Along with regime change and boardroom change this year, there has been evolution in the West Ham United coaching department as Nuno’s team departed along with their Portuguese boss and Scott Parker brought in his own hand-picked replacements.
As we covered last week, alongside the headline hires, one of the lesser known appointments was for former West Ham hero – and son of hero – David Martin to rejoin West Ham’s coaching team as the Academy’s head of goal keeping.
David Martin’s West Ham career was short but never-to-be-forgotten
Martin has been quick to praise the talent available to him in his new role: Speaking to West Ham’s web site, the 40 year old confirmed his own methodical approach:
“I enjoy having a plan, making the very most of myself and my abilities, being a good person and making people around me better…
“That’s what the role is – creating a competitive environment where people can learn and improve under pressure. I’ve got two very good young goalkeepers in the development squad – Fin Hooper and Lanre Awesu – and it’s an unbelievable competition between them and I want that to make them excel and get better.”
Of course with former academy graduate Finlay Herrick now officially Scott Parker’s third choice keeper, (and not forgetting Mason Terry who is out on loan) the Hammers do have an embarrassment of riches in their ‘up and coming’ goal keeping department.
It can only be a matter of time before Herrick progresses – something tells me this might be sooner than we think – and it is good to see that West Ham are embracing their heritage with an appointment like Martin’s to a pivotal post within the club.