23rd October – Colin Cameron

Colin Cameron was part of the most famous Raith Rovers side in the 1990s and enjoyed a decent career in both Scotland and England.

Not many fans will know that Raith qualified for Europe after winning the 1994-95 League Cup and played against German giants Bayern Munich. Cameron first joined Raith Rovers as a youngster but had to make his way in the professional game on loan at Sligo Rovers. This was a successful spell as he scored 4 times.

On his return he became a regular in the Rovers side and helped the team defeat Celtic in the League Cup final which set up the tie with Bayern Munich.. There weren’t many more ups in his time at the club as the team were relegated twice and after 152 league appearances and 32 goals he left for Hearts.

Once again his biggest achievement at the club was winning the Scottish Cup. This time he scored in the 1998 final against Rangers which Hearts won. In his five years at the club he played over 150 games and gained a good reputation.

In 2001, Wolves signed him for £1.75 million and became a favourite due to his hardworking displays. He wasn’t a regular goalscorer but some of his goals were important, including the goal that gave them their first ever win in the top flight. He was also loved by the fans because every time he scored his side avoided defeat. Cameron was first choice for the club until Glenn Hoddle took charge and was loaned out to Millwall much to the fans dismay.

Upon not getting a new contract he signed with Coventry City. An injury ruined his season and only played two games after Christmas. He was not given a new contract and was signed by former teammate Paul Ince at MK Dons. His experience and knowledge helped the club win the League Two title and The Football League trophy.

But after just one season he was looking for a new club returning to Scotland, signing for Dundee, joining up with another former teammate in Alex Rae. His time at the club was a disaster as more injuries flared up and despite a loan spell at Arbroath to regain his fitness he could never get back to his best.

Cowdenbeath gave him a chance to start his coaching career as well as continuing his playing career. After just one season he was promoted from assistant manager to manager and led the team to the Second Division title. But after managing over 100 games he left the club by mutual consent in November 2013. Six months later he became the player manager of Berwick Rangers, despite having a similar winning percentage he could not get the same success and left in October 2015.

The final word can go to former Wolves manager Dave Jones, “I’ve been watching Colin for some time. He has a big reputation and with his armoury the club has signed one hell of a player.”

28th August – Kevin McNaughton

Kevin McNaughton has played over 500 games in his professional career and despite retiring once he came back to play more and be as consistent as he always was.

The defender did initially retire in 2017 but has had to play further games due to an injury crisis at Scottish club Forfar Athletic where he had been a first team coach.

McNaughton started his career in Scotland with Aberdeen and made his debut at 18 in a 2-1 defeat to St Mirren and would eventually become a regular during the 2000-01 season. He was showing a lot of promise and was even named PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year at the end of the 2001-02 season. However, an injury in the following season slowed down his development and at times he struggled to regain his previous form.

He did eventually show his qualities once more and this led to him being linked with moves to Scottish giants Celtic and other clubs in England. After 201 appearances for Aberdeen he did leave the club on a free transfer on the 26^th May 2006 joining Cardiff City. Initially McNaughton was used a sa left back by Dave Jones in the Championship but in the following campaign he was moved to the more familiar right back position. During this season he played an important role in helping the club reach the final of the FA Cup and even scored his first goal for the club in the Fourth Round victory over Hereford United.

The 2009-10 season was much more difficult for the defender as he struggled with injuries however he bounced back by playing every game in the following season and his consistent performances earned him the Player of the Season vote. Over the next few seasons his popularity continued to grow among the Cardiff fans and he helped them reach the League Cup final which they unfortunately lost on penalties against Liverpool.

On the 21^st August 2012, McNaughton played his 400^th career game for Cardiff in a 0-0 draw with Brighton and played a role in helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League. He was given a new one year deal but unfortunately only played five times in the top flight and during the season he joined Bolton on loan and would play 22 times for the club over two spells.

After he was released by Cardiff he joined Wigan Athletic but only played twice for the club before joining Scottish side Inverness. However, an injury put an end to his season and he announced his retirement but in December 2017 he reversed this decision and is now a registered player for Forfar.

The final word can go to Malky Mackay. “Kevin has been a terrific servant. Good, experienced professionals like Kevin are essential for a squad’s success and I know this news will please City supporters, as much as it does my staff and I, who know and appreciate what a hard working and dedicated player Kevin is.”

