Comments on: Youth Development – A Case of Quality Over Quantity?

By: Bonnie Kryst

Bonnie Kryst — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:13:41 +0000

Like we don’t see his stash of girlfriends on the sly

By: Hammerette

Hammerette — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:56:29 +0000

A high quality – thought provoking peice as always SJ. It does raise the question of where the volume of English football talent is going these days? Why do the lower league clubs not have more gems fall in to their lap – its a very good question.

I do not think that clubs like Chelski help in other ways – they stock pile young English talent and then ultimately stunt its development. I would like to know how many young English prospects have drifted out of the game from the Chelski Academy in the last 5 yrs or so?

By: MattRyan

MattRyan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:17:00 +0000

Nope but we should have kept him! lol

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:58:51 +0000

If there wasn't a West Ham, these players would just have started out at other clubs. If you have the drive and determination and skill to make it as a pro, you won't find yourself hampered by a slightly longer commute to training.

Where I think we take credit is in having the reputation and skill to spot and attract the best kids and in running the academy well enough so that they don't drop out.

Of course, publically, I'll be claiming as much credit as possible for the Hammers if we do well at the World Cup. There was a really interesting interview on TalkSport a few months back between Alvin Martin, Danny Kelly and Tony Carr. See if you can find it on the net somewhere. Worth a listen.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:52:40 +0000

You mean Neil Mellor? You could see he was crap the day he made his debut at Preston. No wonder David Conolly was spitting feathers at being dropped.

Funnily enough, he's now not setting the world alight at Preston.

By: Oddjob

Oddjob — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:25:57 +0000

If you look at the overall picture there are a number of reasons why there are less young English players coming through. The major ones are:
1. Kids have far more options on how to spend their leisure time than in the past leading to less of them playing football. When I was a nipper (I know, I'm an old git) we spent all of our spare time kicking a ball about, either in the street (can't do that now) or the park. We didn't really have much else we could do but it meant almost every kid played football.
2. The professional game has become international which means clubs have a far bigger market to find youngsters in, thus reducing the number of British players getting into clubs.
3. A combination of the two points above. Kids from poorer countries – and the African one are the best example – still kick a ball around the streets and don't have as many alternatives as our kids. This produces more players in number leading to a better chance of some becoming good enough to play professionally.
4. The money at the top of the game means that it is an easier solution for the big clubs to buy ready-made players or good youngsters that have been developed by other clubs, usually abroad.

All of these factors naturally reduce the opportunities for home grown kids and are symptoms of a changing world. The big European leagues have a huge influx of foreign players (of all ages) but there are very few English, Spanish or Italian players from their lower leagues who go to other countries to play. This increases the inbalance.

All of this adds to the credit that is due for those at our club who have developed and built our academy.

By: Oddjob

Oddjob — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:09:26 +0000

Villa next Wednesday and Everton on Saturday – both at home.

By: Oddjob

Oddjob — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:07:36 +0000

I don't think that we can claim that Terry is a product of our academy. He was hardly the finished article at 14.

By: Bubbleblower

Bubbleblower — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:02:40 +0000

I know a lad who played at every schoolboy level for England as he came through the academy at Blackburn. He wasn’t going to get within 10 miles of the first team though because, despite Blackburn’s academy being universally accepted as one of the very best around, it was determined that he wasn’t going to make the grade. He moved on, bounced around at Bradford, Northampton and then dropped into the Conference trying to pursue his dream. He now plays in some crappy feeder league up north somewhere, and has a proper job while he supports a young family. Now bearing in mind that as a coach I’ve seen thousands of good players over the years this kid was the equal of Theo Walcott at 10 – yes, I saw him at 10, and he obviously can play as his England caps bear testimony, so there must be a reason as to his failure. It comes purely down to attitude – there are thousands of kids just like the one I’m describing who once they’ve had the taste think that they are the business. Talent alone is not enough these days. Roy Massey, who is responsible to Liam Brady at Arsenal, told me once that it takes them somewhere in the region of 30,000 goes to find an Ashley Cole. With clubs picking up children from the age of 8 these days it doesn’t leave a lot behind.
If you look at FA Youth Cup winning sides of recent years, particularly ours and the Man Utd one you will see that they are either full internationals or nothing. The ones that played alongside Beckham and Scholes obviously had the talent, as did those who played with Cole and Carrick, but you will find people like Anwar Uddin, Bertie Brayley and Adam Newton nowhere near the premiership. If players like that can’t make it then it appears to me that someone in the lower leagues has got to be the reincarnation of Ian Wright to get a look in and I’m afraid those days are over.
I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to say, but I hope you get the gist.

By: Jolly

Jolly — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:57:53 +0000

You have to feel for Sctottish football fans – once was a time when every top flight English team had a bedrock of Scottish talent. Man utd had Law, Arsenal had McClintock and Liverpool had Dalglish, Hansen and Souness.
As for West Ham, well we've had our fair share too from Sandy clark to 'Tonka' Ray Stewart not forgetting Frankie 'och it was only a wee bit of charlie' McCavennie!
But now? well, here's where the violins must begin – Scotland lead the European horror league tables in nearly every teen disaster you wish to imagine – highest pregnancy rate, highest STI rate, most % obese, most drug or alcohol abuse or least amount of exercise taken – top of the pile EVERY TIME, pride of Scotland.

For every McCallister, McCoist and Strachan – you know have Mcdonalds, wimpey and Whopper.

Where is the talent in Scotland – chances are he's at a mates house playing a nicked playstation whilst smoking a spliff, drinking cheep cider and eating a deep fried Curly Wurly. When he's done, he'll pop round his girlfriends and have unprotected sex whilst her 3 other kids are in the spare room.