Not sure it was obvious
This board has been packed full of people saying we should never have let him go

[The Red Baron]

Shrewsbury cancelled his contract

I don't think that's quite right. They have allowed him to find another club. So he's in the same boat as several of ours. Although I think in the case of Wellens it has been a mutual agreement.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Akinfenwa MkII

Carlisle next, then Darlington before ending up at Stockport.

[GazLaz]

They should give him the Oldham job.

[Chris Black come back]

Could just imagine his first team talk.

Mr Motivator he ain't.

[BillyStubbsTears]

They should give him the Oldham job.

Is that some sexual manoeuvre that I haven't heard of?

[rtid88]

Need to forget this has been! Like Billy wish he had never come back to the club as it tarnished his standing as a Rovers player. Only ever out for himself and if he had fully concentrated on his career he would have made the Premier League and he was ridiculously talented in his prime!

[Sammy Chung was King]

They made a big mistake giving him an eighteen month contract, at that age if they won't accept a year, you don't sign them because, the form dip can happen almost instantly with an older player.
 A year is about right at that age, i'm sure he will find a club, get younger legs around him, and he might still do a decent job. His time was up with us, which was sad because he was some player at his best!.

[the vicar]

When everyone heard he was coming back all was on a high, then he fell on hard times football wise and wasnt so good, but he was a great player in his time with us first time round so lets all remember this and remember the player he was not the player he became in his twilight hours, he was a legend so lets remember him as such.

[GazLaz]

Could just imagine his first team talk.

Mr Motivator he ain't.

I've met him a couple of times, he knows his football inside and out. Will be a good manager I'm sure.

[Nudga]

Gaz, there's knowing about football (or any job for that matter) and there's knowing how to deal with people. Getting the best out of your work force is  a skill in itself.
Wasn't Wellens a bad apple around the place at Rovers?

[Chris Black come back]

I have no inside information but my reading of Wellens and his behaviour at Rovers during second spell was threefold:

1. He is a very good player and has long played with similar very good players.

2. He came to League One Rovers and this was the lowest grade of players he had played with for some many years. This obviously frustrated him, that they couldn't do what he could or expected them to do.

3. His own powers were waining. Frustration at himself for not being able to perform as he used to perform, manifested through taking his frustrations out on team mates.

All in all, not a positive influence around the team.

[RedJ]

He actually came to us when we were in the Championship.

Still thought he was a Kitson then. Didn't he effectively openly admit he wasn't putting in 100% in that first month in case he got injured and f**ked up a chance of a deal somewhere else?

[wilts rover]

In this interview he admits he wasn't 100% fit (following his cruciate injury at Leicester) and if he had been we wouldn't have got relegated that season, is this the one you mean RedJ or another one?

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/manchester-united/i-thought-i-knew-best-richie-wellens-talks-ferguson-and-almost-making-it-at-manchester-united#page1

You need different characteristics to be a manager or a player and whenever I have read anything by Wellens I have always been impressed by his reading and analysis of the game. I think he will make a good manager someday soon.

[HomerJSimpson]

Didn't wellens get injured towards end of championship relegation season, ultimately a guy wellens and we would have stayed up.

Fact is few people who return to old clubs where successful actually repeat that success. Shame though.

[RedJ]

In this interview he admits he wasn't 100% fit (following his cruciate injury at Leicester) and if he had been we wouldn't have got relegated that season, is this the one you mean RedJ or another one?

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/manchester-united/i-thought-i-knew-best-richie-wellens-talks-ferguson-and-almost-making-it-at-manchester-united#page1

You need different characteristics to be a manager or a player and whenever I have read anything by Wellens I have always been impressed by his reading and analysis of the game. I think he will make a good manager someday soon.

I think it was one he did with the Free Press. Will try and find it later on.

[drfchound]

Ritchie is a true Rovers legend and should be afforded the respect of the supporters.
Age catches up with all players eventually but his skill and passing ability was still evident even when he wasn't able to get round the pitch like he used to do.
Middletons' development has stalled since RW left the club too.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Middleton's best spell of the season was when Wellens was sidelined and he had a midfield partner (Grant) who really contributed to the team, rather than standing in the middle, pointing and giving out bollockings. 

[drfchound]

Your opinion but certainly not mine.
Middleton has gone backwards since RW left.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Yes Middleton had a poor second half of the season. But his best spell by far was in Nov/Dec when Wellens was either on the bench or at Oldham.

[PDX_Rover]

The word legend is used too readily. Copps is a legend. The Corporal possibly. Wellens - not really IMO.

[drfchound]

Even when RW was on the bench he would have been mentoring HM.

PDX, Wellens is a Rovers legend due to his contribution during our best ever years as a club.
Jones is up there but not in the same class.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Aye. I hear the "mentoring" went well early in the season.

[les@donr]

Could go to Chester in his neck of  the woods, or Macclesfield.

[Nudga]

Or Congleton.