Jay Spearing
Encyclopedia
Jay Francis Spearing is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 as a Defensive midfielder. He was originally spotted playing for amateur Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...

 side Greenleas alongside former Liverpool professional Craig Lindfield
Craig Lindfield
Craig Anthony Lindfield is an English footballer who plays as a striker. He is currently playing for Accrington Stanley.-Early life:...

.

Reserves (2007-2010)

Born in Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...

, Spearing was the captain of the Liverpool Under 18s who won the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

 in 2007. He featured the previous season in the final against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

, but missed the majority of the season due to a broken leg. Spearing spent half a season at Devon club Offwell Rangers until he was promoted to Melwood
Melwood
Melwood, in West Derby, Liverpool, is home to Liverpool FC's training ground. It is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby.It is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool and has been their home since the fifties. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school...

 in the summer of 2007, to train with the Liverpool first team, after impressing in the club's Academy through his excellent spell with Offwell Rangers. He has 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 as A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 and Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

. He was also part of the Reserve side which won the Premier Reserve League in the 2007–08 season.

2008–09 season

Spearing made his competitive first team debut on 9 December 2008, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 win against PSV Eindhoven. Spearing also appeared in the Reds' 4–0 win over Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 in the second round of the Champions League.

On 31 March 2009, Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....

 announced that he would be offering Spearing a new contract, alongside fellow home-grown youngster Stephen Darby
Stephen Darby
Stephen Mark Darby is an English footballer who plays in the right-back position for Rochdale on loan from Liverpool. Darby was brought up in Maghull, where he attended St John Boscos primary school.-Liverpool:...

. On 6 July 2009 Spearing agreed to a new three-year contract with Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

.

2009–10 season

On 22 September 2009, Spearing made his first start for Liverpool, playing the full 90 minutes in their third round League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 tie against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...

. Liverpool came out on top in a 1–0 victory, with Spearing hoping that his run-out at Leeds could be the springboard to future starts in the red shirt, saying "I felt I did alright and hopefully I've proved to the boss and the supporters that I can do it for the first team". Spearing made his Premier League debut against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

 at the Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...

 on 17 October, but he was later substituted for Javier Mascherano. He received the Man Of The Match award from the journalist on the Red's official website. Eleven days later, he played the full 90 minutes in Liverpool's 2-1 League Cup defeat at the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...

 against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

. He made two more Premier League appearances that season: the 2-0 defeat against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

 at Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...

, and the 2-0 win on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...

 against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

 at Anfield.

Loan move to Leicester City

On 22 March 2010, Liverpool confirmed Spearing would join Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

 club Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season, linking up with former Liverpool reserve team mate Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs (footballer)
Jack Hobbs is a professional English football player, currently playing for Hull City.-Lincoln City:From Moulton, a small village near Spalding, Lincolnshire, Hobbs played for Moulton Harrox from the age of 10. The former Spalding Grammar School student left Moulton Harrox a few years later when...

. His debut came two days later, starting in the Foxes' 2–1 Championship loss to Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

. 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. He made nine appearances for Leicester, and scored his only goal for the club, in the 4–1 home win against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

.

2010–11 season

He was included in Liverpool's 21-man squad for the 2010–11 Premier League season. Spearing started and played the full 90 minutes in the opening leg of Liverpool's UEFA Europa League qualifier against Rabotnicki, and came on as a substitute at Anfield in the second leg. On the 16th of September, he again played the full 90 minutes in the Reds' opening group game against Steaua Bucaresti, his first ever start at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...

, setting up David N'Gog
David N'Gog
David N'Gog is a French footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is the cousin of the Panathinaikos and French international player Jean-Alain Boumsong.-Paris Saint-Germain:...

 for the fourth and final goal as Liverpool won 4-1. On 22 September, he was involved in Liverpool's shock League Cup third round exit to League Two side Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...

; Liverpool losing 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 a Napoli side who have former Liverpool left-back Andrea Dossena
Andrea Dossena
Andrea Dossena is an Italian footballer who plays as a left back for S.S.C. Napoli.-Early career:Dossena began his career at Verona as a youth player before playing 4 seasons in their senior squad...

