Yet the permanence of Morris' stay at Elland Road was limited — on 13 March he moved to Rotherham on a free transfer after Leeds decided against keeping him on after he failed to land a regular place in the side, although he did make 11 starts and one substitute appearance for the club. The truth was that Morris' position became unsustainable after he was charged with rape in November, though the charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in January.

It was a sad demise for a tenacious midfielder with outstanding passing abilities, who had been expected to win England honours when he first emerged onto the scene.

Morris, born in Fulham, signed for Chelsea in 1995 after graduating through their youth system, alongside close friend John Terry. He became the youngest player to ever play in the Premier League fo

Chelsea when he debuted at the age of 17 years and 43 days as a substitute for John Spencer in a 5-0 rout of Middlesbrough on 4 February 1996. 'Glenn Hoddle gave me my debut and it was Glenn who, two years before that when he first came in, started making big changes at the club — around nutrition, how to live your life, bringing things he'd learned when he spent his time playing in France,' explains Morris. 'He started the ball rolling, making big shifts in the culture of Chelsea. Especially at the training ground, which was the most important thing, because the way people were living at that time was a little bit different compared to what you expect nowadays. It was a bit of a shift but when you're signing players of the ilk of Mark Hughes, Ruud Gullit and players like that, who have been abroad and know what it's like in a culture that was more suited to athletes, the message hits home a little bit better. It was an adaptable time for quite a few of us, especially me, being young. It was about taking onboard new methods and new ideas. Things like masseurs, nutritionists, reflexologists, the training periods were different too. We were at least five years ahead of what the rest of the Premier League started doing.

'When I was in the youth team, us young players were given a voucher we could use in a kebab shop at Fulham Broadway that Chelsea had a deal with. It was good we didn't have to buy food, but it was a kebab shop! Going from that to where things were even 18 months later showed the amount that went into it. Before then we never used to eat after training or have any food available at the training ground, let alone proper food. But because I was young, I would just do what I was told, before and after it changed. I was just happy that we could eat at the training ground rather than having to go back to Fulham after training in Harlington to cash in my voucher at the kebab shop!'

Although he failed to feature again that season, his career began to take off when Glenn Hoddle left Chelsea to become manager of the England national team after Euro 96. Star Dutch midfielder Ruud Gullit stepped up from the ranks to become player-manager and brought Morris of the bench in the opening fixture, a goalless draw at Southampton. Morris did well enough to start the following game, at the Bridge, where Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 1-0.

A broken jaw kept Morris out of the team until March but he was named the club's Young Player of the Year.

'The fact we had foreigners coming in, it was hard for me at times, because I was thinking I won't be able to get a game if we keep signing all these players. But on the flip side, I was learning from some of the best players in the world.

'Other players might be playing a lot more regularly than me at other clubs, but they're not getting the same education with the level of player I was playing with. It was a bit of a flip-of-the-coin situation, but I appreciated the fact I was playing with top-level players.

'I'm only human, though, and I did have an element of resentment, purely from a natural perspective, when I was looking at players playing regularly at other clubs I knew I was better than. I wasn't playing as much as I thought my talent deserved as a homegrown player. Would I have played more games if the foreign players hadn't come in? Absolutely, a bundle more, and maybe things would have turned out differently. But the fact is I was lucky to play under someone like Glenn who gave me my debut so early, in a continental style. I can't have it both ways - that's just the way of the world. I've got great memories of working with unbelievable foreign players and I learned a lot from them. Not just on the pitch but off the pitch, too. None more so than Vialli, who I was lucky enough to be a roommate with. I was truly lucky to be around those players.'

Chelsea won the Coca Cola and Cup Winners' Cups in 1998, but Morris made just one start in each competition. He performed superbly in the second leg of Chelsea's European semi-final against Vicenza as they overturned a 1-0 deficit to reach the final in Stockholm. He was a non-playing substitute in the final when Chelsea beat Stuttgart 1-0.

Xavi named Morris as his 'toughest opponent' from when Barcelona played Chelsea in April 2000 before Pep Guardiola came back to mastermind a 5-1 victory at the Nou Camp in the second leg.

He was a late substitute in the 2000 FA Cup Final when Chelsea beat Aston Villa and there were many who talked of Morris' potential as a future England international, but he lost his way, mainly because of off-field controversies.

When Claudio Ranieri took over from Vialli as Chelsea boss in September 2000, Morris' first-team opportunities diminished, and he was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, including being reunited with his former England under-21 manager Peter Taylor at Leicester. Morris never regained his position as a first-team regular and that sparked frustrations and incidents away from the pitch.

