Now here's a boy who clearly never likes to get too comfortable: Tom Lawrence. Welsh-born, sporting the impressive height of 5ft 10in, or for our European friends, 1.8 metres. Dragging around 11st 11lb of pure footballing mediocrity (or 75 kilos for those who prefer their caviar on a crip). The lad was born on the 13th of January 1994, making him 30 years of fine-tuned experience. He's a midfielder at Rangers, usually blows the dust off the number 11 jersey from time to time.
There's something a bit comical about Lawrence's footballing journey. It was in November 2013, this eager beaver transferred on loan from Manchester United to Carlisle United and managed to score three goals in merely nine appearances. Does anyone remember that? No? Thought as much.
Just like a dazed tourist at a crossroads, Lawrence found himself on the move again in January 2014. This time, he landed at Yeovil Town, where he went on to display his breathtaking skills in a gruelling 19 appearances, celebrating two whole goals.
But the circus didn’t end there. In September of the same year, he pinballed from Manchester United to Leicester City for the princely sum of around £1.2m. He displayed his value by gracing the King Power Stadium with three whole appearances. What a bargain, eh?
If you thought that was it for Lawrence’s nomadic lifestyle, you were wrong! He was off again in November 2014, heading over to Rotherham United for a little sojourn, where he scored a solitary goal in six appearances. A blistering pace, I’m sure you’ll agree.
And so, it went on - loans to Blackburn Rovers in August 2015 and then to Cardiff City in February 2016. Six goals were netted in these stodgy times, although one starts to lose count with all this movement.
Off he trotted to Ipswich Town in August 2016, netting nine goals in 34 appearances. At last, some consistency from our wayward wanderer.
Come August 2017, the management at Leicester City perhaps needed their heads examined when they decided to part with him for a hefty sum of £5. That's right, five million quid for a chap who was more akin to a rolling stone than a footballer. Derby County were the lucky recipients of Lawrence’s boundless services.
Over five seasons with Derby, Lawrence won the lottery with his form. An overall tally of 36 goals across 170 appearances might not exactly ignite any bonfires, but for Lawrence, it was like striking oil.
In a surprising turn of events, Lawrence found his way to Rangers in July of 2022, where he currently parades around the field. His record up here in Scotland is nothing short of spectacular if you find mediocrity spectacular, that is. Across three seasons, he’s totalled seven goals in 36 appearances. Impressive numbers.
And let's not forget his glorious efforts for Rangers in the League Cup, Champions League Qualifiers, and the Europa League. Scoring a single goal and turning out once in a blue moon as a substitute. Outstanding!