. He was an unused substitute in Liverpool's 1-0 Premier League win against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 at the Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...

 on 31 October. Spearing 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 a Maxi Rodriguez effort. On 20 November, it was reported that Spearing had broken his ankle in training and would be out for up to six weeks.
Spearing made his first appearance of 2011 against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 on 16 January. In the post-match interview, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...

 praised the young midfielder and joked that Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...

 may never get into the first team again. On 20 March, Spearing started another league game away to Sunderland. Spearing won a penalty, which was converted by Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....

 to put Liverpool 1-0 up and was generally praised for his great performance.

Spearing then went on the secure a first team berth with the absence of Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...

 and out of favour Christian Poulsen
Christian Poulsen
Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen is a Danish footballer who plays for Evian in Ligue 1. He has played for a number of European clubs, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F.C...

. For the remnants of the Premier League season, he formed an excellent midfield partnership with the resurgent Lucas Leiva
Lucas Leiva
Lucas Pezzini-Leiva , often known as simply Lucas, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a Defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national side...

. Against Arsenal on the 17th of April, Spearing gave away a 98th minute penalty which Robin Van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...

 scored to make the game 1-0. The match finished 1-1. Despite his involvement in the Arsenal goal, Spearing was praised after the game for his determination, work-rate and battling performance; traits that epitomised his successful run in the starting eleven. He received the journalists' MOTM award on the official Liverpool website 3 times during the season.

In May 2011 the club announced that he had extended his contract, and as a result of wide critical acclaim for his sterling performances for Liverpool, Spearing has been included in England U21's provisional 40-man-squad for the 2011 Summer U21 European Championship, with fellow Liverpool player Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll
Andrew Thomas "Andy" Carroll is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team....

.

2011–12 season

From 8 July 2011, Jay Spearing will now wear the number 20 for the 2011-12 season with his old number 26 being register to Charlie Adam
Charlie Adam
Charles Graham "Charlie" Adam is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liverpool and the Scotland national football team....

.
Despite his highly-praised performances at the end of last season, Spearing immediately fell down the pecking order in Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

's midfield after the arrival of midfielders Adam, Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Brian Henderson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team as a midfielder. He had a loan spell at Coventry City in 2009. He earned his first international cap for England, having previously played for the under-19, under-20 and...

 and Stewart Downing
Stewart Downing
Stewart Downing is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and the England national team. Primarily a winger, Downing has previously played for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.-Middlesbrough:...

. On the 20th July 2011 it was widely reported that Spearing would consider an option to move to Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...

 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 XI. He made his first start of the season against Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...

 in the Carling Cup on 24 August 2011. The result ended in a 3-1 victory for liverpool. Though by his own admission he has not featured as much as he would have liked in the opening months of the season, he has continued to impress when called upon, with Kenny Dalglish calling his performance in the 2-0 defeat of Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 in the Carling Cup "superb".

Personal life

He was born in Arrowe Park
Arrowe Park
Arrowe Park is an area of parkland, woodland and leisure facilities to the west of Birkenhead within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, England. The park comprises approximately of land.-History:...

 Hospital on the Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

 and attended St. George's Primary School and The Mosslands School
The Mosslands School
The Mosslands School is a secondary school located in Wallasey Village, Wirral. It currently has about 1200 pupils and over one hundred staff....

 in Wallasey, United Kingdom.

Career statistics

! colspan=17|England> ! Apps !! Goals !! Apps !! Goals !! Apps !! Goals !! Apps !! Goals !! Apps !! Goals !! Apps !! Goals !!
!!
> | 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

 > | 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...

 > | 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...

 > | 2010–11
2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...

 > | 2011–12
2011–12 in English football
The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two...

 >
Season Club Division League FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

Play-Offs
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...

Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

Total Discipline
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

> 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 2 ! 2 !! 0
> 0
0
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

> 3 0 0 0 2 0 - - 0 ! 5 !! 0
> 0
0
Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 
Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...


> 7
1 0 0 0 0 2 0 - ! 9 !! 1
> 0
0
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 
> 11 0 0 0 1 0 - - 8 ! 20 !!0
> 0
0
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 
> 1 0 0 0 4 0 - - 0 ! 5 !!0
> 1
0
Total
22
1 0 0 7 0 2 0 10 0 41 1 1 0

Honours

Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

  • Premier Reserve League: 2007–08
  • FA Youth Cup
    FA Youth Cup
    The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

    : 2005–06, 2006–07

External links

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