Kenwyne Jones
Trinidad and Tobago
- Full name Kenwyne Jones
- Birth date October 5, 1984
- Birth place Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago
- Current age 39 years 175 days
- Height 6 ft 2 in
As a giant, muscular centre-forward who is supreme in the air, Kenwyne Jones has many of the attributes of a dangerous No. 9. Roy Keane splashed out around £6 million to take him to Sunderland before Tony Pulis shattered Stoke's transfer record to bring him to the Potteries. Jones divides fans' opinions with his style but is impossible to handle when in the mood.
A flood of goals for Joe Public and W-Connection in his native Trinidad & Tobago earned an inevitable move to England with Southampton after a successful trial on the South Coast - even though it was initially thought he was a centre-back.
It was only during a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday, where he hit seven goals in seven games, that his true potential started to be realised and, after returning from a similar stint with Stoke, it became obvious Championship side Southampton would struggle to hold onto their big hit-man.
Jones pushed to join Keane's Sunderland and became popular with the Stadium of Light faithful, although a knee injury sustained against England left him sidelined for several months. Steve Bruce replaced Keane and was happy to offload the striker to Stoke for £8 million in the summer of 2010, with the Black Cats manager suggesting Jones was too inconsistent and the player was taking a pay cut.
After making a positive early impression at the Britannia Stadium, the home fans were critical of his performances and a goal drought was blamed on personal issues off the field by Stoke boss Pulis. After being aggressively pursued by Tottenham and Liverpool during his time on Wearside, the player needs to recapture his best form if he is to attract such large clubs in the future.
Strengths: Aerially, he is magnificent. The best in the Premier League according to John Terry. When in the mood, he is unplayable and a fine target man which suits Stoke's game down to the ground.
Weaknesses: When Jones isn't in peak form, he finds it hard to disguise his lack of confidence and looks disinterested. It is possible to predict his level of involvement in the 90 minutes from his opening couple of challenges for high balls and it's been a problem that has dogged him throughout his career.
Career high: It may seem a strange game to pick out but this was one of those unplayable days for the Sunderland striker. West Ham may have won 3-1 in October, 2007, but this was the performance from Jones that had other managers drooling. He scored with one searing header and went close on numerous other occasions after terrorising Danny Gabbidon and Matthew Upson. His display at Newcastle for Stoke was arguably just as impressive.
Career low: The injury against England when he collided with David James was a bad moment but his threat to go on strike at Southampton when Sunderland and Derby made their interest clear edges it. After handing in a transfer request, he told George Burley he didn't want to feature in a match, ironically, against Stoke.
Style: Angular, dominant and relaxed, a nightmare to mark when on his game.
Quotes: "Kenwyne has been up and down but that's Kenwyne. If he was spot on every week, he wouldn't be playing for Stoke, he'd be at one of the top four." Stoke manager Tony Pulis, 2011.
Trivia: His uncle Philbert Jones also played for Trinidad & Tobago and used to celebrate goals with the same acrobatic back-flip.
- Stoke investigate training ground 'incident' (May 17, 2013)
- Lacklustre Liverpool well beaten by Stoke (Nov 13, 2010)
- Jones close to Stoke switch (Aug 11, 2010)
- Stoke sign Kenwyne Jones for club-record fee (Aug 11, 2010)
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Stalemate at the Stadium of Light (Feb 1, 2010)
Oct 20, 2011 © PA Photos |
Jan 1, 2011 © Getty Images |
Jan 1, 2011 © Getty Images |
Jan 1, 2011 © PA Photos |
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