Paul James

[andyst79]

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/paul-james-homeless-cocaine-canada-28851141?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=organic

Interesting article which I stumbled across on my news feed. Played 8 games for us in 1988. Does anyone remember him?

[roversdude]

Can’t remember him but it’s a sad story, although it appears he thinks everyone owes him something in that article

[JonWallsend]

Remember him well. Played wide right. Wasn't a vintage Rovers team but he was steady enough
Had two Canadians in the team with him and Colin Millar although the latter might have been more Scottish and qualified for Canada through parents. He came from Rangers as part of the Neil Woods deal I think.

[craigdrfc]

Remember both him and Miller when they came over. Don't recall either of them doing much, but as already mentioned it wasn't a vintage time for us and the club was on something of a decline at the time if I remember rightly.

[roversdude]

Remember Millar but really can’t place this lad

[BillyStubbsTears]

He was in that awful team that MacKay put together. Before the Second Coming of Bremner.

[Branton Rover]

Wasn’t he the lad who went to New Zealand and subsequently developed eye trouble leaving him blind or at very least partially sighted. I remember him he was a gangly winger with longish hair not uncommon in the ‘80’s.

[VivaRovers]

I'm too young to remember him playing for Rovers, but his autobiography has a small but pretty damning section on his time at Doncaster Rovers. We reprinted it in the fanzine years ago. Long story short, he wasn't enamoured with the incredibly laddish drinking culture among the playing squad at the time, so it's easy to see why he didn't really settle at Belle Vue.

[Draytonian III]

Wasn’t he the lad who went to New Zealand and subsequently developed eye trouble leaving him blind or at very least partially sighted. I remember him he was a gangly winger with longish hair not uncommon in the ‘80’s.


I can’t seem to place anyone going to New Zealand or having eye trouble, did he play many games, where did we sign him from ?

[Armthorpe mickler]

It was'nt an awful team . As I remember MacKay wanted two players in before deadline day the board said no and MacKay promptly resigned and we had Joe Kinnear until end of season.But he wanted the players because we'd a chance of the play off's.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It was a dreadful side. I remember MacKay's strop and it was a good cover for an abject failure. In mid-March (around deadline day) we we're fifth from bottom, nine points off the playoffs (10 with our awful GD) with 12 games left.

We had 40 points at that time. We'd have needed 72 to make the play-offs. 32 points from the last 12 games. From a side that had picked up 5 points in the previous 9 games.


We really weren't making the playoffs.


After New Years Day that season, our record was P23 W4 D4 L15.

Who could blame the Board for not backing a manager who had put a side together heading for that record? I wonder if they already had Bremner tapped up.

[roversdude]

Did we even have play offs then ? Can’t honestly remember when they started

[Chris Black come back]

86/87 season was the first season that play offs were contested in England.

[roversdude]

Thanks cbcb

[The Red Baron]

I'm too young to remember him playing for Rovers, but his autobiography has a small but pretty damning section on his time at Doncaster Rovers. We reprinted it in the fanzine years ago. Long story short, he wasn't enamoured with the incredibly laddish drinking culture among the playing squad at the time, so it's easy to see why he didn't really settle at Belle Vue.

Maybe there was a drinking culture but that didn't mean that he couldn't put some effort in.

[Armthorpe mickler]

I remember it differently BST. As I remember Mackay wanted two player's to try and get us up the table.The season after was bad finishing in relegation. I remember the play offs coming in .We had Bristol City away last game Mark Samways played a great game only to be let down by ref and linesman.

[VivaRovers]

I'm too young to remember him playing for Rovers, but his autobiography has a small but pretty damning section on his time at Doncaster Rovers. We reprinted it in the fanzine years ago. Long story short, he wasn't enamoured with the incredibly laddish drinking culture among the playing squad at the time, so it's easy to see why he didn't really settle at Belle Vue.

Maybe there was a drinking culture but that didn't mean that he couldn't put some effort in.

To the drinking or the football?

Yeah, I can only comment on why he might not have settled; I definitely bow to your observations on his performances.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I think we're both confusing a couple of seasons AM.

I thought James played for us in 1988/89, in Div 4 - that was the year MacKay resigned.

Turns out he played for us in 87/88 in Div3, when we were an absolute basket case, finishing bottom of the league. MacKay came in half way through that season I think and made a bad team much, much worse.

Our closing run that season was P18 W1 D5 L12

[VivaRovers]

Found that excerpt from Paul James autobiography on his time at Rovers. Here it is.

Turns out he was carrying an injury during his time at Rovers which perhaps explains his lack of playing impact, but it's not hard to see why he didn't find the club to be the most professional set-up at the time.

Without wanting to make anyone litigant, any guesses on who 'Frankie' is an alias for?

[Chris Black come back]

Why is this the least surprising paragraph ever committed to paper:

“One day after a home game, which we lost, one supporter came up to the high wall overlooking the players’ tunnel. As the guy peered over the top he shouted, “Hey! Colin Miller! You f**king bas**rd! You call yourself a Canadian international? You are f**king joking. You are f**king hopeless. And that other Canadian w**ker is no better either. Why don’t you both get yourself back to Canada?”