I for one was extremely proud to see two youth products from Upton Park; James Tomkins and Mark Noble; be selected for the Championship Team of the Year last week as selected by fellow Championship players and managers. Also another Tony Carr product, Jack Collison smashed home a belter to keep West Ham’s slim automatic promotion hopes alive at Leicester City on Monday night that makes this weekend very interesting.
The fastest growing Hammers website is now on Facebook, click the link to be entered into our up and coming competitions http://www.facebook.com/pages/ForeverWestHamcom/200938616608282
With Saturday built up as a day that could see West Ham promoted, I am slightly less optimistic of Coventry’s chances at St Mary’s that are the catalyst to any automatic promotion hope we have. If the relegated Sky Blues fail to get anything from Southampton then it will be play offs once again for West Ham,which we all know is a lottery.
We have a little bit of form now going into the knock out competition, but like I said,the lottery does not necessarily mean the best side will go up, as Crystal Palace proved against us at the Millennium Stadium many moons ago.
So, let’s say we miss out on glory at Wembley! SamAllardyce will have to immediately look to next season and begin to improve his side for what will be an even tougher campaign with the likes of QPR, AstonVilla or Blackburn coming down and Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday coming up.
The main thing I would be keen to express is the fact that we have a lot of promising youngsters that I feel deserve a chance ahead of the inconsistent ‘big time’players currently in and around the squad.
Looking for experience? Just want to be heard outside of the Boleyn? We are currently looking for writers, drop us an email at foreverwestham@snack-media.com for more details
With 23 year olds James Tomkins, Winston Reid and Jack Collison along with 24 year old Mark Noble making the spine of the Hammers side, other youngsters such as 18 year olds Danny Potts and Robert Hall have showed much promise when given a chance. Fellow youth players George Moncur, Elliot Lee, Cristian Montano and Blair Turgott have all stepped up to men’s football successfully this year, I feel should be given a chance next season if West Ham are still in the Championship come August.
Jordan Spence has returned from his loan season at Bristol City where he made over 20 appearancesin all and can play anywhere across the back four. Equally, Sam Baldock, Ricardo Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard are only in their early to mid twenties and forgotten man Ravel Morrison is still just 19, the average age of the Hammers side next season; if still in the Championship; I feel could be significantly less.
Sam Allardyce tried to bring experience in during the summer and that may well tell when the play-offs come about, but I don’t feel you can be that experienced at this level unless you have played the majority of your career here. Both Robert Green and Julian Faubert are out of contract in a few weeks and the likes of Abdoulaye Faye, Matty Taylor, Carlton Cole, John Carew, Kevin Nolan, George McCartney and Joey O’Brien are all the wrong side of 28, I feel it is definitely time to give youth a chance.
Ever dreamt about getting paid for reading about West Ham? Well now you can make dreams a reality http://bit.ly/ffc-foreverwestham
Remember this is only the case if we don’t gain promotion this season and I understand it is a risk, but this summer was also a risk, that hasn’t particularly paid off and although I don’t want another Freddie Sears running around doing nothing for 90 minutes, for a club that prides itself on its youth set-up, I feel it may be time to utilise that even more.
Disagree? Isit all about experience? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
Joey O’Brien just turned 26.