The Jake Livermore journey - The Athletic

As a teenage hopeful at Tottenham, Jake Livermore was called up to train with the first team. He would rub shoulders with Dimitar Berbatov, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Dawson, Jermaine Jenas, Luka Modric, Robbie Keane, Darren Bent and a young Gareth Bale. It was a group of stars with the potential to overwhelm many aspiring young team-mates.

Yet Livermore’s friends from the under-21s knew their captain would not be fazed.

“A few of us had the opportunity to train with the first team,” recalls David Hutton, a midfield team-mate in Spurs’ junior ranks. “I remember going up there and shitting myself. You know you can play and yet you feel out of your depth and you’re not confident enough. You need to be confident and have total trust in your ability. A lot of us probably didn’t have that but Jake did. That’s the extra strength that he had over us.”

When chatting with former colleagues of Livermore, the current West Bromwich Albion captain, “strength” is a recurring word. They speak of the mental fortitude that enabled Livermore to break into Tottenham’s first team, carve out a Premier League career with Hull and at The Hawthorns, and win England caps. But they recall, too, the physical strength that marked him out from very early on.

“Jake was always physically bigger than most at that age,” says Hutton, who first met Livermore when both were spotted at the age of seven by Tottenham scouts at soccer schools in Enfield, the north London borough where both grew up and that now houses the club training ground. “He was a proper athlete as a kid. He did a lot of cross-country and he was No 1 at that at school and in the county. Physically, he always had the upper hand over everyone.

“At Spurs, he was always a central midfielder and he always had the edge over most because of his physicality. That hasn’t really changed now. He is still probably bigger than most. He is a specimen.

“When we were growing up, a lot of us were small, technical players and he probably won’t mind me saying that he wasn’t technically better than a lot of us. But he had the other side of things. He was technically very good but he was always bigger than us. And he used to work on the gym side of things. I think his uncle owns a lot of gyms.

“Jake was well-respected by a lot of coaches. He was a leader and he came across as older than a lot of us at the same age, and he was mentally stronger than us. That was another thing that got him to that level. A lot of us were technically good footballers but that doesn’t always get you where you want to go. He has the mental strength and the character to get there.”

Cross-country running was Livermore’s other passion. He was South East Schools champion in 2000, at the age of 10, and took that stamina to Tottenham, where he was soon picked out as a potential star of the future.

“When we were very young in the academy, he was a year below me but he often used to play with our group and excel, and that is probably testament to him,” says Troy Archibald-Henville, the Exeter City defender who also learned his trade at Tottenham’s academy. “He had very good athleticism and he was very influential in his age group.

“He showed good captaincy and leadership skills, even at that age. He showed a lot of the characteristics of a leader. He got on with everyone, which is one of the characteristics of a captain or a leader.”

Very quickly, Livermore was identified as a player to set an example. By the time Chris Ramsey, the former Queens Park Rangers manager, joined Tottenham as a coach, a 15-year-old Livermore was already accustomed to wearing the captain’s armband. He went on to lead both the under-18s and under-21s while eyeing a route into the star-studded first team.

“Jake has always been a leader,” says Ramsey. “He’s got an edge to him but he’s an outstanding character. He is caring and would do anything for you. He’s been very well brought-up — I know his family well — and he always had a steely determination to succeed and was prepared to do whatever it took.

“Although he has an edge to him, he very rarely goes against authority. He’s very adaptable to working in different ways. He is very versatile and could probably play in any position. I can’t say enough good things about him. He was always willing to do what was asked of him and always set a good example.

“He keeps people on their toes and is prepared to have confrontations at the right time in the right circumstances. He wasn’t scared of anyone, even as a young kid. He would never back down from the older players but he would do it in a constructive way.

“Genetically, he’s a beast, and he’s the type of player that every team needs. He’s always going to give you at least a solid seven out of 10. He will have games when he’s excellent but when he’s not, he will never drop below a seven.”

Livermore progressed through Tottenham’s academy with a talented group of peers. Archibald-Henville and David Button, the current Brighton reserve goalkeeper, were a year ahead of him. Hutton and Terry Dixon, a striker who was tipped for stardom before injuries took their toll, were in Livermore’s year group. And Danny Rose, who had moved from Leeds United, was a year below alongside Jonathan Obika, a striker who went on to play for Swindon Town, Oxford United and St Mirren.

