Tom Huddlestone

Thomas Andrew Huddlestone (born 28 December 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. He most recently played for Championship club Derby County.

Tom Huddlestone

Huddlestone playing for Hull City in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Andrew Huddlestone[1]
Date of birth	28 December 1986[2]
Place of birth	Nottingham, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder[4]
Youth career
	Nottingham Forest
0000–2002	Derby County
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2005	Derby County	88	(0)
2005–2013	Tottenham Hotspur	144	(8)
2005–2006	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	13	(1)
2013–2017	Hull City	135	(6)
2017–2020	Derby County	79	(3)
National team^‡
2001–2002	England U16	7	(0)
2002–2003	England U17	6	(0)
2004	England U19	3	(0)
2005	England U20	4	(0)
2005–2009	England U21	33	(5)
2009–2012	England	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:51, 4 April 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:51, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Having progressed through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest and Derby County, Huddlestone began his professional career in 2003 with the latter club. He quickly broke into the first team, and made 88 league appearances before switching to Tottenham Hotspur in 2005. Having spent some of the 2005–06 season on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he made 13 league appearances, he began to break into the Tottenham team during the 2006–07 season, and became a regular player for the club. However, he struggled with injury problems during the 2011–12 season, and fell out of favour. He joined Hull City in August 2013, having made 144 league appearances for Tottenham.

Huddlestone represented England at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-20 levels before making his under-21 debut in 2005. He was a regular for the under-21 team between 2005 and 2009, and made 33 appearances. He made senior full England debut in 2009, and has since gone on to make three further appearances.

Club career

Derby County

Born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire,[5] Huddlestone was taken on by Nottingham Forest at an early age but was released at 12 as he was claimed to be "not strong enough". He joined Derby County and after progressing well, made his debut for Derby County's reserve team at the age of just 15, when he appeared as an 80th minute substitute at right wingback in a match against Coventry City.[6]

He was given his first-team debut by George Burley at the age of 16 on the opening day of the 2003–04 season in a 3–0 home defeat to Stoke City, where he was voted Man of the Match. Though Derby struggled in Huddlestone's first full season, Huddlestone was one of Derby's few bright points, with Burley saying "He's a terrific talent. As a young player, he (is) the best passer of a ball I (have) ever seen, and I've worked with some good young players."[7] He eventually went on to appear in 43 of Derby's 46 league matches that season. He enjoyed an equally successful 2004–05 as Derby reached the First Division play-offs, where they lost to Preston North End in the semi-final. However, halfway through the season Huddlestone signed for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in January 2005 for a fee reported to be worth up to £2.5 million, though he remained at Derby for the rest of the season.[8] He had made a total of 95 appearances for Derby, without scoring.

Tottenham Hotspur

Huddlestone in 2007

Huddlestone spent a few months of the 2005–06 season on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring his first league goal, at Derby,[9] before returning to make his debut for Tottenham as a substitute in the 1–0 defeat away at Fulham on 31 January 2006.[10]

His first start for Tottenham came on 14 September 2006, away to Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup, a match that Tottenham won 1–0. His first goal for Tottenham came in the League Cup fourth round match against Port Vale on 8 November 2006. Huddlestone scored two goals in this match, his second goal proving decisive in extra time, taking Tottenham through to the quarter-final of the competition. Huddlestone got his first league goal for Tottenham on 17 December 2006 against Manchester City with an excellent half-volley on 24 minutes, hit first-time after assisting with teammate Calum Davenport's first goal with a free-kick.[11] Huddlestone established himself as one of the most promising young English central midfielders in the Premier League towards the end of the 2006–07 season and head coach Martin Jol compared Tom Huddlestone with German legend Franz Beckenbauer due to his playmaking abilities, ferocious shot power and versatility.[12]

On 25 December 2006, he signed a new four and a half-year contract – keeping him at the club until 2011.[13] Tom signed a new and improved five-year contract on 30 June 2008 committing his future to Tottenham until 2013.[14] He came on as a substitute as Tottenham beat Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.[15] During the 2009–10 season, he became a regular under Harry Redknapp. In March 2010, he extended his contract until 2015.[16] Huddlestone was plagued with injury during the 2011–12 season and managed only four appearances for the club. Huddlestone returned for the 2012–13 season and made his first appearance as a substitute for Jermain Defoe against Norwich City on 1 September 2012. He was shown a red card for serious foul play, the match ended in a disappointing 1–1 draw. The red card was later rescinded.[17]

