Baptise and Diallo have been called up for the England U19s for the first time.
https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/202 ... gland-call
The kids are all right
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steveyrockstar
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alantaylorsleftfoot
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Re: The kids are all right
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/06/04/w ... -west-ham/
Interesting. I think he had bad injury problems with us leading to his release
Interesting. I think he had bad injury problems with us leading to his release
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Bond Holder 59
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Re: The kids are all right
I am really surprised they released Alfie Lewis. I always liked him. He’s had a great spell over in Ireland, and yes I do appreciate it’s Ireland. Just like the lad who went to palace and won their YPOY, I can see him proving us wrong. Having said that, just like Cullen, if we cannot give him opportunities he has to take them elsewhere.
Good luck that man. You will always be the Moncur look a like.
Good luck that man. You will always be the Moncur look a like.
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alantaylorsleftfoot
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Re: The kids are all right
I agree. Although he will be 22 in September and is nowhere near the 1st team. Next season he will count toward the senior player quota. Though, he is he best of the U23's that have been released.Bond Holder 59 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 05, 2021 9:37 am I am really surprised they released Alfie Lewis. I always liked him. He’s had a great spell over in Ireland, and yes I do appreciate it’s Ireland. Just like the lad who went to palace and won their YPOY, I can see him proving us wrong. Having said that, just like Cullen, if we cannot give him opportunities he has to take them elsewhere.
Good luck that man. You will always be the Moncur look a like.
Full list:-
U23's - Lewis, Adarkwa, Jinadu, Caiger and Okotcha
U18's - Roach, Sanneh, Heal, Thomas, Adebayo, Adu, Kileba and Veliky
I'm surprised that Silva and Adu are still under contract. Some unbelievable deals were handed out during the Pellegrini reign, Cardoso has another 3 years left on his contract.
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Doc H Ball
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Re: The kids are all right
Appears Kai Corbett has turned down a contract offer.
One to keep a hold of I think. I understand he’s hoping for an offer from Chelsea…
One to keep a hold of I think. I understand he’s hoping for an offer from Chelsea…
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Kermit
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Re: The kids are all right
The club has done many things wrong in all the years I've supported them but one thing we don't often get wrong is letting a kid leave who goes on to become a top player, or even a half decent PL one.Bond Holder 59 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 05, 2021 9:37 am I am really surprised they released Alfie Lewis. I always liked him. He’s had a great spell over in Ireland, and yes I do appreciate it’s Ireland. Just like the lad who went to palace and won their YPOY, I can see him proving us wrong. Having said that, just like Cullen, if we cannot give him opportunities he has to take them elsewhere.
Good luck that man. You will always be the Moncur look a like.
I can only think of one who never had a chance for us. 30 minutes as a sub at Highbury under John Lyall was the only first team action Ray Houghton saw but he went on to have a very good career in the old first division and at international level. Can't think of too many others.
And before anyone mentions John Terry I think it was his decision to leave, not Tony Carr, who was in charge at the time.
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norse
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Re: The kids are all right
Jimmy Bullard managed to work his way to the PL after being released. And another who played in the PL for Swansea did the same, can't remember his name now. Does Bobby Zamora count?
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alantaylorsleftfoot
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Re: The kids are all right
A real shame. It's been said in the transfer thread that it was due to the signing of Nevers.Doc H Ball wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 1:33 pm Appears Kai Corbett has turned down a contract offer.
One to keep a hold of I think. I understand he’s hoping for an offer from Chelsea…
His an Flex's signings do appear odd given Corbett and Diallo's talent. They all play the same position
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richneal
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Re: The kids are all right
Good point. And so did Ray Houghton for the old Div 1.
Followed Ray Houghton (SE Counties then Football Combination way back in the day)and Bullard (Kent? Bexley?) from schoolboys - both struck me as way better than everyone else on the pitch when I saw them play. Head and shoulders above the rest.
But I digress - the point I want to make is that IMO, the reason those two got released wasn't that they weren't talented or potentially good enough. It was the quality of the first team squad ahead of them at the time. There was no way either of them were going to get a sniff of the first team. Johnny Lyall and our Arry did them a favour by letting them go.