Morris was criticised by Chelsea chairman Ken Bates for his dietary habits, after he was caught eating a hamburger in an airport lounge before a European game. There were also revelations in the summer of 2000 which suggested that Morris, along with Michael Duberry, Rio Ferdinand and Kieron Dyer amongst others spent their holidays in Ayia Napa drinking and partying until the early hours.

back to top

In 2001, Terry, Morris, Frank Lampard, and Eidur Gudjohnsen — the 'Chelsea Four' — were fined two weeks' wages for drunkenly hurling abuse, stripping and vomiting in a hotel near Heathrow shortly after the September 11 tragedy.

Terry and Morris were charged with affray and actual bodily harm, along with Wimbledon's Desmond Byrne, following an alleged incident at a west London nightclub in 2002.

The pair were fined two weeks' wages for breaching Chelsea's code of conduct by being on licensed premises two days before a game.

Managing director Colin Hutchinson said, 'John Terry and Jody Morris broke club rules by being in a nightclub at 1.30am, less than 48 hours before a match. We are carrying out our own investigation. They are due to appear in court tomorrow morning. For the moment, we will follow the guideline of innocent until proven guilty.

'We are already dealing with the matter of the curfew. Claudio and I will also be sitting down over the next few days with John and Jody Morris and spelling out the facts of life. They will both be fined the maximum possible, which is two weeks' wages.'

Terry and Morris were cleared of sparking a brawl and Terry was cleared of glassing a nightclub bouncer.

'I had a bad reputation years ago,' admits Morris. 'I was young and made silly mistakes but the stuff about 9/11 was made up. It was just lies. Don't get me wrong, I didn't help myself when I was younger, but once you get that reputation it is hard to shake off. Sometimes you just need someone to give you a break.'

Morris was offered a new five-year contract with Chelsea in 2003 but chose to turn it down, in the hope and expectation of a more lucrative contract elsewhere.

'I had met with Graeme Souness, who was at Blackburn at the time, and we shook hands on a deal,' said Morris. 'I was going to play every week, but that ended up falling through. I'd love to be able to tell you why. I ended up signing for Leeds, then within three months Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea. Great decision, Jody.'

The former Chelsea midfielder had been set for a move to Cardiff City, however Leeds manager Peter Reid made a late bid in August 2003 and hijacked the deal.

After signing a two-year contract, Morris told the media, 'I am delighted to be joining Leeds United. It's a great move for me. Obviously, everyone is aware that Leeds United are trying to rebuild for the future and I hope I can play my part. I am looking forward to doing so.'

Morris had a decent start to the season and seemed to have pinned down a role as a key man, though Leeds won just one of their opening six games.

The poor start cost Reid his job in November with Leeds bottom of the table, but Morris had his own issues. He was charged with raping a 20-year-old woman, who alleged she was attacked in a lay-by on the A58 between Leeds and Wetherby in the early hours of 7 October. Morris and co-defendant Kristofer Dickie were said to have been for a night out with friends in Leeds before the attack was alleged to have happened.

Morris was arrested the following day at Leeds' Thorp Arch training ground and questioned for 30 hours before being bailed by police. On 18 November, he and Dickie were called back to Chapeltown police station and charged. Jermaine Pennant also spoke to police but was never charged.

back to top

After his initial arrest, Morris was suspended by Leeds but later returned to training.

The case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in March. The case against Dickie was also dropped after new forensic evidence came to light.

Morris was only two games short of being awarded a contract extension, but Leeds chose to terminate his contract.

Morris played just ten games for Rotherham before he moved on to Millwall, where he stayed until 2007.

He spent some time in Scotland with St Johnstone, where he played in the club's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers in April 2008. Morris signed a two-year deal with the Perth side at the end of the season. He was part of the title-winning team that in May 2009 gained promotion to the Scottish Premier League after a seven-year absence. Morris signed a new contract with Saints in October 2009. When manager Derek McInnes left the club to manage Bristol City in October 2011, Morris assisted caretaker manager Alec Cleland with the coaching of the squad before reuniting him with McInnes at Bristol City. Morris' contract was terminated in January 2013 after only four league appearances.

Morris returned to Chelsea, initially to help coach the Under-21 squad. The team won the FA Youth Cup for the fifth successive time in 2018. They won the treble in 2016/17 and the quadruple in 2017/18.

Morris quit Chelsea in 2018 to work as assistant to former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard at Derby County.

At the end of the season, Derby qualified for the Championship play-offs after coming sixth in the league. In the semi-finals, they shocked Leeds by overturning a first-leg deficit with a 4-2 win at Elland Road. This took them through to the final against Aston Villa which Derby lost 2-1.

Morris returned to Chelsea in July 2019 as part of the first-team coaching staff following the appointment of Lampard as head coach. They finished fourth in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League. The following season, Morris left Chelsea in January 2021 after Lampard was sacked.

In January 2023, Morris was appointed manager of Swindon Town on a two-and-a-half year contract but he was sacked after only 18 games.