Deadline Loan! Wolves Midfielder, Rohan Ricketts Signs

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[Good luck to him. I WAS hoping for a forward...and Gregory himself said a couple of days ago that he would not be making any more loan signings before the deadline!]

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QPR Official Site - RICKETTS SIGNS
Wolverhampton Wanderers attacking midfielder Rohan Ricketts has joined the R's on loan until the end of the season.
The 24 year-old - whose former Clubs include North London duo Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur - will be available for seven of the R's final eight fixtures of the season.
Ricketts - who under the terms of his loan switch will not feature against Mick McCarthy's side at Molineux in the R's penultimate fixture of the season - will wear the number 34 shirt.
Gaffer John Gregory - who beat the Football League loan deadline by minutes to swoop for the versatile midfielder - expressed his delight at the move, telling www.qpr.co.uk: "It's a good deal for both QPR and Rohan.
"He's a decent footballer, with a good pair of legs and he'll be a useful addition to the squad between now and the end of the season.
"He's out of favour at the moment at Wolves, but I've always liked the look of him as a footballer and it's a great opportunity for him.''
Gregory continued: "I've not guaranteed him anything, but he's here for six weeks with the opportunity to help us out at any given stage should we lose one or two due to injury.
"He can play anywhere across the midfield and has experience of playing up-front too. He's one of those players who is capable of turning the game on its head when it's required.''QPR


WOLVES OFFICIAL SITE - Midfielder Out On Loan
Rohan Ricketts has joined Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the season.
The midfielder arrived at Wolves, originally on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, in March 2005 and he signed for the club on a free transfer from White Hart Lane that summer.
He has made 23 first team appearances this season but hasn't featured in a first team game since the FA Cup defeat against West Bromwich at the end of January.
The emergency loan runs through until the 6th May but he will not be eligible to play against Wolves when QPR come to Molineux at the end of April.
Speaking of the move, Rohan said: "I'm not figuring at Wolves at the moment and I'll go to Queens Park Rangers with the aim of helping them keep their Championship status.
"But I'll be keeping a close eye on how things are going at Molineux as the season draws to a close." Wolves

WIKIPEDIA
ohan Ricketts (born 22 December 1982 in Clapham, London) is a professional footballer with Wolverhampton Wanderers. A midfielder, he started out with Arsenal, with whom he won the FA Youth Cup in 2000 and 2001. He made one appearance for The Gunners, in the League Cup, against Manchester United, before making the unusual step of joining Arsenal's rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, in 2002. He didn't play a single game in his first season, but was a first-team regular in 2003-04. Tord Grip was impressed with his ability and there was talk of Rohan being called up to the senior squad but soon as Hoddle left, Rohan found his first team opportunities limited despite being named Player of month in August and September for Tottenham. However, the following season, under Jacques Santini and then Martin Jol, he found appearances harder to come by, and had two loan spells, at Coventry City F.C., and then Wolves, linking up with his former manager, Glenn Hoddle. In the summer of 2005 he moved to Molineux on a permanent basis.
As a boy Ricketts supported Manchester United.
Wikipedia

Career Stats
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QPR Official Site - RICKETTS IN PROFILE
www.qpr.co.uk looks back at the career of the R's latest loan signing, Rohan Ricketts.
Rohan Ricketts began life in the academy at Highbury, before making the breakthrough into the Gunners side during the 2001/02 season.
His debut came as a substitute in the 4-0 demolition of Manchester United in the Worthington Cup.
He was part of the Arsenal team which won the FA Youth Cup in 2001 and was also an England Under-18, Under-20 and Under-21 international.
Out of contract in the summer of 2002, he made the brave switch to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer in a bid to break into first team football on a regular basis. Then manager, Glenn Hoddle, gave Rohan a chance to shine in the first team but he fell out of favour following the manager's dismissal.
The midfielder made eight appearances for Tottenham in all competitions during 2004/05 and spent a month on loan at Coventry in October 2004.
He joined Wolves on loan shortly before the transfer deadline in March 2005, linking up again with Hoddle. He impressed during his short stay at Molineux, making seven appearances and scoring one goal.
He was granted a free transfer from White Hart Lane in the summer of 2005 and became Hoddle's first permanent signing as Wolves boss.
Rohan took a regular place in Wolves' team at the start of 2005/06, but an injury sustained in the game at home to Burnley in September saw him sidelined until shortly before Christmas. But he failed to maintain a regular slot in the team after returning and has since falling down the pecking order under current Wanderers' boss Mick McCarthy. QPR

PROFILE/AUTOBIOGRAPHY FROM ICONS
I was born on December 22, 1982, in Clapham, London. I grew up around Clapham and Stockwell, and I still live there with my family. Although it was quite a rough area, growing up there not only taught me about playing football, it also gave me a mental toughness and inner strength that you need to become a pro footballer.

