Jobson: Richard Ian (Richard)

1995-1998 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Central Defender

Born: Holderness, East Yorkshire: 09-05-1963

Debut: v Coventry City (h): 28-10-1995

6’1” 13st 5lb (1995)

Although a native of the Hull region, he was brought up in the Derby area and after trials as a fifteen year-old at Birmingham City, he played part-time with Burton Albion, while studying for a Civil Engineering degree at Nottingham University, joining the club in August 1981. When Watford came in with a £22,000 offer for former English Universities’ player Jobson, on 5th November 1982, he cut short his studies to become a professional footballer and helped them to runners-up spot behind Liverpool in his first full season. After not being assured of a first-team spot at Vicarage Road, a £40,000 transfer saw him join his native Hull on 7th February 1985, after scoring four League goals in twenty-eight games, of which two were as a substitute, he also made one substitute appearance in the F.A. Cup two starts in the League Cup and five starts and one game from the bench in other games. He scored seventeen goals in two hundred and nineteen starts and two games from the bench in the League and scored once in thirteen starts in the F.A. Cup, started twelve League Cup games and also started nine other games, a total of eighteen goals in two hundred and fifty-five appearances, for the Tigers. He helped them to promotion from Division Three in 1984-85, but after coming sixth in their first season in the higher Division, it was always a struggle and an annual challenge to avoid relegation, to which they eventually succumbed in 1990-91. However, a £460,000 move to Oldham Athletic on 30th August 1990, which broke the club's transfer record, saw a change of fortunes for Jobson as he gained a Second Division Championship medal in his first season with the Latics, a move which saw him score ten goals in one hundred and eighty-nine League appearances, one of which was as a substitute and score a more goal in nineteen League Cup starts, while also making thirteen starts in the F.A. Cup and four in other games, a total of eleven goals in two hundred and twenty-five appearances. The England Manager Graham Taylor, the man who had sold him at Watford, had called him up for an understrength England squad for the game against Czechoslovakia in Prague on 25th March 1992 and although he never won a full cap, he did make a start for England “B”. His first "B" cap was gained on 24th March 1992 at Ceske Budejovice, where England beat Czechoslovakia "B" and his second came against Russia "B" on 28th April 1992 at the Torpedo Stadium, Moscow, when England "B" drew with the C.I.S "B" 1-1. He almost had a further medal to his collection, as Oldham reached the Semi-Final of the F.A. Cup in 1993-94 and were leading with just a few minutes left on the clock, but Mark Hughes equalised for Manchester United and the Red Devils triumphed 4-1 in the replay. Worse was to follow as the Latics lost their EPL status at the end of the same season. Jobson stayed with Oldham despite their relegation to the lower League, even though they failed to regain theor place in the top flight. On 26th October 1995, he signed for Leeds United for £1million, and managed only a dozen appearances before injury ruled him out for the rest of the season. Howard Wilkinson had tried to sign the England “B” defender fourteen months earlier, but the deal had fallen through because the player had an ankle problem, but after proving his fitness by playing regularly for Oldham, Leeds finally went ahead. His career at Leeds was ruined by injury and after going on loan to Southend United from 21st January 1998 until 8th March 1998 where he scored once in eight League starts, he was allowed to go to Manchester City on a free-transfer on 10th March 1998, where he stayed for over two seasons scoring four times in fifty League games, one of which was from the bench. He also started two F.A. Cup games and played fice League Cup games, one of which was from the bench. He was almost an ever-present and he was a determining influence in City’s promotion campaign of 1999-2000. However, City Manager Joe Royle deemed the thirty-seven year-old Jobson too old for the EPL and he allowed him to go out on loan to Watford for a month from 7th November 2000, where he started two League games. He then allowed him to go on loan to Tranmere Rovers from 29th December 2000 and he had made six starts in the League and four in the F.A. Cup before the Prenton Park side signed him permanently on 1st March 2001. He had hoped to be able to assist Tranmere in their fight to avoid relegation to League Two, but it was not a winning battle. He subsequently made a further eleven starts in the League and one in the F.A. Cup before he was allowed to move to Rochdale on free transfer on 28th September 2001. At Spotland he scored three times in the League in fifty-one starts and two games from the bench, while also starting six games in the F.A. Cup, one in the League Cup and twice in other games for a total of sixty-two games, before retiring on 9th May 2003, as one of the oldest professionals in England, aged almost forty. He was Chairman of the PFA from November 2001 until June 2003. Since retiring as a player, Jobson returned to football as a PFA executive.