West Ham is known as the Academy of football. In my lifetime, we have produced the core of England’s best players. Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, John Terry, David Beckham, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe all come through the ranks at the Hammers. All of them left to join other Premier League sides.
Obviously, we have produced a lot more over the years. The likes of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Trevor Brooking, Alvin Martin, Steve Potts, and Tony Cottee all came through the West Ham Academy– I know I have missed many more, but you see my point.
I can’t talk about the Academy, without mentioning Tony Carr. Carr has kept the club in business, single handedly, over the last 15 years. £18m for Rio,£11m for Lampard, £6m for Cole, £6m for Johnson, £6m for Defoe. He has been recognised as one of the best youth team coaches this country has ever produced, and he is West Ham through and through.
Currently, we have Mark Noble, James Tomkins & Jack Collison who are regular first teamers. But who else is there to look out for, and who do we think will make the grade? Many players have come and gone, who had the potential to succeed but their careers have fizzled out – Sears, Stanislas and Hines spring to mind. Professional Football is a dog eat dog world, and there is no room for sentiment.
So which of our current crop look likely to make it? Well, I think our two biggest prospects are currently on loan at Birmingham City. Rob Hall and Ravel Morrison are probably the closest to the first team. Going on loan and getting regular first team football in the Championship will get them valuable experience, and will only benefit them (and us!). Both seem to be getting game time there, which can only be a good thing. Hall for me is the most promising; however, Morrison is a difficult character to judge. He has got the arrogance and skill to become a great player, but he will certainly upset people along the way, and I’m not sure Allardyce will want that, and I’m not sure we, as supporters, want a player like that representing our club.
We also have another group of slightly younger players, Turgott, Tombides, McCallum, Fanimo, Moncur, Lletget and Potts have all been around the first team last season and this. I think it’s fantastic that we are still producing players. I also like the fact we are loaning players out – Turgott looked lively for Bradford the other night against Arsenal in the Cup, Potts has just had his loan extended at Colchester Utd and the likes of Moncur and Lletget were on the bench against West Brom last weekend. McCallum got sent off on his debut for AFC Wimbledon – not a good start, but it’s all about experience, and learning from it.
I am hopeful for Rob Hall – I think he is the most likely to become a star player for us over the next 2-3 years. A quick, skilful winger, who attacks the defence, and creates chances – the sort of player who we should be looking at right now for the first team!!
The future is bright, the future is Claret and Blue.
COME ON YOU IRONS!!
Written by ChelmoHammer
Follow me on Twitter @ChelmoHammer
Jordan Spence left out? Hitting the bench a lot this season. Shows so much promise in a position that is lacking in something. Not very fair.
I think you will find that David Beckham started his career with Spurs and Brimsdown Rovers before he went to Manu at 15.
Jermaine Defoe was a charlton youth player before the hammers slipped in and grabbed the promising starlet so zero points there for the west ham youth academy.
And another zero points for Morrison who didn’t come through west hams academy at all. Troubled teen shipped out to one of the only clubs that would take him.
I wouldn’t say we had much to do with John Terry… So maybe half a point for effort!!
As mentioned above, Defoe, Beckham and Terry are clutching at straws. You didn’t develop them. England’s two best players of the past generation have been Gerrard and Scholes too, Campbell possibly being the third and better than Rio, so no, West Ham didn’t develop the cream.
Also, the “academy of football” is very much self styled. Other clubs have produced better players and more players than West Ham it’s just you guys have little to shout about so sling to that.
Befor this current batch you have to go back to Moore, Peters and Hurst. Cottee, Potts and Martin did nothing of note in their careers so why you bring them up I don’t know and Brooking was awful for England and the most undeserving man of a knighthood in the history of the realm given he achieved the square root of sod all in his career. ( Eddie Newton nice scored a cup final goal for Chelsea…should he be knighted? )
The academy of football is an embarrassing ( for your club, it suggests small time ) myth.
David Beckham?! Do some research mate. And John Terry left when he was like 14 so he doesnt really count either
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