Rod Ruddick: An appreciation

Were it not for the work of Rod Ruddick, though, that list may not have been quite so impressive.

It was with great sadness that the club learned of Rod’s passing late last month at the age of 80, but the remarkable legacy that he leaves as one of the most influential scouts in its history will live on forever.

He was, after all, the man who spotted and recommended a nine-year-old Gareth Bale to the club, and who would later play a crucial role in convincing them not to release the young Welshman as a teenager.

That alone would be enough for anyone to cement a special place in Saints folklore. Yet the list of notable young players whose careers Rod played such an important part in feels almost endless.

It features the likes of club legend Jason Dodd – “I would not have had a career if it wasn’t for Rod, simple as that.” – as well as current Saints defender Jack Stephens and countless others in between, including Nathan Dyer, Sam Gallagher, Martin Cranie and many, many more.

Gareth Bale was one of the young talents recommended to the club by Rod Ruddick

His association with the club began in the 1980s as a part-time scout, before he became the long-time manager of the Bath Satellite Academy that played such an important role in the club’s famed youth development, before working as part of the youth recruitment team in various guises until 2020.

Dodd, who would end up becoming Southampton captain and making 483 appearances for the club, is one of the players who feels he owes a debt of gratitude to Rod.

“I was at Bath City and wasn’t picked up by anybody,” he said. “I was 18 and I’d sort of missed the boat on youth football a bit. But Rod was the driving force that got me the trial down here for six weeks. I wasn’t sure about it, but he was instrumental in saying ‘You’ve got to give it a go, I believe in you’ and luckily for me Chris Nicholl, the manager at the time, also believed in me.

“Because of Rod I got to come down and earned a professional contract. I was just lucky I had someone like Rod who believed in me, pushed me and helped me fulfil a dream I didn’t think I would be able to.”

Jack Stephens was another who credits the influence of Rod on his career.

"I think I was about 11 or 12, playing in a tournament for my school, and Rod was there working as a scout for Southampton and he spoke to my dad and obviously realised it was too far for me to come for a trial, so he spoke to someone he knew at Plymouth and got me a trial there,” he said.

A young Jack Stephens in action for Saints in 2012. Eleven years on, he's the new club captain

“He was a massive part of me eventually coming here, but originally going to Plymouth, so I've got a lot to owe Rod for.

"He had so much passion for his job. He loved scouting and watching games. You could just see how proud he was that he was able to find so many players that could help this football club and other football clubs as well. There's hundreds that he's probably had a big influence on.

"He was a brilliant, brilliant scout, but just an even better bloke. A real nice man who had time for everyone. Just an all-round brilliant guy.”

Dodd echoed those thoughts, saying: “He was a friend and was someone you could rely on. He was just a lovely man. He was very, very good at what he did and it’s not a surprise he was instrumental in getting numerous players professional deals and helping them make a living out of football.”

In December 2021, Rod was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, before passing away recently, with his funeral held earlier this week.

His daughter, Tina, who helped care for him, said the outpouring of emotion had been of immense comfort to the family.

“It’s meant so much,” she said. “I’ve got two boys and when they started reading the responses and the respect he was held in, it was really quite emotional for all of us.

“It was his life, completely his life. He took so much joy out of it and was so passionate about it. But he was extremely modest too, so I think we only really knew the half of it.

“We are all really, really proud of him.”

ROD RUDDICK

Donations to the Combe Lea Residential Care Home, in Midsomer Norton, where Rod was cared for, are being accepted c/o B H Mears Funeral Directors, Pows Orchard, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2HY.