This summer has seen the departure of some West Ham youth players, and it could be argued that Sam Allardyce is blanking our famous academy.
Cristian Montano has been the latest to leave West Ham after failing to agree terms, and I for one think it was definitely worth holding on to him –he absolutely shone in pre-season before our last campaign and was so excited to be given a chance, only to be sent out on multiple loans by Big Sam.
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Freddie Sears has also been let go by the club before his contract was due to run out, and even though he didn’t really impress in his chances in the first team, it just seems that Allardyce isn’t keen to give youngsters a go.
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Montano tweeted about leaving the club, saying:
@CMontano11
for all who want to know what is happening, I was unable to agree a new contract with my boyhood club West Ham #totally gutted. #sadTimes
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He also went on to tweet that the move was not about money, and that he was only interested in actually playing football, but later deleted the post.
It does worry me a bit that no youngsters have really made their breakthrough recently, and even Ravel Morrison, who was brought to the club by Big Sam, has been made to wait for his time to shine.
I’m a bit concerned that young players are going to have to find other clubs in order to get their big break, but I suppose if there is a really bright talent, like Rob Hall for example, Big Sam would be stupid to ignore them.
What do you think? Is the academy being ignored or are our current crop just not good enough? Let me know by leaving a comment or tweeting me at @alwaysintune.
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A bit sensationalist!
Allardyce is NOT “blanking” the academy, he has used Hall, Potts amongst others in the first team since he arrived and also had others in and around the match-day squad. He has also been keen for players to get out an experience the football league on loan.
Montano didn’t agree a contract and sadly Sears isn’t up to Premier League or Championship level, this happens at clubs through out the land – in fact it’s happened at Man Utd this year
http://hereisthecity.com/2012/07/11/future-is-bright-for-manchester-united-despite-loss-of-youth-tea/
SPOT ON SteveF!
Our lot don’t half perpetuate the sensationalist views!
I know it’s to stir debate, but the truth is… it happens!
Tony Carr is working closely with Big Sam and I’m sure if they are good enough & consistent enough, he’ll put them in. As Carr said a while ago, maybe, just maybe Sears was put in too soon. As for Montano,it was his decision to walk!
Hall, McNaughton, and Potts all made debuts last season.
Sears isn’t good enough for Championship football let alone Premiership and did get a chance last season and even started the first game against Cardiff.
For whatever reason Allardyce doesn’t fancy Montano and sometimes that happens. I doubt Montano will go on to be a fantastic player and will probably play most of his football in the lower divisions.
PDC sent Montano packing as he had a terrible attitude. Sears was never good enough outside of youth level. Ours has been one of a choosen few to be granted Category One status, so I’d love to know how it is ending. We have had to, and still need to grind out results first and foremost. Youth are having a great preseason, I’m sure if we get a good foothold on the league and a decent cup run, they’ll get their chances.
For every Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard you have a Lee Hodges and a Lee Boylan. For every Michael Carrick and Joe Cole, you’ll have a Gary Alexander. For every James Tomkins and Dan Potts you’ll have a Cristian Montano and a Freddie Sears. Some players make it at this level and others don’t. They all had decent careers at the lower ends of the league but clearly weren’t Championship or Prem standard. I’m sure we’ll only put in players who are good enough.
I am sure that we all would have loved to have seen Freddie Sears succeed, however the truth is he was not good enough for the top level. The future still looks promising with another decent crop of youngsters coming through.
What utter drivel!
Mark Noble and James Tomkins were automatic picks last season, and the received wisdom was Jack Collison probably started more games than he should.
As ever, if players are good enough they’ll play, if not they won’t.
More crap stories and provocative titles to generate traffic. Idiots!
A really bad article by someone who clearly has no insight into the youth set up at West Ham.
Yes Montano has turned down a new deal, not the first to do so and lets not forget here was a player who had a mixed bag in the lower leagues last season with Di Canio sending him back complaining about his attitude and IF there’s one thing if you’re going to make it in the ultra competative world of professional football needs to be right it’s attitude.
Freddie Sears is another whos attitude was called into question and it was clear he couldn’t cut it above the level he’s found himself at now.
And now onto the allegation Sam Allardyce is blanking our famous academy. Well what nonsense. If a player is good enough he’ll get his chance but aside from that Sam went someway to start undoing the damage done by the likes of Grant and Zola by sending the kids out on loan to get that vital experience. He’s also got involved in the youth team more than those before him, bringing in his own man to run the stiffs and regularly involving young players in training and team meetings.
