Jerome Thomas
Thomas pictured in September 2009
Personal information
Full name Jerome William Thomas[1]
Date of birth (1983-03-23) 23 March 1983[1]
Place of birth Brent, England[2]
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger / forward
Youth career
Luton Town
Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2004 Arsenal 0 (0)
2002 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 4 (1)
2002 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 6 (2)
2004–2008 Charlton Athletic 103 (7)
2008 → Portsmouth (loan) 1 (0)
2008–2009 Portsmouth 2 (0)
2009–2013 West Bromwich Albion 99 (11)
2012–2013 → Leeds United (loan) 6 (1)
2013–2015 Crystal Palace 10 (0)
2016 Rotherham United 6 (0)
2016–2017 Port Vale 23 (1)
Total 260 (23)
International career
2000 England U17 1 (0)
2002 England U19 4 (1)
2002–2003 England U20 9 (0)
2005 England U21 2 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jerome William Thomas (born 23 March 1983) is an English former footballer who is the head of academy recruitment at EFL Championship club Watford. During his playing career he played predominantly as a left-winger and scored 25 goals in 292 league and cup appearances throughout a 16-year professional career in the English Football League and Premier League.

He began his career with Arsenal, but never broke into the first team despite winning two FA Youth Cup titles with the youth team and being capped up to England under-21 level. He had two loan spells with Queens Park Rangers, before he was sold on to Charlton Athletic for £100,000 in February 2004. He played 70 Premier League games for the club, before Charlton were relegated at the end of the 2006–07 campaign. He was sold on to Portsmouth in August 2008, but only played three first team games for the club. He signed with West Bromwich Albion in August 2009, and helped the club win promotion out of the Championship at the end of the 2009–10 season. Having lost his first team place for the 2012–13 season, he spent six weeks on loan at Leeds United, before he joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer in July 2013. He played just ten Premier League games over the course of two seasons, before he joined Rotherham United in February 2016, following a six-month period spent as a free agent. He signed with Port Vale in July 2016, and spent one season with the club.

Club career

Arsenal

Thomas played schoolboy football for Luton Town, before joining Arsenal.[3] He helped the Arsenal youth team to win the FA Youth Cup twice. These victories came in 2000 against Coventry City and in 2001, where he scored a goal in the final over Blackburn Rovers.[4]

He was loaned out to Second Division side Queens Park Rangers in the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons.[5] He made his debut in the English Football League on 30 March 2002, in a 3–2 win over Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.[6] He scored his first professional goal on 6 April, the only goal of the game against Swindon Town at the County Ground in a 1–0 win for QPR.[7] During his second loan spell in October 2002, he scored long-distance goals away at Cheltenham Town and against Oldham Athletic at Loftus Road.[8][9] However, he found it difficult to break into the first team at Highbury with Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires at the peak of their powers, and Thomas made just three appearances in the 2003–04 season – all in the League Cup.[5][10] After Arsène Wenger signed José Antonio Reyes in January 2004, Thomas turned down a new one-year contract with the "Gunners" and decided it was best to look for first team football elsewhere.[11][12]

Charlton Athletic

Thomas was signed by Premier League club Charlton Athletic on a two-and-a-half-year contract for a £100,000 fee in February 2004.[12] He had been spotted by manager Alan Curbishley playing for Arsenal reserves.[13] He played just 45 minutes for the "Addicks" in the 2003–04 season, coming on for Paul Konchesky at half-time during a 2–2 home draw that relegated opponents Leicester City.[14]

He scored his first top-flight goal in a 3–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 6 November, a game in which he was described as "a constant outlet on the left" and also provided Shaun Bartlett with an assist.[15] He scored with a curling shot from 23 yards (21 m) out in the return game against Spurs on 16 March, which gave Charlton a 2–0 victory, and finished the 2004–05 season with three goals in 24 league appearances.[16] He made 31 league and cup appearances in the 2005–06 campaign, though scored just one goal, again against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, though this time it was a consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat.[17]

He signed a new three-year contract after Iain Dowie was installed as manager in summer 2006, and defended Dowie after the club's poor start to the season, saying "I laugh at people when they talk about relegation. There's no way we will go down." Dowie was sacked in November 2006, and new manager Les Reed told Thomas he was not needed at The Valley.[18] However, Reed's reign would prove even shorter than Dowie's, and new manager Alan Pardew returned Thomas to the starting eleven but could not steer the club away from relegation at the end of the 2006–07 season.[18] He featured 33 times in the 2007–08 campaign as Charlton finished 11th in the Championship.

