Jack Collison used Throwback Thursday to share an old picture of himself training with West Ham and wished everyone luck ahead of pre-season.
The former Hammers midfielder raved about what a fantastic group of players West Ham had at that time, on and off the pitch.
“Good luck to those heading back to Pre-Season this week… What a group of fellas this was… On & Off the pitch,” wrote Collison via his Instagram account.
Collison taking a trip down memory lane saw fellow former Hammer Ravel Morrison send him a four-word message to claim it was the best of times.
“The best times brother,” wrote Morrison via his Instagram account.
OPINION
Collison and Morrison taking a trip down memory lane is bound to get some West Ham fans feeling nostalgic about the good old days. After all, Collison’s throwback picture features former fan favourites such as Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole; with current Hammers hero Mark Noble also front and centre in the picture. However, it’s hard not to feel a bit sad when reflecting on Collison’s and Morrison’s careers in hindsight. Collison may have featured over 100 times for the Hammers, but he had to retire at the age of 27-years-old due to persistent injuries. Given that 27 is normally the age where a footballer hits their peak, it’s hard to not wonder what Collison could have achieved if he hadn’t been dealt bad luck with injuries. As for Morrison, while he is still playing football, he hasn’t fulfilled his potential as of yet. The 26-year-old has never truly settled at a club, with the most appearances he has ever made for a single team being the 30 he made for Birmingham City, and considering he came from the prestigious Manchester United youth system; that just doesn’t sit right.