Interview: James Ward-prowse
Southampton academy starlets have a reputation for being nice young men, but adding a mean streak has helped James Ward-prowse’s career – and his devilish dead-ball deliveries certainly haven’t done him any harm, either…
England’s new set-piece king?
James Ward-prowse and Ryan Bertrand are standing over the ball. The Old Trafford clock reads 74 minutes and Southampton are trailing Manchester United 2-1. With the home side surging towards the top four and the visitors desperate for points to aid their battle against relegation, tension is high. Yet the midfielder still found a moment to reflect on how far he had come. “As we stood over the ball, I said to Ryan, ‘These are the moments you dream of in your mum and dad’s back garden,’” Ward-prowse tells Fourfourtwo. “When you’re practising free-kicks and mum’s trying to get you in for dinner, you’re just thinking, ‘One more! One more!’ That was where it all started, really.”
Seconds later, the ball was nestling in the back of the net. The Saints may have eventually lost that March encounter 3-2, but Ward-prowse repeated the trick a week later against Spurs to secure three crucial points for the south coast club. That was a player rejuvenated.
It’s a blustery afternoon in the wilds of Hampshire, and the affable Saint has been happily posing for FFT’S pictures for a good 10 minutes. We’ve trekked out to meet the resurgent midfielder at Southampton’s training ground, Staplewood, which looks a scenic place to practise your set-pieces. On the fringe of the New Forest, it’s like a luxury Nordic spa, plus football pitches. The room for our chat is eerily quiet, but as JWP’S arrival nears there’s a random blast of Linkin Park from outside, and we half expect him to rock up wearing leathers.
No such luck: the Englishman is still well-groomed, with just the wee goatee suggesting a hint of ‘nu metal’. The former academy starlet is clearly a popular face around the camp, joshing with team-mates and staff, but then his fortunes have risen remarkably in recent months. The catalyst was that image change.
Things actually looked gloomy for the 24-year-old when new gaffer Ralph Hasenhuttl first entered St Mary’s back in December. The classy midfielder had been struggling to get a starting place in Mark Hughes’ faltering side, and when Hasenhuttl took the team to Huddersfield
just before Christmas, he wasn’t even named among the substitutes. Hard times, but a make-or-break chat with Ralph followed.
“He said he likes to play an aggressive style without the ball, so I had to win tackles back for the team,” says Ward-prowse, as he settles in behind Hasenhuttl’s press conference desk. “The next day, I made sure I could show him that.” He hacked someone in training? “I think I kicked Stuart Armstrong,” he smiles mischievously. “I had to apologise about that.”
Clattering his team-mate proved a masterstroke, as Hasenhuttl gave Ward-prowse a bash in central midfield, rather than on the right-wing, and a completely different player emerged. On top of those trademark free-kicks against Man United and Tottenham, his all-round game was suddenly more dynamic: surging runs forward, long-range strikes and a gleeful embrace of grit.
The once-angelic Saint is now courting some controversy. A blatant professional foul on Newcastle forward Miguel Almiron left Geordies apoplectic, while a narky tussle with Wilfried Zaha led to the Crystal Palace star seeing red and Ward-prowse performing an inflammatory fist-pump. A long-running ‘JWP’ thread on a Saints fans forum clearly thought the latter incident was rather significant. “He was a complete c**t about it,” opined one punter, “but that’s probably what he needed to add to his game.” Ward-prowse laughs, thinks, then nods.
“In the moment it just felt right, in a way,” he says. “I think to get to a certain level in the game, you need that kind of nous, that arrogance, that little bit of cleverness. It summed up the change the manager’s given me since he took over.”
Saints legend Jason Dodd – previously an academy coach at the club – diagnosed one flaw in the Ward-prowse armoury, several years ago. “The only problem with James early on was that he needed a pitbull next to him who’d influence the play – then he’d get into it,” he says. “But Ralph obviously wants him to have more input now and be more aggressive, and it’s showing.”
Dark arts aside, Ward-prowse has become the poster boy for what really should be called ‘The Ralpholution’.
On the day FFT visits downtown Southampton, the pass master is pictured on both the front and back pages of the local newspaper, and is a popular figure in the club shop (although “his name’s a bit long for the shirt,” confides one employee, “he’s got special little letters on the real one”). From kids to cabbies and smart commuters, mention JWP and there’s a noticeable buzz. Which is decent going, considering he’s a proud Portsmouth boy.
Ward-prowse’s life could have gone in a very different direction, but there was a steeliness to his choices, even as a child. Reminisce with his former coaches and colleagues and there’s much talk of obsessive practising, particularly set-pieces. He’d often overdo it.