Portsmouth

In August 2008, he joined Premier League club Portsmouth on an initial season-long loan, which was made into a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee after only six days.[19] Chief executive Peter Storrie stated that "It frees up a loan space for us" and said that the fee would be dependent on how many appearances Thomas made.[20] He was signed by Harry Redknapp, however, injuries prevented him from establishing himself in the first team under Redknapp.[21] He struggled to return to full fitness after fracturing his spine and was released by Portsmouth in July 2009, having made only three first team appearances in the 2008–09 season.[22]

West Bromwich Albion

During the summer of 2009 he had trials with two Premier League teams, Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.[23][24] He instead dropped into the Championship to join West Bromwich Albion in August 2009.[25] He scored his first goal for "Baggies" in his seventh appearance, in a 5–0 win away at Middlesbrough on 19 September.[26] Three days later, Thomas was sent off in a League Cup tie against his former club Arsenal for a push on Jack Wilshere following an off the ball incident.[27] He went on to record a career high tally of eight goals in 29 appearances in the 2009–10 season to help West Brom to secure promotion with a second-place finish.[10]

On 25 September 2010, he provided an assist for Peter Odemwingie and then went on to score the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.[28] On New Year's Day, he helped West Brom to beat Manchester United 2–1 in what proved to be right-back Gary Neville's final game as a player; Neville later said "I was uncomfortable about the fans singing my name, uncomfortable about being out on the pitch knowing that I had just been destroyed by not the best player in the world [Jerome Thomas]."[29] He also claimed goals against Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United to end the 2010–11 campaign with three goals in 33 league games.[30][31]

He showed good form at the start of the 2011–12 campaign, which led manager Roy Hodgson to tell the media that he was not up for sale.[32] He was described as a "real menace" after he scored the opener and played a major part in the buildup for the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 19 November.[33] He made a total of 31 appearances in the 2011–12 season, scoring two goals.

However, he found first team games hard by come under new head coach Steve Clarke after recovering from injury early in the 2012–13 season, as the good form of Zoltán Gera kept him out of the side.[34] On 22 November 2012, he joined Championship club Leeds United on a six-week loan deal.[35] He scored his first goal for the "Whites" on 15 December, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over Ipswich Town at Elland Road.[36] After the takeover of Leeds by the GFH Capital group, new Leeds director Salem Patel revealed that Leeds were in negotiations with West Brom to sign Thomas on a permanent deal.[37] However, Thomas rejected the approach, vowing to fight for his place at West Brom following a serious injury to Zoltán Gera.[38] Thomas featured in 12 games for West Brom in the second half of the season, but was released upon the expiry of his contract in May 2013.[39]

Crystal Palace

In July 2013, Thomas signed a two-year contract with Premier League side Crystal Palace.[40] The move reunited him with Ian Holloway, his former manager at QPR.[41] However, he featured just nine times in the 2013–14 season, and was fined by manager Tony Pulis for diving during a 1–1 draw with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on 2 March.[42] He played just six Premier League minutes in the 2014–15 season, and also started one League Cup game and had a brief cameo in the FA Cup before he was released in May 2015.[43][44]

Rotherham United

Thomas trained with Hearts alongside his friend Osman Sow as he searched for a new club.[45] He was offered a contract by manager Robbie Neilson, with the promise that he would also get the chance to learn how to coach at the club.[46] He turned down the approach, and had a trial at Ipswich Town in January 2016.[47][48] In February 2016, he signed for Championship side Rotherham United on a deal until the end of the 2015–16 season, as new manager Neil Warnock's first signing at the New York Stadium; he had previously played under Warnock at Leeds and Crystal Palace.[49] He made three starts and three substitute appearances to help the "Millers" avoid relegation at the end of the 2015–16 season.

