Interview: West Ham's Tony Carr

He said: "You could say that but I wouldn't like to take the credit for it. West Ham's youth academy has in some respects produced half the England team, and we take great pleasure in that, especially as the previous youth academy produced the Moore, Hurst, Peters era.

"We've got a fantastic tradition and I'm just lucky enough to have been in it this long to carry on that tradition, which is what our club's all about.

"There's been some great individuals along the way, like Paul Ince and Tony Cottee, but that little crop that came through - Frank and Rio, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick, then Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe - are the crux of the England team and you could say they are the best crop [we've had through] because they are that close together.

"Those six alone are enough to be proud of and I follow all their careers."

Carr, 58, has been involved in youth coaching at Upton Park since 1973 but his links with the club goes back even further.

Born in Bow and a lifelong fan he joined West Ham as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1966. But competition was fierce and the young centre-forward found himself looking for a new club just four years later, ending up at then non-league Barnet. Then a broken leg left him considering his future in the game.

"When I did eventually get fit I'd lost a whole season," said Carr. "Then I got a phone call out of the blue from John Lyall. He said 'I heard you broke your leg, what are you doing?'.

"I said I wasn't doing anything at the moment and he asked me to come and do a little bit of coaching. There was an opportunity of a part-time job.

"I went for a chat and I took the job on a part-time basis, which was as assistant then to the youth coach, Ronnie Boyce. That was in 1973 and I've been here ever since."

It proved to be a great decision by Lyall. The job became full-time in 1980 and Carr's dedication has helped mould some of the greatest players ever to pull on the claret and blue. You could call him the godfather of Green Street.

One player who did slip through the net was England skipper John Terry, who spent five years at the Hammers' academy before heading west to link up with Chelsea at the age of 14. His decision to move still baffles Carr.

He said: "You'll have to ask John [about] that. I've never really found out the reason why. I think Chelsea lured him and he felt perhaps a change is what he wanted. You'll have to ask him and his parents because I really don't know the exact reason.

"I still bump into John now and again and he's still John from east London. He's still the same guy. There's no animosity there. I'm pleased for him. He's done fantastic. He's a great player, a great servant for Chelsea and for England."

Carr is determined to keep unearthing the best young talent for a few more years to come, whether they become international players or not.

He said: "I'm still enjoying it. From the day I walked in here I've loved it because every year is different. Every year I have a different squad and every year I have to develop different players.

"The strategy remains the same but it's just a matter of getting your next group of players to emulate the group who've gone before, so the challenge is always there."

Roll of honour: Paul Ince, Tony Cottee, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson, Anton Ferdinand, Mark Noble, Freddie Sears.

And the ones who got away: John Terry, Kieran Richardson, Jloyd Samuel, Freddy Eastwood, Jimmy Bullard.