His parents might have preferred him to practise law instead; one reason for his previously clean image is his relatively affluent family background. Dad is a barrister and young James spent some time in court (“only on work experience…”) but football dominated.
That single-mindedness applied to club selection, too. Ward-prowse surreptitiously trained with Portsmouth and Southampton, five nights a week. Then they found out, so he had to pick one.
Defecting to Southampton did feel “kind of weird,” says the former Pompey season ticket holder. “I simply made a decision that was best for me.” And you can’t really argue, given the stars who’ve emerged from that setup, such as Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Adam Lallana.
The Saints’ academy does tend to produce a certain polite type, but did they ever let off steam too, FFT wonders? Apparently, party central was usually the post-training trip from Staplewood. “The driver would put music on and we’d have a rave at the back of the bus,” says JWP, slightly sheepishly. “That was probably the highlight of the day.”
Dodd reckons Ward-prowse had a considerable impact on a famous generation. “He was like a senior pro at 13,” says the former full-back, now Winchester College’s head of football. “They were pushing each other – Alex Oxlade-chamberlain, Calum Chambers, Luke Shaw – and someone like James was brilliant, because all the other lads could see the work he was doing, then it snowballs.
“He was always on time, first at the session and last off. If anything, you’d be telling him to get inside – he’d do too much.”
Indeed, Ward-prowse was so determined that – with help from dad – he snuck off for his own “toughening up” training at local non-league side Havant & Waterlooville.
“I’D TRAIN AT HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE ONCE A WEEK, TO BE In AND AROUND MEN WITH ALL THE SWEARING, BANTER AND TACKLES. YOU HAD TO GROW UP QUICKLY”
“I’d go and train with them once a week,” he explains, “to be in and around men with all the swearing, the banter and the tackles. You had to grow up quite quickly there.” Did Southampton know about it? “I don’t think they’d have been pleased if they did,” he smiles. He’s still a bit of a gym fanatic now. “I’m not blessed with the big guns,” he laughs, flexing a perfectly good bicep, “but you don’t need that to be a footballer. The right boot, this area here [taps foot], is what does it.”
Those extra-curricular activities clearly didn’t hurt, as he graduated to the first team aged 16; a 2011 League Cup clash at Crystal Palace. That dead-ball artistry caught the eye, especially a wicked free-kick for England Under-20s against Brazil at the 2014 Toulon Tournament, and two years later he captained the U21s to glory in Toulon. He made a first senior appearance in March 2017, against Germany, following Gareth Southgate along the international superhighway.
Jay Rodriguez particularly profited from JWP’S rise to prominence at St Mary’s. “His delivery is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” enthuses the striker, now of West Bromwich Albion. “The way he practises, it’s not surprising that he’s so accurate. For a striker, that’s golden. You know that if you make a run, he’s going to put the ball where you want it – and with top quality.”
With that cheeky chin-tuft and right-sided wizardry, Ward-prowse might have wound up as the Emo Beckham, and comparisons arose early on. “The manager at the time, Mauricio Pochettino, did say to me, ‘Just be yourself – don’t put too much pressure on,’” he remembers. “Ultimately I’m not David Beckham, I’m me, and I’m going to do what I can do.” He isn’t as keen on photo shoots, but then Becks never really succeeded in central midfield.
It’s taken JWP a while, too. Poch and his successor, Ronald Koeman, were both poached, Southampton dipped, and so did Ward-prowse’s career. He barely contributed to the Saints’ survival campaign under Mark Hughes last term – starting only four of the club’s final 10 league games as they finished one place above the relegation zone – and it’s telling that their 2019 annual (currently a club-shop snip at £1) seems to almost forget he exists. So, who is he more annoyed with when not playing – himself or the manager?
“I think you’re always angry at both,” he replies, diplomatically. “But I’d say myself first of all. I’m my own biggest critic, and I know when I’ve done enough to maintain my spot in the team. Or not.”
His return to the first-team fold has certainly fired Southampton up. The side are still in a precarious league position when FFT visits, but spirits at Staplewood seem remarkably high. Nathan Redmond is particularly ebullient as he buzzes past us, cracking out quips like a firework in a tracksuit, but then he’s the other big comeback story. They’ve genuinely been like two new players, which is handy given the gaffer’s lack of January signings. What was Ward-prowse’s first impression of Ralph following his introduction?
