Tom Huddlestone

Tom Huddlestone

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Andrew Huddlestone
Date of birth	28 December 1986 (1986-12-28)
Place of birth	Sneinton, Nottingham, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Tottenham Hotspur
Number	6
Youth career
1994–1999	Nottingham Forest
1999–2003	Derby County
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2005	Derby County	95	(0)
2005–	Tottenham Hotspur	124	(8)
2005–2006	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	13	(1)
National team‡
2005–2009	England U21	32	(5)
2009–	England	3	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:01, 18 May 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:14, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Thomas Andrew Huddlestone (born 28 December 1986) is an English footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team as a midfielder.

Club career

Born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 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". After Forest he joined Derby and after progressing well, made his debut for Derby County's reserve side at the age of just 15, when he appeared as an 80th minute sub at right-wing back in a match against Coventry City.

He was given his full 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." He eventually went on to appear in 43 of Derby's 46 league games that season. He enjoyed an equally successful 2004-05 as Derby reached the Football League Division One playoffs, where they lost to Preston North End in the semifinals. However, half way through the season Huddlestone signed for 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 campaign. He left Pride Park with 95 appearances to his credit.

Tottenham Hotspur

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

His first start for Tottenham came on 14 September 2006, away to Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup, a game which Tottenham won 1–0. His first goal for Spurs came in the League Cup 4th Round match against Port Vale on 8 November 2006. Huddlestone scored 2 goals in this match, his second goal proving decisive in extra time, taking Tottenham through to the quarter finals of the competition. Huddlestone got his first league goal for Spurs on 17 December 2006 against Manchester City with an excellent half-volley on 24 minutes, hit first-time after assisting with team mate Calum Davenport's first goal with a free-kick.

Huddlestone established himself as one of the most promising young English central midfielders in the premiership 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. He has also been deployed at centre back on numerous occasions for both Tottenham and the England under-21s.

On 25 December 2006, he signed a new four and a half year contract – keeping him at the club until 2011. Tom signed a new and improved five-year contract on 30 June 2008 committing his future to Tottenham Hotspur until 2013. He came on as a substitute as Spurs beat Chelsea in the 2008 Football League Cup Final. During the 2009–10 season, he became a regular under Harry Redknapp. In March, he extended his contract until 2015.

On 2 November he captained the side to a famous 3-1 win over European Champions Inter Milan in matchday 4 of the Champions League, leaving Spurs 1 win away from the knockout stages.

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 Under-21 Championship before a red card for dissent ruled him out of the semi-final and final. In October 2008, he scored the opening goal from a free kick in the second leg of the 2009 European Championship qualifying play-offs against Wales. Although the game 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. 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 United States and Trinidad and Tobago in friendlies. On 14 November 2009, he received his first cap for the senior side in the 1–0 loss in a friendly match against Brazil, after coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute in a 1-0 defeat. His next appearances came in a 2010 World Cup warm up match against Mexico, where he came on in as a substitute in the 61st minute. His latest appearance for England also came in a 2010 World Cup warm up game against Japan where he started for the first time in 2-1 victory.

In May 2010, Fabio Capello announced that Huddlestone would be in his preliminary World Cup squad of 30 players. However, was not selected for the final 23-man squad.

Attributes

He is known for his size and his superb passing range which has led to comparisons with former Tottenham player Glenn Hoddle. He also has a powerful shot that has enabled him score long range goals from midfield, notably when he scored twice from outside the penalty area against Fulham on 26 December 2007, a top-corner goal against Bolton Wanderers in May 2010 and a spectacular left-footed effort against Arsenal in a 3-3 draw in April 2011.

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur

• League Cup: 2007–08

Career stats

All-time club performance

Club	Season	Premier League			Domestic Cups			Europe			Total
		Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists
Tottenham Hotspur	11-12	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	0	1
	10-11	14	2	2	0	0	0	5	0	0	19	2	2
	09-10	33	2	3	10	2	0	0	0	0	43	4	3
	08-09	22	0	2	3	0	1	6	2	0	31	2	3
	07-08	28	3	7	6	1	0	9	0	1	43	4	8
	06-07	21	1	2	8	2	2	6	0	1	35	3	5
	05-06	4	0	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	0	1
Club Total		124	8	18	27	5	3	26	2	3	178	15	23
Club	Season	Championship			Domestic Cups			Europe			Total
		Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists
Wolverhampton Wanderers (on loan)	05-06	13	1	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	13	1	0
Club Total		13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	1	0
Club	Season	Championship			Domestic Cups			Europe			Total
		Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists	Games	Goals	Assists
Derby County	04-05	45	0	1	3	0	0	-	-	-	48	0	1
	03-04	43	0	1	2	0	0	-	-	-	45	0	1
Club Total		88	0	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	93	0	2
Career totals		209	8	17	32	5	3	21	2	2	263	14	23

^{Correct as of 2 May 2010 (UTC)}

External links

• Tom Huddlestone profile at Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
• Tom Huddlestone career stats at Soccerbase
• Premier League profile