Nearly a decade has past since Rob Jones’ world was turned upside down.
In the summer of 1999, the Liverpool defender was forced to hang up his boots after admitting defeat in his battle to overcome a serious knee injury.
At the age of 27 a player widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in Premier League history should have been in his prime, but instead he was facing up to life away from football.
It was a shattering blow for the boyhood Reds fan and one which took him a while to bounce back from.
“The first six months were really tough,” he said. “You never think something like that will happen to you and when I finished playing it was difficult to take.
“Some players in that position spend all their time down the pub and their life goes downhill. But I was lucky to have a good family behind me.
“My wife gave me a kick up the backside and told me to stop moping around.
“I soon realised it wasn’t the end of the world and there’s more to life than football. You have to get on with it and things have worked out well.”
Over the past decade Jones, who lives in Warrington, has made the transition from footballer to successful businessmen.
In 2001, together with wife Sue, he launched the Kids Academy Nursery Group and the company has gone from strength to strength.
“My wife had always been interested in childcare and after I finished playing she went to college to learn more about it,” he said.
“I went looking for properties and found one in Stockton Heath. Everything fell into place. We set up a nursery and it was very successful.
“We ended up selling that and with the money we were able to open more nurseries.
“We’ve now got four nursery schools and we’re also launching two adult care homes.
“At the start, I was hands on, but now my wife deals with the day to day running. I’m always there to help out but a lot of my time is spent looking after our three kids.”
Jones has also launched a comeback of sorts with the Liverpool Legends side.
“I’m off to Norway this weekend and it’s always great to see the lads again,” said the 37-year-old. “Manchester United are also sending a team over so it should be a good occasion.
“I try to get to the gym a few times a week to strengthen the knee and it’s been holding up okay. The games aren’t that competitive and I can just about manage half an hour each way. The knee swells up a bit, but it’s worth it.”
Jones enjoyed a remarkable rise up the ranks after Liverpool boss Graeme Souness spotted him playing for Crewe in October 1991.
He was signed for £300,000 and made his Reds debut 48 hours later in a goalless draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The following February he was handed his England bow against France and in May helped Liverpool clinch the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley.
“It was an unbelievable time for me,” he said. “I remember playing for Crewe on the Wednesday and Souness was at the game with chief scout Tom Saunders.
“They were there to watch a lad called Steve Walters, who had played for England Schoolboys.
“Next thing, I got a phone call on the Thursday from Crewe boss Dario Gradi to say Souness wanted to see me at Melwood on Friday. I was shocked.
“That weekend I should have been playing Darlington away in the old Third Division, but instead I played for Liverpool at Old Trafford.
“In the space of a few months I went from Crewe to playing for Liverpool, England and winning the FA Cup.
“I had some great days in football but nothing beats the day I signed for Liverpool. I supported the club as a kid and my granddad, Bill, played for the club in the 1940s and 50s.
“To realise that dream was a massive achievement.”
Jones continued to be a regular after Roy Evans took over from Souness in 1994 and he played in the League Cup final victory over Bolton a year later.
However, his injury problems started to mount. Shin splints had kept him out of Euro 92 and he missed Euro 96 on home soil with a cracked vertebra.
The back injury sidelined him for most of the following season and when he returned he was plagued by a persistent knee problem.
The last of his 243 appearances for the Reds was at Chelsea in April 1998.
After his contract expired in 1999, he went on trial to West Ham, but after playing just one Intertoto Cup match he had to pack it in.
Jones said: “I didn’t want to finish and kept on trying, hoping the next operation would finally sort it.
“I gave up counting how many operations I had but in the end I had to accept it wasn’t to be.
“It was an injury to my patella tendon and the problem kept coming back.
“They can do amazing things with cruciates these days but this is an injury that surgeons still can’t seem to put right.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Owen Hargreaves have had the same problem. If it flares up they struggle to get the inflammation down and the knee just gets weaker and weaker.”
After retiring, Jones initially found it tough going back to Anfield, but recently his love for the Reds has been rekindled.
“I didn’t really go for a couple of years,” he revealed. “I just didn’t enjoy it. I loved playing but when I was there watching I always wished I was still out there.
“But my son Declan, who is seven, plays for a junior team and about 18 months ago he asked me to start taking him to matches.
“He’s seen a couple of my old games on LFC TV but I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet that I played for the club. He looks a bit confused when people stop me for an autograph because to him I’m just dad.
“I took him to the FA Cup game against Everton last weekend and now I get back to Anfield whenever I can. It’s always good to see old friends and catch up with people.”
Jones is happy with his lot and resists the temptation to wonder what might have been.
“It is weird to think it’s been 10 years since I played – at 37 some people are just coming to the end of their careers,” he added.
“These days I never look back. You’ve got to look on the bright side and I enjoyed my time at Liverpool. I achieved quite a lot in a short space of time and I’m proud of that.”
