The path taken by Mark Noble and Declan Rice is not one all at West Ham United are able to walk down.
While Noble and Rice transitioned effortlessly from captaining the Hammers at youth level to donning the armband for the seniors, not every academy kid is quite so fortunate.
Not every road is quite so linear, or free from potholes.
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Gideon Kodua sealed a permanent move to Luton Town in the winter, just two-and-a-half years after Kodua skippered West Ham to FA Youth Cup glory. Jordan Spence, Conor Coventry, Alex Pike, Moses Makasi, Callum Driver and Aji Alese are also among those who captained West Ham United at Under-21 level without ever breaking into the senior set-up.
As Michael Forbes explains – the Northern Ireland international joined Dundee United on a two-year contract a few weeks ago – the step up from youth-team football to the men’s game is greater than anyone can realistically prepare for.
Michael Forbes explains what happened at West Ham United
Forbes is speaking from experience. The centre-back captained the Hammers at both U18 and U21 level.
Yet, a difficult loan spell at Bristol Rovers in which he started only two League One games in half a season was a brutal reminder of the gulf between academy football and the real thing.
“You think; ‘I’m coming from being West Ham Under-21s captain, I’m going to go into men’s football and play straight away.’ Then, you learn the hard lessons fast,” Forbes tells the official Dundee United YouTube channel.
“Although the first loan wouldn’t seem so successful on paper, for me – with the off-the-pitch stuff and moving forward as a person and a player – it really helped me develop.
“It helped me understand what men’s football is about, how to get yourself into the team, how to stay in the team, and what’s important.”
Forbes’ message is one many youngsters would be best advised taking note of.
Towering centre-back Airidas Golambeckis followed in the footsteps of Declan Rice when he was handed the captain’s armband for West Ham’s Under-21s before his 18th birthday. But while Nuno Espirito Santo clearly rates Golambeckis highly – the teenager has trained with the first-team on several occasions – for every Rice and Noble there are numerous Koduas and Forbeses.
Quite simply, there is no guarantee of a future at the highest level, even for the most talented of prospects.
Looking back at that Youth Cup-winning Hammers side
Of the eleven players who started when West Ham thrashed Jack Wilshere’s Arsenal 5-1 in the 2023 Youth Cup final, only Ollie Scarles has nailed down a first-team role in East London. George Earthy, Lewis Orford and Callum Marshall remain on the fringes, while Kodua and Patrick Kelly dropped down to the third tier in search of regular minutes.
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Forbes, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back in Scotland after suffering relegation from League One at Northampton Town.
Should the 22-year-old thrive at Tannadice – becoming a regular in the Northern Ireland set-up while belatedly fulfilling his undoubted potential – Forbes will be an example for all of those who fall short of the sky-high heights set by Rice and Noble.
“My time at Northampton, I got a lot of exposure in terms of playing, so that was a positive,” adds Forbes, who worked with former West Ham assistant Kevin Nolan at Sixfields before his sacking in the spring.
“You get the tough side of it, and then you get the good side of it where you’re training your body to keep going and playing week in, week out in. Such a physical and demanding league with the travel and the amount of games. I feel like I’ve had a good mixture of both; the ups and the downs of it.
“But if you were to put it in a nutshell, it’s definitely helped me as a player. I’m very grateful for my time at all those clubs, and it’s definitely sculpted me into what I am now.
“We just have to keep pushing forward, you can’t just be happy with where you’re at.”
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