27th October – Rhys Weston

Rhys Weston may not be the most recognisable name but he has had a very interesting career and if it wasn’t for injuries he may have played at a higher level for a prolonged period of time.

The defender will be fondly remembered by Cardiff City fans as he helped them climb from the bottom division of the Football League to the Championship and even took a pay cut in 2005 to help the club. The 34 year old can also say that he played at the highest level as he featured seven times for Wales between the years of 2000 and 2005.

Now 34 he doesn’t have a club but has played in a few different countries and experienced some different cultures so he can at least take that from his career. Weston started his career at Arsenal and made his debut on the 30th November 1999 in a League Cup game against Middlesbrough after coming on as a substitute. Later in the season he would go on to make his only top flight appearance as he started the final game against Newcastle United on the 14th May 2000.

In total he played three times for Arsenal before joining Cardiff in November 2000 for £300,000. He made his debut in a 3-2 win over Lincoln City and would go on to play another 31 times as the club gained promotion to Division Two after finishing 2nd. In the following season Weston was a more important member of the team and showed his quality in the 43 games he played, unfortunately the club missed out on back to back promotions after being beaten in the playoffs by Stoke City. The 2002-03 season was successful for the player and the club as they managed to gain promotion after beating QPR 1-0 in the playoff final. During the season Weston also scored his first professional goal after scoring in a 4-0 win over Tranmere Rovers on the 26th October.

Despite adapting well to the First Division, Weston struggled with injuries and would only play 24 times after suffering a knee injury and then damaging cartilage in his other knee in March 2004. In the following campaign he returned to his consistent self but again his season was ended by injury. At the end of the season he accepted a substantial reduction in his wages and was placed on the transfer list by new manager Dave Jones but still managed to play 30 times during the 2005-06 season. However, he was left out of the club’s pre-season tour and was released.

Weston then joined Norwegian side Viking but his only match for the club lasted 12 minutes as he dislocated his shoulder. Four days later the manager was sacked and the incoming manager could not speak English so Weston returned to the UK. In February 2007 Weston signed for Port Vale. He would go onto play 15 games for the club before being released. On the 16th July 2007 Weston signed for Walsall and went on to play 50 games for the club during the 2007-08 season earning himself a new deal. He would continue to be a consistent player but at the end of the 2009-10 manager Chris Hutchings decided not to give him a contract and after 111 games he joined Dundee.

He spent two seasons at the Scottish side and in both seasons they finished 2nd in Division One but at the end of his contract he decided to join Icelandic side KR Reykjavik. Due to financial problems he left the club after just 16 appearances and made the move to Malaysia to sign for Sabah FA. He only played six times and joined AFC Wimbledon on the 7th August 2013. Once again he did not get much game time and after a loan spell at Sutton United he was not offered a new contract.

The final word can go to Richard Money. “Rhys has become an important member of the team. His performances have become more and more consistent as the season has progressed and we hope that he will continue to be an important player for Walsall.”

21st September – Danny Batth

Wolves have made a fantastic start to their Championship campaign and this is largely because of their strong defensive including birthday boy Danny Batth.

The centre back has benefitted from the management of Kenny Jackett and the fact that he had to rely on youth to get them promoted from League One last season. With Batth coming through the youth system at Molineux he will always be a fan favourite and want to do well for the club and if he can help them get promoted this season then it will be a great achievement for him personally and for the club who fell very quickly.

Batth joined the Wolves Academy at the age of 10 and despite having shoulder problems over the next few years he became an important player at every youth level and was one of seven academy players to sign a professional deal at the end of the 2008-09 season. The defender joined Colchester United on loan on the 17th September 2009 to get some first team action and after injuries to regulars Pat Baldwin, Paul Reid and Lee Beevers, he made his professional debut in a 2-0 win over Hartlepool United and earned the man of the match award for his performance.

After impressing in his initial month loan it was extended until the end of the season and he went on to score his first career goal in a 1-0 win over Oldham Athletic on the 20th February 2010 which extended the club’s unbeaten run to five games. At the end of the campaign he had made 18 appearances and on his return to Wolves he was named their Young Professional of the Year.

In the next season he made his debut for his parent club in a League Cup tie against Southend United and then spent the rest of the season in Sheffield. He first joined Sheffield United on loan for a month and only made a single loan appearance but after returning to Wolves he was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday where he had a lot more success. After joining on the 16th March 2011 he played 10 games before the end of the season and put in some solid performances.

