Ricky Martin looks forward to West Ham challenge

Ricky Martin has spoken of his pride and delight at being appointed as West Ham United’s new Academy Manager.

Martin succeeds Terry Westley at the helm of the West Ham Academy of Football after 15 years of experience as Academy Manager at Norwich City. The UEFA Pro Licence holder, who initially joined the Hammers as Operations and Player Development Manager in January says he is excited and enthused by the challenge of taking on one of the most-illustrious jobs in the world of youth football.

“I am delighted and honoured to be appointed Academy Manager at West Ham United,” he told WHUFC.com. “It’s a great privilege and I am really looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“If you look at the foundations here and what has happened over not just the last five years, but decades with Tony Carr, leading into Terry Westley’s time, we’ve had two fantastic Academy Managers, two iconic individuals in youth development, renowned for producing young players, so to follow in those footsteps is a big challenge but something I am looking forward to. It’s been great to work for the last four months with everyone at the Academy, and I am now even more excited, because I can see the talent and the potential that this Academy has, and I want to fulfil that.”

Martin was a schoolboy player at West Ham before kicking off his coaching career with a youth development role at Cambridge United prior to moving to Norwich in 2001. There, he oversaw the recruitment and development of a succession of future first-team players and guided the Canaries to FA Youth Cup glory in 2013.

 

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter