da bwin： If there is one player that divides opinion amongst football fans then it is none other than winger, Wayne Routledge. When my beloved Queens Park Rangers sold him to fellow Championship side Newcastle United last January – I was deeply disappointed. However, a year later and Routledge has made a return to the R’s on loan after failing to establish himself for the Toon Army in the Premier League. It begs the question, is Routledge just an effective Championship player or can he become an established in the top flight?
da luck： South London born Routledge first came on the scene at Crystal Palace as an exciting young winger making his debut at only 16 years of age back in 2001. After four seasons at the club, Wayne enjoyed promotion to the Premier League where he was able to test his skills down the flanks against some of the best defenders. It did enough to attract interest from Tottenham Hotspur who signed him in 2005 but his big move took a blow after suffering a broken foot on his league debut.
He struggled to break into the Spurs side after that injury and was loaned out to Portsmouth and Fulham over the next season and a half. His impressive displays on loan earned him another move to Aston Villa but yet again failed to break into the first team and another loan move, this time to Cardiff, helped him pick up his career again.
Rangers were able to out bid Cardiff in signing Routledge on a permanent deal and it was at QPR in the Championship that Routledge was able to establish himself as a first team regular for the first time since his days at Palace. However, his move a season and half later to Newcastle re-started the trend that suggests Routledge may not be cut out for the Premier League.
He has failed to score a single goal in the top flight despite playing for six clubs. He has also signed for three big clubs like Villa, Spurs and Newcastle and has not been able to become a first team regular. However, Wayne is only 26 and still has some of his best years ahead of him. He was unlucky to not be given a better chance at Spurs with the immergence of Aaron Lennon, perhaps his former Chairman at Palace, Simon Jordan, was right when he told the player to stay at Palace for more experience instead of the big money move to North London.
Since his return to Loftus Road, Routledge has made an immediate impact by scoring two crucial winners against Coventry and Reading, to keep the Super Hoops at the top of the Championship. When he was sold to Newcastle a year ago, the player did not make any sounds that he wanted to leave and perhaps this is the reason his return has brought out the best in him. He is back at a club that not only feels like home, but is leading the race for promotion to the top flight. Personally, I hope we sign him on a permanent basis in the summer and give him a proper chance to prove himself.
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