His performances were good enough to convince Wednesday to sign him again on a six month loan which was later extended until the end of the season. Batth was a key player in the club getting promoted, playing 49 times in all competitions and scoring against Preston and Bournemouth as The Owls finished second in League One.

At the beginning of the 2012-13 season he was heavily linked with a permanent move to Wednesday but this never happened after manager Dave Jones ruled out a move for the defender. With Wolves struggling in the Championship it was always going to be difficult for a young centre back to make a difference and they were relegated with Batth playing 12 times.

He eventually became a first team regular at Wolves and helped them gain promotion at the first time of asking and in all competitions played 50 times. He was rewarded with a new contract in January 2014.

The final word can go to Wolves Chief Executive Jez Moxey. “Danny’s performances have remained consistently high. It is no surprise that he is very popular among the club’s supporters. He shows the highest level of focus and professionalism both on and off the pitch.”

5th August – Marian Pahars

Not many people will care who the current Latvia manager is but it just happens to be former Southampton player Marian Pahars who turns 38 today.

While Southampton are busy selling off all of their players Pahars is concentrating on his role as the national team manager but he will surely be keeping an eye on developments at his old club as one day he may want to come back and manage the club. He is still highly regarded by the fans and they definitely enjoyed his performances and will go down as one of their greatest players.

Pahars started his career at Pardaugava Riga at the age of 18 where he scored three times in 17 games before moving onto Skonto in 1995. He started out as a midfielder but then was moved upfront where he scored eight times in just nine games and then followed this up in the next season with 12 goals in 28 games which led to him being dubbed the ‘Latvian Michael Owen’. He continued developing at Skonto and after another impressive season in which he scored 19 goals in just 26 games he was linked with moves to some of the bigger clubs in Europe.

The Southampton manager at the time Dave Jones was told about his skills by the then Latvia manager Gary Johnson and he was given a trial in which he scored a perfect hatrick (left foot, right foot and header) in a 7-1 victory over Oxford United. The clubs then agreed a fee of £800,000 for the striker and after some initial work permit problems he became the first Latvian to play in the Premier League. He made his debut on the 5th April 1999 away to Coventry City and on his home debut against Blackburn Rovers he came off the bench to score the equaliser in a 3-3 draw.

The Saints were involved in a relegation battle which went to the last day and with Southampton needing a win on the last day of the season it was Pahars that held his nerve and scored twice against Everton in a 2-0 win to keep the club in the top flight.

The 1999-00 season was one of his best as he played 33 times and ended it as the club’s top scorer with 13 goals but by this point the manager that signed him Dave Jones had been replaced by Glenn Hoddle who moved him into a wide position to utilise his dribbling skills and pace. But he started the next season as a striker and he scored six times early on but after moving back to his deeper role his form became inconsistent.

Pahars is also a fan favourite at Southampton because he was the first home player to score a winning goal at the new St Mary’s Stadium which was one of many highlights throughout the season as he ended the campaign with 16 goals in all competitions. Afterwards he stayed at the club for four more years and because of injury problems his appearances were limited and after 156 appearances and 45 goals he left the club.

His next club was Anorthosis Famagusta in Cyprus but his injury problems remained and he did not play much for them and then rejoined Skonto before finally finishing his playing career at FK Jurmala.

The final word can go to former teammate Claus Lundekvam. “Marian is a similar player to Michael Owen. They’re both fast and very good finishers. It’s very difficult for a defender to mark him because he’s on the move all the time. As long as he scores goals for us we’re happy.”

22nd June – Kieran Lee

Kieran Lee had a pretty slow start to his career at Sheffield Wednesday but last season proved to be one of their best players and was a very influential player on the pitch.

It is not surprising that he eventually showed his quality at Hillsborough because of how well he had already done in the past at previous clubs. It seemed like injuries were going to be a problem for him but his form improved dramatically after Dave Jones left the club and he started playing in the centre of midfield under Stuart Gray.

Lee did start his career as a central midfielder but at first club Manchester United he was used mostly as a fullback and after impressing for the under 18s and the reserves he was offered a professional contract at the club. During the 2006-07 season he was named the captain of the reserves team and also made his first team debut coming on as a substitute in a third round League Cup game against Crewe Alexandra. The scores were level at full time so the game went to extra time and Lee scored to make it 2-1 with a composed finish that seasoned pros would have been proud of.