Hull City

Huddlestone playing for Hull City in 2015

On 14 August 2013, Huddlestone moved to Hull City for an undisclosed fee believed to be about £5.25 million.[18] He made his debut on the first day of the 2013–14 season when he came off the bench in a 2–0 loss away at Chelsea.[19] On 28 December, he scored his first goal for Hull in a 6–0 home win against Fulham, his first goal since April 2011.[20] On 28 January 2014, Huddlestone acted as emergency goalkeeper after Hull City's goalkeeper Allan McGregor was sent off for squaring up with Crystal Palace's player Stuart O'Keefe. With Hull already making three substitutions, Hull's manager Steve Bruce ordered Huddlestone to take over the goalkeeping role.[21]

On 13 April 2014, he scored Hull's third goal in their 5–3 FA Cup semi-final victory over Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium.[22] On 17 May 2014, Huddlestone started in the 2014 FA Cup Final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, in which Hull were beaten 3–2 after extra time.[23]

On 1 July 2016, he signed a new two-year deal with the club.[24]

Return to Derby County

On 15 July 2017, Huddlestone returned to boyhood club Derby County, by signing a two-year contract, with an option of a third season, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £2 million.[25] He scored his first goal for Derby in a 3–0 home win against Brentford on 3 February 2018, more than 14 years after his debut for the club.[26]

On 1 July 2020, Huddlestone revealed that he and Derby County had failed to agree a contract extension and he would be leaving the club.[27]

International career

Youth

Having been capped at the U-17 and U-19 levels, Huddlestone was a regular in the England under-21s. He played twice in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship before a red card for dissent ruled him out of the semi-final and final.[28] In October 2008, he scored the opening goal from a free kick in the second leg of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs against Wales. Although the match ended in a draw which ensured qualification for England, it was marred by his sending-off in the second half for a reckless challenge on Darcy Blake.[29] He missed the tournament through injury.

Senior team

He was called up into the England squad for the first time by coach Fabio Capello to face the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in friendlies.[30] On 14 November 2009, he received his first cap for the senior team in the 1–0 loss in a friendly against Brazil, after coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute.[31] His next appearances came in a 2010 FIFA World Cup warm up match against Mexico, where he came on in as a substitute in the 61st minute.[32] His latest appearance for England also came in a World Cup warm-up match against Japan where he started for the first time in 2–1 victory.[33]

In May 2010, Fabio Capello announced that Huddlestone would be in his preliminary World Cup squad of 30 players.[34] However, was not selected for the final 23-man squad.[35] On 11 November 2012, new England manager Roy Hodgson gave Huddlestone his first call up to the squad for two years for a friendly match against Sweden on 14 November.[36]

Style of play

He is known for his passing ability, which has led to comparisons with former Tottenham player Glenn Hoddle.[37] He also has a powerful shot that has enabled him to score long-range goals from midfield.

Personal life

Shortly after scoring a goal for Tottenham against Arsenal in April 2011, Huddlestone accepted a challenge not to cut his hair until he scored again, to raise money for charity.[38] It took him two-and-a-half years, and 55 matches, before he finally scored his next goal (in a Premier League match for Hull against Fulham on 28 December 2013), and he raised more than £57,000 for Cancer Research UK as a result.[39][40]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 18 January 2020

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Derby County	2002–03[41]	First Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2003–04[42]	First Division	43	0	1	0	1	0	—		45	0
	2004–05[43]	Championship	45	0	2	0	1	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	50	0
	Total		88	0	3	0	2	0	2	0	95	0
Tottenham Hotspur	2005–06[44]	Premier League	4	0	—		0	0	—		4	0
	2006–07[45]	Premier League	21	1	3	0	5	2	6[lower-alpha 2]	0	35	3
	2007–08[46]	Premier League	28	3	2	0	4	1	9[lower-alpha 2]	0	43	4
	2008–09[47]	Premier League	22	0	1	0	2	0	6[lower-alpha 2]	2	31	2
	2009–10[48]	Premier League	33	2	6	0	4	2	—		43	4
	2010–11[49]	Premier League	14	2	0	0	0	0	7[lower-alpha 3]	0	21	2
	2011–12[50]	Premier League	2	0	0	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 4]	0	4	0
	2012–13[51]	Premier League	20	0	2	0	2	0	4[lower-alpha 4]	0	28	0
	Total		144	8	14	0	17	5	34	2	209	15
Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	2005–06[44]	Championship	13	1	—		—		—		13	1
Hull City	2013–14[52]	Premier League	36	3	4	1	0	0	—		40	4
	2014–15[53]	Premier League	31	0	1	0	0	0	3[lower-alpha 4]	0	35	0
	2015–16[54]	Championship	37	2	4	0	3	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	47	2
	2016–17[55]	Premier League	31	1	2	0	6	1	—		39	2
	Total		135	6	11	1	9	1	6	0	161	8
Derby County	2017–18[56]	Championship	44	2	1	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	47	2
	2018–19[57]	Championship	24	0	2	0	2	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	31	0
	2019–20[58]	Championship	11	1	1	0	0	0	—		12	1
	Total		79	3	4	0	2	0	5	0	90	3
Career total			459	18	32	1	30	6	47	2	568	27

