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Tomshardware 12:23 Tue Jun 13
Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Yet we gave players such as Calleri and Feghouli chance after chance even though they were both rubbish. Also our defence was shipping loads of goals so a youngster couldn't have done much worse.

We used to be the academy of football but that seems to no longer be West Ham.

Alex G 9:01 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Sniper 3:21 Tue Jun 13

I'd add Collison and Anton Ferdinand to your list of youth players who have played a significant number of games for us since the 'golden generation'. Collison obviously was particularly unlucky not to go onto be a fantastic player.

But it's still a pretty disappointing statistic that we've produced so little quality over the past decade and a half. Of the players we've released only Stanislas has come back and made any sort of impression on the top flight, although the likes of Sears, Ward, Cohen have carved out careers in the Championship.

istabraq 4:56 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

because we have terry westley in charge of our youth with dave hunt.

Worst Case Ontario 3:50 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Eerie Descent 3:09 Tue Jun 13


I think you're not entirely correct there - you can't teach drive and desire, but you can instill it.

AlvinMartinAllen 3:31 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Everton have recently blooded youth but did little for the previous 20 years, with only Hibbert, Osman as regulars and Rooney and Rodwell being sold on to bigger teams. The others were shit like Anichebe, Jose Baxter and James Vaughn.

Sniper 3:25 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Goose

I wish we'd had calleri he previous season - I rckonmpkaying in a confident team with payet on top form, he'd have bagged a couple of goals and gone from there

Last season everyone was underperforming, morale and confidence were low and he's a kid from half way round the world trying to find his feet when everyone else was doing the same.

He never looked a world beater, but he did get in some good positions even if he did fluff his lines. Zaza never actually missed any chances for us because he never made any or got into a position to! I reckon calleri will go on to do ok elsewhere - perhaps a sort of zarate type who scores in fits and starts and flatters to deceive, but he's hardly the worst we've had!

Trevor B 3:24 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Indeed Scorch. Kids and their parents are being courted by professional clubs from a very young age these days, 6/7 years old sometimes.

Sniper 3:21 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

It's hardly a recent thing though is it? It's over 15 years since Rio, carrick, lampard, Defoe, Johnson and Joe Cole all came through. They were our golden generation, and we fucked it up.

Since then the only players to have played loads of games for us regularly are Tomkins and noble. Sears and Stanislas both had their chances and hines looks good until he got injured. Buwater had a run for a season too but he wasn't really our academy anyway.

I'd say a big part of it is simply that the big clubs stockpile all the talent. But then Everton and Southampton churn good youngsters out, even Spurs manage it

goose 3:17 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

was Calleri THAT bad?

AlvinMartinAllen 3:15 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Calleri is only 2 years older than Fletcher, and has won the league with Boca Juniors, whilst Fletcher has won a league 1 play off.

Calleri will be more sort after than Fletcher, as was Zaza, whom despite being poor for us went on to score 6 in 15 for Valencia.

Eerie Descent 3:09 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

None of us can know for sure, but hearing certain rumblings, the kid has all the physical attributes to be world class, but is lacking the biggest fundamental of all – the drive and desire to be the best. You can't teach that.

Hard to hold it against him, he’s been a guaranteed millionaire from the age of 15 when every club in the country wanted him and his name was splashed across every news source. Takes a certain sort of person to see beyond all that and still have the hunger to give everything towards being the best you can be.

El Scorchio 3:08 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Trevor B 2:39

You'd hope so, wouldn't you. I guess the club recruiters work on the kid and parents promising them the earth, bigging them up and guaranteeing they'll be in the first team by age 20 and playing regular European football.

Luke Chadwick is from the village next to my parents and he got that treatment- to the extent that Ferguson personally came to his house to talk him into signing for them. God knows what it's like these days.

I suppose they should really look at what happens to the majority of other kids that go there, but i guess they all think they (or their little darling) is special and different and better than the rest and are a shoo in to make it.

Fifth Column 3:04 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Managed, not Many

Fifth Column 3:01 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

As others have said though... Callieri debacle - utterly appalling excuse for a footballer. Many to score once via deflection. To me, in terms of winning matches, I see no benefit in playing him over Fletcher or other youth players. He brought nothing except hard work and I'm sure we could expect hard work from others in the team.

When we have no-one decent in a position it makes no sense not to put a young player in, rather than a loanee shower of shit like Callieri.

Trevor B 2:59 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

haven't most of Everton's young players been out on loan or, like Lookman, been bought from a team where they were already playing regular football?

boleyn8420 2:58 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

The main reason is that the manager does not have the time to blood youngsters as if he gave 3 or 4 of them a chance in the premier league and they lose every game then theres is a more than fair chance he will get the bullet. So he puts his options in for tried and tested adults playing senior football with the hope that they will keep him in a job. And apart from Everton no one else does either unless they are truly exceptional

Trevor B 2:56 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

"No idea what to make of Oxford's apparent lack of progress."

Attitude I believe.

the exile 2:48 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Some of them will get a chance in pre-season games and one or two might get a run-out in early League Cup matches but it seems they would have to perform sensationally in order to get any chance of a sniff of first-team action in the PL unless we have an injury crisis. I have high hopes for three lads who have done really well on loan - Cullen, Burke and Martinez, but I'm not holding my breath. Quina also looks like he might have a chance, but I'm not impressed by Fletcher - a good example of a young player who has been given opportunities, albeit very limited, but has failed to make the most of them. No idea what to make of Oxford's apparent lack of progress.

Trevor B 2:39 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

ES

Well made point mate, eventually ;-)

You are right, but also I would imagine that a lot of young players are looking at the likes of Chelsea and maybe thinking that they don't want to just be another asset on the balance sheet, to be trained up and sold on. I think that could easily have been Quina's thinking when he decided to knock back their offer.

Willtell 2:37 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Lee Trundle 2:25
Agreed but is it better to have wasted so many games with Calleri (and Zaza before him) up front doing little or nothing rather than give a youngster a chance?

Calleri did work hard to be fair but he was poor. Zaza was dreadful. Bilic was reported as wanting to keep both!

El Scorchio 2:33 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Fifth Column 2:20

That's very interesting and somewhat damning.

So maybe we're just poor at spotting or evaluating talent?

El Scorchio 2:31 Tue Jun 13
Re: Why don't West Ham bring young players through any more?

Trevor B 2:23

You know what, that's true isn't it. I got that wrong and will hold my hand up to that.

I suppose the point I was trying to get as was that we probably need to aim our sights toward players who are discontent in the systems they are currently in rather than initially trying to compete with the likes of Chelsea or Spurs or Arsenal's academies when they are of adademy entry age.

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