Author Description

Neil "Razor" Ruddock has had a chequered career since he left school at 16 to sign for his local club, Millwall, where he came under the tutelage of George Graham and was a team-mate of Teddy Sheringham. Two years later he got his big break at Southampton, refining a reputation as a tough defender and a player not be messed with. Spurs boss Terry Venables paid #2 million to bring Ruddock to White Hart Lane, but a bust-up with Alan Sugar after Venables's departure meant his days at the club were numbered. In 1993, Graeme Souness persuaded him north to join Liverpool. However, in the summer of 1998 his flagging career received a massive boost when he signed for West Ham, where he now finds himself in partnership with the likes of Ian Wright and Rio Ferdinand. This is his story.