If there is one person in English football who knows about the importance of homegrown talent then it is West Ham United's Tony Carr. The Director of Youth Development has overseen the academy for the last 36 years and has worked with some of England's finest footballers.
The final 23-man squad announced by Fabio Capello features no less than five West Ham graduates in Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson. Although each player has now left the east London club they were part of the academy and worked under the guidance of Carr.
"I am immensely proud of all the lads as they have gone on to have fantastic club careers," explains Carr, a man born and bred in the east end. "It will be great to see these guys go out to South Africa and hopefully perform really well. I have recently spoken to a number of the lads and I am just so proud to see them all living up to their potential."
Having worked at the academy for over thirty years, Carr has seen managers come and go but has always stuck to the same principles. If a player is good enough then he should be given the opportunity to prove it in the first team.
Although a number of these talented players came from the east end of London, Carr believes it would be doing West Ham an injustice to say it was solely because of the area.
"It is a very fertile area for talent but Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal all scout this area as well. We have to persuade these young men that West Ham is the right club for them, which may be slightly easier for us as we are not afraid to blood young talent.
"It might be a different story if we were chasing the top prizes but the principle has always been the same here. If a young player is good enough then he will be given the chance to prove himself in the first team. This is the way it has always been and long may it continue."
Producing homegrown players who are good enough to cut it at the top level is certainly no easy task. In these modern times players are scouted before they have even reached their teens. Spotting the talent may be one thing, but making sure that talent gets realised is an all together more difficult job.
"It can be obvious from a very early age, but making sure they develop and go on to play senior football is a difficult task. Ensuring that the player is set on the right path is extremely important and that is what we have managed to do pretty well over the years."
Carr also believes that what makes West Ham different from other clubs is that an individual's performance is more important than a result. "There is certainly an ethos at the club which says that if a player is progressing then we are happy. At youth level it is not always about results."
The success of the academy is crucial for a club the size of West Ham. They do not have the budget to bring in top players from around the world and therefore rely on the work done by Tony Carr and his team. They become the lifeblood of the side and in times of financial difficulty also help to raise funds.
After a hard season in which Gianfranco Zola eventually lost his job, Carr hopes that his former academy products can help the Hammers enjoy a more comfortable season away from the relegation zone.
"It was a tough season for everyone, but there were still good performances from some of the young players who will have gained vital experience. Playing under pressure every week will set them in good stead for the future.
"Jack Collison was playing excellently before he picked up an injury, as was James Tomkins who unfortunately had to be rushed back. He made a few mistakes but the big thing is to learn from it and bounce back stronger. Hopefully this season we will see the best of Mark Noble as well as he is obviously an extremely talented player."
With the introduction of a new rule stating that eight players from a 25-man squad must be homegrown, it seems other clubs will have to follow in West Ham's footsteps. Carr for one believes it is a positive step, but worries that clubs will still look abroad.
"It can only be a good thing promoting young British talent. Unfortunately the ruling states that any player at the academy for three years is classed as homegrown. I am just a little worried that the big clubs will buy the best in Europe, school them for three years and then class them as homegrown. I hope I am proved wrong but it's one fear I have."
The reality within football is that big clubs demand instant success and are all too happy to simply buy the best talent from around the world. Hopefully clubs will look at the fantastic players West Ham and Tony Carr have produced and realise that there is certainly plenty of talent in Britain.
