Phil Jagielka gives honest take on Royston Drenthe's notorious hot tub stunt at Everton
Phil Jagielka turned to Royston Drenthe as he explains the challenges of being a captain when players go 'rogue'
Phil Jagielka has opened up on being the Everton captain who had to deal with Royston Drenthe’s infamous behaviour.
The Real Madrid loanee’s time on Merseyside has gained notoriety - partly because of Tim Howard’s revelations the winger turned up to the training ground in the middle of the night to try and use the jacuzzi with guests.
Jagielka had the armband at the time and remembers it well. But while that brought responsibility when it came to dealing with Drenthe, he said, the conduct was so extreme it ultimately fell beyond his remit.
Speaking with Kyle Walker on the Manchester City defender’s podcast, the pair discussed the challenges of playing a leadership role when players are causing issues in the squad.
Jagielka said: “[It is tough when] you either get a bad period, or when people start doubting, or you get a rogue player who doesn’t want to be on time.”
Asked for an example, he said: “The easiest one is Royston Drenthe. We’ve all heard stories about him. When someone wants to come to the training ground at 2am to use the jacuzzi for the wrong reasons…
“The funny thing was he was so miles off it, it was nothing to do with me. I think there are certain elements the captain has control over, [for instance] if you’ve been late a couple of times.”
Drenthe had a fractured relationship with then boss David Moyes during his stint as a Blue at during the 2011/12 campaign.
The Dutchman initially impressed, one of his early goals a stunning effort at Fulham. But the relationship soured over the months and the following April he was omitted for the FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool due to a discipline issue.
Recalling Drenthe’s spell, Howard said back in 2021: “We had some wrong'uns at Everton as well, and those are the ones that stood out more than anything. One was horrific, Royston Drenthe. We're Everton, rolled sleeves up, worker bees.
“In comes Royston in Rolls-Royces to training, bowls in with his shoes untied, he has to run the perimeter of the training ground because he's always late, his eyes were half open... you were just at Real Madrid, what are you doing here? This is weird.
“I guess he'd never heard of CCTV and he ended up coming to the training ground in the middle of the night with friends, and they're in the hot tub... you're just thinking: 'You're at the wrong club here mate’.”
Drenthe himself has spoken about his time at Everton - including the hot tub drama. Last year, he said: “The real story ended up being blown up massively and turned into something which wasn't true. Yes, I went to Finch Farm in the early hours, but only ever with friends and family who were coming over to see me. I didn't see anything wrong with it at all.”
But with the benefit of hindsight the player, who ended up playing in Russia before stints at Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, admitted he was out of order.
Drenthe, who returned to the Netherlands before retiring last year, added: "A lot has been made in the past of my time at the club, and the kind of character I was when I joined, and people know all about my relationship with David Moyes - especially while I was a player at Goodison Park.
“I think back now with a completely different mindset, though. As a 36-year-old, I can understand and appreciate the job he was doing and how I thought back when I was 25 perhaps wasn't always right.
"Back then, I was firmly of the belief that Moyes was simply out to prove to the other players that he could get under my skin. We'd argue and I'd just think 'what the f***?' 'Is he taking the p***?'.
“And while there are certain occasions where I can say I still feel I was in the right, on the whole I'd say he was. Ultimately, he wanted to get the best out of me as a player, he wanted to help me, I just couldn't see that at the time. But people change, and I can look back now a lot older and wiser, and I can understand why he did what he did with me."