Freddie Sears to represent England

TheFA.com is reporting that the Brian Eastick has chosen his U19 side to represent England against Belarus on September 11. From the reports, he made his criteria based on last years performances and since Freddie was the leading Academy scorer as well as a top performer for the U18s, the call up was warranted.

Freddie is excited at this prospect and says:

"One of my aims this season, apart from trying to score more goals, was to be selected to play for England, so I was really pleased to get the call," he said.

"I am excited as it will be a totally different experience for me. But I also know I have to make the most of it.

"The other boys here at West Ham who have played for their countries already have been giving me some tips. One of the main ones was do your best and hopefully you will be called back again." It will also be a proud moment for the Sears family, when Freddie joins up with the England squad.

"They are all quite excited for me," admits Freddie "My family will be cheering me on for sure if I get to play.

"I am also proud to be representing West Ham on the international stage. If I get a chance to play then that will be great, if not, I am happy to be part of the squad and hopefully I can go on from there."

Good on ya Freddie, best of luck!

West Ham Reserves v. Aston Villa

Although the reserves lost 2-1 vs. Aston Villa, Kevin Keen fielded a young side that included First teamers Jimmy Walker and "Johnny Pants" with recent Academy graduates Kyel Reid and Tony Stokes as well as many current Academy trainees.

Reid hit a 25 yarder in the game as he puts his bid in to help replace an injured Kieron Dyer. I know Curbs has a ton of money behnd him at this time, but I can't believe that he wont give Pantsil a try instead of buying more players that will undoubtedly get injured...

To update a previous post, David Blackmore was on the bench and further investigating shows that his loan to Crawley was just to train with the first team before the season.

Hopefully the reserves can catch some wins this years and not have a repeat performance of the dreadful season of last.

West Ham U12s

Reading on the KUMB message boards, I have found that the West Ham under 12s were in Japan to take part in the 8th Shizuoka World tournament against teams from Holland, Argentina, Mexico and Japan.

The boys did pretty well coming in 2nd place. Congrats to them and lets hope they continue the path for The Academy. Congrats U12s!

Future Academy Star?

Dean Ashton has pulled out of the match today against Bristol Rovers as his partner just went into labor.

He is now anxiously waiting for the star of the Academy's 2024 youth Cup winning campaign to be born.

Congrats Dean-o the boys will bring a win home for you, smoke a cigar and enjoy your first foray into fatherhood!

Academy v. Portsmouth

A sad day for the academy as they failed to claim their first point of the season.

(From the Official Site)

West Ham United's Under-18s fell to a 1-0 defeat away at Portsmouth after being only minutes away from taking home their first point of the season.

It looked like being a stale-mate in what was a frustrating game for Director of Youth Academy Tony Carr and his team, until the home side was awarded a debatable free-kick on the edge of the area.

A low left-foot shot went agonisingly under the feet of the boys in the West Ham wall and into the corner of the net.

With not many chances created by either side, it was a disappointing end to the match, which the Hammers at least deserved a share of the spoils.

"It was petering out to a 0-0 draw and I think that would have been the right result. They didn't deserve to win and we didn't deserve to lose, admits Tony

"It had been a pretty fair challenge on one of their boys, which to be fair on another day would have gone unnoticed, but they were awarded the free-kick and lucky for them, it went in."

He added: "It was the only decent shot they had on goal, but it wasn't a good game overall. They stuck 10 behind the ball, were not attacking and adventurous, so it was hard to break that down and get our football flowing. In fact, their staff came up to me afterwards and apologised for the way they approached the game."

While it has been a disappointing start by the Hammers' standards, Tony said there is enough in the team to see the corner being turned in terms of results pretty soon.

"We can do better, but it's only two games in and there's a long road ahead yet, said Tony.

"And just because you are losing games, doesn't mean you don't have good players.

We have Watford up next, at home this weekend and we go again.

"Obviously we are looking not only for our first points of the season but also our first goal. Some of the boys will be involved in reserve games as that kicks in this week.

"But while it can have an adverse effect on our matches, it can also be positive as the boys who play in the reserves might get a goal or put in a good performance and bring that into our match on the Saturday."

"The important thing is for me is to lift the team and make sure the confidence and belief is there. We are not far away from getting a result, I am sure of that."

