DON’T CALL ME GREEDY, I JUST WANT TO PLAY
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JACK RODWELL
JACK RODWELL is considering the frustration of his current situation when he reveals one motivation for the future. He wants his son to grow up remembering him as the footballer who played matches, scored goals and won trophies.
He does not want this, leaving the family home before it is light and returning after dark, training three times a day — every day — away from his senior team-mates.
‘I want Hudson to be proud,’ Rodwell says of his two-year-old boy. ‘I want him to see me play, to enjoy coming to matches.’
Rodwell himself was a boy of 16 when, 10 years ago last month, he became the youngest European debutant in Everton’s history. He was, we all said, a future England captain and his international bow duly arrived aged 20. A £12million move to Manchester City followed and with it a Premier League title.
So how has it come to this? Newspaper headlines earlier this week revealed that Sunderland have offered to rip up his £70,000per-week contract, which has 18 months to run.
He is not in Chris Coleman’s firstteam plans and accepts his time at the Championship’s bottom club is up. Sunderland did not insert a relegation wage-reduction clause in his five-year deal when he joined from City for £10m in 2014 and, given the club’s current financial peril, they are willing to let him leave on a free transfer.
Sitting here in Rodwell’s Northumberland home, he reveals a range of emotions — from irritation to optimism, regret and excitement. But, perhaps most significantly, he is fit. ‘Listen, I’m training three times a day, I feel great. It’s the fittest I’ve ever been, in a weird way, and that’s without playing,’ he says.
‘It’s the best condition I’ve been in for a long time and hopefully someone will reap the benefits of that. I’ve not spat my dummy out, I’m getting on with it, trying to turn the situation into a positive.
‘This is my hardest spell here but there would be no use in me slacking off or huffing, I need to use this time to get ready for whatever is next. That excites me. I need a new challenge.
‘I’m only 26. I feel like I’ve been in the game for a long time and people can’t believe I’m still so young. I’ve been at Man City and won the league, I’ve played for England, I’ve had success and good times, just not enough for someone of my ability. Luckily, I’m young enough to change that. It’s down to me now, no one else. My hunger is greater than ever, and that’s out of pure frustration.
‘I want to write off this negative period and go again with some positive momentum.’
Some supporters have suggested Rodwell should walk away from Sunderland, freeing them of the financial commitment. That, however, is an unrealistic demand of any person. ‘I think it’s unfair to ask that of a player,’ he says. ‘I haven’t put in a transfer request but I understand the club’s stance and their position and, because of that, I understand it’s beneficial for everyone if I move on.
‘But it’s not the fault of any footballer if a club decides to pay you a certain amount. I have worked from seven years old to get here; to then ask someone to just throw it away, that’s difficult.
‘I never wanted this. I joined
‘I’m training three times a day, I feel great. It’s the fittest I’ve ever been’