Billy Jones (Crewe Alexandra)
Encyclopedia
William "Billy" Jones is an English footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion
. Jones started his career at Crewe Alexandra
, who are known for their production of good young players, although a majority of them are attacking players.
Jones made his professional debut in October 2003, in Crewe's 3–0 win over Derby County
. Since then, Jones had been a regular in Crewe's back-line and, for the 2005–06 season, he played a majority of games in midfield. He later became the club's top goalscorer during the same season. In his fourth year for Crewe, Jones made his 100th league appearance against Millwall
.
One of Jones' notable abilities is his influence on the players around him. He is also considered to be a strong tackler and despite his lack of pace, the English defender makes up for it in his ability to read the game.
, Shropshire
, Jones joined Crewe as a trainee at a young age following a recommendation to then-manager Dario Gradi
by former Crewe centre half Dave Walton
. Jones worked his way through the Crewe Academy ranks on in 2003 Jones signed his first professional contract for the club.
The English defender made his debut for the club at sixteen years of age against Derby County
as a substitute for Justin Cochrane
; the Railwaymen went onto win the game 3–0 with goals from Andrew Barrowman
, Dean Ashton
and Ben Rix
. Jones went onto to play a further 26 league games, which also included his first goal for the club against Wigan Athletic
, which later won the "Goal of the Season" award. Jones later added the "Young Player of the Year" award to his collection.
Despite his young age, the young defender continued to be a regular in the Crewe first team. Jones played a total of 20 league games during the 2004–05 season, none of them as a substitute. This was also the only season in which Jones failed to score a league goal for Crewe.
Jones had an impressive 2005–06 season despite the club's relegation from the Football League Championship
. Jones played in a central midfield role for most of the season before moving to a left-back role at the end of the season with the signing of Tony Grant
during the January transfer window to fill in his midfield role for the remainder of the season. Jones scored seven goals over the season, becoming the club's top goalscorer. Jones later won the "Player of the Year" award.
Jones was joined by more experienced defenders for the 2006–07 season, namely ex-Aston Villa
player Neil Cox and Notts County
's Julien Baudet
. He played his 100th league game for the club ten games into the season against Millwall
. In October 2006, Jones rejected an extension to his contract at Crewe. A week after rejecting his contract, Crewe put Jones on the transfer list, This resulted in a number of clubs being linked with a move for the young defender, most notably Premiership club Manchester City
, who were, according to the Daily Mirror, lining up a £
1.5 million offer for him.
Jones was later joined by Jon Otsemobor
and Luke Rodgers
on the Crewe transfer list. However, Jones was in a different position to both Otsemobor and Rodgers because of his age, as Crewe manager Dario Gradi
said that he would take a chance on a tribunal, meaning that Jones could stay at Crewe until the end of his contract and the club would still get a fee for Jones' transfer.
Following a rejected offer by Stoke City
, the Daily Mail
reported the Everton
were, in their words, "moving in [for an offer]" on the English defender.
On 24 August 2007, the Football League tribunal for the transfer from Crewe to Preston was held. The outcome was that Preston had to pay Crewe and initial £50,000 fee on top of the original £200,000 transfer fee, making the first payment £250,000 overall. Additional clauses were also introduced: At the start of 2008, Preston would have to pay Crewe £200,000 and also pay £62,500 when Jones reached his 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th first team appearance, the Lancashire
club would also have to pay Crewe another £250,000 if The Lilywhites were promoted to the Premier League, if Jones was still at the club, and the final clause was that if Preston do sell Jones, 20% of the Transfer fee would to paid to Crewe. Overall, if all the criteria were fulfilled, Preston would have to pay Crewe at least £1 million.
