Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu

Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu

Personal information
Full name	Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu[1]
Date of birth	17 July 1993[2]
Place of birth	Hendon, England
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing position	Defender / Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Luton Town
Number	17
Youth career
2009–2011	Boreham Wood
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	Boreham Wood	13	(0)
2011–2014	West Ham United	0	(0)
2013	→ Luton Town (loan)	4	(0)
2014–	Luton Town	70	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:44, 26 November 2016 (UTC).

Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (born 17 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League Two club Luton Town. He primarily plays as a central midfielder, but is also able to play as a defender. He bears the name "Mpanzu" on the back of his shirt.

Career

Early career

Born in Hendon, Greater London,^[2] Ruddock Mpanzu began his career in the youth system of Boreham Wood and made 13 first-team appearances.^[2]

West Ham United

Mpanzu moved to West Ham United in December 2011.^[3][4] He was a member of the West Ham team which won the Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy against Espanyol in September 2013 and made his first-team debut on 29 October 2013 in the League Cup in a 2–0 away win over Burnley.^[5][6] West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said of his debut, "This was their big chance. Three players, all defenders, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Dan Potts and Leo Chambers, can feel very proud of themselves, what they've done.^[7]

Luton Town

On 28 November 2013, Ruddock Mpanzu signed on loan for Conference Premier club Luton Town until 4 January 2014.^[8] He made his Luton debut in central defence two days later in a 0–0 draw with Staines Town in the FA Trophy and was named man of the match in the replay, which Luton won 2–0, while playing in central midfield.^[9] He played in central midfield for five further games, all victories, before being recalled back to West Ham's squad on 30 December 2013 due to his parent club's injury crisis.^[10]

After impressing in his seven games for Luton, manager John Still revealed that he was looking to bring Ruddock Mpanzu back to Kenilworth Road.^[10] On 28 January 2014, Ruddock Mpanzu signed permanently for Luton on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, in a transfer described as a "major coup".^[11] He scored his first goal for the club in a 7–0 win over Hereford United on 15 February 2014,^[12] before scoring his second two months later, a "scorching half-volley" in a 2–1 away win over Dartford.^[13] He played 21 league games for the club over the 2013–14 season as Luton won the Conference Premier title and promotion to League Two.^[14] Ruddock Mpanzu said that his decision to leave West Ham and drop down the divisions had been "the right choice"^[15] as he had a winners' medal to justify it.^[15]

Ruddock Mpanzu suffered numerous injuries, including a rare calcification of the hamstring muscle,^[16] over the course of the 2014–15 season and made 18 appearances, of which only 10 were in the starting lineup.^[2] He scored one goal during the campaign; an injury-time equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Bury.^[17]

Style of play

Ruddock Mpanzu has been described as a "powerful"^[18] box-to-box midfielder with "endless energy".^[4][19] Ruddock Mpanzu has stated that central midfield is his natural position, but that he is able to play as a centre-back.^[4]

Career statistics

As of match played 26 November 2016

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Boreham Wood	2011–12[2]	Conference South	13	0	0	0	—		0	0	13	0
West Ham United	2011–12[20]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2012–13[21]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2013–14[22]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Luton Town	2013–14[2]	Conference Premier	21	2	0	0	—		3[lower-alpha 1]	0	24	2
	2014–15[23]	League Two	16	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	18	1
	2015–16[24]	League Two	21	2	0	0	2	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	24	2
	2016–17[25]	League Two	16	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	19	0
	Total		74	5	2	0	5	0	4	0	85	5
Career total			87	5	2	0	6	0	4	0	99	5

1. Appearances in FA Trophy
2. Appearance in Football League Trophy

Honours

Luton Town

• Conference Premier: 2013–14^[2]

Individual

• EFL Cup Team of the Round: 2016–17 (First Round)^[26]

References

1. "EFL: Retained list: 2015/16" (PDF). English Football League. p. 87. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
2. "P. Ruddock". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
3. "Boreham Wood youngster earns professional deal at West Ham United". Borehamwood Times. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
4. "Ruddock adapting to defensive role". West Ham United F.C. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
5. "RCD Espanyol 0–1 West Ham United". West Ham United F.C. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
6. "Burnley 0–2 West Ham United". BBC Sport. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
7. "Allardyce praises West Ham youngsters". ESPN FC. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
8. "West Ham United youngsters Blair Turgott and Pelly Ruddock have joined Colchester United and Luton Town on loan". Epping Guardian. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
9. Simmonds, Mike (3 December 2013). "Goals from Parry and Whalley see Luton remove stubborn Staines". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
10. Wood, Mark (30 December 2013). "Hatters may look to bring someone else in on loan or resurrect deal in the future as Mpanzu is recalled by Hammers". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
11. Wood, Mark (28 January 2014). "Pelly eyes promotion after returning to Luton". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
12. "Luton Town 7–0 Hereford United". BBC Sport. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
13. Simmonds, Mike (1 April 2014). "Hatters stun Dartford with late fightback". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
14. "Luton Town win Conference Premier and Football League spot". BBC Sport. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
15. Simmonds, Mike (23 April 2014). "Pelly's move from Hammers pays off with winners medal". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
16. Cunliffe, James (23 July 2015). "Luton Town: Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu could be fully fit two weeks into season; Mark Tyler return close". Luton On Sunday. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
17. "Luton Town 1–1 Bury". BBC Sport. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
18. Wood, Mark (26 March 2014). "'Crazy' Mpanzu decision can't halt defiant Hatters' march to the title". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
19. Simmonds, Mike (16 December 2013). "Hatters rated against Wrexham". Luton Today. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
20. "Games played by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
21. "Games played by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
22. "Games played by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
23. "Games played by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
24. "Games played by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
25. "Games played by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
26. Butcher, Alex (12 August 2016). "Team of the Round: A selection of stand-out performers in Round One". English Football League. Retrieved 13 August 2016.

External links

• Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu profile at the official Luton Town F.C. website
• Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu career statistics at Soccerbase