He played once more in the League Cup that season and also made his Premier League debut against Chelsea on the 9th May and at the end of the season he was named the Reserve Player of the Year. Although he was named as a substitute in a Champions League game against Roma he never played for the Old Trafford club again and on the 2nd January he joined QPR on loan. He spent four months at the London club and made seven appearances before being released by his parent club.

In the summer of 2008 he joined Oldham Athletic and his career really kicked off and he became one of the most consistent players for the next few seasons. But he had to wait until the 26th December to make his debut in a 3-0 win over Crewe and to make it better he even provided the assist for the final goal. Lee had to wait until the next season to get his first goal and it was an important 95th minute equaliser against Swindon Town and he eventually became a first team regular for the first time in his career.

When Paul Dickov became manager of Oldham his performances went to the next level and he was regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the Football League. At the end of the 2010-11 season he picked up four Player of the Year awards at the club, including Players’ Player of the Year and the Fans’ Player of the Year. Remarkably at the end of the following season he followed this up once more with yet another four awards.

Sheffield Wednesday then signed Lee in 2012 and the 26 year old is now one of their most important players and in the season just gone he played 26 times, scoring once and creating another four goals.

The final word can go to the Oldham chairman Simon Corney. “Sometimes when players leave, you feel let down because you think they owe you something, but this is absolutely not the case with Kieran. He’s a great boy; I can’t speak highly enough of him; I wish we had 11 Kieran Lees”

9th May – Adam Proudlock

Not many players can say they have been in teams that have won the playoffs in the Championship, League One, League Two and also the Conference North.

Adam Proudlock is 33 today and has continually been part of successful squads which is why it is so frustrating that he has never been able to stay at a top team for long and has now drifted into non league football. Proudlock joined first club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1998 and at the beginning of the 2000-01 season he had a taste of first team football on loan at Scottish club Clyde, where he scored a hatrick on his professional debut against Falkirk.

After he was recalled by Wolves they handed him a new contract and became a regular in the side. He scored 11 goals before the end of the season and was the club’s top scorer. However, he started the next season on the bench after manager Dave Jones decided to bring in more strikers. In October 2001 he scored yet another hatrick, this time against Bradford City and Jones praised the player saying. “He has kept his head because things had not been easy for him in front of goal, but he has got his rewards.” Unfortunately these were his only goals of the season after he suffered a knee injury.

After loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers, Proudlock then joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan and impressed for them scoring twice in five games. He was once again recalled by Wolves and spent the rest of the season coming on as a substitute for them and helped them win the Championship (known as Division One then) playoffs.

In September 2003 he joined Sheffield Wednesday permanently after scoring 17 times in 84 appearances for Wolves. He scored nine times for the club during the 2003-04 season and started the next year very impressively by scoring six times in 14 games however a broken leg in November 2004 put an end to his season, but these goals helped the club secure a place in the League One playoffs which they went on to win. He barely played again for Wednesday and joined Ipswich Town initially on loan for three months before signing for them permanently.

After only playing a total of nine games for Ipswich he joined Stockport County and scored six times in his first season. His second was more successful as he helped them reach and win the League Two playoffs with seven league goals. However, a week later his contract was not renewed by the club.

Proudlock then joined Darlington for a short spell but was quickly shipped out on loan to Grimsby Town. His best moment for the club came when he scored a hatrick against local rivals Lincoln City in a 5-1 win in March 2009. He finished the season as top scorer and was vital in helping the club avoid relegation from the Football League.

The next season he and the club could not repeat the trick as they were relegated so Proudlock left the club and joined AFC Telford who in his first season he helped to win the Conference North Playoffs, however an injury ruled him out for the majority of the 2011-2012 season.

Since he has played for Chester, Market Drayton, Newport Town and Whitehawk. The final word can go to his manager at Sheffield Wednesday Paul Sturrock who summed up his career perfectly. “Either he is very good or very bad – there seems to be no middle road with him. It’s something he has to get out of his system because there is a footballer in that laddie.”

19th April – Stuart Gray

Surely he has to be in contention for Championship Manager of the Season after turning round the fortunes of Sheffield Wednesday.