Port Vale

Thomas signed a one-year contract with EFL League One club Port Vale in July 2016.[50] He began the 2016–17 season short of match fitness, but by 27 August he put in a man of the match performance to help the "Valiants" record a 3–1 victory over Scunthorpe United at Vale Park.[51] In October, he was named as one of the club's four joint-captains.[52] He was named in the League One 'Team of the Day' after providing the crosses for both of Vale's goals in a 2–1 victory over Fleetwood Town on 12 November.[53] Coach Andy Smith said that "he is the best winger in this league and we are lucky to have him at our club".[54] However, Michael Brown succeeded Bruno Ribeiro as manager, and speaking in February 2017, Brown criticised Thomas for his injury and illness record which had caused him to miss 11 league games up to that point, saying "that's just Jerome isn't it?...it is very frustrating... if he keeps getting injured every week it is going to be tough for him".[55] He was released by Brown following the club's relegation in May 2017.[56]

International career

Thomas was named in the England squad for the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Norway, and scored in England's opening game of the tournament, a 3–3 draw with Germany at the Nadderud Stadion on 22 July.[57] He went on to be named in the England squad for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, and played all three group games as England were eliminated in last place.[58][59][60] He scored in a 4–1 win over Poland in a UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier at Hillsborough on 11 October 2005.[61]

Thomas was eligible to represent Guyana due to his Guyanese heritage.[62]

Post-playing career

In 2021, Thomas was appointed Everton's academy area co-ordinator for London, having previously held a part-time scouting role at Chelsea.[63] In July 2022, he took up the role of head of academy recruitment at Watford.[64]

Career statistics

As of 20 May 2017.
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 2001–02[65] Premier League0000000000
2002–03[66] Premier League0000000000
2003–04[67] Premier League0000300030
Total 0000300030
Queens Park Rangers (loan) 2001–02[65] Second Division4100000041
2002–03[66] Second Division6200000062
Total 103000000103
Charlton Athletic 2003–04[67] Premier League1000000010
2004–05[68] Premier League243301000283
2005–06[69] Premier League251402000311
2006–07[70] Premier League203103000243
2007–08[71] Championship320100000330
2008–09[72] Championship1000100020
Total 10379070001197
Portsmouth 2008–09[72] Premier League3000000030
Leeds United (loan) 2012–13[73] Championship6100100071
West Bromwich Albion 2009–10[74] Championship277111000298
2010–11[75] Premier League333100000343
2011–12[76] Premier League291101100312
2012–13[73] Premier League100200000120
Total 991151210010613
Crystal Palace 2013–14[77] Premier League9000000090
2014–15[78] Premier League1010100030
Total 100101000120
Rotherham United 2015–16[79] Championship 6000000060
Port Vale 2016–17[80] EFL League One 231201000261
Career total 260231711510029225