But even with that, Houghton and Bullard are outliers - most of our kids that get released won't go on to earn a living as footballers. The jump between schoolboys/stiffs to any pro league is huge, and no matter what I think of any young player the bottom line is what the numbers tell us.
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LeonRivers
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Re: The kids are all right
I guess you have to accept that sometimes kids need to move on to realise their potential. If we'd kept hold of Brittain for another year or two he might have stagnated and never played league football. Maybe sometimes we release kids knowing that they have the potential but need to go elsewhere to fulfill it. There's surely only so many men that can attend one training session.
Re: The kids are all right
From The Athletic
For those who don’t subscribe
It is not unusual for a parent to get emotional and scream for joy when their child fulfils a dream. This is exactly how Katherine Phillips felt when her son Thierry Nevers completed his move to West Ham United.
“The day the club announced Thierry had signed I was at home, I put on Sky Sports News and there it was on the ticker, ‘Thierry Nevers joins West Ham United’,” she tells The Athletic. “I screamed the place down. One of my slippers went one way, one went the other way. I was going crazy.
“I recorded it and I kept playing it over and over. Then it dawned on me, ‘Wow, he’s actually joined West Ham‘. I uploaded the picture on Facebook and I received so many messages. When he was doing his interview for the club, it felt like it was my son’s first day at primary school in his new school uniform. It was a special moment and a day I’ll never forget.”
Nevers joined West Ham on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year, having rejected a new contract at Championship side Reading. Since arriving in May, the 19-year-old has integrated well into the team — and scored his first hat-trick for the club in the under-23s’ emphatic 5-1 win over Southend United. Modest as ever, in his post-match interview, the young forward thanked the travelling fans and his team-mates.
Nevers’ parents and grandmother were in attendance for his debut in the 2-1 loss at Ebbsfleet United. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and injuries, it was the first time they had been able to watch him live in two and a half years.
The former Reading trainee was named after ex-Arsenal forward Thierry Henry, although Phillips was initially confused when her brother suggested the name.
“My brother and I were watching an Arsenal game at our mum’s house,” she recalls. “My brother said, ‘Why don’t you name him after the big man?’ And I said, ‘Who?’ His response was, ‘The No 14 at Arsenal’. I told my brother, ‘But his name is Henry’. He burst out laughing and says, ‘No, that’s his surname’. Then he explained to me that the players have their surnames on the back of their jerseys. So I asked my brother what his first name was and he said, ‘It’s Thierry’. And I loved the name.”
Nevers spent nine years at Reading and was highly regarded by coaches. He scored six goals in 14 matches in the 2019-20 season and three goals in nine league appearances for the under-23s last season. In January 2020, then 17, Nevers signed his first professional contract until the summer of 2021. He scored a brilliant solo goal against Swansea City in September 2019 — and one month prior Nevers was included in the first-team squad for Reading’s Carabao Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle.
“From a young age Thierry has always been interested in football,” says Phillips. “When he was seven that’s when I really started to notice his passion. He played for a Sunday League team called Pumas and I remember being on the sidelines for one of his games and someone said to me, ‘Your boy has something about him’. He would always have a ball at his feet. He could be on the phone and doing keep-ups or trying to nutmeg someone if they walked past.
“When he was 10 I got a call from Lewis Goater, who was a scout at Reading. And he told me he’d spoken to the Pumas coach and that Reading wanted to invite Thierry for a six-week trial. But after three weeks they wanted to sign him. We wanted Thierry to transition slowly — and mainly out of loyalty to Pumas — we asked if he could continue to play for them and still train with Reading. They agreed to it and when Thierry was 11, that’s when he was fully focused on Reading.”
Last season manager David Moyes and first-team coach Paul Nevin attended the under-23s’ 3-1 win over Southend United in the EFL Trophy. Mipo Odubeko impressed by scoring twice but Moyes and Nevin were unable to attend the recent 5-1 win over Southend due to the first team’s pre-season friendly at Celtic. With the club yet to sign a forward, and Odubeko entering the last year of his contract, Nevers could receive an opportunity with the first team in the not-too-distant future.