“It was a positive one, for sure,” insists the 24-year-old. “He came in with a clear identity and a plan...” But physically: he seems quite a big, imposing dude? “He is!” laughs the midfielder. “He’s definitely got a presence about him – but for us as players, to have that clear identity of who we are and what we’re doing on the pitch, during every moment of a game, helps us massively.”
There’s a sense that Prowsey wasn’t hugely impressed by Hughesy. “You can see the difference in the first half of the season compared to the second half under the new manager,” he says.
So, does Ralph’s tenure feel like the Pochettino era again; are their styles comparable?
“It does,” he admits. “The way both managers play, it’s similar. You can feel his passion when we do a good pressing situation or play quick attacking football. That’s what the fans want – to be on the front foot and take the game to the opposition.”
Ward-prowse may be enjoying life under the Austrian, but one crucial question remains: how long did it take him to pronounce the name? “Pretty much straight away” he brags. “Ralph Haaasen-hootle: I do it with a little German accent as well,” he laughs. “Or I just say ‘coach.’”
Hasenhuttl’s arrival during a busy December meant there was little time for long-winded tactical lectures on the training ground. Instead, he utilised the conference room/cinema we’re currently occupying – a process he calls ‘mind training,’ according to the midfielder.
They’d watch clips of Saints games, or Hasenhuttl’s previous teams, to get his style across. It didn’t work immediately, as they lost his first game – a potentially disastrous six-pointer at Cardiff – but something clicked with Ward-prowse. When the opportunity came, he was ready.
Rodriguez formed a mutual support network with his old colleague when both endured tough finales to 2017-18 – “we’d play Xbox quite a bit” – but staying focused remained the mantra. “He’d be frustrated at times, but I think he’s just very professional,” explains the forward.
“TO GET TO A CERTAIN LEVEL In THE GAME, YOU NEED NOUS, ARROGANCE AND A BIT OF CLEVERNESS. IT’S SUMMED UP THE CHANGE THE MANAGER’S GIVEN ME SINCE ARRIVING”
“He’s also ruthless in that way, because he’ll do everything to make sure he’s 100 per cent, every game, every training session.”
Indeed, he’s applying a professionalism to the midfield arts now, too. Whisper it quietly, but JWP’S newfound savvy reminds FFT of another Saints graduate who went from dinky wideman to midfield general: Dennis Wise. He certainly lifted a few trophies. While Hasenhuttl may have triggered that dormant aggression, Ward-prowse attributes his attacking elan to another recent arrival: baby Oscar, who changed his whole perspective during that non-playing period. Where losses once ruined his weekend, now “I can play with more freedom,” he says, “as I don’t feel like I need to play well.”
Add the set-pieces, and you’ve got quite a midfield player. FFT asks the young maestro to rate his top three free-kicks, and he’s obviously given it some thought. “My best one was against Tottenham,” he says. “Not in terms of the technical skill; just the moment. I didn’t look at the clock, but when I watched it back there were 10 minutes to go...
“I’ve watched it quite a few times. Scoring the winner at that time, against a big team with a World Cup winner in goal, was great.”
Second? The nerveless strike at Old Trafford a week earlier, beating David de Gea, “arguably the best keeper in the world.” And third, that belter against Brazil in Toulon, which “was supposed to be a crossing position but, you know, I thought I’d stick it in the top corner.”
That week of dead-ball magic was well-timed, as Ward-prowse won a second England cap in March, making a cameo against Montenegro. There’s a hesitation-free “yep” when FFT asks if he’s targeting more regular involvement in Southgate’s squad, and his versatility may help. It can hinder careers at club level, however. JWP ended the campaign filling in at right wing-back for several crunch games, and didn’t look nearly as happy. But back in midfield against Bournemouth he ran the show, scoring another cracker. That 3-3 draw sealed the Saints’ safety.
His future at St Mary’s may still be in doubt, though. There is talk of interest from his old boss at Spurs if Christian Eriksen departs, and it would be interesting to see how he’d cope away from home comforts. For now, as our photo shoot concludes, he’s keen not to miss another self-improvement appointment. While team-mates head home, he’s booked a cryotherapy ice bath, “and you don’t want to annoy them – they might keep you in there longer.”
Eight years into a first-team career, this forward-thinking pro could do another decade at the top. And after that, he’s still thinking high-level sport. “I’d like to get to a level at golf where I can go round some of the best courses,” he smiles, as a pun springs forth. “I’ll keep chipping away...”
Perhaps he could stay in football, but combine it with his father’s line of work. Become a referee?
“I’ll stay away from that, thanks!” he blurts, “I don’t want any abuse.”
As a budding midfield general, he may have to get used to it.