West Ham United: Stech, O'Neill, Blackwell, Miller, N'Gala, Harvey, Stanislas, Lee, Hunt, Sears, Jeffery

Subs: Street, Ashman, Edgar (Stanislas), Fry (Jeffery), Kearns (Lee)

---------

At least we all know Tony Carr will be diligent in righting the ship. Also, I'm sure the return of Jordan Spence after the Young Lions are through with he World Cup will provide a boost of morale as well as a rock in Central Defense. Now if they could start scoring....

England U17 v. Brazil: 2-1

I'm sure every true fan has heard of it so far, but this site's biggest news over the weekend was the last second winner from Jordan Spence to seal the victory over Brazil in the U17 World Cup!!!

(From TheFA.com)

With a cultured swing of his right boot, Jordan Spence made history at the Goyang Stadium on Friday night.

With England and Brazil locked at 1-1 in injury-time, the Three Lions skipper cleverly diverted Henri Lansbury's shot past Marcelo's outstretched right hand before embarking on a joyous celebration.

Not only did the West Ham's defender's goal ensure his country topped Group B, it meant England beat Brazil for the first time ever at a FIFA Finals.

"It's a blur now," said Spence as he tried to recall his moment of history.

"When the ball fell to Henri I was pleased as of all the people it could have landed to, he has scored some great goals from the edge of the area. But he did not seem to catch it right.

"I managed to stay onside, I just wanted to direct it towards goal. I did not see the ball hit the back of the net. As soon as I made contact I was gone. It was the biggest buzz. Crazy. Just one of those feelings where I wish I could hit a rewind button and go through it all again."

Spence has enjoyed much success since taking the captain's armband at U16 level but, for a pure adrenaline rush, his goal against Brazil takes some beating.

"There are a few highlights - The European Championship Final and how we got there, and qualifying in Bosnia, but for a sheer moment of joy, this is up there," he added.

Like the rest of his team-mates, Spence was always confident England would emerge victorious from their meeting with Brazil.

While the small contingent of England fans feared the worst when Tales' 40-yard free-kick deceived Alex Smithies in the England goal, Spence remained unruffled.

"It was a freak goal," he insisted. "But football can change in a matter of seconds so we never thought it wouldn't be our day just because that went in."

England equalised through Lansbury's penalty at the end of the first half, but there was another twist to the tale when Brazil won an 82nd minute penalty.

But Smithies guessed right, diving to his left to parry Lulinha's penalty and keep England in with a chance of victory.

"Alex has got a great record at saving penalties," said the captain. "I think he's saved five for England - that's ridiculous. He got us out of trouble. That gave us a big boost. I thought 'let's go and win it now'."

And England did just that, with Spence's instinctive finish the difference between the sides.

"Hopefully we have sent a message out to the other teams and to the public who doubted us at the start of the tournament that we are here to win it," said the captain.

"We have the capabilities to do so. We will enjoy the moment, but we will push this to one side and concentrate on who we will play in the next round."

Spence was adamant that the bar of expectation has not been raised in light of the win as the team were always aiming to reach the top of the mountain from the moment they left for Korea.

"The aim was always to win the World Cup," he said. "If you are not here to win it then there's no point being here. We set the initial objective of winning the group and we have done that. The next objective is to win our game in the last-16. But ultimately the goal is to win the World Cup. If we play to our potential there is no reason why we can't do that."

-------

Truly a testament to The Academy of Football. Cheers to Jordan and good luck against Syria!

Apologies for the break

Ugh, out for too long! and for the record, if anyone ever goes to Philadelphia, try to go when there is little humidity... good city though, go to Jim's Steak for a good cheese steak.

Where Are They Now: Freddy Eastwood

Just saw that former Academy trainee Freddy Eastwood scored for Wales in his International debut, as a mini tribute he gets to be the second in this blog's "Where Are They Now" series.

Freddy left The Academy after Roeder thought he wasn't good enough (jackass...) and moved to conference side Gray's Athletic. He scored 37 league and cup goals in his first season, winning the Grays' Golden Boot and in turn his professional stock soared.

Eastwood moved to Southend United in October 2004, initially on loan and made his debut for the club in spectacular style, scoring the opener after 7.7 seconds (a record for a debutant). At Southend, Eastwood became somewhat of a cult hero, especially after the memorable free kick against Man U which saw the Shrimpers win 1-0.