Since joining Preston, Jones has played a great part in the team, and has made the right-back position his own after the sale of Graham Alexander
to Burnley. Jones has played both at the back and in the centre of midfield. On 22 February 2011, Jones headed in a 96th minute equaliser against Nottingham Forest to rescue struggling preston a point at the City Ground. Jones made a massive impact on Preston North End becoming the captain in Sean St Ledger's absence towards the end of the season. With around 10 games of the season yet to be played, with the 'Lilywhites' more than 10 points from safety, Jones announced that he would not sign a new contract at the club if Preston failed to remain in the Championship. Even with a late charge towards the end of the season, which saw Preston find some form and saw the whole of Deepdale bouncing and chanting 'We are staying up', Preston North End were relegated after a 1-0 home defeat to Cardiff City, with a further 2 games to be played. Jones was awarded with the 'Player of the Year' for 2010-11 before his final game at Deepdale, mainly because he had been played out of position for a lot of games, due to Preston's lack of choice at the Left-Back Position. Jones captained Preston in their final game of the 2010-11 season, which was a 3-1 home victory against Watford.
on a free transfer, having agreed a three year contract.
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! colspan=2|League
! colspan=2|FA Cup
! colspan=2|League Cup
! colspan=2|FL Trophy
! colspan=2|Play-Offs
! colspan=2|Total
! colspan=2|Discipline>
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West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
. Jones started his career at Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, who are known for their production of good young players, although a majority of them are attacking players.
Jones made his professional debut in October 2003, in Crewe's 3–0 win over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Since then, Jones had been a regular in Crewe's back-line and, for the 2005–06 season, he played a majority of games in midfield. He later became the club's top goalscorer during the same season. In his fourth year for Crewe, Jones made his 100th league appearance against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
.
One of Jones' notable abilities is his influence on the players around him. He is also considered to be a strong tackler and despite his lack of pace, the English defender makes up for it in his ability to read the game.
Crewe Alexandra
Born in ShrewsburyShrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, Jones joined Crewe as a trainee at a young age following a recommendation to then-manager Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
by former Crewe centre half Dave Walton
Dave Walton
David Walton is a retired English footballer who is remember for his exploits at and where he made over 100 league appearances for both clubs.-Club career:...
. Jones worked his way through the Crewe Academy ranks on in 2003 Jones signed his first professional contract for the club.
The English defender made his debut for the club at sixteen years of age against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
as a substitute for Justin Cochrane
Justin Cochrane
Justin Vincent Cochrane is a professional footballer who plays for Antigua Barracuda and the Antigua and Barbuda national football team.-Club career:...
; the Railwaymen went onto win the game 3–0 with goals from Andrew Barrowman
Andrew Barrowman
Andrew Barrowman is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premier League club Dunfermline Athletic.-Birmingham:...
, Dean Ashton
Dean Ashton
Dean Ashton is a former English professional footballer. He made over 240 appearances as a forward in the Football League and Premier League for Crewe Alexandra, Norwich City and , and was also capped by England. He was highly praised as a talented centre forward, but had a career frustrated by...
and Ben Rix
Ben Rix
Benjamin "Ben" Rix is an English footballer who played most recently for League One side Crewe Alexandra until he was released by mutual consent on 22 January 2009. He is a midfielder.-Career:...
. Jones went onto to play a further 26 league games, which also included his first goal for the club against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, which later won the "Goal of the Season" award. Jones later added the "Young Player of the Year" award to his collection.
Despite his young age, the young defender continued to be a regular in the Crewe first team. Jones played a total of 20 league games during the 2004–05 season, none of them as a substitute. This was also the only season in which Jones failed to score a league goal for Crewe.
Jones had an impressive 2005–06 season despite the club's relegation from the Football League 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...
. Jones played in a central midfield role for most of the season before moving to a left-back role at the end of the season with the signing of Tony Grant
Tony Grant (English footballer)
Tony Grant is a former professional footballer.-Early career :Tony Grant signed as a trainee for Everton. He made his debut for 'The Toffees' two years later. In the 1–0 defeat at Manchester City in December 1993, Grant scored his first professional goal. He bagged his first league goal at...
during the January transfer window to fill in his midfield role for the remainder of the season. Jones scored seven goals over the season, becoming the club's top goalscorer. Jones later won the "Player of the Year" award.
Jones was joined by more experienced defenders for the 2006–07 season, namely ex-Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
player Neil Cox and Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
's Julien Baudet
Julien Baudet
Julien Baudet is a former French footballer and current manager.- Europe :Although excelling as a skier in his youth, Baudet chose to concentrate on football, beginning his career with Toulouse FC in France, where he spent two years, clocking up 21 league appearances.In 2001 Baudet moved to Oldham...
