 Spearing playing forLiverpool in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jay Francis Spearing[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-11-25)25 November 1988 (age 36)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Wallasey, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.71 m)[3][4] | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Liverpool | ||
| Number | 71 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2008 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2013 | Liverpool | 30 | (0) |
| 2010 | →Leicester City (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | →Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 37 | (2) |
| 2013–2017 | Bolton Wanderers | 125 | (8) |
| 2015 | →Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2017–2020 | Blackpool | 105 | (6) |
| 2020–2022 | Tranmere Rovers | 75 | (4) |
| 2022– | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:25, 16 July 2022 (UTC) | |||
Jay Francis Spearing (born 25 November 1988) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as adefensive midfielder forPremier League clubLiverpool, where he is also a coach at theiracademy.
He started his career withLiverpool as a youth-team player in 1997. He remained atAnfield for sixteen years before leaving, in 2013, forBolton Wanderers. After four years at Bolton, he joinedBlackpool, newly promoted toLeague One, in 2017, initially until the end of the 2017–18 season. He made the move permanent the following summer and remained at the club until 2020, before joiningTranmere Rovers for two years before his semi-retirement and movement in to coaching.
Raised inWallasey,Merseyside,[2] Spearing was the captain of the Liverpool Under 18s that won theFA Youth Cup in 2007. He featured the previous season in the final againstManchester City, but missed the majority of the season due to a broken leg. He was promoted toMelwood in the summer of 2007 to train with the Liverpool first team after impressing in the club'sAcademy. He had been involved with his boyhood club since he was seven years old. He was voted the best player in the Torneo di Renate, a competition for under-20 sides, competing against clubs such asMilan andParma. He was also part of the Reserve side that won thePremier Reserve League in the 2007–08 season.[5]
Spearing made his competitive first-team debut on 9 December 2008, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1UEFA Champions League win againstPSV.[6] Spearing also appeared in the Reds' 4–0 win overReal Madrid in the second round of the Champions League.
On 31 March 2009, Liverpool managerRafael Benítez announced that he would be offering Spearing a new contract, alongside fellow home-grown youngsterStephen Darby. On 6 July 2009, Spearing agreed to a new three-year contract with Liverpool.
On 22 March 2010, Liverpool confirmed Spearing would joinChampionship clubLeicester City on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season, linking up with former Liverpool reserve teammateJack Hobbs.[7] His debut came two days later, starting inthe Foxes' 2–1 Championship loss toReading. His last game for Leicester was on 12 May in the Championship play-off semi-final, with Leicester winning 3–2, but it wasn't enough to reach the final as they lost on a penalty shootout.[8] He made nine appearances for Leicester and scored his only goal for the club in the 4–1 home win againstWatford.[9]
Spearing was included in Liverpool's 21-man squad for the2010–11 Premier League season. He started and played the full 90 minutes in the opening leg of Liverpool'sUEFA Europa League qualifier against Macedonian sideFK Rabotnički, and came on as a substitute atAnfield in the second leg. On 16 September, he again played the full 90 minutes in the Reds' opening group game againstSteaua București, his first-ever start at Anfield, setting upDavid Ngog for the fourth and final goal as Liverpool won 4–1. On 22 September, he was involved in Liverpool'sLeague Cup third-round exit toLeague Two sideNorthampton Town; Liverpool lost 4–2 on penalties after a 2–2 draw. On 21 October, he played the full 90 minutes in Liverpool's third group-stage tie, a 0–0 draw with aNapoli side featuring former Liverpool left-backAndrea Dossena.
Spearing was an unused substitute in Liverpool's 1–0 Premier League win againstBolton Wanderers at theReebok Stadium on 31 October. He came on in the 90th minute of Liverpool's 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 7 November 2010, instantly making an impact by playing a through ball to assist aMaxi Rodríguez effort.
On 20 November, it was reported that Spearing had broken his ankle in training and would be out for up to six weeks. He made his first appearance of 2011 againstEverton on 16 January. In the post-match interview, Liverpool managerKenny Dalglish praised the young midfielder and joked thatSteven Gerrard may never get into the first team again.[10] On 20 March, Spearing started another league game, away toSunderland. Spearing won a penalty, which was converted byDirk Kuyt to put Liverpool 1–0 up.
Spearing then went on the secure a first-team berth with the absence of Steven Gerrard and out-of-favourChristian Poulsen. For the remainder of the Premier League season, he formed a midfield partnership withLucas. AgainstArsenal on 17 April, Spearing gave away a 98th-minute penalty, whichRobin van Persie converted to make the game 1–0. The match finished 1–1. Despite this, Spearing won the man-of-the-match award fromSky Sports and was praised after the game for his determination, work-rate and battling performance. He received the journalists' man-of-the-match award on the official Liverpool website three times during the season.
In May 2011, the club announced that he had extended his contract,[11] and he was included inEngland under-21s provisional 40-man squad for the 2011 Summer U21 European Championship, with fellow Liverpool playerAndy Carroll.[12]
For the2011–12 season, Spearing wore the number 20, with his old number 26 being registered to new arrivalCharlie Adam.[13] Spearing immediately fell down the pecking order in Liverpool's midfield after the arrival of midfielders Adam,Jordan Henderson andStewart Downing. On 20 July 2011, it was widely reported that Spearing would consider an option to move toWolverhampton Wanderers on loan, but the club rejected their approach, stating that Spearing was in their plans. Spearing later dismissed the rumour saying he was willing to fight for his place in the starting eleven.[14]
He made his first start of the season againstExeter City in the League Cup on 24 August 2011. The result ended in a 3–1 victory for Liverpool. He was sent off for the first time in his professional career during Liverpool's 1–0 loss toFulham on 5 December. In May 2012, Spearing was in the starting eleven for theFA Cup final, in which Liverpool lost to Chelsea.[15]
New Liverpool managerBrendan Rodgers described Spearing as a "very good player with great qualities" who has "the soul of the club in his heart".[16] He started the first competitive game of the season in theUEFA Europa League qualifier against Belarusian clubGomel, playing the full 90 minutes, and made a substitute appearance in the return leg at Anfield. His final appearance of the season for Liverpool came as a start in the 1–0 victory againstHearts in a Europa League qualifier on 23 August 2012.