1. Appearances in Championship play-offs
2. Appearances in UEFA Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 14 November 2012[59]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
England	2009	1	0
	2010	2	0
	2012	1	0
Total		4	0

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

• Football League Cup: 2007–08;[15] runner-up: 2008–09[60]

Hull City

• Football League Championship play-offs: 2016[61]
• FA Cup runner-up: 2013–14[23]

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2004–05 Championship[62]

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Derby County" (PDF). English Football League. p. 14. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
2. "Tom Huddlestone: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
3. "Tom Huddlestone: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
4. "Tom Huddlestone". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
5. "Tom Huddlestone". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
6. "Level-headed Mason making good progress after landmark reserves outing". Derby Telegraph. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
7. "Tom Huddlestone Bio Send To Friend". ESPN Soccernet. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
8. "Spurs agree deal for Huddlestone". BBC Sport. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
9. "Derby 0–3 Wolves". BBC Sport. 18 November 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
10. "Huddlestone to stay at Molineux". BBC Sport. 4 January 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
11. Soneji, Pranav (17 December 2006). "Man City 1–2 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
12. Rutledge, Lewis. "Huddlestone: Size not important". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
13. "Huddlestone agrees new Spurs deal". BBC Sport. 26 December 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
14. "New deal for Tom". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
15. Stevenson, Jonathan (24 February 2008). "Tottenham 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
16. "Midfielder Tom Huddlestone signs new Tottenham deal". BBC Sport. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
17. "Tom Huddlestone red card for Tottenham rescinded by FA". BBC Sport. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
18. "Hull sign Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone & Jake Livermore". BBC Sport. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
19. "Chelsea 2–0 Hull". BBC Sport. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
20. "Hull City 6–0 Fulham". BBC Sport. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
21. Fifield, Dominic (28 January 2014). "Crystal Palace's Jason Puncheon on target again to see off Hull City". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
22. "Hull 5–3 Sheff Utd". BBC Sport. 13 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
23. McNulty, Phil (17 May 2014). "Arsenal 3–2 Hull City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
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27. "Tom Huddlestone: Derby County midfielder fails to agree contract extension". BBC Sport. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
28. "Huddlestone handed two-game ban". BBC Sport. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
29. "Pearce relieved to pass Welsh test". UEFA. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
30. "Capello picks Joe Hart for USA England squad". The Daily Telegraph. London. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
31. "Brazil 1–0 England". BBC Sport. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
32. "England 3–1 Mexico". BBC Sport. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
33. "Japan 1–2 England". BBC Sport. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
34. "Fabio Capello makes surprise England World Cup choices". BBC Sport. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
35. "World Cup 2010: Theo Walcott left out of England squad". BBC Sport. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
36. "Wilfried Zaha & Carl Jenkinson get England nod as five pull out". BBC Sport. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
37. White, Duncan (22 November 2008). "Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone can become the next Glenn Hoddle". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
38. "Hull's Tom Huddlestone gets haircut after goal drought ends". BBC Sport. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
39. "Tom Huddlestone goes under the scissors after breaking scoring duck". The Guardian. London. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
40. "tom huddlestone is fundraising for Cancer Research UK". Justgiving.com. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
41. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
42. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
43. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
44. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
45. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
46. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
47. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
48. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
49. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
50. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
51. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
52. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
53. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
54. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
55. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
56. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
57. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
58. "Games played by Tom Huddlestone in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
59. "Huddlestone, Tom". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
60. McNulty, Phil (1 March 2009). "Man Utd 0–0 Tottenham (aet)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
61. Williams, Adam (28 May 2016). "Hull City 1–0 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
62. "Swans duo win PFA team accolade". BBC Sport. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2016.

External links

• Profile at the Derby County F.C. website
• Tom Huddlestone – UEFA competition record 
• Tom Huddlestone at Soccerbase