The decline of the Academy of Football

Article by e-West Ham Correspondent Brandon Freeman

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With England’s World Cup campaign getting under way many West Ham fans would have noticed that, for the first time in a while, the Hammers are only one of two top-flight teams to not have a player in the World Cup. But more importantly, West Ham fans should be concerned that the self acclaimed Academy of Football currently have no players in the England World Cup squad, although striker Andy Carroll is on the standby list in case of injury, should Roy Hodgson need more firepower upfront. Some might argue that the term “decline” may be unfair on the academy players who have shown great potential in the under 21 league. But at a time when we are spending more money than ever on our academy, shouldn’t we expect more from an academy who has delivered some of England’s greatest players such as Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand who have all gone on to conquer the Premier League and Europe with their respective clubs. So where does the blame truly lie?

First and foremost we cannot look beyond Sam Allardyce, His reluctance to give youth a chance has been all too clear since his appointment three years ago. West Ham’s 5-0 thrashing against Nottingham Forest in the F.A Cup in January certainly hasn’t helped West Ham’s youngsters to earn Big Sam’s trust, however many will argue that it was unfair of Allardyce to throw so many youngsters into the match, especially given the fact that 5 players were given their debuts. Perhaps this defeat may explain why Big Sam preferred experience over youth for much of last season but there is no excuse for the fact that in the previous two seasons Allardyce has shown a distinct reluctance to give youth a chance in the first team. The treatment of Ravel Morrison, arguably West Ham’s brightest prospect, certainly gives cause for concern. Morrison has been given little chance in the first team, having spent most of last season on-loan at QPR despite some truly memorable performances, most notably his wonder goal in West Ham’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham at White Hart lane.

Secondly, the owners must also shoulder some of the blame for the lack of international representation in the squad. Both David Gold and Sullivan have allowed Big Sam virtually total control over the recruitment process at Upton Park, and most importantly allowed Sam to bring in experienced players who have been in the England squad in the past but have failed to recapture the form which propelled them onto the international stage, Stewart Downing being the most recent example. Despite this, they do appear to have learnt from last season and have announced their intention to become more involved in the recruitment process rather than operating a more hands off approach which lead to Sam Allardyce bringing in his preferred calibre of player. The owners have also announced that having retained Allardyce as manager, they will look to bring in younger players with the necessary pace and flair to improve West Ham’s style of play. So it does appear that the owners have recognised the necessity to reduce the average age of the first team and many will hope that this will lead to the development of some more young talent through both the first team squad and the academy.

But can the West Ham academy once again produce another batch of youngsters to take the international stage by storm and provide England with a squad capable of winning the World Cup for only a second time since the 1966 World Cup, which was of course won by West Ham!

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