Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff!: Roy's True Story

By Barrie Tomlinson

Roy Race was Melchester Rovers' super striker, and later manager and chairman; he is known everywhere simply as "Roy of the Rovers." From the 1950s, millions of children grew up reading about his adventures in Tiger and Roy of the Rovers. Now they can relive all the memorable moments from Roy's illustrious soccer career. From his debut as a fresh-faced teen in the comic Tiger, Roy became the hero of his own comic; with league titles, cup finals, Wembley wins and much more; how he survived near-death experiences, became the first boys' hero to get married and just why the saying 'Real Roy of the Rovers stuff!' became a stock phrase for soccer commentators everywhere. Packed with photos from Roy's life, the book tells how he became a top celebrity of his day, how Sir Alf Ramsey was convinced to be Melchester manager, Geoffrey Boycott became chairman and even how the Duke of Edinburgh once came to write for Roy's comic!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Oct 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781785312663

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ROY’S UNOFFICIAL TRUE STORY

IN 1987, when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited the headquarters of IPC Magazines, the publisher of Roy of the Rovers, the Duke asked me, ‘This Roy of the Rovers. Is it a soap opera?’ I thought for a moment and then I said, ‘Yes, sir...it is!’ Previously, I had not realised that I had turned the Roy story into a soap opera. He had also become the most famous footballer in Britain and the phrase ‘Real Roy of the Rovers stuff’ had become a way for commentators to indicate that a certain piece of football action was in the character of Roy of the Rovers.

There have been a few attempts to tell Roy’s story but I feel I am in a unique position to place on record all I know about Mr Roy Race. I was lucky enough to meet and work with the wonderful people who were involved with Roy of the Rovers in the very early years. I can tell you in some detail all the things which happened to Roy during the years I was in charge of the title. I might be a bit critical about what happened afterwards so I will concentrate on my time with Roy, which covered over 28 years.

This is Roy’s true story, as seen by me, working with him as a sub-editor, editor and later as group editor. I was his agent, his PR man and his best friend. We went through a lot together but what happened turned him into a character that is still loved and admired by millions of football fans all over the world. People who grew up reading the adventures of Roy of the Rovers are now adults themselves and many are fathers, or even grandfathers.

Spanning three generations at least, it’s little wonder that Roy has such a special place in the hearts of the British people. I was so lucky to be involved with Roy for so long. I think I had a very special job and it is one I am proud of.

I first worked with the great Roy Race in the early 1960s, when I became a sub-editor on the Tiger comic. Roy’s story was top of the Tiger popularity charts. He had appeared in the very first issue in September 1954 and had immediately become the readers’ favourite character.

Derek Birnage was the first editor of Tiger. I shared an office with Derek and the Tiger staff just after I joined Fleetway Publications in 1961. I became a sub-editor on Lion, under the editorship of Bernard Smith. The Lion and Tiger staff shared the same large office. Derek and Bernard were true gentlemen and great friends. Bernard taught me the editorial system an editor should use. It was a system that I followed throughout my career.

The aforementioned large office contained three Lion staff, three Tiger people, the sports editor and the department junior. It was a big office, so big that at lunchtime, when I was a sub-editor, we would play a game of cricket in it, using a wooden ruler, with a cardboard tube stuck on the end of it as a handle, which made a bat, three cardboard tubes (used for sending artwork) as stumps and a roll of sticky tape as a ball. The games were vigorous, causing one senior editorial man to remark, at the end of one lunchtime, ‘It smells like a jockstrappers’ convention in here!’

It was in 1954 that Derek Birnage commissioned freelance author Frank Pepper to write the opening episode of the Roy story. Frank had vast experience in writing comic strips for boys and was the ideal choice. He was already writing the Captain Condor strip in Lion, as well as other stories.