In July 2007, Freddy completed a £1.5m move from Southend to Wolves and has been starting for them in the Championship this year. (More on Freddy)

Great to see a player battle up through the leagues. I would love to say that we should have always kept him, but from the looks of it, he needed that time to develop into the player he is now. Good luck to him and if he keeps on getting better I for one would welcome him back.

Academy v. Fulham

Don't know how I missed this earlier in the week... From the Official Site

21/08/2007 09:00

West Ham's Under-18's narrowly lost out to their London rivals Fulham on Saturday in a game which saw them unlucky not to have taken all three points themselves.

A goal 12 minutes from time by the West London side broke the deadlock but on another day more deadly finishing from the young Hammers would have seen them through.

Yet heads were not down after the game, as West Ham's Director of Youth Academy, Tony Carr, explained.

"We just needed to be a bit more clinical in front of goal, he said. "We had chances and I thought overall we played well. So, while it was disappointing to lose, I was pleased with the attitude and the way went about the game.

"If we played poorly and lost, I would have been more worried, it was simply not being able to get the ball over the line."

Hammers started well creating chances and penned in the visitors for much of the first half but it remained at 0-0 at half-time.

After the break, Hammers again had the most of the opportunities to go ahead and Ben Hunt thought he had scored only to see his effort ruled out for off-side.
Freddie Sears saw a chance parried by the Fulham keeper and Jack Collison agonisingly hit the post with another good effort.

Anthony Edgar got away well on the left but just could not lift it over the keeper and several other chances followed, all scrambled off the line by Fulham.

It was a counter-attack that caught Hammers and resulted in the visitors taking home the points.

West Ham face an away trip to play Portsmouth this Saturday and Tony said there is a lot to take into this match.

"The result didn't go our way but we have a lot to build on. We will work on making sure we are more clinical in front of goal but can go into the Portsmouth game with a lot of confidence."

West Ham United: Street, O'Neill, Miller, N'Gala, Blackwell, Stanislas, Collison, Harvey, Edgar, Hunt, Sears
Subs: Payne, Lee, Fry, Ashman, Kearns

A letter to McClaren

Dear Steve McClaren,

How many more Paul Robinson blunders does it take to give Robert Green a chance between the sticks for the Lions? Seriously, what does he have to do before you pull him permanently. Throw the ball in his own goal? Ninja kick Terry in the back? Take one shoe off and sit cross legged on the penalty spot?

...and while your at it, please install Anton in the defense so Greenie has someone he knows back there...

Sincerely,

The Academy of Football

Thick with defenders

Reports abound with Welsh duo James Collins and Danny Gabbidon securing contract extensions at Upton Park. Good on them, I like both players a ton and they secure that we have a formidable back line for years to come.

Where does this leave young James Tomkins? Needing to go out on loan methinks...

Although still getting back to the match fitness that saw him practicing with the first team this time last year, from what I have read, he is a special talent who is one to watch for the future. I for one hope he gets a good loan spell and lives up to the recent strong line of Central Defenders that have come before (Anton, Rio, Elliot Ward).

England U17 v. New Zealand: 5-0

England absolutely drubbed New Zealand, they scored 5 from 3 players and look a good bet to move into the next round of the U17 World Cup.

Young Lions captain and Academy trainee Jordan Spence went the full 90 in the effort.

Not too much else to be read about his performance, but since New Zealand didn't score and there were no on-field bust ups, I guess he did his job... may have had his eyes closed... but did his job nonetheless

Ephraim given full debut for Q.P.R.

Academy graduate Hogan Ephraim was given his full debut for QPR against Cardiff City. R's boss John Gregory handed inserted him in place of Stefan Bailey.

Q.P.R. lost 0-2 and not too much was written on his performance but he went the full 90 up front. I hope this experience was just the beginning of some fantastic football.

Come on you Irons!

England U17 v. Korea DPR: 1-1

The Young Lions tied 1-1 with the Korean U17s on a sweltering day in Jeju. Academy trainee Jordan Spence went the full 90 and had a realistic look at the situation after the game. He says:

"We'd have to admit we did not play as well as we can, Everyone has off days. Conditions were tough, it was warm, but we are not going to use that as an excuse. It's no excuse for our ball retention and quality of play. It was hot and humid, but everyone got through it. The first game of any tournament is always a tough one." (full interview)

Signs of a honest leader... Let's hope things go better against New Zealand tomorrow.