Stuart Gray is celebrating his 54th birthday today and he can enjoy it and not have to worry too much about his team’s position in the league table. Gray took charge when it looked like the club were in a difficult position and relegation was on the cards. They were second bottom and had only won one game all season leading to the sacking of Dave Jones. Whatever changes he made seemed to work as the club embarked on a long unbeaten run. The only surprising thing about his time at the club so far is that it took so long for chairman Milan Mandaric to hire him permanently. In his 31 matches in charge he has won 14 of those games and lost 10 which is a decent record in the Championship.

Looking back on his playing career it is not surprising that he is a solid and consistent manager as that is exactly how he played the game. He was a left back or a midfielder and performed admirably in both positions, rarely letting his team down and being effective going forward. After coming through the youth team at Nottingham Forest but after a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers he moved to Barnsley where he played the most games in his career. It was his time at Aston Villa where he had the most success though as he won promotion to the top division and then in 1990 he helped them finish second in the First Division.

In September 1991 he moved to Southampton for £200,000 unfortunately he only played 12 league games because of an injury that ended his career. He was given the opportunity by the club to join the coaching staff and after a brief spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers he became reserve team coach at Southampton working with Dave Jones. In 2001 after the departure of then manager Glenn Hoddle he took over as manager but he was sacked after only 19 games because of a poor start to the season.

He was back in football pretty quickly and at Aston Villa he became their caretaker manager and remained unbeaten in his two games in charge. The next stage of his career must have felt like déjà vu for everyone as he was appointed assistant manager of Wolves by Dave Jones but this pairing didn’t last long as Jones was sacked and Glenn Hoddle took charge. Gray remained as Hoddle’s assistant until he was sacked and Gray took over from him. This time only on a caretaker basis though.

In 2007 he was appointed as manager of Northampton Town and their chairman David Cardoza said: “Stuart is one of the most highly respected and highly rated young managers and coaches in the game.” He was given plenty of backing by the club and was in charge for 135 games winning 44 of them but this was not good enough and he was sacked in 2009.

After spells at Burnley and Portsmouth, he joined up once more with Jones at Sheffield Wednesday who felt he could help the side improve. “I felt that getting in a bit of experience would help. It’s been a long time since I’ve been at the bottom and no disrespect but Stuart has experienced a lot of that.” Maybe his words were a bit harsh and when Jones was sacked, Gray got his chance to show everyone that he was a good manager and could be successful in the Championship.

He had a very long trial period but he came through that very well and the final word can go to the chairman that appointed him Milan Mandaric: “The response of the players and everyone else shows that he’s the right character for the job. He’s a stable guy and that’s what the club needs.”

11th April – Nile Ranger

He may have had problems off the pitch but today is not a day to focus on them things as Nile Ranger turns 23.

Focusing on his actions on the pitch isn’t always easy and the player himself will know that he has to win over the fans of every club he plays for in the future. He had a very good reputation as a youngster and impressed for Newcastle United’s youth teams and reserves which led to him receiving a three and a half year contract.

He made his debut for the first team on the club’s first game back in the Championship and was rewarded with a start soon after in a 1-0 win against Leicester City where he led the line brilliantly and was awarded the man of the match. He spent a lot of time as a substitute at the club but he did show a lot of potential and scored his first career goal to seal a victory against Coventry City. The manager at the time Chris Hughton felt he could become a first team regular soon. “Nile is a young player who is improving all the time. It’s less than 18 months since he made his debut and he’s coming on leaps and bounds.”

However his time at Newcastle came to an end and he left by mutual consent but before this he enjoyed a successful spell on loan at Sheffield Wednesday where he was vital in helping them achieve automatic promotion from League 1. Dave Jones had a lot of faith in the player and felt he made the difference saying . “I wouldn’t have signed him if I didn’t think he could do a job. If he can focus on football I have an excellent player that will do a fantastic job for the club.”

Ranger scored in the final game of the season against Wycombe Wanderers to get the club promoted and sparked one of the biggest celebrations League 1 has ever seen.

For one reason or another the club did not sign him permanently and his next move was to League 1 Swindon Town where he has been very successful in his first season as a regular. In the league he has seven goals in 19 games. He certainly has the talent to succeed at this level and should be able to go further in the game but it may be difficult to get a transfer so he will have to do his best to get Swindon promoted.

The last word can go to his manager Mark Cooper who believes that it may have happened this season. “I think everyone knows, if Nile Ranger had been fit all season we’d be in the playoffs.”