WEST Ham legend Tony Cottee has put the club's fine production line of talented youngsters down to one man - Academy director Tony Carr.
The club has long been recognised as a conveyor belt for bright young footballers who have gone on to become big England stars.
Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Trevor Brooking and more recently Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole all graduated through the club's famous Academy of Football.
James Tomkins is the latest star in the making - the 18-year-old made his debut against Everton on Saturday, just seven days after Freddie Sears burst onto the scene with a match-winning goal against Blackburn.
And Cottee is in no doubt who is majorly responsible for their advancement into the senior set up.
"Over the last 30-years there has been one consistent factor and I can sum it up in two words: Tony Carr," insisted Cottee.
"Tony is the youth-team manager and he was there when I was coming through the ranks.
"He's played a part in the making of some great names, the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and several others who are now major players and international players too."
Cottee would be a fine example for the youngsters to follow, particularly Sears - who has been likened to the former Everton and Leicester frontman - and there are many others who have benefited from the meticulous and sagacious tutelage of Carr.
He has survived nine different managers and was himself a West Ham youth player - an injury curtailed his career though he holds, in typically modest fashion, that he would not have made it at the highest level.
Carr may not have reached the heights as a professional footballer, but in his capacity as academy director he has played a major role in launching the careers of many top stars.
Sears looks set to be just the the next name on a long and very illustrious list.
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