116: Roy Wegerle, Coventry City, Merlin’s Premier League 95 Sticker Collection

Richard Allinson takes us on a globetrotting journey today with more intriguing stops than Eric Djemba-Djemba’s extended gap year. Today’s subject had it all: excellent hair, turning out for teams with fantastic names and a memorable stint at Coventry City in their peak years for exceptional kits. What’s not to love? Over to Rich.

Phil Neville, Anton Ferdinand, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Sammy Ameobi, Tesfaye Bram... actually I best leave it there. Football is littered with players that aren’t quite as good as their siblings. However, one man who has a respectable claim to be the biggest success of his family’s footballing dynasty is Roy Wegerle. His brothers Steve and Geoff both had decent careers in the USA, but it was Roy who really hit the big time/Coventry. Where Geoff and Steve did excel though was in being the coolest looking f***ers to ever play the game. Seriously, check them out. They might as well have been called Geoff and Stevie Ramone. 

Now, pretty much everyone that has ever laced up a pair of Golas from the local market has boasted “I had trials once you know...” However, when Roy Wegerle turned up to his University of South Florida halls of residence in 1982 bandying this line around I’m sure his new friends were a bit dubious of his claims. You see, after starting out his career at the exceptionally named Arcadia Shepherd FC in his native South Africa, he went on trial to Manchester United. From Arcadia, to Manchester to the South of Florida... sounds like a bloody Morrissey lyric. Whilst playing for his uni side, Wegerle was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. I’d love to see this system implemented in the Premier League: “Chelsea unveil their new signing Toby Howard, drafted from De Montfort University’s Engineering Soc. after impressing in the inter-departmental 3pm kick about.” MVP indeed. 

It was whilst being rowdy with the Rowdies that Wegerle was named Rookie of the Year, having scored nine goals and laid on 17 more in 21 games. Luckily for Wegerle, his coaches at the time were ex-England international and mate of Jeff Stelling, Rodney Marsh and former Chelsea striker Derek Smethurst, connections that would eventually help pave the way for his move to English football. Just a quick side note on Marsh, he once managed a team in America called Carolina Lightnin’ - with no second ‘g’. U-S-A! U-S-A!

However, before securing his move to England, Wegerle’s career took another seemingly bizarre twist when he signed for Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League. I can only assume they used a yellow ball which would leave bits of fluff all over their socks; passes off the wall were acceptable; and keepers weren’t allowed out of their area. Clearly impressed by Roy’s foray into post-grad five a side, Chelsea took a chance on Wegerle and offered him a contract in 1986. He never played consistently for the West London club though and was sent out on loan to Swindon Town, before eventually signing a permanent contract with Luton Town. From Florida to Luton via Swindon. Poor bloke. It was in Bedfordshire where his career really took off as he finished as the club’s top scorer and appeared in the 1989 League Cup final before moving back to London with Queen’s Park Rangers. 

His career with the Rs saw him bang in 29 goals in 65 games before Gerry Francis took over and, seemingly having decided that having an eye for goal was overrated, moved Wegerle on to Blackburn Rovers. Roy of the Rovers kicked on in Lancashire under the guidance of Kenny Dalglish as he helped Uncle Jack’s blue and white army gain promotion to the newly formed Premier League. However, things weren’t to last much longer in the North West as he was replaced by a smokey bacon crisp loving centre forward from Southampton called Alan Shearer and Weggo was snapped up by Bobby Gould for Coventry City in 1992. 

Clearly being a man ahead of his time, Gould deployed Wegerle in a free role supplying that most random of strike partnerships - Mick Quinn and Peter Ndlovu. He was essentially like an early version of Lionel Messi, only with less tax fraud. To be fair to Gould, the tactic worked as the Highfield Road club secured an eleventh placed finish in the top flight. All in all, Wegerle played 53 games for the Sky Blues, scoring nine goals before packing his bags and heading back across the Atlantic in 1996 before calling time on his playing days in 1998 after spells with Colorado Rapids, D.C. United and Tampa Bay Mutiny. 

This wasn’t Roy done with professional sport though. After apparently enjoying the odd 18 holes with Alan Shearer and Ray Wilkins, Wegerle decided to become a professional golfer - Gareth Bale, take note. Unlike most sportsmen that decide to turn their hand to a different discipline it went pretty well (better than Dwain Chambers’ inexplicable attempt at playing Rugby League anyway) and he actually qualified for a European Tour event, where he ultimately finished last. However, this wasn’t to be Roy’s last golf tournament. No sir. Wegerle went on to take part in the 2002 Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship in Greenland. The weather conditions reportedly being wind-chills of minus 50 degrees - not surprisingly he ultimately quit golf and moved back to Florida.  That seems as good a place to leave it as any. Roy Wegerle, what a genuinely enviable career.