A Wanted Man

The Daily Mail reports:

Crystal Palace could still make a move for West Ham starlet Hogan Ephraim.

The midfielder recently joined QPR on loan but boss Peter Taylor admitted: "I'm going to keep an eye on his situation. I wouldn't rule out making a move for him later in the season."

Thats right... teams obsess over West Ham Academy graduates... good times!

U-17 World Cup Streaming

Keep tabs on England U17 captain Jordan Spence with FIFAs live streaming of the U17 World Cup from South Korea.

Visit this link... and follow the directions

England's first Group B game against South Korea will kick off Saturday, August 18th at 6AM UK time. (full schedule here)

Academy Season Starting

From the Official Site:

West Ham United's Under-18s kick off their FA Premier Youth Academy 2007-08 campaign with a home clash against Fulham on Saturday morning.

Tony Carr's team will welcome their London rivals to Little Heath before facing a trip to Portsmouth the following week.

For the full list of 2007-08 FA Premier Youth Academy fixtures, click here

Hogan to Q.P.R.

Seems that Crystal Palace and Colchester couldn't do enough to woo Academy graduate Hogan Ephraim to them.

Hogan will be joining Championship side Q.P.R. on a months loan starting 8/11 and will be wearing #25.

Hogan was eligible to play for Q.P.R. as early as their opening league match against Bristol City and was used as a substitute, coming in as a forward on the 58th, from the looks of the report he put some nice passes on and almost gave some assists.

He did not feature in their 2-1 Carling Cup defeat to Leyton Orient.

Here's to hoping he gets a run on and scores in their next match against Cardiff City on the 18th.

U.S. vs. Sweden

Looks like Jonathan Spector could be lining up opposite Freddie Ljungberg in the upcoming U.S. vs. Sweden friendly. Heres to hoping they both make it out knock free.

Who will get the best of who? Well, from the Man City performance, Spector is going to have a long day. Good to see two international caps for West Ham though.

Where Are They Now: San Lee

While reading the last post something caught my eye. it seems the U17s flew into Jeju where they are preparing for the U17 World Cup. That was familiar becuase that is now the home of ex-academy player San Lee (or Lee San depending on how you do it).

After leaving The Academy of Football, Lee played for Brentford and then with Sheffield United, unfortunately he did not make a strong impression for either and from the sound of it, got knocked off the ball a lot. After attempting to catch on with trials at Colchester and Billeracay Town he signed for Tiptree United in 2006.

In 2007, Jeju United manager Jung Hae-sung was in England visiting the Reading set-up and apparently met up with Lee to persuade him to have a go in the K-League. He was successful and Lee now plays for Jeju. I would love to know how he is doing but alas, I can't read Korean.

From a Premiership Academy to the Eastern Counties Football League First Division to the K-League (1st to 10th to South Korea) what a ride... at least he is playing somewhere

England U17s: Jordan Spence = Badass

The England U-17s have embarked on a huge journey as they are traveling to Korea for the U17 World Cup. Only one Hammer has been named in the squad which normally would be upsetting, but not today. This one Iron is the captain of the U-17s and has issued a warning to all who come before the Young Lions:

"There will be no fear"
By Russell Staves. Tuesday, 07 August 2007.

FIFA U17 World Cup
18 August - 9 September
Korea

England Under-17 captain Jordan Spence was in confident mood on Tuesday evening ahead of the flight out to Korea for the World Cup.

The young stars will spend a week in Jeju acclimatising before focusing on their first group game with North Korea and the skipper can't wait to get started.

"I’m really excited," the West Ham defender told TheFA.com. "There are lots of things to look forward to. But just playing in the World Cup, for us it’s the biggest tournament we can play in at this age."

England automatically qualified for the showpiece event following a fine display in May's European Championships, where they finished second to Spain after being edged out 1-0 in the Final.

"At the end of the Euros we knew we had secured our spot, but after having two weeks off, I had to get pre-season out of the way first before I could start thinking about the World Cup," added Spence. "I had to concentrate on getting myself fit."

Spence is one of the few members of the squad who has been to the Far East before, having travelled to Japan with West Ham for a pre-season tour a year ago.

