Goaty Gav's Column
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Gav Compares West Ham And Spurs Again By Comparing The Grit, Determination, Or Lack Of It, That Their Academy Players, Or Lack Of Them, Bring To The Fight
Every now and then, a thought lodges itself in my head and refuses to leave. This week it’s the old question: Do academy players care more? It’s one of those ideas that gets dismissed as sentimental nonsense by the modern‑football brigade, but I’m not convinced it’s nonsense at all. In fact, this season has given us a pretty clear comparison…and it’s sitting right across London.
Let’s start with Spurs. Now, I’m not here to bash them for the sake of it (though it’s tempting). They’ve got good players, potentially a manager with a clear idea, and moments where they look genuinely exciting. But what they don’t have — and what their fans have been grumbling about for months — is any real academy presence in their first‑team squad.
It’s all bought‑in talent. Some of it excellent, some of it expensive, some of it both. But when you look at their starting XI, you don’t see anyone who grew up dreaming of playing for Tottenham. No one who’s been steeped in the club’s culture since they were a kid. No one who feels the badge in that deeper, more instinctive way.
And you can see it on the pitch. When things get tough, when the game needs a bit of grit rather than another fancy rotation, Spurs look… soft. Not technically soft…emotionally soft. There’s no one grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck because they can’t bear to lose in that shirt.
It’s not that their players don’t try. It’s that they don’t belong in the same way.
Now compare that with West Ham. Even in a season where we’ve had our fair share of frustration, the club still feels connected to its roots. And a big part of that is the academy.
Freddie Potts, Ezra Myers, Oliver Scarles…these lads aren’t just filling gaps. They’re playing like they’ve been waiting their whole lives for the chance. You can see it in the way they run, the way they press, the way they throw themselves into challenges with the kind of enthusiasm you only get from someone who genuinely loves the club.
When Scarles flies into a tackle or Potts sprints 40 yards to win back a ball he had no right to get near, it’s not just youthful energy. It’s identity. It’s pride. It’s the academy spirit showing itself in real time.
And it lifts everyone. The crowd feels it. The senior players feel it. The whole team seems more grounded when there’s a homegrown lad on the pitch reminding everyone what West Ham stands for.
If you want proof that academy players can shape a club’s culture, you only need to look at Manchester United’s Class of ’92. Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, the Nevilles, Butt…they weren’t just good players. They were the heartbeat of the most successful era in the club’s history.
They weren’t the flashiest. They weren’t the most expensive. But they were relentless. They trained harder than anyone else. They held each other to standards. They understood the club because they were the club.
And that’s the difference. Bought‑in players can love a club. They can give everything. But academy players often feel it in a way that’s deeper, more instinctive, and more permanent.
Football has changed. Money rules. Squads are global. Loyalty is rare. But that’s exactly why academy players matter more than ever.
They’re the thread that ties the past to the present. They’re the ones who understand the culture without needing it explained. They’re the ones who play with pride rather than entitlement. And when you’ve got a few of them in the squad, it rubs off on everyone else.
West Ham’s Identity Is Stronger With Its Own Lads. This is why West Ham feel more grounded than clubs like Spurs right now. Even when results wobble, the club still knows who it is. Potts, Myers, Scarles… they’re not just prospects. They’re reminders of what West Ham stands for.
They’re the next chapter in a story that runs from Moore to Brooking to Cole to Carrick to Noble to Rice. And that matters. Because when you lose your academy presence, you don’t just lose players… you lose identity.
One of those goals that’s got a wow factor earned the Ironesses a point on Sunday. Scoring her first goal for West Ham Oona Siren hit an absolute screamer of a volley to level things up against the London City Lionesses and extend our lead over, bottom placed, Leicester to four points after their one-nil loss to Brighton later on Sunday afternoon.
As many here will know I used to play a lot of ‘Headers and Volleys’ as a kid and so when a ball would drop to me in matches I’d tend to have a swing at it…with the occasional result being similar to what Siren managed this weekend.
And what an amazing feeling it is to strike the ball sweetly on the volley like that. It’s one of those ‘flow state’ things where time seems to slow down and everything feels right. Siren came ‘across’ the ball, like with all the best volleys, when she struck it and the ball was always finding the back of the net the moment it left her boot.
It was a great moment for the Finnish midfielder who registered on the scoresheet for the first time since here move to the club in September twenty-four.
So three games left for Rita Guarino’s charges starting with a trip to Liverpool, followed by another road trip to Villa before finishing the campaign against Champions elect, Man City. With Leicester not having won in eight matches it’s difficult to see where they’re going to get four points from their remaining games against London City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.
All the best to our girls when they face Liverpool away next time out.
Have a great week all &…
COYI!
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