Monday 18 February 2013

Big Sam: Academy of Football needs to step its game up

Sam Allardyce has praised the famous West Ham Academy for its work, but he also believes that there should be more talent coming through.

The West Ham boss recognises that the Premier League is a tough business and that it’s not always easy to allow young stars into a team so the hard work must continue.

Allardyce said: "From a club perspective at West Ham we work very hard to get as many academy graduates in the West Ham side as we possibly can. At the moment we have got Mark Noble, Jack Collison, James Tomkins and Danny Potts who is only 18. We are on the right track but we should be developing more."

He believes that all clubs should be emphasising the need for young, home-grown talent, but long-term plans are becoming a thing of the past.

With an academy that is rich in successful graduates, Big Sam may have a point. But he’s also right in saying that football is a results game and growing pressure means that proven talent is often put ahead of young potential.
By Lucy Woolford

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