"It was an excellent experience," he said. "It was a very different experience to playing in Europe. You certainly felt a long way from home."

The squad are a harmonious bunch, particularly after a lengthy spell together when they reached the European Final in Belgium, and their tight bond will help both on and off the field.

"This group has been together for quite a while – Wes [Foderingham] is the only new boy," added the skipper. "We all get on really well, everyone just slots in. We were together quite a long time at the Euros and that brought us closer together. Winning breeds happiness."

England face North Korea, New Zealand and Brazil in the group stages and despite the game with the Samba Boys being the plum tie, Spence echoed his Head Coach John Peacock's thoughts when he insisted that the team will take each game as it comes.

"Every teams deserves respect for having reached the World Cup, so we will respect them," he said. "But we are confident we can beat anyone if we play well.

"Brazil is the game that sticks out – playing them is a once in a lifetime experience - but we don’t want to look that far ahead. The first two games are the important ones. We want to win the first two games so that we face Brazil with six points.

"But it will be the same as the Euros, we don’t want to look too far ahead of ourselves. We want to win it though."

For Spence, personal achievements are shelved in favour of the team - no wonder he's captain - but he knows he will have to lead from the front if England are to progress.

"I just want to do well as a team," he said. "When we are winning, everyone is happy. But I want to play well. Being on the world stage, I want to show what I am about.

"I will get butterflies before the games, but there will be no fear. Ultimately, we are here on merit, both as a team and individually, so we should be confident."

COME ON YOU IRONS!!!!!!

Republic of Ireland U-19s v. Chile: Game 2

Sadly, defender Lorcan Fitzgerald and the rest of the Irish U19s suffered another friendly defeat at the hands of Chile. Fortunately though, this was only a friendly and the squad still has time to get it together before the preliminary UEFA qualifying in November.

Ireland went up 1-0 in the 23rd minute and held that lead into halftime, however Chile came out strong after the half and scored two goals within 2 minutes and held on for the 2-1 victory. Lorcan went the distance for the Irish and notably had a long range equalizer tipped off the post near the end of the game.

Good to hear, no knocks and he's firing away from long range...

Random Fact

I'll just put it out there... I love Wikipedia, there are so many interesting and random facts that you run across when surfing that site.

For instance Callum Davenport, our own Central Defender and Bambi On Ice Jr. played for Coventry back in 1999 when West Ham defeated them to win the FA Youth Cup. I bet he is proud to be at a winning side now.

You learn something new every day... good times

Academy to Holland

The official website confirms that the academy boys are off to Holland to play in the ADO tournament. This will be great pre-season action for our Academy side which finished 2nd in the league last year behind Arsenal (who lost to eventual champions Leicester City... WOOO)

Kyel Reid staying local

News from Barnsley FC suggests that despite their best attempts, Kyel Reid will not be moving there on loan as the season begins.

Reid, who scored 2 goals in 26 appearances with the Tykes was an important target for the manager and the fans this summer. However they report that West Ham wants to keep him at Upton Park and have stipulated that if they changed their minds and the winger was allowed to move on loan, it would only be permissible if the club was near London.

Check out this quote from totaltykes.com (full story here):
It's defiantly a blow for Reid not to be returning, as towards the end of the season he really stood up to be counted and proved to be one of our most influential players. Considering the fact that he does more of his fair share of defensive duties, he would have been the perfect player for this season considering our weakness when it comes to defending down the wings.

A tricky winger who can get the ball up field as well as do more than his fair share of defensive duties!!! YES!!! Let's hope Curbs keeps him around to train with the first team and to produce with us instead of out on loan.

Republic of Ireland U-19s v. Chile: Game 1

The Irish U-19s were beaten by Chile 2-1 in a friendly yesterday evening.

Sad for Ireland but great for the Academy as defender Lorcan Fitzgerald went the distance in the defeat. He is on the way to solidifying his place in the team ahead of the first phase UEFA qualifying series in November.

The Irish have been grouped with Belarus, Andorra and the host nation Portugal for the preliminary phase which starts on November 1st. A top two finish in the mini-group after the round-robin series would advance Ireland into next year’s Elite round of qualifiers.

Lorcan and the rest of his squad will attempt to exact revenge on the Chileans as they play again on Thursday night.

Update will follow...