Robert Hall and Danny Potts got their break from the manager last season and we’ve just seen Seb Lleget promoted to the first team squad for the trip to Austria and had it not been for his serious illness Dylan Tombides would have more than likely been in the first team squad by now.
The simple truth is it’s hard to make it at the top level as a professional footballer, for every James Tomkins dozens will fall by the wayside and when did we really make a mistake? What players have we released have been snapped up by better sides? Leon Britton has taken a good 10 years to fight his way back to the top.
Far from being the end of the academy, over the next few years I think we’ll see more players coming into the side this way. Ravel Morrison is mentioned and I’m not sure if people missed the manager saying when he signed him that he wouldn’t go straight into the team and was one for the future but this boy has just that, a future and a big one at that having turned two man of the match performances in for the first two friendlies of the season and showing just how good a player he is.
Jack Larkings looks a keeper in the making, at the back Kenzer Lee and more so Eoin Wearen look to have a great chance of making it as centre backs, Dan Potts will be a left back of some quality. Callum Driver is another defender to have a good chance, as is leo Chambers. Seb Lleget has just broke into the first team squad and Fanimo looks an exciting wide man. George Moncur plays like his dad and could well turn out just as good and up front Dylan Tombides if he can get back to where he was will be a star and Elliot Lee is said to have been the best striker we’ve had at his age for many, many years.
The academy is alive and kicking and we have a manager who isn’t frighten to give the kids and chance if they are good enough, he has in the past and a man that knows just how to get the best from the wonderful set up we have.
We missed out on Matty Holland too!
Well said Know it all, all of what you said is known to me and SHOULD BE also to any supporter that is interested enough to find out! Very well laid out Know it all!
I believe there may even be another couple of players within that group that may also have a good chance of making the grade with us!
Personally I have had a bellyful of reading negative headlines about us and this headline is so wrong, you don’t have to be a genius to realise this!
Isnt one of WHU’s youth players an Olympian.
Another crap article just to get traffic from newsnow.
Oh please. I can’t believe how priorities have been muddled up in this article.
Firstly, I don’t believe for a second that the Academy has any less of a status now than it’s ever had. Quite the opposite, when you actually look at some proper evidence; I don’t need to repeat the players’ names already listed above.
It’s really quite simple: If young players are good enough, they make it. Potts is a wonderful recent example of this. If they can’t be accommodated, they are moved on.
It is absolutely pointless thinking along the lines of who “tries hard” or who might be disappointed by being released; none of this is remotely relevant IF a player hasn’t shown the necessary ability and/or attitude!
Just because players like Sears didn’t start very many games does not mean they weren’t looked at in training – on the contrary, this will be why decisions have been made about them not starting! At the end of the day, surviving in the Premier League is what must come first; the club will try to help its home-grown players through where possible, but the priority for the club is having the strongest-possible first team/squad!
If, in the process, one or two of the academy players are disappointed at “not being given a chance” (in their or someone else’s view), this talk is hardly going to help the club stay up. The best players are chosen; the Academy keeps working to develop players. I don’t see a problem with that, sorry.
Freddie Sears is simply not good enough.
Montano was offered a contract but turned it down and then said it wasn’t about money. I don’t know how that’s possible unless he wanted guarantees about playing time. I don’t think any player gets that let alone a kid who’s not even in the first team.
Truth be told, the academy isn’t producing talent at the moment like it use to. That doesn’t mean it won’t again in the future.
I agree with this article Katherine. “Potts, Hall and McNaughton all made debuts”. Potts played a feeble amount of games, Hall played as a sub and McNaughton was played in the LEAGUE CUP!!! Montano was an asset worth keeping hold of and Allardyce IS letting all of our youth go. Olly Lee, Jordan Brown, Abdulla and Cowler have all joined Barnet. I heard wonderful things about Lee but he is let go? Montano didnt leave due to money, how would you feel if you were loaned out 5 times in 1 season? He is 20, a winger and the type of player the first team is crying out for but you say he doesnt make the cut? Jordan Spence is 22 and looks class, has Allarcye gave him a chance? NO. He signs a 30 year old injury troubled right back in the form of Demel. Noble is not as good as everyone thinks, you all latch onto him as he is the only half decent player to have ascended out of the academy in years! You cannot call this a crap article just because you are living in the past. Open your eyes and see what is happening, why dont you have a go at writing instead of completely putting someone’s opinion in the ground.