Livermore celebrates scoring against Barcelona in a friendly in 2009 (Photo: Anthony Devlin/PA Images via Getty Images)

Yet it was Livermore who made the biggest impression on the first team at White Hart Lane to the surprise of few who had played alongside him.

“He was always our captain, even at a young age,” says Hutton, who became closer friends with Livermore from the age of 11, when both began attending Enfield Grammar School and travelling to training together with Livermore’s father, Kevin.

“He was always a leader; even when we were younger. He wasn’t a leader in terms of talking but that’s a difficult thing when you’re young. But he always led by example and was always someone you could rely on. He worked hard, made tackles, broke up play and could play himself as well.

“Even when we went full-time, he was our captain, so it’s no surprise that he’s now captain at West Brom. Me and Jake used to travel in together with his dad and I was probably the one that wanted to get home. He always wanted to stay and do extra in the gym. It was no surprise that he got the opportunity.

“It was a difficult time because we got through so many managers — Martin Jol, Juande Ramos, Harry Redknapp. It was a hard for a young player to break through with so many changes. All managers want to get their own squads together, especially Harry.

“But when Jake got his opportunity, it was no surprise really because he was physically better than us and he was ready for men’s football, even at that age, whereas a lot of us probably weren’t. With all those changes, a lot of us couldn’t really see a way through.

“We were all in the same boat. But Harry came in and made a few changes, and if there was one out of our group who was going to get a chance, it was going to be Jake. He was technically good but physically, he was a man among us 18- and 19-year-olds. He got his chance and did pretty well.”

It took until 2011, however, for Livermore to get a sustained spell in the Tottenham first-team. He spent time on loan at Derby County, Peterborough United and Ipswich Town, having already cut his teeth as a teenager with MK Dons. Eventually, though, he got his chance, making 38 appearances in all competitions in the 2011-12 campaign under Redknapp.

“When I went there, he was in that in-between group,” says Redknapp, who took charge in October 2008. “He was too old for the youth team and, if I’m honest, a few of the coaches said to me he might not make it.

“He wasn’t over-fancied by too many people but I looked at him and thought he looked the part. He could play, he was strong and athletic, and I thought he looked a good player. Then Tim Sherwood came and worked with me and Tim liked him and, within no time at all, he was in the team.

“I liked him as a fella — he’s a ‘proper bloke’ — and I like him as a player. I didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t play for Tottenham in the Premier League. Jake is a character who wouldn’t back down from a lot and if he has an opinion, he won’t be afraid to voice it.

“When I got there, I didn’t get the feeling that too many people thought he would get into the first team. But he was aggressive and strong; he could get around the pitch and he could play. He’s a tough boy. He’s a leader and he will always have a go for you.

“He’s one of the lads but he’s not a mug. When you speak to him, he’s a switched-on boy. I’ve got a lot of time for Jake and I’m pleased to see him doing well.”

(Photo: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

By the summer of 2012, Livermore had done well enough to be recognised by England. He received his first cap under Roy Hodgson in a 2-1 friendly victory over Italy in the August 2012, but then had to wait five years for his second.

In between, life took some unexpected twists.

After a productive season in 2012-13 under Andre Villas-Boas, he was deemed surplus to requirements in the summer of 2013 and joined Hull on a season-long loan. The move became permanent a year later for £8 million and Livermore spent four years in Yorkshire. It brought an appearance in the 2014 FA Cup final but also tragedy just a few hours later with the death of his newborn son, Jake Junior.

Livermore turned to cocaine during a night out to numb the emotional pain shortly after the conclusion of an inquest. He tested positive in 2015 and was initially suspended by his club and the FA but was spared a longer ban when the governing body took extenuating circumstances into account.

By the time he left relegated Hull to return to the Premier League with West Brom in January 2017, he had become a hugely popular figure.

“I had the privilege of signing Jake,” says Steve Bruce, the current Newcastle United manager and former Hull boss. “He had been to a few places on loan and we’d watched him from afar. I bought him alongside Tom Huddlestone, who he knew, and we gave him a chance to show what he could do and he flourished.

(Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“He had a few personal problems but he was performing to a really high level and made himself into a very good player. He had four wonderful years. The first things we all look for are power, pace and athleticism, and I wanted somebody to complement Huddlestone, who is a wonderful footballer but needed somebody like Jake to help him with that pace and power. He had that in abundance and once he learned how to use it, he was very effective.