Every child has a footballer they idolise growing up and Nevers had the opportunity to watch his idol live on his 16th birthday.
“When Thierry was at infant school, at the end of the term they would give out different awards: best achievements, best sportsman, best reading and best spelling,” says Phillips. “Thierry received the best sportsman award. I’ve collected all his trophies and it’s probably the biggest one I have. When I was younger I was good at athletics, mainly the 200m race, and his dad competed in the 400m nationals for Jamaica — so Thierry gets it from us!
“He looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. When Thierry was 16 we went to Madrid for his birthday and his dad managed to get tickets for Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo scored and Thierry went crazy. Having the opportunity to go on that trip definitely inspired and motivated him.”
The under-23s have upcoming friendlies against Crawley Town, Aldershot Town and Huddersfield. Phillips has already warned her neighbour what will happen the moment she sees her son on TV.
“At work they’ve known about him since I started working for the company in 2015,” she says. “When he joined West Ham I told them straight away. My neighbour has two sons who are at Reading and they heard about Thierry joining West Ham before I had the chance to tell them. I’ve told my neighbour the day I see Thierry play live on TV I’m going to run outside and scream at the top of my lungs. I’m so proud of him.”
As well as Nevers, Armstrong Oko-Flex and Pierre Ekwah Elimby were the other summer arrivals from Celtic and Chelsea respectively. The latter turned down a one-year contract extension at Chelsea in search of more opportunities. The 19-year-old was on trial at West Ham for two weeks during the latter stages of last season and scored in the under-23s’ 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
west-ham-academy
Ekwah-Elimby has joined West Ham from Chelsea (Photo: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Having impressed staff behind the scenes, Ekwah Elimby signed a three-year deal, with the option to extend for a further year. His first training session was with a mixture of under-23 and first-team players. Having caught the eye, Ekwah Elimby was told he would be training with the first team the following day. Following the session, he waited for Moyes to finish all his meetings before walking into his office and thanking the Scotsman for giving him a chance.
The midfielder spent three years at the highly renowned national academy INF Clairefontaine, alma mater to Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Kylian Mbappe. Ekwah Elimby has represented France at under-16 level and cites ex-Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele as his idol.
Oko-Flex was part of the under-23s’ one-week training camp in Loughborough and started the first team’s pre-season friendlies against Leyton Orient and Reading. He scored his first goal for the club in the dying stages of the 6-2 win at Celtic. The 19-year-old, who was born in the Republic of Ireland, joined West Ham on a two-year contract, with the option to extend by a further year. He is capable of playing on both flanks but has operated on the left so far.
In his introductory interview with West Ham’s in-house media, the attacking midfielder spoke about how he hopes to excite the supporters. “I’m very excited to get started here,” said Oko-Flex. “There are a lot of positives around West Ham and it’s just a great club to be at right now. I like to be direct, take on players, and work hard for the team and myself as well.”
The academy have made great strides under the guidance of academy director Ricky Martin, under-23s manager Dmitri Halajko and under-18s lead coach Kevin Keen — and this upcoming season could prove to be their most rewarding yet.
For those who don’t subscribe
It is not unusual for a parent to get emotional and scream for joy when their child fulfils a dream. This is exactly how Katherine Phillips felt when her son Thierry Nevers completed his move to West Ham United.
“The day the club announced Thierry had signed I was at home, I put on Sky Sports News and there it was on the ticker, ‘Thierry Nevers joins West Ham United’,” she tells The Athletic. “I screamed the place down. One of my slippers went one way, one went the other way. I was going crazy.
“I recorded it and I kept playing it over and over. Then it dawned on me, ‘Wow, he’s actually joined West Ham‘. I uploaded the picture on Facebook and I received so many messages. When he was doing his interview for the club, it felt like it was my son’s first day at primary school in his new school uniform. It was a special moment and a day I’ll never forget.”