But a good story needs a good artist and Derek hit the jackpot when he persuaded artist Joe Colquhoun to illustrate Roy’s adventures. Joe was one of the very best artists employed by the comics and he later became famous for his brilliant interpretation of the Charley’s War story in Battle, which showed the First World War as it really was. The detail in all Joe’s drawings, on whatever subject, was amazing.

Pressure of work meant that Frank could not continue to write the Roy story and Joe took over the scripting, as well as the illustrating. Then Derek wrote scripts himself and later the story was credited to none other than Manchester United and England striker Bobby Charlton. I think this was one of the first commercial tie-ups between a footballer and a publication. Derek created a precedent which I was to follow, many years later. Eventually, Frank returned to writing Roy and did the script for many years, with great results.

WHO CHRISTENED ROY?

Who thought up the name ‘Roy of the Rovers’? Many people have claimed that they came up with the title idea and I have heard many different versions. The one I like to go with is that the idea came from Lion editor Bernard Smith.

Many years after he retired, Bernard wrote to me and said, ‘When they were looking for a title to the series, it was I who suggested Roy of the Rovers. So what?’

That letter arrived in 1994 and Bernard went on to celebrate 104 birthdays! He had worked on Champion comic and one of the main characters in that publication was a footballer called ‘Danny of the Dazzlers’. Perhaps that was an inspiration!

I can remember reading Danny of the Dazzlers myself. It was a written story, published before the onset of picture-strips. It was also written by Frank Pepper, as was the famous Rockfist Rogan story, which was also in Champion.

THE EARLY DAYS

Issue one of Tiger had Roy of the Rovers on the front cover. Roy was a young lad playing in a local cup match. Unknown to Roy, the game was being watched by Alf Leeds, manager of the Melchester Rovers ‘A’ team. Mr Leeds was smoking a pipe! In later years, smoking would be banned from the publication. Roy scored a sensational goal, with his right foot (he was to become famous for his left-footed shot!). Alf was impressed. Very impressed! Roy was soon to sign for the famous First Division team...and the rest, as they say, is history. The first words Roy ever uttered in a comic were, ‘WHY – YES, SIR!’ Roy was replying to Alf, who had asked to have a word with Roy. Our hero would have a lot more to say for himself in later instalments but it was never to be an easy ride for him. Everything that could happen to a footballer, happened to Roy. Often many times over!

Roy’s first visit to Melchester Stadium was eventful. He went in the main entrance and was told by the doorman, ‘Juniors aren’t allowed to use this entrance!’ He was quickly directed to the doorway used by the juniors. Also signing for Melchester Juniors was Roy’s schoolboy pal Blackie Gray. The two of them delivered some classy performances for the youth side and eventually found themselves in the Melchester Rovers first team. Roy scored twice in their first game, once with his right foot, once with his left. Both his goals came from Gray passes but Rovers only managed a 3-3 draw.

In a later game, Roy shows a fiery temper when a team-mate accuses him of not giving of his best. A very angry Roy grabs his accuser by the scruff of the neck and looks as if he is about to thump the guy, saying, ‘I’d like to knock your thundering block off!’ In years to come, Roy Race wouldn’t have acted like that. As a football icon he had to always be on his best behaviour. I’ll put it down to the fact he was very young!

Getting over that incident, Roy took over as captain in 1958, which was generally greeted with great enthusiasm by just about everyone, including the team’s mascot, Billy the Goat!

Reading through the early instalments of the Roy story, I was impressed with the skill which went into the stories, in scripts and drawings. Roy of the Rovers was built on a very solid foundation!

I was transferred from Lion to Tiger in the mid-1960s, working with David Gregory, who had replaced Derek Birnage as editor. I worked closely with David as Tiger moved to offset printing, which gave a much better reproduction. I went on a web offset course. As the printing was so much better, I suggested introducing big full-page photos of sports stars and that proved to be popular. When Tiger merged with Jag comic in 1969, I can recall David telling me that a Jag story would be on the cover of the merged title. I protested, saying that Roy of