Former Preston North End and Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann has been speaking to Rheinische Post about his career, and obviously the player’s time in England was a major part of the conversation.
The 36 year old is now registered to Fortuna Dusseldorf and has recently debuted for the club’s reserve side. With a good career behind him, and having amassed over 400 professional games in England and Germany, the German newspaper wanted to know what on earth the stopper is doing playing for a fourth division side.
Stuckmann, who left Preston North End for Doncaster Rovers in 2015, and then left the latter for Partick Thistle in 2016, explained it’s close to home and fits in with his new work as a consultant.
Rheinische Post were especially interested about the player’s time in England, and wanted to know if fans had made a song for him: “Not exactly. But at Preston, during a game in Oldham, the fans made masks with my face on, so the whole away block was made up of people with my face. That was funny and honestly a little spooky as well. In Doncaster 
fans often sang “We’ve got a big f***ing German”. Of course that pushes you a lot and also shows you didn’t do too much wrong.”
Picking up a Player of the Year award at Preston North End, and leaving a good impression with the fans at Doncaster Rovers, Stuckman did well in England.
Now back in Germany, he wants to carry on playing for as long as possible, even at Fortuna: “In the summer we will see how it goes on. But so far my bones are still very good.”
