Yorkshire Evening Post 19/1/12
Local lad Howson was always destined for top
Andy Ritchie, the ex-Leeds United academy manager, remembers Jonathan Howson as a player ahead of his time and ahead of his age group.
By the time he turned 14, Howson was already a member of United’s Under-16 squad and he signed his first professional contract as a 17-year-old.
It set the tone for his entire career with Leeds – the squad’s leading appearance maker at 22 and club captain at 23. “Watch this lad,” Richard Naylor once said. “The sky’s the limit for him.”
That limit will be reached with Norwich City or wherever Howson finally peaks; somewhere other than Elland Road. In keeping with the midfielder’s development at Leeds, he is moving on with unforeseen haste, eager to continue climbing the ladder as he has for several years. His senior debut came in 2006, somewhat lost in the aftermath of a Carling Cup tie against Barnet.
Howson played for 14 minutes as a substitute but Kevin Blackwell, then United’s manager, was sacked the following day.
Only when Dennis Wise turned to him for a Yorkshire derby against Hull City towards the end of the year did Howson’s name begin to reverberate.
That start at Elland Road on December 23 was to be the first of 162 in league fixtures for Leeds, and one of 225 appearances in all. He was a bit-part player under Wise but found Gary McAllister more accommodating. Under Simon Grayson, he was trusted to the point of completing an ever-present season last term, the first by an outfield player at Elland Road since Harry Kewell in 1999.
It was never Howson’s choice to play as a central midfielder – brought up as a forward, Wise sought to convert him and future managers followed suit – but it became his niche for all but the second half of last season when Grayson let him loose in an attacking role.
At his best, he conjured moments of brilliance like his second goal in the 2008 play-off semi-final at Carlisle United and his game-changing finish against Bristol Rovers on the day of United’s promotion from League One.
On his poorer days he polarised opinion – a magnet for criticism and, more recently as captain, a point of reference for the media. When Leeds were routed at Southampton on the first day of this season, Howson took it upon himself to face the music. “The fans come all this way and we put on a performance like that,” he said. “I look at them and think ‘you don’t deserve this.’”
Comments like that revealed his appreciation of the responsibility he carried. You never questioned if it mattered to him. But there was always a danger of confusing Howson’s character with a lack of ambition or self-determination; a danger of assuming that a youngster from Morley who held the armband at Leeds would be forever happy with his lot.
Back in October, it became clear that Howson would only sign a new deal if United were promoted. It was a tacit admission that the grass might be greener – green and gold, in fact, if he chooses to move to Carrow Road, the scene of his first goal in Leeds colours.
The loss will be a sad one.
Local lad Howson was always destined for top
Andy Ritchie, the ex-Leeds United academy manager, remembers Jonathan Howson as a player ahead of his time and ahead of his age group.
By the time he turned 14, Howson was already a member of United’s Under-16 squad and he signed his first professional contract as a 17-year-old.
It set the tone for his entire career with Leeds – the squad’s leading appearance maker at 22 and club captain at 23. “Watch this lad,” Richard Naylor once said. “The sky’s the limit for him.”
That limit will be reached with Norwich City or wherever Howson finally peaks; somewhere other than Elland Road. In keeping with the midfielder’s development at Leeds, he is moving on with unforeseen haste, eager to continue climbing the ladder as he has for several years. His senior debut came in 2006, somewhat lost in the aftermath of a Carling Cup tie against Barnet.
Howson played for 14 minutes as a substitute but Kevin Blackwell, then United’s manager, was sacked the following day.
Only when Dennis Wise turned to him for a Yorkshire derby against Hull City towards the end of the year did Howson’s name begin to reverberate.
That start at Elland Road on December 23 was to be the first of 162 in league fixtures for Leeds, and one of 225 appearances in all. He was a bit-part player under Wise but found Gary McAllister more accommodating. Under Simon Grayson, he was trusted to the point of completing an ever-present season last term, the first by an outfield player at Elland Road since Harry Kewell in 1999.
It was never Howson’s choice to play as a central midfielder – brought up as a forward, Wise sought to convert him and future managers followed suit – but it became his niche for all but the second half of last season when Grayson let him loose in an attacking role.
At his best, he conjured moments of brilliance like his second goal in the 2008 play-off semi-final at Carlisle United and his game-changing finish against Bristol Rovers on the day of United’s promotion from League One.
On his poorer days he polarised opinion – a magnet for criticism and, more recently as captain, a point of reference for the media. When Leeds were routed at Southampton on the first day of this season, Howson took it upon himself to face the music. “The fans come all this way and we put on a performance like that,” he said. “I look at them and think ‘you don’t deserve this.’”
Comments like that revealed his appreciation of the responsibility he carried. You never questioned if it mattered to him. But there was always a danger of confusing Howson’s character with a lack of ambition or self-determination; a danger of assuming that a youngster from Morley who held the armband at Leeds would be forever happy with his lot.
Back in October, it became clear that Howson would only sign a new deal if United were promoted. It was a tacit admission that the grass might be greener – green and gold, in fact, if he chooses to move to Carrow Road, the scene of his first goal in Leeds colours.
The loss will be a sad one.