Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year

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“The ref’s looking at his watch! This must be our last chance!”

roy of the rovers
This evening I finally picked up the copy of The Best of Roy of the Rovers I’d ordered in Hodges Figgis. (It’s not for me, you understand. It’s a present for a small boy that I, er, met on the Luas…) Rereading these stories as an adult, you do tend to notice certain peculiarities you might have missed as a child.

For example: the suspicious amount exposition volunteered by anonymous Melchester Rovers supporters at crucial points in their games. In his introduction to the collection, Frank Skinner writes:

How I would have loved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those Melchester fans as they shouted things like “There’s 32 seconds left on the clock and Race has broken through on the right. He’s drawing back his foot to shoot. If he misses this, Melchester will be relegated and the future of the club will be in doubt.” All I ever shout at football matches is “Come on!” There will never be another Racey. May his Rocket never splutter and fall.

February 9th, 2011.

5 Responses to ““The ref’s looking at his watch! This must be our last chance!””

  1. dave Says:

    I was a Dandy man all the way

  2. Dermot Says:

    Roy was sadly ever so slightly before my time. But Ball-Boy out of the Beano, now there was a silky skilled blonde bomber!

  3. Eoin Says:

    @ Dermot – Tbh it was before my time too. But in the early 1990s, they used to publish monthly collections of old stories from the 1970s and I got into it that way.

    Btw how’s everything with you? Are you still over in… you know where?

  4. jax Says:

    Is that the same comic that had Billys Boots in it? That was a fucking weird story when I think about it now.

  5. Dermot Says:

    I am indeed, although a shirtless Sly is yet to make an appearance (gutted!). Dropped you a mail there.

    Over in France there’s a Animé series about kid footballers, some exciting set plays. Next generation, a Dieu Roy, a Dieu.

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