I remmeber this kid. Was soooooooooooo promising. Top blog story for all those who remember this narely was player for QPR. Wish him well. Mark Pitman/WalesonLine - The Hollywood twist in the Leon Jeanne story During the summer months Football League clubs up and down the country will offer trials to talented young players, all of them desperate to earn themselves a professional contract to justify the sacrifices made in their teenage years just to find themselves in that position. One trialist looking to impress at newly-promoted Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion however will be one of Welsh football's modern day enigma's, as Leon Jeanne, 30, attempts to win over manager Gus Poyet and with it make a football comeback worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. The final twist in Jeanne's rags to riches and back to rags story will depend on his physical and mental strength as he attempts to show he can once again compete against the best, and if he can achieve what recently seemed an impossible dream the scriptwriters will be waiting, but this story is one that is all too real. Leon Jeanne came to prominence as a teenage sensation with Queens Park Rangers. Manager Gerry Francis showed great faith in one of Welsh football's stars of the future but the Cardiff-born winger struggled to adapt to life in London and suffered the first of a string of well-documented problems during his time at Loftus Road. Jeanne talked candidly about his time at QPR a few years later, describing how earning so much, so young with too much time on his hands resulted in him becoming involved with the wrong crowd as the easily-influenced Jeanne encountered run-ins with the law as often as he did with Francis as he slowly but surely lost his grip on opportunity he had been handed in the professional game. His release from Loftus Road however would result in his first 'second-chance'. I have no intention to repeat the well-documented times and troubles of Leon Jeanne in this blog. Versions of many events vary and Jeanne himself will shortly have his opportunity to tell his side of the story when his up-coming autobiography is released. Instead, I will concentrate on my own memories of Leon Jeanne's footballing ability, having witnessed him make a number of debut's for different clubs at contrasting stages of his career, as well as seeing him play on the stages that his talent was not meant for. An internet search of his name generates headlines not usually associated with those of a professional footballer, but Jeanne is now attempting to re-write the wrongs, and once again be talked about for his football ability. Following his release from Queens Park Rangers, Jeanne was offered a return to his home town by then Cardiff City Chairman Sam Hammam. Not one to skirt away from controversy, Hammam realised the potential benefits that the local youngster could bring to his recently acquired club and invested time and money in protecting Jeanne and eradicating the drug problems that he had developed. Jeanne appeared for Cardiff City as a second-half substitute in a midweek friendly against Merthyr Tydfil at Penydarren Park in the summer of 2001. With the part-time side already tiring from the opening half, Jeanne showed the large crowd, myself included, all the ability and talent that Hammam had taken a chance on and his performance became one of the biggest talking points of the night. Within a year however Jeanne had his contract at Cardiff City terminated having tested positive for a class A drug and then providing a false specimen for a drug test later on in the season. Sam Hammam had tried and failed to eradicate the demons that haunted the player he eventually saw as becoming a local hero at Ninian Park. His debut had showed all the potential and promise that had surrounded him at QPR but his off the field actions continued to mirror what had cost him the life as a professional footballer in London. Barry Town had arranged a friendly with English pyramid side Havant & Waterlooville at Jenner Park in 2002 in preparation for their upcoming European campaign. The team line-up for Havant surprisingly included Leon Jeanne but Barry Town questioned his involvement due to his recent suspension and Jeanne was withdrawn from the match less than 30 minutes before kick-off. A popular football figure in the Grangetown area of Cardiff, Mark Jones had taken charge of Welsh Premier League side Port Talbot Town the season before and knew all about Jeanne and his past. Jones invited Jeanne to train with his squad with the intention of it mutually benefiting both parties as Jeanne was firmly out of the only profession he had ever known while Jones was actively searching for any available talent to strengthen his side within the constraints of his clubs budget. On the 16th October 2002, Jeanne sat in the stands of the Millennium Stadium as Wales claimed one of their greatest results in the modern-era with a 2-1 win over Italy. The reality that he could have been part of Mark Hughes squad that night hit home as the anthems rang out amongst the packed stadium as he passed that same comment to those in his company. Within 48 hours Jeanne would make another debut. A Friday night derby between Llanelli and Port Talbot Town at Stebonheath in the Welsh Premier League would be the next stage to be graced by Jeanne. Despite showing signs around the waist that he was no longer training as a professional, Jeanne scored a sublime second goal in his sides 2-0 win. Over the course of the next seven years Jeanne played at a host of small Welsh clubs. From Welsh League sides like Dinas Powys and Maesteg Park to turning out for local league outfits like the Carpenters Arms and Cardiff Draconians. Jeanne was almost unrecognisable when I was present for a match he played for the latter with his weight problems hiding the pace he showed that night he impressed for Cardiff City at Penydarren Park. The touches and technique still included his trademark leg-lifting dummy but Leon Jeanne, the talented footballer, no longer existed. Only Jeanne himself can explain those lost years as his disappearances became expected by the tolerating local league coaches who enjoyed the kudos of working with the disgraced star. In 2009 Leon Jeanne was once again listed on the team-sheet for an English non-league club in a friendly that I attended. . Jeanne would have one more chance. Bath City manager Adie Britton would be the latest to offer the former Wales Under-21 International the opportunity to show that his undoubted ability was now matched with motivation. Jeanne for once appreciated the opportunity. With his act cleaned up off the field, a leaner and fitter player arrived at Twerton Park in November 2010, his motivation fuelled by the promise of interest from a Football League club if he made a success of this last chance. Dual-registration with Cinderford Town offered him regular football as Britton monitored his progress and his change of attitude became apparent as he stuck with the task in hand longer than his customary few weeks. His chance of making a Football League return remained a significant outside bet, but his own belief cut the odds considerably, and this week he begins what will be the most important few weeks of his football career. Brighton & Hove Albion are a club on the up. Under the high-profile guidance of former Chelsea and Spurs favourite Gus Poyet, the club claimed the League One title last season and will start the new Championship campaign in their brand new stadium as they look to repeat their former glories that saw them play in the top-flight and reach an FA Cup Final in the 1980's. One unfamiliar face reporting for pre-season training however will be Leon Jeanne. When former Uruguayan International Poyet took charge at Brighton in 2009, Jeanne was a local league ex-pro lost in the lower levels of the Welsh football pyramid. Both have enjoyed significant rises since then, but even more surprisingly, their paths will this week cross as Brighton prepare for their return to the Championship. Jeanne still has a lot to prove and the opportunity of a trial at Brighton & Hove Albion does not constitute a return to the professional game. On reflection however, the fact that he does have this second-chance after the problems that ruined his potential as a youngster, and his subsequent years spent in footballing wilderness ,will mean his new-found dedication over the last year has been worthwhile and he can be rightfully proud that his determination to finally succeed has brought with it this reward. Whatever the outcome of his time at Brighton Jeanne still has a unique and powerful story to tell, and even if his football career does not provide the Hollywood ending, he can move on from the professional game without the regret at not taking on and making the most of one last challenge. Visit www.markpitman1.com for links to all blogs, news stories, features, reports and opinion as the big Welsh football news stories break. You can also follow Mark Pitman on facebook and twitter. http://blogs.walesonline.co.uk/sport/2011/06/the-hollywood-twist-in-the-leo.html
As The Stranglers once sang "Whatever happened to...", now we know, shameful waste of a great talent.
Hope his story is read by youngsters who think that they have made it with one or two appearances. Dedication to keeping fit, staying away from drink and drugs is what you need to become a player talked about for ability rather than wha you might have become.
