We are back! When we first launched the Rovers Returned podcast in 2022 our initial aim was to record recent Rovers history over the last 20 years, remembering some of the better times when we were most recently in the Premier League. Despite two podcast seasons covering 2001-12 then 2012-17, we ended with a feeling there were still more stories to tell. 

That’s why we are back with season 3 and a slightly different format, with individual player profiles looking back at some of the most well-known Rovers names during the 2001-12 period.

This season we are profiling Andy Cole, Jon Stead, Brad Friedel, David Bentley, Robbie Savage, and Paul Robinson. It was hard to just pick six players but knowing that there’s always room for season 4, we decided to pick a mix of personal favourites, cult heroes, and players who had unique or compelling Rovers careers.

In each episode we take a look back at the context for why each player was signed, the initial reaction to the signing, chart their time at Rovers, before looking at their departure and life after Rovers. We also look at what each of them said about playing with Tugay, because every Rovers player who played with Tugay had something to say about him.

In recording this latest season of the podcast we realised that despite going back over the period we covered in season 1, we had barely scratched the surface of all the stories, anecdotes, and memories. Looking at the fortunes of Rovers through the specific lens of individual players gives a different perspective into how the club was performing, what the club hierarchy and management were thinking at the time, and what life was like as a player. 

We hope you enjoy listening to these new episodes as much as we enjoyed recording them.

New episodes will be released each Thursday starting with Andy Cole on May 9th.

Listen to the podcast on Spotify now at: https://open.spotify.com/show/3F2tBfD6It2Gvh9szxaD4I

Or on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rovers-returned/id1627449582

We are also on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/rovers_returned/