West Ham United have tonight announced that Terry Westley has signed a new three-year contract as Academy Director.
In a website statement they said: ‘Westley joined the Hammers at the start of the 2014/15 season, and has enjoyed lots of success since taking over from Tony Carr.
Westley was the Academy boss at Birmingham City until 2011 before taking up a role as Head of Player Development at the Premier League. He then left that job to become Academy Director and Head of Coaching and Player Development at West Ham in 2014.’
And Terry declared: “To sit down with Karren Brady and the two Davids [Sullivan and Gold] and for them to say they want you to continue and they can see the work you’re trying to put in place is always nice.
“There was no long discussions about it, it was done very quickly. I’m delighted to commit to a further three years and hopefully beyond that to complete the job that has been started.
“It’s not a question of another three years and it’s over. If you looked at the three-year cycle so far, coming in and having the audit to sustain our category one status, assessing what we had in terms of players and staff, trying to take the academy forward, I think we’ve done very well.
“But now we’re looking at year six and where we need to be by then and putting new strategies and a vision in place, to try and make our objectives come true.”
Have to admit I was pretty critical of Westley at first but he is doing a great job, well done.
Terry Westley was employed by the porn twins at Birmingham.
Let’s see when the next youngster is in the first team. Reece Oxfor on loan to Reading hardly kivjs a ball. Reece Burke?? Me thinks this is the old gentleman’s club.
Too many people involved in football that know nothing about football.
Too many people in football who know nothing about football?!?!?
What are you on about.Westley has been a coach for years.He has been caretaker manager at both Derby and Luton.
Old gentlemens club?!?!? We have just been promoted under him or is that of no interest to you?
Sorry folks – my passionate comments had a couple of typos. It should of course said – Reece Oxford on loan to Reading hardly kicks a ball.
Nothing would please me more than to see these lads come through but I am very sceptical of the PR machine, for example, Westley’s comments of Nathan Holland reminding him of “a young Ryan Giggs.”
I would love to see him break into the first team and become a star but let’s see.
Samuelson was supposed to be the rising star – on loan at Peterborough but then released.
We will no doubt continue to sign out of contract 30+ players with the promise of great youngsters coming through.
Looking forward to the transfer summer transfer dealings being linked with Lukaku and Batshuayi.