Joey Jones

Infobox Football biography
playername = Joey Jones


fullname = Joseph Patrick Jones
nickname
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1955|3|4|df=y
cityofbirth = Bangor
countryofbirth = Wales
currentclub =
position = Left-back (retired)
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1973-1975 1975-1978 1978-1982 1982-1985 1985-1987 1987-1992
clubs = Wrexham Liverpool Wrexham Chelsea Huddersfield Wrexham
caps(goals) = 098 0(2) 072 0(3) 146 0(6) 078 0(2) 068 0(3) 132 (11)
nationalyears = 1976-86
nationalteam = Wales U-23 Wales
nationalcaps(goals) = 004 (0) 072 0(3)

Joseph Patrick "Joey" Jones (born 4 March 1955 in Bangor, Gwynedd) is a former professional football full-back who played for Liverpool in the season they chased the "The Treble".

Life and playing career

That season was 1977, when left back Jones was part of the team which won the League championship and reached the finals of the FA Cup and European Cup.

The treble, unprecedented in English football, was not forthcoming. Liverpool lost 2-1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley to Manchester United, though Jones supplied the accurate long pass for Jimmy Case to score Liverpool's goal. However, they won their first European Cup in Rome three days later, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1.

Jones joined Wrexham, along with Mickey Thomas, straight from school as an apprentice in 1971. They doubled up as ground staff, as well as doing the normal apprentice roles, including cleaning the professionals boots, and were paid the princely sum of £8 per week, a fiver of which went on their lodgings.

He made his debut at the age of 17 in a Welsh Cup tie against local rivals Chester City; Wrexham lost 1-0. He did, however, win the Welsh Cup with the club in 1975, when they beat Cardiff City in the final. Jones established himself as a right-back and helped Wrexham to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1974, the first time the club had reached the that stage of the prestigious competition. Ironically, it was Liverpool that went on to win the trophy defeating Newcastle United comfortably 3-0.

Jones left Wrexham to join his boyhood heroes, Liverpool (he has a Liverbird tattooed on his forearm)fact|date=November 2007, when Bob Paisley paid £110,000 for his services in July 1975. He made his debut on 16 August in a 2-0 league defeat to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. He spent much of his first season in the reserves, not quite flirting with first team appearances enough to earn a medal when Liverpool won the 1976 championship, and was watching from the sidelines as his team-mates then secured the UEFA Cup.

Joey made his Wales debut in November 1975 against Austria. He went on to win what was then a record of 72 caps, scoring 3 times.

The following year, however, was Jones' big season of establishing himself. With Liverpool chasing the treble, he also scored his first goal for the club on 9 November 1976 in the 5-1 league thrashing of Leicester City at Anfield. A memorable banner was unfurled by Liverpool supporters at the European Cup final in Rome which said "Joey Ate The Frogs Legs, Made The Swiss Roll, Now He's Munching Gladbach".

Jones was in and out of the side the following year, with the renaissance of Tommy Smith and the emergence of young Scottish defender Alan Hansen severely reducing his necessity to the team to the extent that he left in the summer of 1978. After exactly 100 appearances and 3 goals for the Reds, he returned to Wrexham for £210,000 (a club record as of December 2006), £100,000 more than Liverpool had paid for him.

In 1982, Jones joined Chelsea for £34,000, signed by the manager who had given him his professional debut, John Neal. Jones' Chelsea career got off to a slow start; he was booed by his own fans and sent-off on his debut against Carlisle United at Brunton Park on 30 October 1982. However, Jones' committed attitude and pre-match fist-clenching ritual eventually made him a cult hero among the fans. He also proved instrumental in Chelsea's successful battle to avoid relegation to the Third Division, culminating in him being voted the club's Player of the Year at the end of his first season.

The Chelsea team was re-built by Neal over the summer, with the likes of David Speedie, Kerry Dixon, Pat Nevin and Mickey Thomas arriving, and Jones was a part of the side which romped to promotion as Second Division champions in 1983-84. He remained with the club in the top flight for one more season, before surprisingly being sold to Huddersfield Town for £35,000 in August 1985. He finished his Chelsea career with 91 appearances and 2 goals to his name.

He retired at the age of 37. Jones underwent heart surgery in 2002 and has since scaled down his commitments with Wrexham, he works as the Under 18's and Reserve team coach. In 2001 he had a brief spell as caretaker manager between the departure of Brian Flynn and arrival of Denis Smith.

In 2005, Joey completed his autobiography entitled "Oh Joey, Joey!" about his life in football. This was a book of the week on Sky Sports News in February 2006.

Also in 2005, Joey was named as Wrexham's ultimate Cult Hero on BBC TV's Football Focus.

Much like Chelsea, Jones is a legend amongst Liverpool supporters and he finished in 63rd place on the 2006 [http://www.liverpoolfc.tv official Liverpool Football Club web-site] poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, 110,000 fans worldwide voted for their favourite 10 Liverpool players of all-time.

Honours

;Wrexham
*Welsh Cup
**Winner: 1975
**Runner-up: 1988, 1991

;Liverpool
*Division 1
**Winner: 1977
**Runner-up: 1978
*FA Cup
**Runner-up: 1977
*Charity Shield
**Winner: 1976, 1977
*European Cup
**Winner: 1977, 1978
*UEFA Cup
**Winner: 1976
*European Super Cup
**Winner: 1977

;Chelsea
*Division 2
**Winner: 1984

Wiki Links

Joey Jones supports Happy Faces Charity - Happy Faces Charity

External links

* [http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/jones/ Liverpool FC official site]
* [http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=338 LFCHistory.net profile]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=9762 biography, Liverpool 1975/78 at Sporting-heroes.net]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=1209 biography, Chelsea 1982/83 at Sporting-heroes.net]
* [http://www.wrexhamafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HallOfFameDetail/0,,10311~73167,00.html Hall of fame at Wrexhamafc.premiumtv.co.uk]
* [http://www.happyfacescharity.co.uk Happy Faces Childres Charity Patron]