Honours

Arsenal

West Bromwich Albion

References

  1. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 607. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  2. 1 2 "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2016/2017". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "Seven ex-Hatters who are currently playing in the Premier League". Luton on Sunday. 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Arsenal take Youth Cup stranglehold". BBC Sport. 19 May 2001. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Jerome Thomas Career Statistics". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  6. ↑ "Tranmere 2–3 Q PR". BBC Sport. 30 March 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Swindon 0–1 QPR". BBC Sport. 6 April 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Cheltenham 1–1 QPR Match Report". BBC Sport. 19 October 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  9. ↑ "QPR 1–2 Oldham Match Report". BBC Sport. 26 October 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  10. 1 2 3 "Profile". arsenal.com. Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Reyes passes Arsenal medical". BBC Sport. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  12. 1 2 "Charlton sign Thomas". BBC Sport. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Curbishley, Alan (13 February 2005). "My forgettable night with Jennifer Aniston". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Charlton 2–2 Leicester". BBC Sport. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  15. ↑ "Tottenham 2–3 Charlton". BBC Sport. 6 November 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "Charlton 2–0 Tottenham". BBC Sport. 16 March 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  17. ↑ "Tottenham 3–1 Charlton". BBC Sport. 5 February 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  18. 1 2 Ashton, Tim (14 March 2007). "Reed wanted Thomas out of The Valley". News Shopper. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  19. ↑ "Thomas agrees permanent Pompey deal". RTE Sport. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  20. ↑ "Pompey seal permanent Thomas deal". BBC Sport. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "Jerome Thomas praises his managerial masters". Express & Star. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  22. ↑ Lepowski, Chris (14 August 2009). "Jerome Thomas pace will be asset for West Bromwich Albion". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Thomas lands Tigers chance". Sky Sports. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  24. ↑ "Defensive error costly for Wolves". BBC Sport. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  25. ↑ "Free agent Thomas joins West Brom". BBC Sport. 14 August 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  26. ↑ "Middlesbrough 0–5 West Brom". BBC Sport. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  27. ↑ "Arsenal 2–0 West Brom". BBC Sport. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  28. ↑ "Arsenal 2–3 West Brom". BBC Sport. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  29. ↑ Mitten, Andy (9 December 2015). "Gary Neville: 'I didn't want to go into management straight after playing. I wanted to learn and understand more'". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  30. ↑ Darling, Kevin (28 December 2010). "West Brom 1–3 Blackburn". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  31. ↑ Da Silva, Michael (12 February 2011). "West Brom 3–3 West Ham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  32. ↑ Kendrick, Mat (29 August 2011). "West Brom: Hodgson insists Jerome Thomas is not for sale after trio of clubs show interest". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  33. ↑ Higginson, Marc (19 November 2011). "Shane Long marked his return from injury with the winner to lift West Brom into the top 10 and pile the problems on for Bolton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  34. ↑ Lepowski, Chris (11 January 2013). "Steve Clarke: "We will look forward to some really good performances from him in the second half of the season. Jerome Thomas is one who can cover for Zoltan."". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  35. ↑ "Leeds United sign Jerome Thomas". ITV News. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  36. ↑ "Leeds 2–0 Ipswich" BBC Sport. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  37. ↑ "Leeds United: New director Patel keen to keep hold of 'key' loan duo". Yorkshire Evening Post. 22 December 2012.
  38. ↑ Hay, Phil (9 January 2013). "Leeds United: No return for Jerome Thomas INTERVIEW". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  39. ↑ "West Brom release Jerome Thomas and Gonzalo Jara". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  40. ↑ "Jerome Thomas: Crystal Palace sign former West Brom winger". BBC Sport. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  41. ↑ "Crystal Palace sign winger Jerome Thomas". The Independent. 10 July 2013. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  42. ↑ "Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis to fine Jerome Thomas and Marouane Chamakh for diving". The Telegraph. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  43. ↑ Chowdhury, Saj. "David Silva scored twice as Manchester City joined Chelsea at the top of the table with victory over Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  44. ↑ "Five Players To Be Released By Palace". cpfc.co.uk. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  45. ↑ Brown, Anthony (22 September 2015). "Ex-Palace star Jerome Thomas training with Hearts". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  46. ↑ Haggerty, Anthony (26 September 2015). "Robbie Neilson: Jerome Thomas won't be EARNING a lot with Hearts but he'll certainly be LEARNING a lot". Daily Record. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  47. ↑ "No Hearts move for former West Brom and Crystal Palace star Jerome Thomas as club fails to agree terms". Daily Record. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  48. ↑ Watson, Stuart (29 January 2016). "Jerome Thomas ticks all of Mick McCarthy's boxes, says Matt Holland". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  49. ↑ "Thomas seals Millers deal". themillers.co.uk. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  50. ↑ "Port Vale: Jerome Thomas and Anton Forrester latest to join Ribeiro revolution". BBC Sport. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  51. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (28 August 2016). "Port Vale 3, Scunthorpe 1 VERDICT: Vale wing it to super win". The Staffordshire Sentinel. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  52. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (4 October 2016). "Ben Purkiss says Jerome Thomas is worthy new captain at Port Vale". The Sentinel. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  53. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (14 November 2016). "Port Vale duo named in Team of the Week". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  54. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (15 November 2016). "Port Vale's Jerome Thomas is best winger in League One says coach". Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  55. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (11 February 2017). "Port Vale boss Brown reveals his frustration at Thomas injuries". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  56. ↑ "Port Vale: Thirteen senior players leave club after relegation to League Two". BBC Sport. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  57. ↑ "Germany comeback shocks England". UEFA. 22 July 2002. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  58. ↑ "Japan 1–0 England". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  59. ↑ "England 0–1 Egypt". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  60. ↑ "Colombia 0–0 England". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  61. ↑ "Group 6". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  62. ↑ Nagulendran, Santokie. "A Generation Lost for the Golden Jaguars". nbedwithmaradona.com. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  63. ↑ Kirkbride, Phil (6 May 2021). "Everton appoint former Premier League forward into key scouting role". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  64. ↑ Whitehead, Jacob (23 July 2022). "Jerome Thomas – How Watford's new head of academy recruitment hopes to produce first-team regulars". The Athletic. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  65. 1 2 "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  66. 1 2 "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  67. 1 2 "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  68. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  69. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  70. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  71. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  72. 1 2 "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  73. 1 2 "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  74. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  75. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  76. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  77. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  78. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  79. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  80. ↑ "Games played by Jerome Thomas in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
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