72: Jason Wilcox, Blackburn Rovers, Merlin’s Premier League 97 Official Sticker Collection

This week Emlyn Jones brings us a look at the career of a wing wizard whose ability to whip in a cross took his boyhood club to the very top. Like so many other English players from this period he probably deserved a few more caps than he received but has been, to the best of our knowledge, not taking out his frustrations on Carlton Palmer or retweeting some interesting scientific theories. Over to Emlyn with the rest.

Without wanting to steal the name and premise of an excellent Twitter account, we aren't shy about mentioning the left-side 'problem' the England team experienced throughout the mid 90s and into the 2000s. While left midfield was one of few positions Wales could feel confident in (so long as it wasn't a friendly), England tried a succession of players, whether out of position experiments with Dennis Wise or Paul Scholes, or more established left-wing players such as Alan Thompson or Steve Guppy. One such player, who probably deserved a few more than his three senior caps, was Jason Wilcox.

Wilcox was late to join a professional academy, being picked up by Blackburn Rovers only after his father wrote to the club requesting a trial at 16. However, following his first training session on a Sunday, Wilcox signed a contract the following day, and was named "one of the best young midfielders in English football" by coach Jim Furnell, playing in the FA Youth Cup just weeks later. After choosing football over Judo, in which he held a black belt and represented England, Wilcox rapidly became a first team player. Blackburn were contenders in the early Premier League years, with owner Jack Walker pumping money into the squad. Gearing up to the 1994/95 season, there was a sense something was building.

Working in tandem on the left with future England and Fast Show star Graeme Le Saux, Wilcox was key in the Blackburn side that smashed in eighty goals en route to a title win. Wilcox was the only player in the regular first team who had been developed through Blackburn's youth system rather than parachuted in thanks to Walker's millions, and formed part of a formidable strike force alongside Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton and Stuart Ripley. Also present was Tim Sherwood, he of superior ability to Zinedine Zidane.

The following season was less successful, Rovers finishing seventh in the league and failing to make it past the group stages of the Champions League. It was also a poor season for Wilcox personally, injury struggles and new signing Lars Bohinen restricting him to ten appearances. Blackburn's misery was compounded by the sale of talisman Shearer to Newcastle United at the end of the season. Following finishes of thirteenth and a brief bounce to sixth in following seasons, Blackburn were relegated in 1999. Wilcox had been captain for the final Premier League season, and played thirty league games, however, the emergence of Damien Duff and the need to cut wages saw his ten year Blackburn career come to an end, as Leeds United splashed out £4m to bring him to Yorkshire.

Jason's first season with Leeds was a great success, with David O'Leary's young squad challenging at the top of the table, and the club also reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals. A third place finish in the league saw the side qualify for the following season's Champions League, and Wilcox enjoyed a much better season than his foray with Blackburn, Leeds managing again to make it all the way to the semi-finals of European competition. Further top five finishes and big signings encouraged the fans, but when O'Leary was sacked in 2002, money woes began to bite. Wilcox's former England manager, Terry Venables, was brought, and experimented with a left-back berth for Wilcox, a successful experiment that saw him make 25 appearances. However, Venables left in March, and fiscal difficulties saw several key players leave and a fifteenth place finish. Amid continuing financial turmoil, Leeds were relegated the following season, a season in which Wilcox had been restricted to a mere seven appearances. These were to be the last Premier League appearances in Jason's career.

Despite his long Premier League career, England caps were sparse for Wilcox. After a great debut against Hungary, he was left out of the squad for Euro 96, in what then-manager Venables called one of the toughest decisions of his career. While his caps against France and Argentina represented games against some of the biggest forces in international football, he never made it to a tournament. He was in the provisional squad for Euro 2000, but an injury saw him replaced by Gareth Barry, and he never again played for England.

Following Leeds' relegation, Wilcox moved on a free to fellow Championship side Leicester City. He played twenty games over two seasons, scoring a solitary goal, despite a potentially career ending cruciate ligament injury. Having fallen out of favour, he moved to Blackpool on loan before signing permanently in 2006. Sadly, a falling out with the management saw him leave, and he hung up his boots aged 35.

Following retirement, Jason initially took up commentary for Radio Lancashire, however, was given an opportunity with Manchester City as a coach in 2012. He remained with the club right the way through until early 2023, eventually becoming Academy Director in 2017. Wilcox agreed to a new role with Southampton at the turn of the year, to commence in the 2023/24 season. With Saints’ relegation confirmed the job on his hands as Director of Football may be a bit different than envisaged. His experience at the top level and working with global megastars will nevertheless stand him in good stead. He may not have had the international recognition he deserved, but he is held in very high regard as a coach, and will surely continue to have success in the coming years.