West Ham United, often known also as ‘The Academy of Football’ have had a brilliant record over the years of producing talented youngsters who have graduated through the ranks and gone on to become quality footballers. Generally they have either stayed at the club over a long period, or been sold on, at least generating some sort of financial gain for the club in the process.
Tony Carr is the man who has been widely credited with the successful academy, having been in charge of youth development at West Ham since 1973. In that time many successful players have graduated through to the first team and sometimes beyond. Alan Devonshire, Alvin Martin, Tony Cottee, Paul Ince, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson are some of the stand out names during Carr’s time at the club.
Yet this hasn’t been the case in recent years. The last players that have gone onto become regulars in the West Ham first team have been Mark Noble, Jack Collison and James Tomkins. These academy products came through around six years ago, and in the case of Noble, about seven. The fact that the club have had to completely rely upon getting new players from other clubs since that time is a worrying fact.
There have been those who have showed some promise of course. Some, such as Junior Stanislas, Freddie Sears, Zavon Hines and Robert Hall have been given a chance in the first team in recent years, but ultimately did not prove good enough to play at Premier League, and arguably even Championship level.
And of the current crop of youth team players, their futures do not look as though they belong playing for West Ham. Some have made appearances in the cup competitions this season, and given the opportunity to prove they are ready for the step up to first team level, but unfortunately again, do not look like they will be capable of making that next step. Indeed, Pelly Ruddock left for Luton Town in the recent transfer window, and the latest intelligence is that Daniel Potts and Leo Chambers are set to be released when their contracts expire at the end of the season.
The humiliating 5-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, with a side made mainly out of youth team players, was a painful exhibition of the lack of talent in the current academy youngsters.
The fact that no one has managed to become first team players for West Ham in recent years is not Sam Allardyce’s fault, as some supporters seem to think. He has given the youngsters opportunities in cup competitions and they haven’t been up to the task. With the youth players he has released or sold during his time at the club, none have gone on to play at a high level.
The simple fact of the matter is that the youth players are not good enough to play for a Premier League club. There is nothing Allardyce can do about this. He is in charge of the first team after all and can only choose from players already at his disposal. If the youth players at the club are not able to compete at the level West Ham are playing at, then what is he supposed to do?
The lack of homegrown talent does not seem to be an issue only associated with West Ham. In the Premier League, clubs generally have had very few players from their academy system playing regularly in recent years – probably only Southampton can claim that a significant portion of their side is academy based.
Clearly this issue has repercussions for the national team as well as clubs in England, so what are the possible reasons for it? One is that the huge money generated by Premier League football means that clubs are able to, and find it easier, to simply purchase already proven players either from other clubs in England, or as is becoming more and more common, from abroad. As finances have dictated that Premier League survival is almost an imperative for many clubs, risks are less likely to be taken on untried youth players. Consequently, clubs will be unwilling to invest as much in their youth system.
Another reason may be that not enough youngsters are being encouraged to play football and be coached from a young age. So is there enough funding at the grass roots stage of football? Clearly, if not enough facilities and training are available, in addition to means of access being harder, there will be a much smaller pool of talent going in to play football properly at a young age. This has been a criticism of the FA, who have recently pledged to spend a lot more in that area of the game. Lets hope it pays dividends for future players.
Another theory about a lack of kids playing in youth set-ups from a young age is that the talent is generally being provided from narrow parts of society. The argument is that it is mainly only children from working class backgrounds that try and play football professionally, thus restricting the amount of talented youngsters that are available for youth set ups. This is in contrast to many other countries, particularly in Europe.
There are probably quite a few factors for the decline in the English youth system. The case of West Ham highlights this issue hugely. What the answer is, is not clear. But the way things are going; English clubs and the national team could face a huge crisis before too long with the lack of emerging English talent.
In short, don’t blame Allardyce for the lack of academy graduates making it to the West Ham first team, or even the management lower down. There is clearly a much deeper underlying problem in this area on a national scale, and it needs sorting out.
What are your thoughts?
Well thought out piece though it should be pointed out that there have been long periods when West Ham have brought through serious talent indeed longer periods than when they did. As I said before most talent from our back yard went elsewhere. However I am not sure that that talent is much in evidence elsewhere at present so maybe there is a lack of talent generally from our area. I agree that this country has long seen football from a limited demographic and that demographic is shrinking all the time. Unless the appeal can be broadened it certainly doesn’t look bright outside of the south coast anyway.
