James Collins felt that George Earthy was ‘excellent’ during West Ham United’s 1-1 pre-season friendly draw with Southend on Saturday.
And that is fair enough.
Collins was in the stadium, after all, travelling to Essex on co-commentary duty. He saw George Earthy in the flesh at Roots Hall as the Hammers limped to an underwhelming draw against fifth-tier opposition.
It’s just that, well, Hammers News do not share Collins’ enthusiasm.
What caught your eye as West Ham and Southend drew 1-1?
Who impressed you the most at Roots Hall?
We gave Earthy a match rating of 5/10. The word ‘underwhelming’ was the first which came to your correspondent’s mind when trying to sum up the performance of the 21-year-old academy graduate.
OK, yes, Earthy played out of position on the left of West Ham United’s midfield. But perhaps that only adds to the concern about the future of the club’s 2024 Young Player of the Year.
Where does he fit in, if indeed he fits in at all?
George Earthy outshone by Keiber Lamadrid in West Ham United friendly
“I think we should be looking at playing a lot of these youngsters,” Collins said on Ian ‘Moose’ Abrahams’ TikTok channel. “I went to Southend, and thought George Earthy was excellent
“Players like that, Kaelan Casey, [we should be] giving these boys a chance in the Championship because obviously there’s so many games.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
While he drifted in and out of things out wide, the odd tidy touch the limit of his influence, Keiber Lamadrid was a bit of a revelation in the central midfield role where Earthy was expected to feature.
Relegation certainly feels like an opportunity for Earthy to finally cement himself, two years after scoring his first senior goal off the bench against Luton Town in the Premier League.
But if Nuno is now considering Lamadrid to be an option in central midfield, if he is determined to persist with Pablo Felipe playing off Taty Castellanos in the number ten spot, one wonders where Earthy fits into this claret-and-blue jigsaw.
At Roots Hall, it was notable – and not entirely surprising – that he looked more effective on the occasions when he drifted infield, into a more familiar role.
Earthy did well to free up Pablo for a shot across the Southend bows, in particular. For the most part, though, he seemed to lack the pace or the one-v-one qualities to really impose himself on the flanks. While Lamadrid clearly relished the chance to play between the lines, buzzing around and picking up the ball in all sorts of areas, Earthy felt like your classic square peg in a round hole.
Earthy needs a chance in his more natural position against Stevenage
Pre-season is the time for experimentation, of course. Do not be surprised if Nuno starts Lamadrid in a more familiar left-wing role against Stevenage on Wednesday night. If Pablo is unavailable – he picked up an injury over the weekend – Earthy might return to his favourite position behind the centre-forward.
If indeed he does, this would feel like an opportunity he cannot afford to waste, even so early in pre-season.
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James Collins makes some good points…
David Moyes once likened Earthy to David Silva; small in frame like the Manchester City legend, but intelligent and quick-witted enough to make up for a lack of physicality.
“George is a really, really talented player,” the Scot said during Earthy’s first-team emergence in 2024. “His football ability is not in question one bit, but it will be more about how he can handle and come into the Premier League.
“You think of the likes of David Silva; players like that who might have been slight in stature but they still found a way.”
Earthy’s contract at West Ham expires in 2027. With Moyes long gone, with his deal running down and on the back of an extremely disappointing loan spell at Bristol City in the second half of last season, Earthy must ‘find a way’ now or risk that Luton goal becoming a classic what-might’ve-been-moment for a talented young player who never quite built on his breakout moment.
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