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I recently caught up with Rovers fans favourite Paul Fletcher.
Hiya Fletch and thanks for taking part in this interview for mortonstalker.
1. As a fans favourite at Craven Park, the first question I have to ask is how did the send off you got from the fans last season make you feel and how did it compare to your sudden departure the season before?
2. After your move to Sheffield you were unfortunate to suffer an injury that put you on the sidelines, is that it now, are your playing days over?
3. Have you any plans to get back into the game in any other capacity, coaching, amateur, kids rugby, etc?
4. Still a regular figure around Craven Park, how do you rate Rovers chances in the Super League and who do you think the stand out players will be?
5. When you’re not watching Rovers, how do you like to spend your spare time?
6. During your many years at Rovers you played with many great players, which ones have stuck in your mind and why?
7. What was your most memorable match in a Rovers shirt?
8. You and Barbara run several successful businesses in the area, did you ever imagine you’d be a successful businessman?
9. Would you encourage your sons to get involved in the game?
10. Finally, how do you think the game has changed since you first started playing and would you just like to be starting out again? What, if anything, would you change about your playing career?
Once again, thanks very much for doing this interview Paul, Bud’s are on me next time I see you.
The send off I got from the fans was very humbling, to be honest I feel that i've always got on with the fans and to be 'liked' for doing something you love to do, somewhere you love to do it, is/was great. Sure it would have been great to have played a game knowing it was going to be my final one but it obviously wasn't to be but, after my 'sudden departure' it was nice to still get the support from the fans.
Yes, my playing days are over now (he says with a tear in his eye!) I played 5 games last season before I broke my tibia, was out for 6 months then broke my hand in my comeback game so I think the Lord was trying to tell me something, and this time I listened! (I personally now wish I had called it a day at the end of the 2004 season)
No! (did you hear that Dicko?!)
This season I think Rovers should aim to win the games they can, i.e. Wakey, London, Huddersfield, France and Hull, and try and pick up a couple of shocks along the way also. I think the stand out players will be Ben Cockayne and Michael Vella.
I don't have a great deal of spare time but I like going to the opera, ballet and sitting in front of the fire doing my knitting.
I always liked Sam Stewart, he always did what he said he would, also people like Mike Smith, George Fairbairn, Brian Neibling and Paul Mansson, but the player who impressed me most was a scrum cap wearing Neil Hudgell who came on as a sub in my testimonial game, pissed up he scored a great try from all of 6 inches out!!
Wembley '97 and getting beat 0-1 at home to Barrow!!
I'm not a successful business man, i'm just married to a successful business woman!!! No in reality she's done great, Barbara has an idea and just goes for it and usually they work. (Touch wood)
I would never make them do anything they didn't want to but Paul has just started playing again, he played for Wardy's team for a couple of seasons and I watched him maybe 30 times and never saw them win! (sorry Mark) He got a bit disheartened and quit for a bit but has now decided to play again, it's a good job really because his boots cost me 80 quid!
From when I started playing it's obviously a lot faster, i'd love to be starting out again, I missed the glory years of the 80's by a couple of seasons and now i've missed these glory years by a couple of seasons, so it was just unfortunate for me that I ended up with the dross in the middle!!!!
And finally what would I change about my playing career? **** all I had a great time and i'd certainly love to be able to do it all again.
(p.s. also I wouldn't recommend Harvey Howard as a coach to the chairman a second time around)
