Fallen From Grace: Jack Rodwell

Welcome to the first instalment of ‘Fallen From Grace’, a new analytically-driven football critique exclusive to We Are Hooligans. In this series, all eyes will be cast towards footballers who never achieved their sporting potential, or simply lost all relevance in their respective careers.

Let’s get the ball rolling then, with none other than the Southport born midfielder Jack Christian Rodwell.

The Rise

Rodwell began his professional career at Everton in 2008, and was tipped for great things by his coach way back then – having alluded to the potentiality of mastering the equilibrium between composure, strength and speed in the midfield.

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It wasn’t long before Rodwell broke into Everton’s first team, with his debut being as the substitution for Tim Cahill in a 1-0 victory over Sunderland – a club he would later join – but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

Three years later, the young midfielder would be turning out for the national team, and on his debut for the Three Lions helped his home nation to a triumph over then-world champions Spain. It wasn’t long before a title contending side came knocking… and issues started emerging…

The Peak

In August 2012, Rodwell was signed by Manchester City for a fee of £12 million that could allegedly rise to £15 million – City were eager to splash out (as they so often are) on an upcoming English gem that could represent not only them but the prowess of England as a footballing nation.

But the monumental hype built up for young Jack started to crumble as ligament injuries persisted during his time at City and subsequently crippled – both figuratively and literally – the potentiality of his career.

Naturally, players less prone to injuries were preferred, and Rodwell would struggle to compete with the likes of Yaya Toure in the center of the park. A significant lack of game time caused Rodwell to gradually fade to the outer-fringes of Man City’s first team, it was time to move on.

The Fall

In the Summer of 2014, Sunderland announced the arrival of Jack Rodwell on a four-and-a-half year deal worth around £10 million, with then-manager Gus Poyet believing he could rekindle the dwindling embers of the midfielder’s talent as a box-to-box midfielder.

Hitherto, Rodwell’s time on Wearside has been average, if not a bit underwhelming given the size of the price tag which City labelled him with upon his departure.

Securing a place in the first team is still a difficulty for Jack, with the likes of Yann M’Vila and Jordi Gomez keeping the 24-year-old from turning out every game. That and a niggling hamstring issue, of course.

What next, then?

It’s difficult to say where the rest of Rodwell’s career will take him, as he hasn’t exactly showed many signs of improving due to more frequent game time at Sunderland – who are currently sat at the foot of the table and considered likely for the drop by many.

What I’ve yet to mention, however, is that Rodwell has also played as a center-back from a young age, and may come across as more formidable, therefore, playing a defensively-oriented role – arguably as a CDM.

Unfortunately there’s not many justifiable reasons to believe that he’ll be back in the England squad and a title-competing side any time soon, but it might just take the right philosophy to uplift Rodwell from his current, painfully average stagnation.

Next: Steven Gerrard Criticizes Rafa Benitez