Nevers joined West Ham on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year, having rejected a new contract at Championship side Reading. Since arriving in May, the 19-year-old has integrated well into the team — and scored his first hat-trick for the club in the under-23s’ emphatic 5-1 win over Southend United. Modest as ever, in his post-match interview, the young forward thanked the travelling fans and his team-mates.
Nevers’ parents and grandmother were in attendance for his debut in the 2-1 loss at Ebbsfleet United. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and injuries, it was the first time they had been able to watch him live in two and a half years.
The former Reading trainee was named after ex-Arsenal forward Thierry Henry, although Phillips was initially confused when her brother suggested the name.
“My brother and I were watching an Arsenal game at our mum’s house,” she recalls. “My brother said, ‘Why don’t you name him after the big man?’ And I said, ‘Who?’ His response was, ‘The No 14 at Arsenal’. I told my brother, ‘But his name is Henry’. He burst out laughing and says, ‘No, that’s his surname’. Then he explained to me that the players have their surnames on the back of their jerseys. So I asked my brother what his first name was and he said, ‘It’s Thierry’. And I loved the name.”
Nevers spent nine years at Reading and was highly regarded by coaches. He scored six goals in 14 matches in the 2019-20 season and three goals in nine league appearances for the under-23s last season. In January 2020, then 17, Nevers signed his first professional contract until the summer of 2021. He scored a brilliant solo goal against Swansea City in September 2019 — and one month prior Nevers was included in the first-team squad for Reading’s Carabao Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle.
“From a young age Thierry has always been interested in football,” says Phillips. “When he was seven that’s when I really started to notice his passion. He played for a Sunday League team called Pumas and I remember being on the sidelines for one of his games and someone said to me, ‘Your boy has something about him’. He would always have a ball at his feet. He could be on the phone and doing keep-ups or trying to nutmeg someone if they walked past.
“When he was 10 I got a call from Lewis Goater, who was a scout at Reading. And he told me he’d spoken to the Pumas coach and that Reading wanted to invite Thierry for a six-week trial. But after three weeks they wanted to sign him. We wanted Thierry to transition slowly — and mainly out of loyalty to Pumas — we asked if he could continue to play for them and still train with Reading. They agreed to it and when Thierry was 11, that’s when he was fully focused on Reading.”
Last season manager David Moyes and first-team coach Paul Nevin attended the under-23s’ 3-1 win over Southend United in the EFL Trophy. Mipo Odubeko impressed by scoring twice but Moyes and Nevin were unable to attend the recent 5-1 win over Southend due to the first team’s pre-season friendly at Celtic. With the club yet to sign a forward, and Odubeko entering the last year of his contract, Nevers could receive an opportunity with the first team in the not-too-distant future.
Every child has a footballer they idolise growing up and Nevers had the opportunity to watch his idol live on his 16th birthday.
“When Thierry was at infant school, at the end of the term they would give out different awards: best achievements, best sportsman, best reading and best spelling,” says Phillips. “Thierry received the best sportsman award. I’ve collected all his trophies and it’s probably the biggest one I have. When I was younger I was good at athletics, mainly the 200m race, and his dad competed in the 400m nationals for Jamaica — so Thierry gets it from us!
“He looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. When Thierry was 16 we went to Madrid for his birthday and his dad managed to get tickets for Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo scored and Thierry went crazy. Having the opportunity to go on that trip definitely inspired and motivated him.”
The under-23s have upcoming friendlies against Crawley Town, Aldershot Town and Huddersfield. Phillips has already warned her neighbour what will happen the moment she sees her son on TV.
“At work they’ve known about him since I started working for the company in 2015,” she says. “When he joined West Ham I told them straight away. My neighbour has two sons who are at Reading and they heard about Thierry joining West Ham before I had the chance to tell them. I’ve told my neighbour the day I see Thierry play live on TV I’m going to run outside and scream at the top of my lungs. I’m so proud of him.”
