West Ham United have made a miserable start to the new season, conceding six in their first two league games. The Hammers recorded their first competitive victory of the season by narrowly beating Oxford in the League Cup last night. The manager, Avram Grant fielded a relatively strong side and it was left to Scott Parker to spare their blushes as he scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute. It will therefore come as some consolation that in naming their 25-man squad there should be fewer headaches. Whilst Arsene Wenger and others decry the new ruling, these squad regulations will benefit West Ham. No home-grown players have been bought since the takeover by Gold and Sullivan yet the club retains a strong domestic core. Moreover youngsters from their famed academy of football will find their playing opportunities enhanced.
The Premier League’s new rules on squad limits and home-grown quotas is operational as of 1st September. Clubs are required to name a 25-man squad of whom 8 must be home-grown. This is defined as a player who has spent at least 36 months with an English or Welsh FA club prior to their 21st birthday. No more than 17 senior non home-grown players can be registered. The bonus for West Ham is that an unlimited number of under-21s can be used, regardless of nationality, to bolster the 25-man squad. An under-21 player is one who is under the age of 21 on 1st January in the year in which the season commences. With the bureaucratic lesson over, here is the probable squad.
Senior Home-Grown Players (9)
Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Carlton Cole, Scott Parker, Mark Noble, Jonathan Spector, Kieron Dyer, Zavon Hines, Daniel Gabbidon
Senior Non Home Grown Players (12)
Manuel da Costa, Herita Ilunga, Tal Ben Haim, Winston Reid, Juilen Faubert, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Valon Behrami, Luis Boa Morte, Pablo Barrera, Radoslav Kovac, Frederic Piquionne, Benni McCarthy
Under-21s (Unlimited)
Freddie Sears, James Tomkins, Junior Stanislas, Jordan Spence, Marek Stech, Frank Nouble, Fabio Daprela
Talking Points
Jack Collison and Peter Kurucz are two glaring omissions from the senior squad. Crowd favourite and midfield creator Collison is ruled out until the new year after undergoing knee surgery. The Welsh international will surely return to the squad in January. Clubs are permitted to make changes to the composition of their senior squad during the next transfer window. Hungarian goalkeeper Kurucz is out for the foreseeable future having suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season. Hines is not expected to be fit until October but warrants a place in the squad given his astounding pace.
In this speculative provisional squad there is still room for four more senior players. All of which can be foreign as Grant is reportedly after three new players after Alessandro Diamanti’s departure to newly promoted Brescia. The manager is allegedly looking for an experienced back-up goalkeeper, a goal-scorer and a right full-back. Depending on the scale of the last minute recruitment drive there are a few players who would be expected to make way. Dyer who made his first start since March on Saturday is never far from the treatment table and McCarthy is still grappling with his waistband. Should injuries or suspensions start to bite, there are a number of promising under-21s who could yet step up to the first team. These include Anthony Edgar, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson, and Cristian Montano.
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