Morrison unravels again - A look into Jamaican international’s move from Dutch club ADO Den Haag

The club carousel for national midfielder Ravel Morrison continues to spin, as he looks towards yet another home, after leaving Dutch club ADO Den Haag in early January.

In assessing why his latest stint ended prematurely, Dutch journalist Jim Van der Deijl says that lack of playing opportunities and a head coach that wasn’t pleased with his defensive work contributed to yet another exit for the freshly minted Jamaican international.

“Ravel was dissatisfied with the amount of playing minutes he got. The new trainer did not see it in Ravel either. He though Ravel only thought about attacking and not defending,” Van der Deijl told The Gleaner in a recent interview. “I also understood that he wanted to return to England from time to time but the club didn’t want that because of COVID-19.”

At the time of the 28-year-old’s signing last September, sporting director Martin Jol said that he hoped that the club would be the place that could help the talented player settle in a career that has lacked stability from the moment he left the Manchester United academy.

In the end, Morrison only lasted four months in his one-year contract, the shortest spell that he has spent at a club in a much-travelled career.

Van der Deijl, who reports for Dutch TV channel Omroep West, believes that Morrison’s ineffectiveness in the defensive phase of the game made him a poor overall fit for the Eredivisie cellar-dwellers.

DIFFICULT MARRIAGE

“Ravel is a very good football player for clubs that play offensive football and do not compete against relegation. ADO plays very defensive football and fights against relegation. That made the marriage difficult,” Deijl said. “The times he played, he left a nice impression when it came to attacks.”

The 28-year-old only made five appearances for the club during his stint, four of those being in league play.

Under Ruud Brood, who was appointed last November, he has only played twice out of those five appearances. Additionally, the club has been in a relegation fight for most of the campaign.

It has not been an entirely miserable few months for Morrison, who made his Reggae Boyz debut in impressive fashion last November against Saudi Arabia.

Morrison’s recent exit is the latest chapter in a career that has seen little continuity. He has had previous stints in England, Sweden, and Mexico, with his longest stay being in Italy with Lazio in 2015 for just over a year before several loan moves, even though he was on the Italian club’s books for four years. However, he only made eight appearances in that span. His time in England has been the most productive, in terms of statistics, with his best season coming in the 2013-14 campaign with Championship side Queen’s Park Rangers, scoring six goals and registering two assists in 15 league appearances that year.

Van Der Deijl informed that there is interest from clubs in Turkey and England who are keen on signing Morrison but ultimately, the gamble Den Haag took to acquire him failed.

“I don’t think ADO was the right team for him. And that’s a shame because Ravel’s attacking moments were fun to watch,” Van Der Deijl said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

Morrison’s Moves

(App) (Goals)

2010–2012 Manchester United 0 (0)

2012–2015 West Ham United 18 (3)

2012–2013 Birmingham City (loan) 27 (3)

2014 Queens Park Rangers (loan) 15 (6)

2014 Cardiff City (loan) 7 (0)

2015–2019 Lazio 4 (0)

2017 Queens Park Rangers (loan) 5 (0)

2017–2018 Atlas (loan) 18 (3)

2019 Östersund 6 (0)

2019–2020 Sheffield United 1 (0)

2020 Middlesbrough (loan) 3 (0)

2020–2021 ADO Den Haag 4 (0