I grew up playing football around the estates, honing my skills and in general having a great time. I look back and think that it was good for me to grow up where I did. I saw a lot of my friends go off the rails and lose sight of what they wanted to do with their lives, but I was strong, and determined to do more with my life. I realised from a young age that if I wanted to be a professional footballer I would have to make sacrifices.
I saw a lot of my friends go off the rails, but I was strong and was determined to do more with my life.

It also helped that I came from a strong family - my dad, an electrician, always pushed me to do as well as I could, and always encouraged me to follow my dream. I grew up surrounded by football; my dad would show me videos of Brazil and Holland from the Sixties and Seventies. I used to love watching Pele and Johan Cruyff. Although I lived in South London, I supported Manchester United. I remember they had some great players - Paul Ince, Brian McClair, Roy Keane and, the best of all, Eric Cantona. I loved watching Cantona play, the way he turned up his collar, and his aura. He was definitely a player that impressed me.

When I first started playing football I would try to copy the styles of the players I saw on videos and on television. I played for my primary school and it was whilst playing in a South London Schools five-a-side tournament that I first got spotted. Six of us from the same schools side were asked to go and train at Arsenal. At the time I was 10 years old.

Once I began training at Arsenal I really felt at home there. Although I received other offers, from clubs such as Chelsea, Wimbledon and West Ham, I was never tempted to leave. Although I was training at Arsenal and enjoying my time there, it wasn't until the age of 14 that I really began to take my football seriously.

One of the coaches at Arsenal was a guy called Neil Banfield, and he first made me realise what I could achieve in football. He spent a lot of time with me helping me develop my footballing skills and also focusing my mind on becoming a footballer. He helped me improve so much that at the age of 14 I was offered a schoolboy contract. I owe a lot to Neil and I have no doubt that he has played a major part in where I am today.

II: WINNING THE FA YOUTH CUP WITH ARSENAL


After signing my schoolboy contract my game continued to improve and at 16 I was offered a two-year full-time contract. This meant that I would be at the Arsenal training centre every day in the pursuit of my dream.

Arsenal, like every other club in the country, run an Under-17 and Under-19 team. I was lucky that everything went so well in my first year at the club that I played predominantly for the Under-19s. This is a great experience because not only does it get you used to playing with boys older and physically stronger than you, it also proves that the coaches have enough faith in your ability as a player. I was never nervous about playing in the older age group, because the way that I look at it, you only get a few chances in football to prove yourself, so you must always be prepared to take them.

Being part of the Under-19s set-up meant that I played in the most prestigious youth competition of all, the FA Youth Cup. Some great players have won this competition, players such as Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. You only get two chances as a player to win this competition and I was fortunate that in my first year we won it. We played against Coventry in the final and to get my hands on the trophy was a very proud moment for me.

I was also fortunate that while I was at Arsenal I became part of the England youth set-up. This is something I enjoy. I love testing myself against the best young players in Europe and I have been to places like Italy and Israel. International football is great because it tests your technique to the limit and also makes you think more about the game.

In my second year at Arsenal I began playing with the reserves. Again, this was a chance to test myself alongside players who have played for the first team. I have played with the likes of Martin Keown, Edu and Ashley Cole. It is great that the coaches at Arsenal had so much faith in me to put me in the reserves. When people such as Don Howe (Head Youth Coach) and Liam Brady (Head Youth Development Officer) tell you what a good player they think you are, it is a huge boost.

III: TURNING PRO
Being at Arsenal was fantastic. They are one of the best clubs in the world. I watched players like Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira in training and I learned a lot from them. Dennis is a player who thinks about the game, while Vieira has enormous presence.

To me though, my role-model at the club was Ashley Cole. He is a player who I have played with and is someone who has been at Arsenal from a young age. He has gone right through the Arsenal youth system and into the first team and is a crucial member of the full England squad. He is a great player.
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