Jimmy Bullard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jimmy Bullard

Bullard playing for Ipswich Town in 2011
Personal information
Full name	James Richard Bullard
Date of birth	(1978-10-23) 23 October 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	East Ham, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	West Ham United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Corinthian
1997–1998	Dartford
1998–1999	Gravesend & Northfleet	30	(7)
1999–2001	West Ham United	0	(0)
2001–2003	Peterborough United	66	(11)
2003–2006	Wigan Athletic	145	(10)
2006–2009	Fulham	39	(6)
2009–2011	Hull City	23	(7)
2011	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	16	(5)
2011–2012	Ipswich Town	21	(1)
2012	Milton Keynes Dons	2	(0)
Total		342	(47)
Managerial career
2016–2017	Leatherhead
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Richard Bullard (born 23 October 1978), known as Jimmy Bullard, is a former English footballer and coach. He is also a well-known television personality. You might know him as a co-host of the Saturday morning Sky Sports show Soccer AM.

Jimmy played as a midfielder. He started his youth football career at West Ham United. Later, he moved to Gravesend & Northfleet in 1998. After two seasons at Peterborough United, he joined Wigan Athletic. At Wigan, he scored ten goals in 145 league games. He helped the team get promoted to the Premier League for the first time. Jimmy was famous for being a passionate player and for his funny actions on the field. He always played football with a smile. His former manager, Paul Jewell, even called him the "heart and soul" of the team's changing room.

In 2006, Jimmy moved to Fulham, where he scored six goals in 39 league games. He then joined Hull City in 2009. In 2011, he went on loan to Ipswich Town and scored in his first game. He later joined Ipswich permanently. Jimmy finished his playing career at Milton Keynes Dons. On 1 October 2012, he retired from professional football. This was because knee problems made it too hard for him to play multiple games each week. After playing, he managed Leatherhead from September 2016 to May 2017.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Jimmy Bullard was born in East Ham, London. As a child, he played football for his local schools in Bexley and Kent. He began his senior career in non-League football with an amateur club called Corinthian. Then he moved to Dartford, where he played 26 games in the 1997–98 season. After that, he joined Gravesend & Northfleet.

In 1999, Jimmy signed with West Ham United, the team he supported as a boy. The transfer fee was £30,000. However, he didn't get to play for the first team there. He left West Ham on a free transfer at the end of the 2000–01 season. In May 2001, Jimmy signed a three-year contract with Second Division club Peterborough United. He impressed manager Barry Fry with his speed and energy. After playing well for Peterborough, Jimmy moved to Wigan Athletic in January 2003 for £275,000.

Success at Wigan Athletic

Jimmy quickly became an important player for Wigan's first team. In the 2002–03 season, he was even named in the PFA Division Two Team of the Year. He helped Wigan get promoted to the FA Premier League in the 2004–05 season. He also played in the 2006 Football League Cup Final, where Wigan lost 4–0 to Manchester United.

Time at Fulham

Bullard at Fulham with his son in 2008

On 28 April 2006, it was announced that Jimmy would join Fulham after the 2005–06 season. Fulham paid £2.5 million for him. On 16 May, he officially became a Fulham player. Jimmy's first game for Fulham was a 5–1 loss to Manchester United on 20 August. He scored his first goal for Fulham against Bolton Wanderers on 26 August. It was a last-minute penalty kick that made the score 1–1. Three days later, he scored a fantastic 28-yard (26 m) free kick against Sheffield United in a 1–0 win. Fulham's manager, Chris Coleman, praised him, saying he was "the best £2million we've ever spent".

On 9 September, Jimmy injured his knee in a match against Newcastle United. This injury kept him out of the game for a long time. He didn't play for the first team again until 12 January 2008, when he came on as a substitute against West Ham. On 3 February, he came on at half-time in a 2–1 win against Aston Villa. He helped set up the first goal and then scored the winning goal from a 25-yard (23 m) free kick. He won the man of the match award for his performance. Weeks later, he scored a similar free kick against Blackburn Rovers to help Fulham get a draw and stay in the Premier League.

After being out for much of the season, Jimmy's return, along with the team captain, helped Fulham play much better. They moved out of the bottom three with one game left, after a 2–0 win over Birmingham City. After helping Fulham avoid relegation, Jimmy said he wanted to stay loyal to the club.

Bullard playing for Fulham in 2008

At the start of the 2008–09 season, other clubs, including his old team Wigan, were interested in signing Jimmy. However, the new manager, Roy Hodgson, said he would not sell Jimmy because he was a key player. Jimmy thought he was going to sign a new contract with Fulham, but the club said this wasn't true. This made Jimmy "very confused" about his future. Even though he played regularly in the first half of the season, it was reported that Fulham told him he could leave.

Moving to Hull City

On 23 January 2009, Jimmy Bullard joined Hull City for £5 million. This was a record transfer fee for the club. Jimmy explained that he felt Fulham didn't want him anymore. He said Hull showed him they really wanted him, which made the decision easier. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Hull.

Jimmy played his first game for Hull as a substitute on 28 January against West Ham. However, he got a knee injury during the game. This injury kept him out for the rest of the season. He returned to play on 6 October in a reserve team match, scoring a great goal. His first game back with the first team was on 19 October against his old club, Fulham, which Hull lost 2–0. He scored his first goal for Hull, a free kick, against West Ham on 21 November. He also scored his second goal in the same game from a penalty kick. His third goal for Hull was against Manchester City, also from a penalty. His goal celebration was very funny: he wagged his finger at his Hull teammates, who sat down in a circle. This copied Hull manager Phil Brown's famous half-time team talk from the season before. Manager Brown was amused and applauded Jimmy's celebration.

