When Graham Potter was appointed West Ham manager in January this year, he immediately set about building a trusted coaching team made up of long-time colleagues.
One of those was First-Team Coach Billy Reid. The 61-year-old has followed Potter all the way from Östersunds to Brighton, then Chelsea, and now to the London Stadium.
The coaching team and squad are currently in Germany on a pre-season training camp ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Grasshoppers, followed by a trip to the USA for the Premier League Summer Series.
With the exception of a few absentees, Potter has almost his full squad together—and the group has been bolstered by the inclusion of several West Ham academy players. The intention is clear: give the youngsters a platform to impress and stake their claim before the season begins. And Reid is clearly delighted to have them involved.
West Ham coach Reid instructs academy stars on pre-season
“Young players will be given a chance, and it’s up to them to take that chance,” said Potter’s right-hand man.
“We’ve got players coming back from their loan spells who did very, very well last year, and they’ll be given opportunities as well.
“We’ve got some fantastic young players at West Ham, and until you put them into a first-team environment or a first-team game, you never know how they’re going to react.
“We saw what Ollie Scarles and Lewis Orford did last season, and hopefully more of them can shine this year too.
“Graham’s a manager who won’t be afraid to put young players in.”
That will surely be music to the ears of West Ham fans—but more importantly, it’s a massive boost for the academy prospects, who can now see a clear and genuine pathway into the first team.
I agree give te youngsters a go.
As long as they’re surrounded by solid pros, I can’t see why we’d not play 2 or 3 youngsters in most games. There’s no better way for them to learn their trade and become established, valuable first team regulars than to put them in the fire.
With a positive preseason hopefully a few of the younger lads can impress and be involved around the first team squad.
For the ones that won’t get minutes with the first team it’s important that they continue their development and play football, so productive loan deals may suit them best.
At last some positive news! Our academy players having a chance of proving themselves in the first team is definitely a big plus for the Hammers. They may not be the finished product but at least they won’t break the bank in allowing them to have a go. ⚒️👍