The next generation

By Simon Hayes on March 28, 2007 12:00 AM |

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WEST HAM are back in action on Saturday (March 31) after a week off that will have done nothing to calm their relegation nerves.
The visit of Middlesbrough gives the Irons the chance to regain their momentum after victory at Blackburn last time out. And boss Alan Curbishley admitted their first away win of the season was badly needed.
"It was a great result for us up at Blackburn," he told the club website. "It's given us a shout, the players must have some more confidence after the result and we're all looking forward to the Middlesbrough game."

It is another crucial game for the Hammers, as they all are between now and the end of the season. But whatever eventually happens, and most Hammers' fans agree relegation looks the likeliest scenario, there is some cause for optimism. The next generation of talented youngsters is knocking on the first-team door.
Mark Noble has already caught the eye this season with his occasional appearances pepping up a Hammers midfield that has all too often lacked bite.
The 19-year-old from Canning Town is seen by many as the fulcrum around which a promotion campaign should be built next season - if the Hammers do go down - particularly as relegation would certainly see the departure of a host of first-team regulars such as Nigel Reo-Coker. But there are other players who seem likely to force their way into the reckoning.
Tony Stokes, who made his first team debut in the Carling Cup in September 2005, is another midfielder of immense promise. Stokes, 20, spent much of last season on loan at Rushden and Diamonds where he earned rave reviews.
Much of the problem this season stems from a lack of goals and England Youth forward Hogan Ephraim could prove to be a long-term solution. The 19-year-old is on loan at Championship side Colchester and that experience should stand him in good stead when he returns to the Irons' fold.
Ephraim recently scored his first senior goal for the U's against Barnsley, a club where another Hammers youngster, Kyel Reid, has spent most of the season on loan. The pacy left-winger, born in Greenwich, has become very popular at Oakwell as the club fight their own relegation battle.
And should the troubled Anton Ferdinand decide to move on the Hammers are grooming a replacement in 17-year-old James Tomkins. The 6ft 3ins defender, the youngest player to ever score for the reserves, featured in a number of pre-season friendlies and is is tipped to make it to the very top.
If Curbishley can hang onto some of his better senior players and then bring this talented crop of youngsters through, the future could be brighter than it has seemed at times during this bleak campaign.
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