On 5 December, against Aston Villa, Jimmy landed badly after an aerial challenge and injured his knee again. Scans showed he would be out for six to eight weeks. This happened right after he had won the player of the month award. He returned to play for Hull's reserve team in February 2010. On 27 March, he scored a penalty against his former club Fulham, helping Hull win 2–0. His next penalty was against Sunderland on 24 April, but he hit the post. Some Hull fans were unhappy, as they felt his high transfer fee and wages were part of the club's financial problems. Jimmy was taken off at half-time, and Hull needed to win to avoid relegation.

On 27 June, Hull's chairman said Jimmy could be loaned out and could talk to Celtic. However, they couldn't agree on his wages. Hull decided not to play Jimmy in pre-season games to avoid him getting injured, as they wanted to sell him. Hull was in financial trouble and needed to sell high-earning players like Jimmy to save money. At the start of the 2010–11 season, Jimmy wasn't given a squad number at first. Later, he got number 27 and played a full game against Derby County, and then three more games. On 26 December, he scored a last-minute winning goal against Sheffield United after returning from another injury.

On 22 July 2011, Hull City suspended Jimmy after an incident at a training camp. On 18 August, Hull ended his contract. Jimmy later received a payment after his contract was ended.

Loan and Permanent Move to Ipswich Town

On 27 January 2011, Jimmy joined Ipswich Town on loan. He scored in his first game, a 2–1 win against Derby County on 1 February. Hull said his departure saved the club £320,000 in wages. Jimmy scored five goals in 16 games for Ipswich. Even though he was only with the club for three months, he won the Supporters' Player of the Year award. Many fans wanted manager Paul Jewell to sign him permanently. However, his high wages at Hull made a permanent move seem unlikely. On 3 April, Jimmy said he would like to move to Ipswich and was willing to take a pay cut.

On 25 August, Jimmy joined Ipswich Town permanently, signing a two-year contract. He started well, but injuries meant he spent most of the rest of the season on the bench. Jimmy was suspended for two weeks, and another player, Michael Chopra, was fined for being late to training after a night out. The manager explained that Jimmy and Chopra did the same thing, but Chopra had personal issues, so a suspension wasn't right for him. The manager said Jimmy "loved playing football and training," so a two-week suspension was the best way to discipline him. He also said it was hard to suspend a player he had signed twice, who was "the life and soul of the dressing room."

After his suspension, Jimmy returned to the first team, often coming on as a substitute. Jimmy left Ipswich by agreement in August 2012. Even though the manager liked him, he couldn't promise him regular games.

Milton Keynes Dons and Retirement

On 28 August 2012, Jimmy signed a short-term contract with Milton Keynes Dons until 31 December. However, on 1 October of the same year, he announced his retirement from football because of his injuries. Jimmy said, "My head tells me I can do it, but my body tells me, no Jim, you can't." The next day, it was reported he joined a non-League team called Holland as a player-coach. But this deal didn't happen.

International Football

Even though Jimmy Bullard was born in England, he has a German grandmother. This meant he could have played for the German national team. Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, there were reports that Jimmy was thinking about playing for Germany. He even told the German coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, he was interested.

In August 2008, he was called up to the England squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying games against Andorra and Croatia. However, he didn't play in either match. He was called up to the England squad three times in total.

Managerial Role

On 17 September 2016, Jimmy Bullard became the manager of Isthmian League Premier Division team Leatherhead. He left the club at the end of that season.

Life Outside Football

In 2014, Jimmy Bullard released his autobiography called Bend It like Bullard. This book told the story of his football career and became a best-seller.

Jimmy has also appeared as a football expert for BT Sport and the BBC. He was notably a pundit for the 2014 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Hull City, a team he used to play for. He has also made many TV appearances on shows like Soccer AM and Goals on Sunday.

In November 2014, he was a contestant on the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. After leaving the show, Jimmy appeared on other TV shows like Text Santa, The Xtra Factor, Celebrity Juice, and Alan Carr's Specstacular.

Jimmy also co-hosted a comedy-football podcast called The Magic Sponge with comedians Rob Beckett and Ian Smith. The podcast talked about the lives of professional footballers and featured guests like Barry Fry and Dean Windass. Now, Jimmy hosts his own fishing podcast and video series called Off The Hook with Jimmy Bullard. He has continued to appear on TV, including as a guest on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch and ITV2's Reality Bites. He was also a pundit on Match of the Day for an FA Cup game between Arsenal and Hull City.

Jimmy founded Extra Time Management with his friend and manager James Erwood. This organization helps professional sports people who are retiring or have already retired from their sport. It helps them find new careers in media and broadcasting. Extra Time Management also helps sports people with mental health issues. A part of the company's earnings goes to different charities.

Jimmy was the host's assistant on the first series of the ITV comedy panel show Play to the Whistle. He appeared alongside Bradley Walsh, Frank Lampard, and Holly Willoughby. Since August 2017, Jimmy has been a co-host of Sky Sports' Soccer AM. He first co-hosted with John Fendley and Lloyd Griffith. Since June 2020, he has co-hosted with John Fendley.

Personal Life

Jimmy Bullard is engaged to his long-term girlfriend and they have two children together.

Career Statistics

Awards and Achievements

Wigan Athletic

• Football League Second Division: 2002–03
• Football League Championship runner-up: 2004–05
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Individual Awards

• PFA Team of the Year: 2002–03 Second Division, 2004–05 Championship
• Premier League Player of the Month: November 2009
• Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 2010–11

Filmography