Hogan Ephraim

Although earlier in the summer Teddy Sheringham tried to woo Hogan to his new Colchester side, citing that he was "a great little player" (the reality is he probably needed another poker partner) ... It is looking more and more like Ephraim will be snubbing Colchester to join Crystal Palace on loan. Terms of the loan have not been set from what I can tell and no official word has been given.

Since I have an affinity for the Academy, I would like to see Hogan go out for only a 3 month loan so he would be available for action during the holiday fixture crunch. With 4 other strikers on the books right now Hogan could provide coverage if one of them went down. Hogan is versatile though as he can also play the role of attacking middy in the hole but I could see him playing the Bellamy/Tevez high energy in a small package role to complement Ashton or Zamora.

Sol Campbell?

Sol Campell to make a return to the English National team. (here)

Now I realize that Anton's performance last year was not exactly world class, but check out the players McClaren is going to look at, I mean Chris Powell is 37 and coaching at Charlton (although he is a registered player in case of an emergency) ... I say give Anton a run and we'll grab yet another cap for the WHU Academy!

Reserve Match vs. Thurrock FC

Looks like the reserves will be fielding a very young side when they go up against Thurrock F.C. tonight.

Former England goalkeeper Richard Wright, signed in the close season from Everton, and Ghanaian World Cup player John Pantsil are in the team confirmed by West Ham.

Also included are Bonds Ngala, Ashley Miller, Robbie Blackwell, Hogan Ephraim, Tony Stokes, Jack Collinson, Kyle Reid, Carlton Cole, Zavon Hines, Jack Jeffrey and Lee Hales

Good to see the kids getting a run with some senior players. On a side note I hope Johnny Pants gets some playing time this year cause from what I heard he impressed in some of the friendlies and you KNOW he is desperate to show the Ghanian coaches what he can do against top flight competition.

UPDATE:
West Ham won 3-1 with goals from Carlton Cole, Zavon Hines and Hogan Ephraim.

Thats 2 academy players getting on the scoresheet, good to see Ephraim asserting himself.

David Blackmore

The Argus tells us that our 19 year old goalkeeper David Blackmore is looking to go out on loan with Crawley Town, as he did last year with Lewes F.C., This seems to be the second team he has been trialing for as he had some games with Barnet earlier this summer but didn't stick. At this time I don't think the loan is official but he has played in a few games for them and was on the bench last Saturday as Crawley lost to Southend.

Blackmore, who I believe is a third-year scholar in the academy, signed a 4 year deal with the Hammers last year and along with Marek Štěch gives us a solid presence between the pipes for our youth team.

I hope that this is solely a loan move and that he is not going to be sold, I firmly believe that all our youngsters should be given a chance to show what they can do if put up against the big boys.

West Ham and the USL

Link here...

Although this is a bit of old news I am still incredibly excited by it. As the first international club to strike this type of deal with the USL, it just goes to show Eggy's commitment to building on our already fine Academy. As a hammers fan in America this is great news not only because West Ham is tapping into a wealth of talent, but because it provides the Irons much more exposure than we have had in the past in this country.

Some quotes that stand out:

Future initiatives include a West Ham United USA youth academy and professional franchise competing within the USL system to provide North, Central and South American players a corridor to Europe. - I'm already a fan of this non-existent team

A sample of the development partnership details include West Ham identifying up to twenty youth players from the USL Super Y-League and Super-20 League to attend the West Ham United Academy in London for training and evaluation. West Ham United will also work with USL to place players on loan or in permanent contracts with USL First Division teams. - With the amount of kids that play football/soccer over here this is a huge deal. The US U-17 to U-14 teams are made up of these players.

Tony Carr, West Ham United Academy Director
“We are excited to bring the West Ham Academy model to the United States and to share some of our ideas and information with USL players, coaches, and clubs. We recognize the potential pool of talented players available through the USL network and look forward to working with them in our academy in London.” - Were excited too!


* picture courtesy of the link above

The Academy of Football

I have joined the legions of bloggers on this internet for 2 reasons. The first is to give myself a forum to air my thoughts on the great West Ham United Football Club, and the other is to provide news regarding the future of the Irons, namely The Academy of Football.

News of the Academy seems few and far between so hopefully I can hunt down some interesting tidbits to satisfy my curiosity.

This is going to be a great year for WHU.

Come on you Irons!!