74: Neil Ruddock, Liverpool, 1996 Pro Match Soccer

Today Emlyn Jones is taking a closer look at a larger than life character from the world of 90s football. Neil Ruddock’s brief spell at Crystal Palace was interesting to say the least but my main memory comes from an FA Cup clash where ‘Razor’ was brought on for the injured Fan Zhiyi and given the unenviable task of marking Kevin Phillips in the middle of his 30-goal season. I won’t go into too much detail but let’s just say that Ruddock spent a lot of time on his arse. Over to Emlyn.

The subject of today's article is an example of the small Venn diagram intersection of players to have played for both Millwall and West Ham United and, befitting such a combination, has doubtless been described on a couple of occasions as being 'pwopa nawty'.

Neil Ruddock began his career with Millwall, but didn't play a league game for the club before transferring to Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, he broke his leg on his debut and played only a handful of games before returning to Millwall in 1988. He was soon on the move again, joining Southampton the following February. Ruddock soon became a favourite at the Dell, scoring a penalty early in his tenure to beat Newcastle United in what was Saints' first win in 18 games. He unfortunately missed his next two penalties, however, this led to Matt Le Tissier taking over, in turn creating a legend of itself (for Le Tissier and, later, Mark Crossley).

After three seasons, Ruddock returned to Tottenham, before moving on again a year later, to join Graeme Souness' Liverpool. Ruddock would stay for five seasons, winning his only senior England cap, becoming part of the famous 'Spice Boys' and snagging himself a snazzy white suit courtesy of the 1996 FA Cup Final (despite not actually playing in the game). He was also bestowed with his nickname, Razor, after American boxer Donovan Ruddock.

'Razor' was a figure of controversy at times, a tough tackler who occasionally crossed the line, such as an incident in a testimonial that left Peter Beardsley with a broken jaw. Whilst at Liverpool he also had an off-field scuffle with Eric Cantona after turning his collar down mid-match, and was also forced to apologise to Andy Cole after breaking both his legs in a reserve game. Eventually, with Gerard Houllier taking over, Ruddock was moved on and joined West Ham in 1998. He had a successful two seasons before moving on a free transfer to Crystal Palace.

His time at Selhurst Park started somewhat incongruously, the club receiving a fine for allowing him to take the field with 'Razor' on the back of his shirt, and chairman Simon Jordan also complained that he had taken the squad out drinking on numerous occasions. Ruddock moved on after a season to Swindon Town, and remained for two years, however, poor relations with the board (including them withholding his pay for several months) led to him leaving and retiring; though he did eventually win £57,000 at an employment tribunal.

'Razor' has been a fixture on TV screens since retirement, his appearances including I'm a Celebrity, Celebrity Big Brother, and Celebrity Masterchef, on which he narrowly lost out to Greg Rutherford in the final. His most recent appearance was as part of Harry's Heroes, leading to a poignant moment as Paul Merson confronted him about his drinking habits, which had seen Ruddock balloon to 25 stone, admitting that he could comfortably put away four bottles of wine in a session, alongside other drinks. There are sadly only too many stories of players who have suffered with addiction issues both during and after their careers, not least Merson himself. Thankfully, Ruddock has managed to improve his lifestyle and lose nearly two stone following a heart scare, during which he technically briefly died.

The 'Razor' persona is an enduring one, and I'm sure many fans will look forward to future media appearances from Ruddock – many become caricatures but the genuine warmth towards Razor from his fellow pros shows just how beloved he is. And I'll always be keen for a Come Dine With Me follow-up reuniting him with Carlton Palmer and John Fashanu.