Football News: Champ Man Legends Part 10: Francis Jeffers

Francis Jeffers Championship Manager 01/02

Perhaps the ultimate story of failed potential that continues to fail but still remains employed in the game is Francis Jeffers, one-time the ‘fox-in-the-box’ that was to be the final piece in the Arsenal jigsaw. It was a career that promised so much but achieved so much less, all down to his own failings in truth. But, in the late 1990s his star was shining bright as his natural talent shone through and he offered something that was then missing in the English game – he was a natural goalscorer. His story contrasts particularly strongly with that of another Everton youth product, Wayne Rooney, as there are so many comparison points between the two which show how desire to make it can often be the main difference.

Like Rooney, Jeffers was born in Liverpool, in Jeffers case it was 1981 and they both went to De La Salle school in Croxteth, as well as both making their Everton debut at the age of 16. Unlike Rooney, Jeffers was always slight, with a focus on pace and movement, rather than power and strength. Jeffers was seen as a future star early, and at 14 he was picked as one of the select few to go to Lilleshall that year, spending two years there and making himself well known to Everton fans by writing a monthly article in ‘The Evertonian’ charting his progress there and with the England U-16 team. Perhaps that was part of the reason why he was so highly regarded by Everton fans even before he was near the team or perhaps it was just because they were going through a similar period to the one they are currently in, with a team struggling against relegation. Whatever the reason, Jeffers arrival into the first team was hugely anticipated.

In March 1997 he signed YTS (Youth Training Scheme) forms at the Toffees and returned to them from Lilleshall for the following season. The fans did not have long to wait to see him as Howard Kendall brought him on as a half-time substitute for central defender Dave Watson, with Everton 2-0 down at Old Trafford against Manchester United. He was just 16 years old and it was his only appearance of the season. Instead he played a big part in the reserves and under-18s, playing a vital part in Everton’s win in the FA Youth Cup in the 1997-98 season. They beat Blackburn Rovers in the final.

Jeffers was so highly rated that when the Sunday Times Magazine produced a list of people who would be famous in 10 years’ time in May 1998, Francis Jeffers was the…