Jack Hobbs (footballer)

Lincoln City

Hobbs was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, He progressed through the youth set-up and, at the age of 14, scored his first goal in his fourth appearance for the Lincoln City U19 side in a 1–1 draw with Bradford City U19 on 22 March 2003. In March 2004 he accepted a three-year scholarship with the Imps, commencing at the start of the 2004–05 season. He made his league debut on 15 August 2005 against Bristol Rovers, coming as a substitute for Matthew Bloomer. At 16 years and 149 days, he became the youngest ever debutant for the club.

Liverpool

At the end of the season, Hobbs was linked with a move to the Premier League with Arsenal. However the deal fell through because of the club demanding the removal of a sell-on clause from the transfer deal. Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers also expressed their desire to sign the defender. He finally signed for Liverpool on his 17th birthday on 18 August 2005. About the transfer he commented that he was "pinching himself and it is a real opportunity for" him to represent the club. He made his debut for the reserves in a 2–3 defeat at the hands of Everton. Praising his performance, coach Hughie McAuley said that he played "very well". He was also a part of the reserve squad which won the 2006 FA Youth Cup by defeating Manchester City 3–2 in the final. In a friendly match against German club 1.FC Kaiserslautern in June 2006, Hobbs did an "error", which allowed Ricardo Villar to score past goalie Jerzy Dudek. Hobbs was deployed in the back alongside Gabriel Paletta in the following friendly against Grasshopper Club Zurich. Liverpool Echo wrote that he "made a spirited recovery" and was "blameless on this occasion".

Hobbs made his debut against Reading in the Football League Cup on 25 September 2007, coming as a substitute in the 4–3 win. Hobbs later made his first full debut with Liverpool against Cardiff City in the League Cup on 31 October 2007, playing all 90 minutes and gaining praise from pundits and teammates for his composed performance. On 2 December, Hobbs made his league debut against Bolton, replacing Jamie Carragher in the home match. He made his first start for the team a week later, in an away match to Reading. In January 2008, he signed for Championship club Scunthorpe on a loan deal till the end of the season. Manager Nigel Adkins said that Hobbs is a composed player, and they have signed him to retain their Championship status. He scored his first senior goal on 15 February against Stoke City. In his spell with Scunthorpe, Hobbs made nine appearances, scoring one goal.

Leicester City

On 16 May 2008, BBC wrote that Hobbs was indecisive about whether to fight for first team opportunities in Liverpool or to join another club for more playing opportunities. Hobbs said wherever he went, he would look to play first team football. On 25 May, Hobbs signed for League One club Leicester City on a season long loan deal. On joining the club, he said that he wanted to help Leicester to win promotion to the Championship. He made his debut for the club in a pre-season match against Kettering Town, playing 80 minutes of a 4–1 victory. His debut came on 9 August in a 2–0 victory over Milton Keynes Dons, when he came on as a 88th-minute substitute for Aleksander Tunchev. Hobbs scored his first goal on 24 January 2009, scoring the last goal in a 4–2 victory over Huddersfield Town. In February 2009, he was red carded in a match against Bristol Rovers for fouling Darryl Duffy. However the resultant penalty shot of Rickie Lambert was saved by Mark Bunn. Leicester manager Nigel Pearson commented that the decision was unfortunate, as according to him the foul was not intentional. In his first season with the club, besides winning the League One and winning promotion to the Championship, Hobbs was also included in the PFA Team of the Year. He was also voted as the Young Player of the year, as he made 44 appearances, where his team conceded 37 goals.

On 24 April 2009, Hobbs signed permanently with Leicester City, penning a four-year contract. Upon his signature, he said that he believed that with Leicester he could win promotion to the Premier League. He played his first league match against Swansea City in a 2–1 victory. Playing along with Wayne Brown in the centre back position, Hobbs missed two league games in the 2008–09 season and made a total of 49 appearances. At the end of the season, he won the Player of the Year award, and also shared the Players's Player award along with Andy King. On winning the Player of the Year award, Hobbs said that he was "honoured to win" that "prestigious award".

Hull City

In the 2010–11 season, Hobbs started 23 times for Leicester City. However, with the arrival of Sol Bamba, he found his playing time increasingly limited. With the speculation of Leicester signing Chelsea defender Jeffrey Bruma on loan, new manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said that he could join another club. But after having played 30 times for the club, Hobbs joined Hull City in a season long loan deal. He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 away win against Derby County. Failing to break in the first team due to competition from James Chester and Anthony Gerrard, he expressed his desire to return to Leicester once the loan spell ended. Nevertheless, he made 13 appearances for the club in his loan spell.

On 23 July, Hobbs signed permanently for the club, penning a contract keeping him at the club till 2014. On joining the club, he said that he was delighted to be a Hull City player He was also appointed as the club captain for the 2011–12 season. He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 defeat against Blackpool coming as a 87th-minute substitute for Matty Fryatt. On 11 February, he scored his first league goal in three years in a 3–0 victory over Bristol City heading a Robert Koren cross from the penalty box. In the following month, in a match against Coventry City, he injured himself while tackling Alex Nimely in the stoppage time of the first half, and was taken out of the match. He was substituted by debutant Sonny Bradley. However, two days later, it was announced that he was ruled out of the rest of the season owing to the knee injury sustained in the match. With his injury along with Joe Dudgeon ruled out of the season due to a hamstring injury and James Chester struggling with the same problem, Hull City found themselves in a difficult situation.

Recovering from injury, Hobbs played his first match in November 2012, in a reserve team match against Peterborough. On 9 December, his first league match came in a 2–1 defeat against Watford, pairing with Alex Bruce at the centre back position. After this match, he started in a match against Huddersfield Town. Praising Hobbs for his fitness even after not playing eight months for an injury, Hull Daily Mail wrote that he was "the professional of the professionals". He played 22 times for the club in the season, which saw Hull City getting promoted to the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest

After Hull City was promoted to the Premier League, the club informed Hobbs that he was no longer a part of their Premier League plans. In July 2013, Sky Sports reported that Nottingham Forest were interested in signing him. He ultimately signed a loan deal with Nottingham Forest, with a condition that the deal will turn to permanent at the end of the 2013–14 season, with Hobbs signing a two-year contract. Manager Billy Davies said that he was pleased to bring Hobbs to the club. Hobbs said that it would be an honour for him "to play for a club the size of Nottingham Forest". He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 victory over Huddersfield Town, where he blocked a strike of opposition striker James Vaughan. He scored his first goal on 28 September in a 1–0 victory over Derby County heading a corner strike of Andy Reid before half time. This goal was voted as the Bed Chambers Dream Moment of the Month for the month of September. However, on 24 January 2014, he was recalled by Hull due to an injury to defender James Chester. However, on the deadline day of the transfer window, (31 January), Hobbs signed permanently for Nottingham Forest on a four and a half year contract in a deal reported by Sky Sports "close to £1million". He said that he was thrilled and always wanted to play for this club. After signing permanently for the club, he could play twice before being ruled out of the rest of the season due to an ankle fracture in March.

In August 2014, Hobbs played his first match after injury in the reserve team 0–0 draw against Burton Albion. However, he injured himself during the East Midlands derby in September. In the following month he had a surgery which ruled him out of action for three months.

International career

On 18 March 2010, it was announced that England U21 manager Stuart Pearce was looking to give him a call to the squad. He has been described by him and his coaches as a fantastic young prospect, who will be capable of Premier League Football in the future.

Career statistics

Honours