As well as Nevers, Armstrong Oko-Flex and Pierre Ekwah Elimby were the other summer arrivals from Celtic and Chelsea respectively. The latter turned down a one-year contract extension at Chelsea in search of more opportunities. The 19-year-old was on trial at West Ham for two weeks during the latter stages of last season and scored in the under-23s’ 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
west-ham-academy
Ekwah-Elimby has joined West Ham from Chelsea (Photo: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Having impressed staff behind the scenes, Ekwah Elimby signed a three-year deal, with the option to extend for a further year. His first training session was with a mixture of under-23 and first-team players. Having caught the eye, Ekwah Elimby was told he would be training with the first team the following day. Following the session, he waited for Moyes to finish all his meetings before walking into his office and thanking the Scotsman for giving him a chance.
The midfielder spent three years at the highly renowned national academy INF Clairefontaine, alma mater to Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Kylian Mbappe. Ekwah Elimby has represented France at under-16 level and cites ex-Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele as his idol.
Oko-Flex was part of the under-23s’ one-week training camp in Loughborough and started the first team’s pre-season friendlies against Leyton Orient and Reading. He scored his first goal for the club in the dying stages of the 6-2 win at Celtic. The 19-year-old, who was born in the Republic of Ireland, joined West Ham on a two-year contract, with the option to extend by a further year. He is capable of playing on both flanks but has operated on the left so far.
In his introductory interview with West Ham’s in-house media, the attacking midfielder spoke about how he hopes to excite the supporters. “I’m very excited to get started here,” said Oko-Flex. “There are a lot of positives around West Ham and it’s just a great club to be at right now. I like to be direct, take on players, and work hard for the team and myself as well.”
The academy have made great strides under the guidance of academy director Ricky Martin, under-23s manager Dmitri Halajko and under-18s lead coach Kevin Keen — and this upcoming season could prove to be their most rewarding yet.
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BigFatSam
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Re: The kids are all right
Seems like a good kid with a very supportive family. Let’s hope his progression continues.
Can’t beleive im hearing someone say their idol was neymar though, that makes me feel very old
Can’t beleive im hearing someone say their idol was neymar though, that makes me feel very old
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alantaylorsleftfoot
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Re: The kids are all right
Why has Longelo not been involved with the 1st team in pre-season?
He has just been given a new 2 year contract, has the size and athleticism and a wand of a left foot.
He is now 20 years old and we only have one left back in the 1st team squad. It makes no sense.
He has just been given a new 2 year contract, has the size and athleticism and a wand of a left foot.
He is now 20 years old and we only have one left back in the 1st team squad. It makes no sense.
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steveyrockstar
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Re: The kids are all right
There was an 18-year old English LB that we apparently released 2 years ago who was on Man City's bench vs PSG last night. Joshua Wilson-Esbrand. I say "released", it's possible he may have been poached. Who knows? I'd never heard of him before. He made his debut for City last week in the League Cup too. Must be a decent prospect?
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steveyrockstar
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Re: The kids are all right
Also, nice to see Anthony Scully banging them in for League One Lincoln City. He scored 17 in 54 games last year. He's already on 10 goals in 13 games in all comps so far this season. Still only 22.
Not suggesting we made a mistake in moving him on, but it's good to see him doing well and will be interesting to see how far up the leagues he can go. He was very prolific for the U23s when he left.
Afolayan also scoring goals for Bolton in League One, after scoring eff-all in two League Two spells.
Not suggesting we made a mistake in moving him on, but it's good to see him doing well and will be interesting to see how far up the leagues he can go. He was very prolific for the U23s when he left.
Afolayan also scoring goals for Bolton in League One, after scoring eff-all in two League Two spells.
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Sergei
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Re: The kids are all right
Nice piece on the BBC today on Afolayan. Seems like a very well rounded young man. Hope it works out for him at Bolton.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/58793983
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/58793983
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Alan Pardew's Dad
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Re: The kids are all right
That’s an excellent article. Hope the lad does well. It’s a tough business getting to the top, but the rewards are huge.Sergei wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 9:40 am Nice piece on the BBC today on Afolayan. Seems like a very well rounded young man. Hope it works out for him at Bolton.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/58793983
Online
Re: The kids are all right
Kaelan Casey named as our player to watch out for in The Guardian’s Next Generation 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng ... ague-clubs