. He played his 100th league game for the club ten games into the season against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. In October 2006, Jones rejected an extension to his contract at Crewe. A week after rejecting his contract, Crewe put Jones on the transfer list, This resulted in a number of clubs being linked with a move for the young defender, most notably Premiership club 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...
, who were, according to the Daily Mirror, lining up a £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1.5 million offer for him.
Jones was later joined by Jon Otsemobor
Jon Otsemobor
Jon Otsemobor is an English professional footballer, currently playing for Sheffield Wednesday. Born in Liverpool, right back Otsemobor has notably played for Crewe Alexandra, Norwich City and Southampton, and was signed by Sheffield Wednesday on 1 July 2010.-Liverpool:Otsemobor signed for...
and Luke Rodgers
Luke Rodgers
Luke John Rodgers is an English professional football striker who plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.He played in England's Football League, starting at Shrewsbury Town in 1999...
on the Crewe transfer list. However, Jones was in a different position to both Otsemobor and Rodgers because of his age, as Crewe manager Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
said that he would take a chance on a tribunal, meaning that Jones could stay at Crewe until the end of his contract and the club would still get a fee for Jones' transfer.
Following a rejected offer by Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
reported the 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...
were, in their words, "moving in [for an offer]" on the English defender.
Preston North End
On 11 June 2007, Jones joined Preston North End with a 4 year contract from Crewe Alexandra, after much deliberation over which Football League Championship side he was going to join.On 24 August 2007, the Football League tribunal for the transfer from Crewe to Preston was held. The outcome was that Preston had to pay Crewe and initial £50,000 fee on top of the original £200,000 transfer fee, making the first payment £250,000 overall. Additional clauses were also introduced: At the start of 2008, Preston would have to pay Crewe £200,000 and also pay £62,500 when Jones reached his 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th first team appearance, the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
club would also have to pay Crewe another £250,000 if The Lilywhites were promoted to the Premier League, if Jones was still at the club, and the final clause was that if Preston do sell Jones, 20% of the Transfer fee would to paid to Crewe. Overall, if all the criteria were fulfilled, Preston would have to pay Crewe at least £1 million.
Since joining Preston, Jones has played a great part in the team, and has made the right-back position his own after the sale of Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander is a Scottish international footballer who plays for Preston North End. He is naturally a right back, but has recently been deployed in defensive midfield, as he did early on in his career with Scunthorpe. He is currently the third oldest player to score in Premier League history...
to Burnley. Jones has played both at the back and in the centre of midfield. On 22 February 2011, Jones headed in a 96th minute equaliser against Nottingham Forest to rescue struggling preston a point at the City Ground. Jones made a massive impact on Preston North End becoming the captain in Sean St Ledger's absence towards the end of the season. With around 10 games of the season yet to be played, with the 'Lilywhites' more than 10 points from safety, Jones announced that he would not sign a new contract at the club if Preston failed to remain in the Championship. Even with a late charge towards the end of the season, which saw Preston find some form and saw the whole of Deepdale bouncing and chanting 'We are staying up', Preston North End were relegated after a 1-0 home defeat to Cardiff City, with a further 2 games to be played. Jones was awarded with the 'Player of the Year' for 2010-11 before his final game at Deepdale, mainly because he had been played out of position for a lot of games, due to Preston's lack of choice at the Left-Back Position. Jones captained Preston in their final game of the 2010-11 season, which was a 3-1 home victory against Watford.
West Bromwich Albion
On 3 June 2011, Jones joined Premier League side West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on a free transfer, having agreed a three year contract.
International career
While Jones was playing for the Crewe youth team, he played in England's youth set-up as well. The defender has captained all levels up to Under-20 level.Career Statistics
! colspan=2|League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
! colspan=2|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...
! colspan=2|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...
! colspan=2|FL Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
! colspan=2|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...
! colspan=2|Total
! colspan=2|Discipline>
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
>
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
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The Football League 2010–11, called the Npower Football League, was the 111th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2010 and concluded in May 2011, with the promotion play-off finals....
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Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
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...
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2009–10 Football League
The Football League 2009–10, called the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2009 and concluded in May 2010, with the promotion play-off finals. The Football League is contested through three Divisions. The...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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