The Hammers and the unicorn who knew too little! Published 12/04/18 on Moore Than Just A Club

If any West Ham fan were to look back in anger at two seasons of misery, then there would be answers still wanting and questions that still needed to be asked. One of the numerous would be about the youth players and any realistic prospects of breaking into the first team.

Neither Slaven Bilic nor David Moyes made obvious attempts to blood youth players in league fixtures, although there were feeble attempts in various cup ties. The club is nearing the end of its journey for this season and whilst relegation concerns may appear to be a thing of the past, the deep rooted issues within the squad linger…and what’s more, the club seem oblivious to it.

The summer will likely see a thinning out of the squad, some of the dead wood will be moved on, but some of the younger players and from the U23s will probably find new clubs to ply their trades too. How are they to be replaced? To buy in more youth and to purchase experienced professionals that would fill the gaps and be ready made for the league and raring to go into battle under the claret and blue banner?

Youth policy with many of the Premier League clubs appear to be as some mythical creature that is only spoken about in whispers of a bygone era. Of course all clubs have a youth policy, academies and many players that are produced but end up playing for another team, usually in the lower leagues..or even abroad, but rarely making it into the first team of their parent club.

West Ham are no different in this regard and the testament to this being that only Declan Rice has emerged as a realistic player that will not only regularly play in the first team but would also thrive within it too. However there have been so many players that have been played in bit part performances over the last two years and none have really transitioned into regular first team football. Is this a managerial issue, an academy issue, and U23 coaching problem…or is it that they are simply not good enough to play for West Ham?

Of course a youth training program without a decent work experience element will mean there is always a gap in a player’s ability and their ability to assimilate into the first team squad. It has been my contention that the U23s should be regularly placed on the first team substitute’s bench and be given regular appearances at the end of games, even when the results are not going the team’s way. Surely this is heresy…one cannot expect youth players to be introduced at crucial times, but if it is a policy and it is regular enough then the best youth players will become part of the first team squad and will become more than bit part players who are doomed to fail.

David Moyes does have an opportunity to be bold in the next few games, especially if the vital points are secured for the season. If there are games to spare, it would show the West Ham fans that he is truly a manager that is thinking of the future of West Ham and not just another manager who is only concerned about the terms of his own contract.

Too many managers are tasked with big goals at the start of the season and the tolerance for incompetence is virtually at a zero…and possibly has always been, however there is little tolerance by most owners for any manager to deliver a poor string of results. Each year the tolerance gets less and less so it is inevitable that managers will not risk their reputations or indeed their job with the introduction of the youth players.

That being the case, there is an ever increasing necessity for clubs to purchase matured players, whether domestic or foreign for an ever increasing price tag. This places a greater financial burden on the clubs and the fan’s expectations are also raised…but does it really work? Well for West Ham, it certainly hasn’t since moving away from Upton Park.

So looking forward to the summer, West Ham will decide on the fate of the current manager, will appoint a director of football and will no doubt trade players to create a new look squad. The revitalisation is necessary for any club, however for West Ham, it is crucial that it works and the season kicks of with positive results.

The likelihood is that some of the players on loan may not remain at the club. So Evra will ‘love this game’ somewhere else and Mario and Hart may indeed go back to their respective clubs if deals aren’t struck to keep them on a permanent basis. Loaned out players will return and their fates will also be decided but the likelihood is that they will also be sold too. Snodgrass, Martinez Burke, Oxford…will know their futures come the summer. Some will hope to impress and others will want to move on too, whilst existing squad players may see their West Ham careers come to an end too…such as Byram and Cullen if strides aren’t taken to include them more.

There has to be an appetite to replace these players with talented younger players who will become the stars of tomorrow, however the squad needs to retain the quality and experience but not hang onto ageing players that cannot provide a service to the club. The summer has to be a fresh start for all concerned. The manager, whoever that is, will have to mould a team that can deliver results but will also be balanced not only in terms of talent all over the pitch but also in terms of youth and experience too.

The most painful aspect of this saga is that West Ham have always had a strong tradition of youth development and in many ways invented the modern concept, but they have abandoned those roots and have become over reliant on buying expensive players with no guarantees of them ever succeeding. The policy is wrong, the players are inadequate and the managers are blinded by their own limitations. The managers should be the mythical creatures that know all, but they have become expendable resources themselves now, and youth policies are like the unicorns who knew too little about their purpose…unfortunately without readdress and rectification the Hammers will fail to impress next season and may suffer a worse fate than this one.