Roy Of The Rovers Annual

Collecting together – for the first time ever – 20 years' worth of the best material from the golden age of British annuals. Featuring classic comic strips, vintage UK soccer features and thrilling short stories all taken from Roy of the Rovers annuals of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Britain’s most famous fictional soccer star — Roy Race — makes his long-awaited return in this first bumper volume, collecting the very best of Roy’s thrilling escapades! Featuring the best of Roy’s matches and adventures from the ’80s, this incredible collection is a must-have for soccer fans of all ages! Thrill once more to the roar of the crowd, as Roy and his team, Melchester Rovers, face trials and tribulations on and off the pitch, as they face relegation, Roy’s marriage is in trouble, and an assassin strikes! With a foreword by former soccer star turned BBC legend Gary Lineker, these are the tales that endeared Roy of the Rovers to British fans of all ages, and provide the ultimate introduction to the best soccer comic ever created!

Roy Race was Melchester Rovers' super striker, and later manager and chairman; he is known everywhere simply as 'Roy of the Rovers'. Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff is the inside story of his life with Melchester, told by the man who knows him better than anyone: editor Barrie Tomlinson, the man who helped turn him from comic-book hero to a national institution. From the 1950s, millions of children grew up reading about his footballing adventures in Tiger and Roy of the Rovers. Now they can relive all the memorable moments from Roy's illustrious footballing career. From his debut as a fresh-faced teen in the comic Tiger, Roy became the hero of his own football 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 football 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!

Revisit the most senstional football storylines of the 1980s, including the shocking 'Who Shot Roy Race?' The best stories from England's favourite footballer, in a lavish hardback collection. The dawn of this new decade was one that Melchester Rovers would want to forget. The 80/81 season was far from their finest hour with the threat of relegation snapping at their heels all throughout the season and exits from the F.A. Cup and the European Cup leaving the trophy cabinet bare. For star striker Roy Race it couldn't be worse. His obsession with the team had caused a strain on his marriage and fractured his relationship with teammates like the hot-headed Vic Guthrie. And then there was an attempt on his life... After being shot in December 1981, Roy lay in a coma for several weeks while Sir Alf Ramsey stepped into the dugout for Melchester. Life in a lower division beckons, but at least the Rovers will be the most stylish team on the pitch with their new Gola sponsored kits! This book collects the most sensational storyline from Roy of the Rovers history.

The greatest story ever told by the world's most beloved sportsman, Roy of the Rovers, in his own words for the first time.For 44 years, Roy Race bestrode the world of football. As captain and later player-manager of Melchester Rovers, in a career of unprecedented majesty and extraordinary length, he knew the glory of 9 league titles, 8 FA Cup victories, 3 European Cups, and countless international appearances for England. But only now is he ready to tell his own story.Candid, emotional, optimistic, and never less than inspiring, the autobiography of the man all fans of the game know simply as 'Roy of the Rovers' will lay bare for the first time the truth behind soccer's ultimate fairy tale story.The shocking details of the five terrifying kidnappings that threatened to blight his playing career; the stomach-churning murder attempt in 1980, which left Roy in a life-threatening coma; the sickening car bomb attack that tragically killed 8 of Roy's team-mates while on a pre-season tour of Basran; the devastation of losing his wife, former Melchester club secretary Penny Laine, who died in a car accident that brought Roy closer than ever to quitting the game he loved.And finally the horrific helicopter crash in 1993 that resulted in the amputation of Roy's legendary left foot, finally bringing the curtain down on his sensational, game-clinching, goalscoring exploits.From the first page to the last, it's Roy of the Rovers stuff.The greatest story ever told, by the world's most beloved sportsman.Roy of the Rovers. In his own words.

Fantasy meets football in the magical story of a boy and his enchanted boots! Young Billy Dane was one of the most passionate football fans at Bingley Road Junior school...unfortunately he was also one of the worst players! Then, one afternoon, Billy's grandmother got him to clean out her attic and Billy finds a pair of old fashioned football boots that belonged to 'Dead-Shot' Keen - a famous centre forward who once played for England.

The best comic strips from the golden age of Roy of the Rovers. The seventies was a very turbulent time in Britain. Following on from the optimism of the sixties, the country faced a decade of strikes and power cuts. Luckily for the fans of Melchester Rovers, Roy Race and his loyal time mates provided great moments of glory for their fans, starting with European Cup final win in 1973 in the year that the club celebrated its 50th anniversary. It was the decade in which footballers became real superstars - a time when Melchester goalkeeper Charlie Carter had to choose between staying at the club or perusing a burgeoning career as a pop singer. And it was a period when Roy Race truly cemented himself as the heart, soul and brain of the club by taking on the role of player manager.

A brand-new comic collection spinning out of the world-wide smash video game series! Karl Fairburne, legendary sniper for the Special Operations Executive, must parachute into occupied France on a mission to destroy a secret weapon, but instead of a silent mission of sabotage he finds the local resistance compromised and the SS waiting to play a deadly game of cat and mouse in the terrified streets of an ancient town.