On 31 August 2012, Spearing joined Championship side Bolton Wanderers on a season-longloan deal.[17] His debut came a day later in Bolton's 3–1 defeat againstHull City.[18] He scored his first goal for Bolton on 20 October as the club beatBristol City 3–2, in which he scored Bolton's second goal, an equaliser.[19] On 25 April 2013, Spearing was named the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Association (BWSA) Player of the Season. This was followed on 20 May with his being named the club's Player of the Season.[20]
At the conclusion of Bolton'sseason in the Championship, Spearing returned to Anfield.[21] Although he did not feature in any of the club's remaining fixtures, he was present in theguard of honour for the retiringJamie Carragher in the last game of the2012–13 Premier League againstQueens Park Rangers.[22]
In July 2013, a £1.75 millionbid was submitted by Championship sideBlackburn Rovers for Spearing,[23] which Liverpool rejected.[24] Notwithstanding, Blackburn failed to agreeterms with Spearing, and the deal fell through.[25][26]
Spearing featured in Liverpool's firstpre-seasonfriendly of the summer againstPreston North End[27] and was also included in the squad for the club's summer tour.[28] In August 2013, Spearing was told by Liverpool that he was free to leave the club,[29] with Liverpool entering talks with Bolton for a possible transfer back to theReebok Stadium.[30]
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On 8 August 2013, it was announced that a deal was struck between Liverpool and Bolton subject to a medical on the same afternoon. It was confirmed on 9 August that Spearing had agreed a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee[31][32][33] and he made his debut the following day in the 1–1 home draw againstReading. The Manchester Evening News described this debut as "a man-of-the-match performance".[34]
In September 2013, Spearing was handed the captaincy at Bolton whenever incumbentZat Knight found himself out of the starting XI, although he retained the armband when Knight returned to the team with both in the starting lineup. On 26 July 2014, the club confirmed that Spearing would succeed Knight as captain.[35]
On 8 August 2015, Spearing was sent off with a second booking in the opening match of the2015–16 Championship season againstDerby County.[36] Spearing's goal on the opening day of the2016–17 season againstSheffield United won August's Goal of the Month award.[37]
On 8 July 2017 the club confirmed that Spearing had left after failing to agree terms on a new contract.[38]
A clause in his contract whilst at Bolton stipulated that if he played more than 22 Championship matches each season, they would have to pay Liverpool £100,000. This is why he played only 21 in 2014–15 and 22 in 2015–16 as Bolton couldn't afford to pay the clauses and lead to him being loaned out the first time, and dropped from the squad the second time.[39][40] This seemingly didn't apply to League One.
On 30 January 2015, Spearing was loaned to fellow Championship clubBlackburn Rovers until the end of the season.[41]
On 4 October 2017, Spearing joinedBlackpool until the end of the season.[42] He scored his first goals for Blackpool when he scored twice in a 3–2 win overBradford City on 8 September 2018.[43] He made the move permanent in the summer.
Spearing left Blackpool at the end of the 2019–20 season, after three years, having failed to agree terms on a new contract.[44]
On 5 August 2020, Spearing signed a two-year deal with his hometown clubTranmere Rovers.[45] He was named Player of the Season for the 2020–21 season.[46] Spearing was released at the end of the2021–22 season.[47]
On 17 June 2022, in addition to hisUnder-18s coaching role, Spearing was registered as a player for the Under-23s team as an over-aged player.[48][49]
He made his second professional debut for Liverpool on 20 September 2022, appearing for Liverpool's Under-21s side againstRochdale in theEFL Trophy.[50]
On 17 June 2022, Spearing returned toLiverpool to become a coach for theUnder-18s team, and would continue his career as a player as he was also registered as an over-age player for the Liverpool U21.[48][49]
In December 2022, Spearing revealed he had been diagnosed withAddison's disease, having been rushed to hospital on Christmas Eve.[51]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2008–09[52] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2009–10[53] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11[54] | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[b] | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[55] | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13[56] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 0 | — | 55 | 0 | |||
| Leicester City (loan) | 2009–10[53] | Championship | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2012–13[56] | Championship | 37 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 2 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2013–14[57] | Championship | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15[58] | Championship | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16[59] | Championship | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | |||
| 2016–17[60] | League One | 37 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| Total | 162 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 173 | 10 | |||
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2014–15[58] | Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| Blackpool | 2017–18[61] | League One | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[62] | League One | 42 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 49 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20[63] | League One | 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 36 | 2 | ||
| Total | 105 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 120 | 8 | |||
| Tranmere Rovers | 2020–21[64] | League Two | 43 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[e] | 0 | 54 | 1 | |
| 2021–22[65] | League Two | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | ||
| Total | 75 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 89 | 4 | ||
| Liverpool U-21s | 2022–23[66] | — | — | — | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24[67] | — | — | — | — | — | 3[d] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2024–25[68] | — | — | — | — | — | 2[d] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 394 | 22 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 467 | 24 | ||
Liverpool
Bolton Wanderers
Tranmere Rovers
Individual
