Players we'd signed...but never did

[RobTheRover]

I could be wrong here, but during the time of all that business with JR and Sequentia, weren't there supposed to be 3 Aston Villa players lined up to join us? I think the 3 mentioned were Shay Given, Stephen Ireland, and Richard Dunne. Probably a load of b*ll*cks, but talked about a lot at the time.

Aye I remember those three being touted. Probably as legitimate as Sequentia themselves!

Carlos Tevez anyone? A great effort by the internet to get that one in a national bloody paper.

Not guilty, your honour. (cough, cough)

[RobTheRover]

Did anyone ever spill the names of the 2 Algerians we had on trial during the Beaglehole era? We opted not to sign them as we needed quick fixes and not players who would develop over time. The story goes at least one of them went on to have a stellar career!

It wasn't the Beaglehole era, Dave McKay was manager, it was Christmas 1988 into New Year 1989. I know because I arranged trial with club.

Who were the players?

The rumour goes that one of them was Zidane

Not a rumour. other was Bilel Dziri ( known as Boom Boom to us).

Is there anything more on this story knocking about anywhere? (Or that you can tell us yourself!). It sounds like one of the great stories of Rovers' past yet I've never heard a word on it before.

Seriously?  I though everyone knew this one.

[RoversAlias]

Did anyone ever spill the names of the 2 Algerians we had on trial during the Beaglehole era? We opted not to sign them as we needed quick fixes and not players who would develop over time. The story goes at least one of them went on to have a stellar career!

It wasn't the Beaglehole era, Dave McKay was manager, it was Christmas 1988 into New Year 1989. I know because I arranged trial with club.

Who were the players?

The rumour goes that one of them was Zidane

Not a rumour. other was Bilel Dziri ( known as Boom Boom to us).

Is there anything more on this story knocking about anywhere? (Or that you can tell us yourself!). It sounds like one of the great stories of Rovers' past yet I've never heard a word on it before.

Seriously?  I though everyone knew this one.

Genuinely not, no. I wasn't around in the 80s!

[glosterred]

We’ve signed a lot of players that have not played for us even when they’ve been in the team!


COYR

[DonnyOsmond]

Steve Brooker 

[chrisd_123]

Steve Brooker 

For that one strike against Leicester he was worth persevering with!

[DMnumber4]

Steve Brooker 

Chris Killen (I think?) had signed for Rovers until he failed a medical...

[RedArmy]

Steve Brooker 

Chris Killen (I think?) had signed for Rovers until he failed a medical...

Good job as well. Im sure the story is if we had signed him we wouldnt of gone for Sharp.

[Drover]

I don't remember David Vaughan ever being mentioned. And he's always been one of my favourite Welsh players so I'd have definitely been all over it if he had been on the cards.

I heard it when he was returning from Spain,but maybe it was a false rumour.

[TheDonnyPop]

Nick proschwitz

[wing commander]

I listened to a after dinner speech from Windass once and he was joking about his depression and money troubles..He Joked his depression first reared it's head when he thought he was going to have to sign for Doncaster Rovers..

[craigdrfc]

Does anyone (other than me) remember a lad (think he was irish) called Tony Scappatini who played with us one pre-season at full back. I thought he looked absolutely class at the time but was never seen again. Memory isnt as good as it was but id say it was early 90s maybe.

[RoversAlias]

Dean Windass could/should feature on this list. He was lined up around November 2008, when he couldn't get in the Hull team after promotion to the Premier League, but Steve Brooker ended up joining soon afterwards.

Not long afterwards, maybe a week or two, Windass was actually given a chance by Phil Brown and scored a banger (I think) in a game for Hull at Pompey.

I remember that, soon after though he ended up on loan at Oldham and had to go in net during one game! Think he saved a penalty as well.

[ctay]

Rowan Vine, I think the story was we decided to sign Giles Barnes and couldn't afford them both. Vine was keen and was really pissed off.

[RedJ]

I remember everyone at the time saying we didn't need four strikers, then three of the players you'd maybe say would make our front three at the time were crocked in the first four days of the season and proved to be terminal...

[The Red Baron]

Does anyone (other than me) remember a lad (think he was irish) called Tony Scappatini who played with us one pre-season at full back. I thought he looked absolutely class at the time but was never seen again. Memory isnt as good as it was but id say it was early 90s maybe.

I do remember him. It was in 1991 and I saw him at Tadcaster and Burton Albion. Looked a decent prospect and I felt sure he was going to sign.

IIRC when the season proper started we had Andy Crosby playing left back and looking like a fish out of water.

[bigbadjack]

Did harry McGuire play in a game at armthorpe about 5 years ago

[Cantley Rover]

Kevin MacDonald just got motm for Fulham tonight. We had him on trial in pre-season games and didn't sign him when we had the chance.

[RedJ]

Yes because Sheffield United probably offered him more money. Wanted a small fortune, I seem to remember.

[Al4475]

There were a couple all but signed sealed and delivers I believe maybe 7 years ago that didn't come to fruition and I can't remember their names - an Austrian and a Serbian(?) - he had a cracking YouTube vid I recall.