Ilunga has gone, of course, but the names of four others have not hit the headlines. Academy prospects Matt Fry, Jordan Brown, Ahmed Abdulla and Sergio Sanchez have all been told to go forth and multiply. It seems that the Academy is stalling. This generation has been a huge disappointment. Sears was the new Tony Cottee for a handful of games. Hines was the new Defoe for a match or two. Stanislas was going to be the black Devonshire. Jordan Brown was much lauded not so long ago. And so it goes on.
True Tomkins has made the grade but with the signing of Morrison, it looks as if we are trying to buy an Academy these days. Mind you, with Ravel and Vose on the books, they might rename the Academy the "Young Offenders Institution" soon!
It's disappointing but there's no point in keeping the chaff, as Freddie Parrot Face Sears shows. Hines and Stanislas are not pulling up any trees at Burnley and are any of us surprised? How long will it be before Nouble and Montano are sent packing too?
17 comments:
Nouble has never shown me enough to keep on but Montana has scored everywhere he has gone
Brown really surprised me.
Trouble is, Montano was only good enough to feature as a sub at Notts County, was rejected by Swindon and is now playing at the bottom of the bottom league with Dagenham. He is 20, looks like he isn't going to make the grade sadly.
The big point you choose to ignore is that now that West Ham have been relegated there are not in a reserve league fixture list anymore so are not getting the experience of competetive games as much. far better to loan them out, which did the likes of Frank Lampard no harm at all. If you stop looking to criticise and vilify everything about this club you claim to support you might just find some positives.
If he develops into the player he looks like he could be, Montano could be the natural successor to Matt Taylor. IF
0738, the big point you are missing is that Montano has slipped down the league in terms of the clubs that want him, and is now at the age where he should be breaking into the West Ham first team anyway if he is the real deal. Even Sears found a berth and a regular starting place in the Championship when out on loan, but Montano was a sub in Division 1 and sent packing by Swindon.
I would love for Montano to be the real deal and called for him to be selected earlier in the season, but it wasn't even considered by Allardyce, even when we were struggling to find 16 players to name for a game. Why do you think that is?
Ask yourself, why have we bought Morrison? To send out on loan? He is younger than Montano.
I remember people calling for Fry to be recalled from Charlton and played in the Prem! Well he isn't good enough for the Championship! Time for a reality check in terms of our great Academy prospects perhaps?
And whilst we are on the subject, you are a dad with a brilliant 13 year old son. Would you want him to join a club managed by Allardyce? I wouldn't!
you can add olly lee and frank nouble to that list they have been told they have no future, but to suggest the academy may be slowing down is way off the mark. There release has probably been influenced by the fact that current youth team is best we have had certainly on par at least with the golden generation of cole, carrick etc. Hall and Potts have already broken through, add to that Tombides, Fanimo, Elliot Lee, Turgott, Moncur and Chambers all in my opinion massive prospects, i think the futures bright, in fact very bright. COYI!
Anony-mouse says,
This post sums up your ignorance about the club you say you support.
1). Much as you might want to, unfortunately you can't just sack players for no reason, without paying up their contracts in full. We may as well keep Carew and Piq on the pay-roll, as we may need need them between now and the end of the season.
2). Buy an academy these days? We've long had a tradition of bringing in young players from other clubs. We took Defoe as a kid from a grumpy Charlton. Leon Britton, who you wrote of the other week as one that got away was bought by us from Arsenal for £400k.
3). Six weeks ago you were telling Allardyce to play the kids. Now you seem to be consigning them to the dustbin. Where's your consistency HF? Around Xmas you wanted Montano to be given a chance in the first team. Now in your eyes seems to be 'chaff' to be discarded like Hines and Stanislas were. Ffs, why? What's changed your mind about him in a month and a half? Montano has talent, but as I've said before, is a player that needs time to develop to see if he can become a first teamer.
Start giving people some slack and a chance. If you are a supporter, then support.
kevin in manchester writes
well as a 13 year old he wouldn't be managed by sam would he .. unless he's taken over direct coaching of the youth. agree with your reservations about the academy.. for a club like ours we have punched well above our weight in the youth stakes but no longer .. the output isn't bad two players making it into the first team squad every year is what you look for but the system is noweher near as legendary as many fans like to believe.
07:38 hear hear!
09:24 sorry I can't imagine anyone in your family being brilliant. I've tried and I just can't do it.
Parrot face? I thought he looked more like an owl.
Sears is living every west ham fans dream being apart of a team you support and getting paid for it and not having to do anything. It's like the ultimate season ticket!
Ignorance? Not at all 0937. You only came up with the obvious ones. You forgot Bywater - signed for a fee aged just 16. You might add Daprela and Nouble. And Savio! Ho ho! And Gavin Holligan. And Montenegro of course. Not sure, but I think we paid a fee for Stech too. You really shouldn't take a throw away line so seriously!
Anony-mouse says,
I used those two lads just as examples to show that we have often made signings like Morrison in order to try to develop them further.
I mentioned Montano earlier, but like him Freddie Sears is another you now want out just weeks after you were championing him. Can't remember it exactly but you said something like you had a hunch that it'd pay off for us if he played more. For the record, sadly I don't think Freddie will make it at his level, but six weeks ago you thought he would. That's what I mean by ignorant. You hold such strong views but within weeks of uttering them they are turned 100% on their head.
We all change our minds. Of course we do. But to such a degree? And so quickly? That's what I meant about your lack of consistency HF.
For the record, I would still like to see Montano given his chance, but you have to admit that it is odd that Swindon didn't want him and that Notts County in the Third Division didn't consider him worth a starting berth. I wanted him to be given a chance to see what he could do. The fact that he is playing for Dagenham and Redbridge aged 20 suggests he isn't going to make it as a Prem player, sadly.
Make your mind up.... Montano is either good or shite - he can't be both.
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