“When he has a connection with a manager or coach, you get it back in abundance. He’s a proper man who will admit when he doesn’t play well but will always want to fix it. Everybody knows what happened off the field and I don’t want to dwell on it but he was genuine and he was honest, and he said exactly what happened and people respected that honesty.

“At that time, he was in a dark place. Footballers aren’t immune to problems that other people have. I hear he’s had his best season so far at West Brom and that will go hand-in-hand with responsibility.”

Following a steady start to his Albion career under Tony Pulis, Livermore’s days at the club appeared numbered when he was one of four players involved in the theft of a taxi in February 2018 during an ill-fated trip to Barcelona as Alan Pardew’s brief tenure as manager unravelled.

Of the foursome, defender Jonny Evans moved on to Leicester City a few months later, Gareth Barry’s first-team involvement lessened as he reached his late 30s and Boaz Myhill retired and turned to coaching goalkeepers in West Brom’s academy. That left Livermore as the member of the “Cab Four” with a first-team career to rebuild at Albion.

He confided in colleagues that last season’s play-off semi-final defeat to Aston Villa hit him hard. Yet after weeks of stewing over that penalty shoot-out loss, Livermore began to envisage a new role for himself at The Hawthorns. He saw senior players ageing and moving on, and resolved to become the kind of leader he had been as a kid at Tottenham.

Team-mates speak of his particular bond with young midfielder Rekeem Harper, who has been taken under Livermore’s wing. Otherwise, the 30-year-old sets the tone at the training ground with daily handshakes and hugs for chefs, kitmen and other non-playing staff. Livermore trimmed down, too, having concluded he had gone too far in the pursuit of power and that his muscular upper body was hampering his mobility.

The change has been reflected in his durability and stamina. Last season, he played 73 per cent of available minutes, including the two play-off games. This season that figure has risen to 96 per cent. Last season, Opta data shows, he attempted 5.4 tackles per 1,000 opponent touches. This year, that number has leapt to 8.7. Noticeably, he has covered more ground to break-up play, win possession and set the tone for the team he now indisputably leads.

From the humiliation of “Taxigate”, Livermore has become the captain that those old Tottenham colleagues saw in his teenage years. It is clear that, despite the bizarre misdemeanour in Barcelona, Livermore is a man who engenders goodwill from colleagues.

In a recent interview, to be published soon by The Athletic, former team-mate James Morrison named Livermore and Darren Fletcher as the nicest team-mates with whom he has shared a dressing room.

The sentiment is echoed by Jimmy Walker who, as an experienced, third-choice goalkeeper, observed a young Livermore making his way in a squad of stars at Spurs.

“He was just coming through when I was there and he was out on loan a lot but when he was there, I loved him as a lad,” says Walker. “He was a really humble, down-to-earth lad and every time I see him now, we still have a good chat and a catch-up.

“He makes the best of everything he’s got, he gets himself in the best possible shape for games. Bless him, he’s had a few problems, but he’s dealt with it and come back really well. He’s such a strong character and physically, he’s as strong as an ox.

“He was always going to have a good career and you always wanted him to do well because he would train his rocks off every day. He was never loud — there were a lot of characters in that changing room — but if there was banter, he would get involved and he would more than hold his own. You could have a proper conversation with him and you knew he was serious about having a career in the game.”

Much of the equilibrium in Livermore’s life can be credited to his family. He remains close to his father, with the pair teaming up to restore classic cars.

England manager Gareth Southgate, who gave Livermore six caps in 2017, still makes regular checks on his progress at The Hawthorns via staff. And if Livermore can lead West Brom back to the Premier League if and when this coronavirus interrupted season resumes, further England appearances could follow. He is in better form now than when he made Southgate’s standby list for the 2018 World Cup.

“As a young player, you can sometimes get carried away when you get a new contract and start earning money you weren’t earning before,” says Hutton, now coaching at non-League Walthamstow and working as a fire alarm engineer. “But his dad kept him grounded and working hard.

“But, even at school, he was always a good kid. We all wanted each other to do well, so even when a few of us got released by Spurs, we all stayed in contact and to see Jake take that step into the team and then get capped by England was great for all of us.

“He’s had a great career and hopefully, this season, he can get back to the Premier League.”

(Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images)

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