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Fifth Column 1:58 Fri Aug 11
Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

So a kid I coached for several years has just been picked to play for England U16s after playing for Ecuador U16s in the summer (you can switch easily at that age)... He was signed at age of 11 by Charlton and just signed scholar forms with them I believe.

Anyway, I tried to get the attention of WHUFC scouts for this kid for years but no joy. There are several players i coached now in the Championship and to be fair there is no way at 11 of knowing who's going to make it in Premier League and who won't... but in general nearly all scouts said, "brilliant technique but too small" [he was average height albeit slightly small compared to average footballer]. Charlton were only London club willing to give him a chance - now looks very possible he'll be another kid they sell for several million in a few years time though again I know there is no guarantee. English football is so obsessed with pace and strength... no wonder we don't produce ball players.

My hope is he continues to develop and we nick him from Charlton like we did with Defoe.

Fifth Column 4:11 Sun Aug 27
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

I got a call from Brady but I've got a £6 million release clause and apparently Benitez will be cheaper

Coffee 4:05 Sun Aug 27
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Nice one, Fifth!

Just hypothetically, would you be available for a possible football-related vacancy in the Stratford and Rush Green areas soon?

Fifth Column 4:01 Sun Aug 27
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

I know no one will care but I'm going to bump the thread.

The kid made his England debut this week, two matches - one vs Turkey, one vs Romania. Both 2v1 wins. In the Romania match he got one goal, one assist.

Brightened my weekend in light of the shit served up by WHU

Fifth Column 8:56 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Wrighty we have several kids at Premier League academies including Chelsea... one of which is on a scholar contract there... obviously whether they make it at that level is another story.

My point is that we've had Chelsea and other Premier League clubs regularly down to watch our kids. Perhaps West Ham know better than all these other Prem League clubs.

To be fair I will say again this was going back 3 or 4 years.

Herby 8:55 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Goes a long way to explaining the state of our national side if scouts are still looking for athletes over technical ability and footballing brain.

wrighty 8:38 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

So none of these kids have made a prem first team and this kid is at charlton? You're doing something fantastic for the community and that should be applauded but not sure why West Ham are being criticised here.

Mart O 7:32 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Oh and ' told his parents that he'd been playing football since he was 6, and he just hated it and didn't want to play anymore.'

Ag ! Fair play to the lad.

Mart O 7:32 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Well done, FC. Good read.

"brilliant technique but too small". Unbelievable that anyone could still say this.

Meanwhile, Citeh line up with De Bruyne, Silva, Agüero and Jesus. Do these people not watch football ?

Alex G 10:59 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

I wonder how tall Messi was at eleven....

Rio or Anton or Les 10:57 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Best thread on here for years!

Well done FC

Sven Roeder 9:41 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

You'd think things would have moved past kids being rejected as 'too small' but seems not.
Of course they can test kids these days to see how big they will grow but you wonder how the likes of David Silva or Luka Modric would have got on if they were English.
That said I do have sympathy for scouts trying to pick players at 10yo as everyone thinks their kid is the next Neymar

I wonder if there isn't also sometimes an obsession with clubs wanting their teams to win games at say u14 level rather than having your eyes firmly on developing players to be ready at 18 or 20. Must be hard for say the West Ham u14 coach to explain too many defeats on the basis that his team are more talented but smaller than other teams but they will be better players in 4 years time

jimbo2. 4:24 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

I remember seeing Defoe play for Senrab against my sons team (Heath Park) about 20 years ago & he wasn't exactly big. He would have been on Charlton's books at that time. Let's hope that WH are looking at these youngsters more seriously under the new academy regime. Good post fifth!

Fifth Column 3:27 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

He can play right back, right wing or behind the centre forward. Don't know where he'll end up playing. And yes he's the same style as Iniesta... not saying he's that good of course.

Takashi Miike 12:20 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

couldn't watch that link you put up as the players were so small but had a look at another link where he was more on the wing. he reminded me of a right sided iniesta, very skillful

Fifth Column 12:12 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyaXTNSFQ4E

Hat-trick and an assist Vs Spurs for Charlton

Jeremy Sarmiento

Takashi Miike 12:11 Sat Aug 12
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Fifth, what's his name?

Fifth Column 11:57 Fri Aug 11
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

LoL @ MPH

Sorry, I'll post a thread about my favourite crisps next time (ready salted McCoys)

ManorParkHammer 11:53 Fri Aug 11
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Strange thing to make up.

Fifth Column 11:39 Fri Aug 11
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

What I didn't add was that a few years back there was a community club competition with a qualifying tournament in Essex and the two top teams got to play in the final on the pitch at Upton Park.

We entered three teams across different age groups and they all got to the final.

This kid that's been selected for England was there. The team won the final about 10 v 4 or something... all the WHU academy there. No interest at all in any of the kids. I found that amazing. 7 of those kids are now at chelsea, charlton, palace or QPR.

Fifth Column 11:36 Fri Aug 11
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Mustapha Carayol at Forest and Daniel Johnson was in Premier League with Villa and is now at Preston played for the club I run. Others playing in league 1, league 2 and conference... several other players are now on scholar contracts with Prem, Championship and League 1 sides - we'll see if they make it.

The best kid we've ever had at the club was a kid I coached for two years, he got signed by Charlton, went to Arsenal at 15, at 16 was offered pro contracts with every one of the big clubs around the country... he got straight As at GCSE then told his parents that he'd been playing football since he was 6, and he just hated it and didn't want to play anymore.

He's now in second year of A levels and wants to go to university and become an investment banker.

Straight up.

Words failed me (and his parents)

Fifth Column 11:32 Fri Aug 11
Re: Kid I used to coach picked for England/West Ham scouting

Tomsdad

That is very true, kids get watched... that is my point though, this kid had been watched by multiple scouts from the age of 8 and I lost loads of kids in that team between ages of 8 and 10... but never this kid because he was just normal height, normal speed.

This kid only got picked up at 11 by Charlton... sounds young but much later than the other kids who went to Academies from that team.

And I personally know people Academies from Millwall, Palace, Chelsea, Fulham, Arsenal, Charlton, Brentford... Man City, QPR, Blackburn even... from several of the London clubs the Academies would come down to look at our players if we phoned them up because they knew we produced a lot of Academy players... West Ham were never interested, they may have turned up at matches incognito but that's not how they are supposed to operate. Based on FA regulations they are supposed to inform coaches that they are there (partly due to child protection).

To be fair, this is a couple of years back - perhaps West Ham are more engaged now - given our neighbourhood produced the Ferdinand brothers and several other pros it was just funny that the dozen kids we had going to Academies over around 2010 to 2013, none were formally watched by WH.

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