Well said James.
There are MANY reasons why the national game as a WHOLE isn’t producing young players. But for Many West Ham supporters (deluded of course) the problem is Big Sam! If this is the case, what players that he’s let go that have gone on to super stardom???
It’s a National problem that isn’t helped by the loss of park space and funding at all levels and that the majority of money within the game is NOT fed to the grassroots but given to the mercenaries on the gravy train.
Well said once again James.
Thanks mate 🙂
EPL Football is watched LIVE in more than 200 countries around the world. The market for recruiting talent has simply got larger that’s all, with no offense to our local talent, but in regards tonights game game against Man Utd having been moved to prime time TV viewing at 5.30pm, you’ll have the eyes of the world all cheering on the world’s number 1 most popular team being Man Utd. Wait for it West Ham and be prepared, because I reckon West Ham will score more than 1 goal tonight, & West Ham are long long overdue for their next clean sheet, as it’s been a long time since our last one, which was on 11th February against Norwich. Now that’s a long time, so that is why I may sound foolish in saying that West Ham are going to win by 2-0 tonight. Andy will get going again & score at last 1 goal as he did last week, especially with Brazil 2014 getting ever closer & Andy wanting his national striker’s role back, and, Winston Reid will get going and lock ‘em out. Yes, the TV devil will have the eyes of the world on us tonight but I reckon Sam will have the boys with the bits between their teeth and wring out a result against this mob who will be all pumped up in their little chests about getting through to the Champions League quarter finals. But hey Olympiakos beat them at home, and the Greek top tier league is nothing compared to the EPL, La Liga, Series A or the Bundesliga, so if Olympiakos can do them 2-0 at home then so can we, but fasten your seat belts as we are really gonna get stuck into this lot tonight. We have to, as there are teams that are only 3 points below us on the rim of the relegation zone, so just give it to them Hammers!!! COYI
And I know what you saying James, as when I was a young kid, the streets were always filled with kids kicking footballs around. Most of the kids I knew where Spurs fans (I never was) whose heroes had just won the 1st League & Cup double of the 20th century. England then went on to win the world cup. Honestly, just not enough kids could get enough hours in the day in, so as to be out on the streets, school playgrounds, anywhere they could kick a football, they were doing it. You just don’t seem to see that same level of interest in really young kids anymore, whether they are glued to their laptops or mobile phones or are interested in a whole host of other sports that are of interest nowadays, including a lot of indoors games, plus no one had much money years ago to buy kits for other sports, but mostly rubber footballs, were cheap, and everyone had these rubber footballs (some had leather footballs). There’s just too much distraction for kids to do other things now, whereas in poorer countries like Brazil there is almost a continuous game of beach/street football going on all day, every day. Georgie Best said, that when he was a young kid, he would carry a tennis ball around with him in his pocket & every single opportunity that he some spare time he would pull that tennis ball out of his pocket & start dribbling around all over the place with it. That’s why, that if Georgie could do magic with a tiny tennis ball, well we’ve all seen the magic he did with a huge football in his sights. It is really only in these poorer countries like Brazil, where kids are out on the streets the beaches or wherever trying to win at all costs. That passion from very young kids would need to return for things to improve, and they have to have been playing since before the age of 5 – 7 years, after 7 years like in any real talent, it gets harder to master. OK James, thanks for the airspace mate!
Cheers for the reply JB. Very good point about kids not playing football as much now because of lack of time and other distractions. I agree that has played a big part in the current predicament. Have to be cheaper and easier access to playing facilities, as because as you say, you don’t see them playing on the streets anymore for one reason or another
First thing I would like to say is,a good article James and some great points raised,i think the managers for quiet afew years now are under tremendous pressure to succeed and are not willing to take a chance on youngsters for fear of losing their jobs,unless you have a young pele or maradona on your hands the fear of failure is too high risk to give the youngsters a chance.Its a real shame as our national team suffer aswell,the only hope for academys is that one day a real jem will be found and only then will he get a chance at first team football because the stakes are to high now for managers.