In the summer of 1999, the Liverpool defender was forced to hang up his boots after admitting defeat in his battle to overcome a serious knee injury.
At the age of 27 a player widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in Premier League history should have been in his prime, but instead he was facing up to life away from football.
It was a shattering blow for the boyhood Reds fan and one which took him a while to bounce back from.
“The first six months were really tough,” he said. “You never think something like that will happen to you and when I finished playing it was difficult to take.
“Some players in that position spend all their time down the pub and their life goes downhill. But I was lucky to have a good family behind me.
“My wife gave me a kick up the backside and told me to stop moping around.
“I soon realised it wasn’t the end of the world and there’s more to life than football. You have to get on with it and things have worked out well.”
Over the past decade Jones, who lives in Warrington, has made the transition from footballer to successful businessmen.
In 2001, together with wife Sue, he launched the Kids Academy Nursery Group and the company has gone from strength to strength.
“My wife had always been interested in childcare and after I finished playing she went to college to learn more about it,” he said.
“I went looking for properties and found one in Stockton Heath. Everything fell into place. We set up a nursery and it was very successful.
“We ended up selling that and with the money we were able to open more nurseries.
“We’ve now got four nursery schools and we’re also launching two adult care homes.
“At the start, I was hands on, but now my wife deals with the day to day running. I’m always there to help out but a lot of my time is spent looking after our three kids.”
Jones has also launched a comeback of sorts with the Liverpool Legends side.
“I’m off to Norway this weekend and it’s always great to see the lads again,” said the 37-year-old. “Manchester United are also sending a team over so it should be a good occasion.
“I try to get to the gym a few times a week to strengthen the knee and it’s been holding up okay. The games aren’t that competitive and I can just about manage half an hour each way. The knee swells up a bit, but it’s worth it.”
Jones enjoyed a remarkable rise up the ranks after Liverpool boss Graeme Souness spotted him playing for Crewe in October 1991.
He was signed for £300,000 and made his Reds debut 48 hours later in a goalless draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The following February he was handed his England bow against France and in May helped Liverpool clinch the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley.
“It was an unbelievable time for me,” he said. “I remember playing for Crewe on the Wednesday and Souness was at the game with chief scout Tom Saunders.
“They were there to watch a lad called Steve Walters, who had played for England Schoolboys.
“Next thing, I got a phone call on the Thursday from Crewe boss Dario Gradi to say Souness wanted to see me at Melwood on Friday. I was shocked.
“That weekend I should have been playing Darlington away in the old Third Division, but instead I played for Liverpool at Old Trafford.
“In the space of a few months I went from Crewe to playing for Liverpool, England and winning the FA Cup.
“I had some great days in football but nothing beats the day I signed for Liverpool. I supported the club as a kid and my granddad, Bill, played for the club in the 1940s and 50s.
“To realise that dream was a massive achievement.”
Jones continued to be a regular after Roy Evans took over from Souness in 1994 and he played in the League Cup final victory over Bolton a year later.
However, his injury problems started to mount. Shin splints had kept him out of Euro 92 and he missed Euro 96 on home soil with a cracked vertebra.
The back injury sidelined him for most of the following season and when he returned he was plagued by a persistent knee problem.
The last of his 243 appearances for the Reds was at Chelsea in April 1998.
After his contract expired in 1999, he went on trial to West Ham, but after playing just one Intertoto Cup match he had to pack it in.
Jones said: “I didn’t want to finish and kept on trying, hoping the next operation would finally sort it.
“I gave up counting how many operations I had but in the end I had to accept it wasn’t to be.
“It was an injury to my patella tendon and the problem kept coming back.
“They can do amazing things with cruciates these days but this is an injury that surgeons still can’t seem to put right.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Owen Hargreaves have had the same problem. If it flares up they struggle to get the inflammation down and the knee just gets weaker and weaker.”
After retiring, Jones initially found it tough going back to Anfield, but recently his love for the Reds has been rekindled.
“I didn’t really go for a couple of years,” he revealed. “I just didn’t enjoy it. I loved playing but when I was there watching I always wished I was still out there.
“But my son Declan, who is seven, plays for a junior team and about 18 months ago he asked me to start taking him to matches.
“He’s seen a couple of my old games on LFC TV but I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet that I played for the club. He looks a bit confused when people stop me for an autograph because to him I’m just dad.
“I took him to the FA Cup game against Everton last weekend and now I get back to Anfield whenever I can. It’s always good to see old friends and catch up with people.”
Jones is happy with his lot and resists the temptation to wonder what might have been.
“It is weird to think it’s been 10 years since I played – at 37 some people are just coming to the end of their careers,” he added.
“These days I never look back. You’ve got to look on the bright side and I enjoyed my time at Liverpool. I achieved quite a lot in a short space of time and I’m proud of that.”
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