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October, 2002 from
Leeds Leeds Leeds
Reborn
The re-emergence of
Jonathan Woodgate as a world-class defender on
the international stage is as remarkable as it is long awaited.
With his playing career all but on hold for the past two seasons, few
Leeds fans would have dared to believe that Woody's startling return
to form would have him thrust back into the England team so quickly.
And the most satisfying detail of all is that he is finally in the
spotlight for all the right reasons.
Excellent performances against the likes of Newcastle and Manchester
United have more than warranted his inclusion in the England Squad -
and the starting XI. Better yet, Woody's own determination as well as
natural ability is what has put his career back on track.
The Jonathan Woodgate who makes up one awesome cornerstone of Leeds'
back four seems a wiser and more confident man than the boy who first
broke into the then caretaker manager David O'Leary's first team four
years ago.
Woody's inclusion in O'Leary's team signalled the start of a new era
for Leeds, where the world's most talented and gifted young
footballers were itching to pull on a United shirt and see where the
adventure would eventually lead. O'Leary's insistence that "if they
were good enough, they were old enough" certainly bode well with the
then England manager Kevin Keegan, who handed Woody his international
debut - against Bulgaria in Sofia on June 9, 1999. That first cap
made him a member of a select group of individuals to bypass the
Under-21 set-up and make the transition from England youth to full
internation within just one season.
It's often suggested of fame that too much too soon can lead to
trouble. This, sadly, proved the case with Woody after a well-
documented night out in Leeds city centre led to court procceedings.
The events left Woody incapable of concentrating on his football -
and with an understandable drop in form and an international ban
looming, the young defender missed ten months of his career.
On his return late last season, he began to show the kind of form
that could have sent him to the World Cup - but the controversial
decision of whether or not to take him was taken out of England
manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's hands when a fractured jaw ruled the
player out. Leeds Chairamn Peter Ridsdale insisted Woodgate had not
been to blame for his injury, but the player's critics spoke up
again. And once again he reacted positively.
Now, back to full fitness, and older and wiser than his 22 years
would suggest, Woody is firmly at the helm of the Leeds defense, and
playing the best football of career. The boy who attracted so much
bad publicity has now become a man, and after a lack of first team
matches over the past couple of seasons, his dazzling form suggests
that he is determined to make up for lost time.
Woody's sensational return to the first team is no surprise to those
who know him, and are aware of what he has put himself and others
through. The manner with which he accepted his punishment from the
courts and his club shows his willingness to put the past behind him
and re-emerge from the situation with dignity.
Woodgate himself declines all requests for interviews, prefering to
let his football be his "voice". This is another important aspect of
his rehibilitation. He knows what to do and does it quietly.
As his friend and former team-mate Rio Ferdinand said: "Woody doesn't
need to be told. There's nothing like the wake-up call he's just had.
People talk about him being this and that, but he's a great lad. He's
appreciated at Leeds and brings a lot to the club. He knows he's had
a big scare and his football will have to do the talking in future."
Current team-mate Lucas Radebe rekons that with every kick of the
ball, Woody grows a little bit more in confidence and stature. "It's
like having a new player in th team." says Radebe. "Woody has always
been solid. We knew how much we had missed him. He's quick and
comfortable on the ball, never panics and is not scared of going
forward. He is improving and his confidence is coming on."
"He has got a long international career ahead of him ," added The
Chief, who as the most capped player in our history should know about
these things, "and will be one of those people who is recognised
worldwide."
Woodgate's recent caps in the European Championship qualifiers have
demonstrated more than his intenational pedigree. They underline his
commitment and professionalism with regard to his game. If there is
role model who he can look to for guidance, he need look no further
than the current England captain David Beckham, whose red card
against Argentina disgraced himself at the World Cup in 1998.
Like Woodgate, Becham knows what it is like to have dramatically
fallen from grace. He understands what it is to go on in one swift
move from being the nation's golden child to taking a place on
England's most hated list. Despite his critics, Beckham did come back
and is a stronger player for all that he has been through. After the
Greece game, Beckham's transformation from the scourge of the nation
back to England hero proves that there is a way back for Woody, too.
Woodgate knows he must knuckle down and prove that he has the
temprament and character of a professional. He must be able to
reflect upon his criticism and answer his critics through the quality
of his football. And judging by the quality of Woodgate's
performances, it seems that Woody has been employing this tactic.
His manager Terry Venables has placed on record his belief that it
was Woody first half performance against Manchester United that won
the game for Leeds, and his inclusion in Eriksson's England squad
owes a lot more to current form than it does to Sven's preference of
youth over experiance.
Newspaper reports had suggested that Woody would step down after the
Slovakia game for the fully fit Sol Campbell to partner Gareth
Southgate. In the end it was the more experianced Southgate who was
dropped and Woody retained his place.
The reason for Woody's recent starts for England is quite simple. He
is the best English defender in the country at the moment. His Opta
stats at the time of the England games placed Woody at the top of the
table of English defenders. His Index Score of 1,251 beat one Rio
Ferdinand (1,172) to first place - with Southgate (1,014) and
Campbell (996) third and fourth respectively. It's form like this
which is hard to ignore and lends weight to O'Leary's contention that
he had both the future England centre-backs at Ellend Road.
Back in the first team, a shadow of the boy who had it all and then
nearly threw it all away, Woodgate is once again making the
headlines. At 22, Woody has the world at his feet, and with a
commitment to keeping his football a priority, there is no reason to
think he shouldn't realise more of his dreams.
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