Scott Sellars

FourLaneBlue - Scott Sellars was my favourite player when my dad finally relented and started taking me to Ewood (I was 22 at the time...just kidding!). An awesome player who served us in the second division but proved himself to be Premiership-quality when his brilliant passing and startling vision helped light up Kevin Keegan's famously flamboyant Newcastle side. Unfortunately Scott was an unlucky player. The wrong move at the wrong time (to the new league champions Leeds United in 1992) which didn't really work out and then, injury struck at a fateful moment. Called up to the England squad but having to decline and instead sit it out on the fitness table. Like Jansen a decade or so later, the chance never came again. Sellars really was an excellent player, full of creatity, flair and skill. An unpredicatale and enigmatic sikily skilled winger who entertained the crowd and got people on the edge of their seats. Will I be voting for him over Duff? Nah don't be daft he wasn't that good but Sellars does deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Irishman and remembered as an excellent Rovers player.

Duff's Minder - Sellars was my favourite player as a kid, even the papers down south used to describe him as the best player outside of the top flight. I was gutted he didn't get to play for us in the Premiership.

Brownie - If this was a vote for the most elegant Rovers players in history, Scott Sellars would stroll into the side with that laid back foot dragging walk regularly witnessed at Ewood Park. Scott Sellars was brought through the youth team by Eddie Gray, and like his mentor had a sweet left foot and was capable of producing defence-splitting balls when he was really on form. Under Billy Bremner he was deemed surplus to requirements and moved on to Blackburn where he enjoyed 6 successful years. Howard Wilkinson briefly brought him back to Elland Road, but that didn't work out. A couple of years at Newcastle and a little longer at Bolton were followed by a move to Huddersfield, where he played until the end of the 2000-01 season when he moved to Denmark to keep himself in a first team situation. After playing for AGF in Denmark, he returned to English football, signing for Mansfield close to the transfer deadline in March 2002 to help them in their promotion push. He was linked with a move to non-league Kettering in the close season but re-signed at Field Mill for a further year. Although he started as a regular in the side in 2002-03, suspension and injury meant that he was only involved in coaching and working with the youngsters from November to the end of the season. When Scott Sellars was at Newcastle, an England call up could not have been far away. With his defence splitting ball, close control he had the world at his feet when all of a sudden he got injured and Newcastle signed David Ginola and when he moved on to Bolton you felt that that was the end of any chance with England. Certainly, one of the best players never to play for England. The phrase educated left foot was truly an understatement with Scott, and this coupled with great vision, made him a glorious player. In the old days of the Blackburn End terrace, "Scotty Scotty beam us up" was one the most regularly sang chants of the day. It always brought a clap of appreciation from Scott who I often wondered must have thought what the hell are they singing. The term 'Could open a can of beans' was made for his left foot, 'wispy' was another term regularly used by the press. Sellars played a crucial part in winning the Full Members Cup and winning promotion for the first time. Better than any left winger outside the Premiership, he soon showed at Newcastle that he was as good as anything in it. Andy Cole stated that Sellars was the key to his success at St James Park, laying on goal after goal. Despite Sellars' contributions being mainly as a creator, he also scored many vital goals, the equaliser in 3-3 draw at home to Leicester, and another in the famous 4-2 win over Derby in the Play off semis immediately spring to mind. If Sellars was a cricketer he would be David Gower, serene and poetry in motion when in full flow. Did Scott have more natural talent than a certain young Irishman ? probably not, Is Scott more of a Blackburn Rovers legend ? Definitely ! Club From To Apps Goals Sold for Leeds United 25 Mar 1983 28 Jul 1986 86 14 20000 Blackburn Rovers 28 Jul 1986 01 Jul 1992 245 41 £800000 Leeds United 01 Jul 1992 09 Mar 1993 10 0 £700000 Newcastle United 09 Mar 1993 07 Dec 1995 75 8 £750000 Bolton Wanderers 07 Dec 1995 30 Jul 1999 126 16 £0 Huddersfield Town 30 Jul 1999 18 Apr 2001 53 2 £0 Mansfield Town 31 Mar 2002 20 3

Paul - Thinking about Sellars, he comes from an age when football was different, maybe better. My over-riding memory of Sellars is of him on the far side of the pitch, the pitch was crap, facing the Darwen End, head down and looking disinterested. Very often Simon Barker would swing a ball out from the right and Sellars would be off. Skinny and light-weight in appearance he used to look too frail to be a footballer, common-sense said the right-back just had to whack him and that would be Scotty done for the game. He did get whacked a few times but more often than not he left defenders looking pretty stupid. Scotty scored in the second most memorable game I've seen at Ewood. Two nil down in what, ten minutes, to Derby County, the season lay in tatters and from somewhere the team found four goals to send the Ewood crowd wild with delight. The rest is history, without Sellars we might not be here today? The only game I can recall to match that one is Newcastle in 95 - VE Day.

speeeeeeeedie - Scott Sellars was the best player in the second division when he was there. Could go past players with ease, cross well and shoot. What I remember about our playoff teams of the late 80's was that we always used to score early goals, many times inside 5 minutes, most of them involed Sellars jinking around someone and firing it into the box. He was a great player and the plaudits on here sum him up; if he was playing for us 5 years later and without that nagging groin injury that hampered his later stay, he would have played for England. I was at a youth presentation one night, David Jones the fat DJ from Radio Lancashire was MC and Sellars was the guest of honour presenting the trophies. Jones got up beforehand to introduce Sellars and made a comment about John Salako getting into the England squad and "he couldn't shine this fella's boots" pointing at Sellars. He just bowed his head and got embarrassed, but it was true he was a far better player than Salako ever was.

soupdragon - Scottie was one of my heroes but for all his class, he was never likely to get in the England squad no matter what some blue-eyed fans might think - I remember him playing for the U21s (and thinking "wow - a Rovers player with the three lions on his shirt!) but don't recall any real discussion (outside deepest East Lancs) of his chances for the full squad. But, at Ewood at the time, he was a breath of fresh air and an excellent get out when we were under pressure.

philipl - Scott Sellers was a man for whom the adjective silky was invented. My favourite memory was taking some Swedes and Dutch friends to Ewood Park and them being left stunned that such a player could be operating in the English second division.