A lot of water under the Bridge

Published on Saturday 24 October 2009 19:51

THE MYTH is that Jody Morris was blessed with too much too soon. Having broken into the Chelsea first-team squad aged just 17, the lazy assumption is that he did not have the maturity to deal with the wealth and trappings of life as a Premier League footballer. The real life game of snakes and ladders was due to something else, though. Frustration.

"What I couldn't deal with when I was younger was not playing. From the age of eight until I was 17 I had been playing football every week but then, all of a sudden, I wouldn't even be playing in the reserves because Ruud Gullit wouldn't let players in the first-team squad play in the reserves."

A third or fourth-choice midfielder, he spent his time at Chelsea deputising for the likes of Roberto Di Matteo, Dennis Wise, Didier Deschamps and Emmanuel Petit, as well as close friend Frank Lampard. He contributed to an FA Cup win as well as a raft of Champions League appearances and spent five years in the Premier League. He also earned a Cup Winners Cup medal and a European Super Cup winners' bauble. But he never nailed the thing he desired the most – a regular starting place.

"That's no excuse for some of the stupid things I did but the main thing for me wasn't that I had this money. I didn't know how to deal with the fact I wasn't going to play and, maybe, if I could turn back time I would go back to then and try to stay a bit more focused."

Everyone has moments when a time machine would be handy. Morris used to think he had more than most. But the player who finally quit Chelsea weeks before Roman Abramovich arrived is now happy to focus on the here and now. He says there is no point lamenting the timing of that move. Maybe his career would have taken off, but maybe with even more big names arriving he would have slipped further down the pecking order. He now realises there's no worth in ifs and buts. He is not envious of pals such as "Lamps and Rio (Ferdinand]" who maintained their ascent. He says he is proud of them and they remain engrossed in his life, discussing a St Johnstone v St Mirren match in the same conversation as another Champions League evening.

That's the thing, there will always be reality and perceptions and in the world of football, fame and tabloid notoriety, the two rarely tally. Given the rumours and wariness that accompany the name of Jody Morris down south, the expectation would be a guy full of swagger. But the person is worlds apart from the myth.

He says there is no doubting he did "some stupid things" but the rap sheet shows it was rarely as stupid as the innuendo would have everyone believe. He has made some decisions which could be adjudged poor, others that were just ill-timed. In fact, regardless of the chatter, he is considered a good role model in Perth. Instead of pondering what might have been, he takes everything he can from the positives which bridge the abyss – the education he received at Chelsea and the reinvigorating satisfaction he derives from his current stint at St Johnstone.

Having played with the best, he was smart enough to learn from them. Still a class act when it comes to his passing qualities in the heart of the Perth side, he is as happy as he has been in years and playing as well as he ever has. He has honed the leadership skills and winning desire which he says he was born with but if the winning attitude was always inherent, it was bolstered by the presence of so many kindred spirits at Stamford Bridge. Many had won the World Cup, Morris is the guy who wants to win at everything, even a game of Connect 4. He is also the guy who is not afraid to keep learning, even from players ten years his junior.

"Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride, and I have no problem taking pointers from the young guys here. When I was at Chelsea, I told all of them exactly what I thought and I think they respected me for that but also, without wanting to sound big-headed, I knew the game so I knew what was coming out wasn't rubbish."

The mark of the stars at Stamford Bridge was their willingness to absorb advice from mere mortals. "I think that is the best quality ever, not to feel above anybody even though he is probably the best in the world in his position," a young Morris said of Desailly at the time.

The same praise could be heaped on him now. Signing for First Division St Johnstone in 2008 was a major comedown but he never considered himself too good. He is now reaping the rewards, as are his team-mates who are emulating his dedication to training and soaking up some of those winning vibes.

This week there is the matter of a Co-operative Insurance Cup quarter-final against Dundee United. A comedown from the heady days of Cup Winners Cup finals or Champions League outings, but as important as ever to Morris. "It's one of the things that's changed as I got older, I now appreciate these tournaments and I'm buzzing for these games. These are our Cup Winners Cup games, so we need to treat these as special."

He says the team owe progression to themselves but also to the manager Derek McInnes, who has revived his career, and also reminds him of Gianluca Vialli in his approach. "They are a similar age and went into management straight from playing. Vialli was liked, he wanted training to be up-tempo, wanted the boys to enjoy (it] but work hard. He was driven – really, really driven – and no-one wanted to win more than him and our gaffer is like that, and they are alike in the way they want to play the game. They want it played properly but you also have to muck in."

If all this delivers a cup final at Hampden, he is hopeful some of his pals will make their way north. "Some of them have busy schedules so we will have to see but they try to watch me when they can. We all support each other. It doesn't matter if it's Champions League, pub league or me playing up here, that's what real pals do."