Youth players

[Nutsin]

So it looks like Potter is taking a look at some of the young academy players.

We’ve been asking for it for a while, so now that we have  seen a few who do you think has what it takes to carve out a good career in the Prem?

I’m sure there are a couple we haven’t seen yet in the first team for whatever reason.

So who do you think is gonna make the grade that is up and coming?

I thought Earthy looked good but haven’t kept up with his development. Scarles seems to be the one at the moment that has the best shot.

Who you got your eye on?

[Sir Alf]

Salthouse and Mackay will be livid with this new direction. 

According to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, Newcastle hitman Callum Wilson is firmly on the West Ham radar ahead of the summer. He’s a Salthouse client and Sullivan always likes to help his “mates” ( theyre not, they use him ) out.  

Mind you Wilson only 33 in a months time so perfect 

 

[Pub Bigot]

Sort of related to the thread - Ex Hammers academy product Elliot Lee, now at Wrexham, was involved in a car crash after driving home from their last away game and had to be rushed to hospital. Thankfully he escaped with only minor injuries. 

I think the whole Lee family are West Ham, what with their dad being born around the corner from Upton Park, and all three have played for the first team. 

I wish him well. 

[Lee Trundle]

It's frustrating to see Arsenal play the youth players we beat so convincingly a few years ago int eh FA Youth Cup.

The blame lies mainly on the 2 previous managers who, whatever both their supporters reckon, didn't do much to integrate them into the first team squads.

[MaryMillingtonsGhost]

I hope and expect Potter will have some conversations with the youth coaches to make sure everyone is on the same page, so that formations, tactics etc are not too dissimilar to how they train and play in the youth teams.  



 

 

 

[Rossal]

The previous set-up couldn't even integrate a big-money international striker signing like Haller, Scamacca etc so what chance does a young striker have from our academy trying to make the step-up?  

I hope and expect Potter will have some conversations with the youth coaches to make sure everyone is on the same page, so that formations, tactics etc are not too dissimilar to how they train and play in the youth teams.  

It doesn't seem like rocket science but for some reason it feels like it was completely overlooked before.

The latest 'Hammer Time' podcast, the official one from the club sits down with Potter. He discusses exactly how they plan to incorporate the academy and liase with the academy coaches closely to ensure we get players coming through. 

I thought he spoke very well, and the plans he outlines with regards to the academy and the whole first team environment every West Ham fan will be delighted with. 

Well worth a listen on the way home, It only adds weight that Potter is a great appointment for us. 

[scott_d]

The previous set-up couldn't even integrate a big-money international striker signing like Haller, Scamacca etc so what chance does a young striker have from our academy trying to make the step-up?  

I hope and expect Potter will have some conversations with the youth coaches to make sure everyone is on the same page, so that formations, tactics etc are not too dissimilar to how they train and play in the youth teams.  

It doesn't seem like rocket science but for some reason it feels like it was completely overlooked before.

[Gank]

The one thing thats baffled me for years is why the youth teams have been playing a complete different system to the first team? Surely that's an admission that the style of football under Moyes isn't what we want kids to be learning. When I've watched the youth team they have always seems to play a possession based back 3 with wing backs and an interchangeable front 3, very similar if not identical to Potter's set up coincidentally.

They had zero chance of playing under Moyes as they were stepping into a totally alien set up, this is a golden opportunity for the FA Cup winning generation to step into a progressive familiar formation. Scarles grabbed his chance, Orford didn't and subsequently we recalled JWP, so I assume that's the last we see of Orford and he'll be off on loan next season. I'd have been very tempted to recall Marshall & Earthy though as they both fit perfectly into this set up, Earthy in particular. I'd also say that at 20 years old, the fact Casey hasn't really had a sniff despite our centre back problems, would suggest that he'll also be moved out on loan next year and probably won't make the grade with us. 

It would be shameful if the club aren't able produce at least 1-2 first teamers from the FA Youth Cup winning team though, Arsenal already have Lewis-Skelly & Ethan Nwaneri making a name for themselves. 

That’s a good post, and bodes well for the immediate future whether the youngers play for us or are sold for actual money. We only spend about 1.2 million on the academy per year and it can pay for itself with a small number of sales.

We can add Mubama to the list of successes, it’s just a shame he couldn’t see a future at West Ham (he was right to think that at the time) as he would probably be starting if he was here now, certainly before we got Ferguson who Potter would likely have got in anyway.

[WHUDeano]

The one thing thats baffled me for years is why the youth teams have been playing a complete different system to the first team? Surely that's an admission that the style of football under Moyes isn't what we want kids to be learning. When I've watched the youth team they have always seems to play a possession based back 3 with wing backs and an interchangeable front 3, very similar if not identical to Potter's set up coincidentally.

They had zero chance of playing under Moyes as they were stepping into a totally alien set up, this is a golden opportunity for the FA Cup winning generation to step into a progressive familiar formation. Scarles grabbed his chance, Orford didn't and subsequently we recalled JWP, so I assume that's the last we see of Orford and he'll be off on loan next season. I'd have been very tempted to recall Marshall & Earthy though as they both fit perfectly into this set up, Earthy in particular. I'd also say that at 20 years old, the fact Casey hasn't really had a sniff despite our centre back problems, would suggest that he'll also be moved out on loan next year and probably won't make the grade with us. 

