Football journeyman and a veteran of Twitter is still hoping to find a new club – his 11th – and kickstart his career
Joey Barton is not football's only social-networking enthusiast in search of a new club, even if he has been hogging this week's headlines. The Newcastle United midfielder's steady drip-feed of entertaining dressing-room treachery and Orwellian aphorisms may provide good box office, but he is far from a pioneer when it comes to players promoting their "brand" on Twitter.
A former England Under-18 and Under-20 international who began his career at Arsenal before moving to Spurs, Rohan Ricketts is 28 years old, the same age as Barton. An enthusiastic tweeter with his own website, he made something of a name for himself in media circles as a columnist for self-proclaimed idler's haven Sabotage Times before setting up Column 10 to provide an online platform for aspiring writers from around the world to showcase their talents.
After a curious journey that's seen him pitch up at 10 different clubs in five different countries, the south Londoner is currently back in England showcasing his own skills. The quintessential journeyman, Ricketts is out of contract with a new season looming, playing keepy-uppy in the shop window, hoping somebody somewhere looking for a ball-playing pass-and-move winger will remember he is first and foremost a professional footballer in need of a job.
"Unless you're a big name like David Beckham or Michael Owen, when you leave England you become the forgotten man," says Ricketts, whose travels to Canada, Hungary, Moldova and Germany since 2008 have included stints at obscure outposts that are as difficult to pronounce as they are to spell. "But you need to stay in the game. I was at Barnsley and went to play in the MLS for a year and when I came back, everyone had written me off. But this is the nature of English people – they think England is the best and anything outside isn't as good. And the truth is most countries outside England aren't as good or as intense, but I've become a better player."
It is a bold claim that rings hollow when you see the only teams to have given Ricketts a game since his time in Toronto were Diosgyori VTK in the Hungarian second division, FC Dacia Chisinau in the Moldovan top flight and SV Wilhelmshaven in the German fourth tier. Back in more familiar surroundings on sovereign soil, our conversation takes place a couple of hours after Ricketts had been informed he would not be getting a contract from League One side Chesterfield, where he had been on trial.
For a player once admired and regularly picked by no less a purist than Glenn Hoddle during the former England manager's tenures at Spurs and Wolves, such rejection must come as a hammer-blow to the ego. Previously this summer, trial periods at lower league sides Stevenage Borough and Southend United had prompted little more than apologetic shoulder shrugs from the sidelines.
"It's a bit unfortunate, but this is the way the business is these days," says Ricketts. "There's so many free players that it's not just a case of going into a club and doing well, you've got to fit a precise role they're specifically looking to fill. It can be frustrating, but not in this case because I had a fair idea [Chesterfield manager] John Sheridan was looking for an out and out winger and I just don't fit that bill."
So the search for a new club continues and Ricketts remains upbeat. Given his current position in football limbo, with whom would he choose to play if he was guaranteed 35 games a season in England and could take his pick? "Realistically?" he asks. No, ideally. "Arsenal," he says without hesitation. "The philosophy down there suits me. At clubs like Arsenal, they don't look at your size, they look at how bright you are, how intelligent you are; they look at your technique and your touch. Arsenal would be perfect for me." Laughing, he adds: "Hopefully you can help me push that deal through."
If nothing else, his dream move proves he is clearly not motivated by the prospect of winning silverware, but for all his good humour in the face of adversity, these are anxious times for Ricketts. With his bindle over one shoulder and a laptop under the other, he'll go anywhere in search of a game. It will be intriguing to see where his football odyssey takes him next.
Passion for Football - How to give yourself the best chance of becoming a Pro, by Rohan Ricketts, is out now
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/04/rohan-ricketts-twitter-football
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