It would be shameful if the club aren't able produce at least 1-2 first teamers from the FA Youth Cup winning team though, Arsenal already have Lewis-Skelly & Ethan Nwaneri making a name for themselves. 

[Rossal]

I’ve seen a fair amount of Bristol City, and Earthy certainly seems more up to it than Potts IMHO.

I noticed yesterday that Pompey got an impressive win without Potts in the side.

Very impressive against a Cardiff team who have won once away all season and sit below Pompey in the table now 

[Lee Trundle]

Alex V used to go on and on about loans never being the right answer for a players development.

Only 5 players of the current England squad have never been out on loan.  Rico Lewis, Quansah, Bellingham, Bowen and Madueke.

So they might actually be good for a players development.

I don't know how inaccurate this stat is but it must be at least slightly wrong as I'm pretty sure Rice never went out on loan, did he?

I went with the last England squad.  That's as far as my effort went to, but there's still a load of players in the England squad that have been out on loan.

Loans can be great for a players development.  You just need to find the right club, which is where West Ham normally fail miserably at.

[Mad Ferret]

I’ve seen a fair amount of Bristol City, and Earthy certainly seems more up to it than Potts IMHO.

I noticed yesterday that Pompey got an impressive win without Potts in the side.

[scott_d]

Harry Kane went on loan to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester before he got a chance at Spurs.

Obviously he's a bit of an outlier but I can't imagine anyone was predicting how good he would be based on those loan spells.

Earthy looked comfortable in the Premier League, it could be that it suits him better than the lower leagues.

Either way, Potter will hopefully give him a chance when he comes back.

 

[onsideman]

I think that's the yardstick, Manuel. If you can't impress in a lower league the chances of making it at the top level are slim.  When Defoe went to, iir, Bournemouth, he smashed it, and we knew we had a player on our hands.

How many hopefuls have we seen from the youth set up to not make the grade?  Nearly all, is the unfortunate answer.  Though looking at other clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Villa, successfully transitioning youth to first team, it's probably yet another failure of the club to nurture young talent and bring them through. 

Yeah, this is a proper failure... perhaps the problem starts before the nurturing stage. Maybe our youth recruitment is comparatively poor 

[onsideman]

Alex V used to go on and on about loans never being the right answer for a players development.

Only 5 players of the current England squad have never been out on loan.  Rico Lewis, Quansah, Bellingham, Bowen and Madueke.

So they might actually be good for a players development.

I don't know how inaccurate this stat is but it must be at least slightly wrong as I'm pretty sure Rice never went out on loan, did he?

[Manuel]

Alfs - Sure. Hopefully Scarles is an exception, but I'm not convinced he is going to be a first team regular anytime soon, if ever.

[Alfs]

I think that's the yardstick, Manuel. If you can't impress in a lower league the chances of making it at the top level are slim.  When Defoe went to, iir, Bournemouth, he smashed it, and we knew we had a player on our hands.

How many hopefuls have we seen from the youth set up to not make the grade?  Nearly all, is the unfortunate answer.  Though looking at other clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Villa, successfully transitioning youth to first team, it's probably yet another failure of the club to nurture young talent and bring them through. 

[Manuel]

It's a tricky one for me, I've never been convinced about loans myself, but the England stat is pretty damming, but why did Earthy looked comfortable in our first team and is struggling at Bristol City? What if Potts comes back next season and can't get in the side after TWO successful seasons out on loan, if that doesn't work then it's hard to be confident it could work with any of our other youngsters. What happened to Marshall? A complete waste of time and he's gone backwards.

[onsideman]

Rio, Frank, Johnson, Carrick and Defoe all went on loan before they broke into the first team.

Joe Cole is the obvious exception.

Yes. I know. I meant it was immediately apparent in their loan spells that they were ready. I think Rio was actually recalled in the January?

[Lee Trundle]

Alex V used to go on and on about loans never being the right answer for a players development.

Only 5 players of the current England squad have never been out on loan.  Rico Lewis, Quansah, Bellingham, Bowen and Madueke.

So they might actually be good for a players development.

[scott_d]

Rio, Frank, Johnson, Carrick and Defoe all went on loan before they broke into the first team.

Joe Cole is the obvious exception.

[onsideman]

It's a tough one
With Rio, Defoe, Fatty etc it was immediately apparent that they were ready
With others it has become immediately apparent that they're not
With players like Earthy, I kind of agree that he might thrive more in the first team environment where better players are making better runs and/or spotting his better runs, but until this manager came along the prospect of him getting any game time was remote.
 

[Fauxstralian]

Think part of a loan is living away from home & growing up a bit
Dont think it’s the end of the world if a loan isn’t a bed of roses.
They are playing against MEN & the games mean more
With Potts at Portsmouth I hope he realises that if they go down people will probably lose their jobs at the club
Dont think players should go out for more than one season unless we are looking to move them on

[scott_d]

MF is only here to praise the Spurs team, staff and fans and criticise West Ham players, staff and fans.

[Mex Martillo]

I'm not sure loans help. Earthy looked good with the 1st team last season and I read his loan is not going well, which I guess doesn't help development. Guilherme, Scarles and Orford all looking good with similar playing time as Earthy had. I think the Championship is a bit crap for development and better to have them with the 1st team / U20s.

[Gank]

Potts is a couple of years older than Guilherme and has played zero minutes this season, Mad Ferret is obviously not going to give him a prayer of ever playing for West Ham.