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Jack David Collison (born 2 October 1988, Watford, England) is a Wales international footballer who plays for West Ham United as a midfielder. He is eligible to play for the Wales national football team as his grandfather was born in Bedwellty, Wales. Although a left midfielder by choice, he is able to play in any midfield position.[1]
[edit] Club career[edit] Beginning careerCollison is a product of West Ham's famous youth academy. He has quickly progressed to playing first team football in the Premier League, and was a full Wales international at the age of 19. He began playing for Peterborough United youths and later Cambridge United youths,[2][3] but was left without a club when the U's disbanded the youth set-up after being relegated due to financial problems. The sixteen-year-old was offered a trial with West Ham and impressed youth team manager Tony Carr enough to be offered a first year scholarship. Collison continued his development under Carr and his staff at Little Heath before being made reserve-team captain at the start of the 2007–08 season. That summer, the teenager also featured in pre-season friendlies against Hornchurch and MK Dons. He was named in the West Ham first team squad for the first time in November 2007 for the home game against Bolton Wanderers,[4] and made his first team debut on 1 January 2008, when he came on as a substitute for the injured Freddie Ljungberg in the Premier League away loss to Arsenal.[5][6] [edit] Breaking into the first teamA dream summer was completed as Collison signed a new five-year contract with the Hammers shortly before joining the first-team squad on the pre-season tour of North America. There, he appeared as a second-half substitute in the 3–1 win over MLS side Columbus Crew and 3–2 defeat by the MLS All-Stars. The 2008–09 season began with Collison in Alex Dyer's reserve team, and a loan move to League One promotion-chasers Peterborough had been lined up. However, an impressive substitute appearance in the 2–0 Premier League loss at Manchester United on 29 October coupled by injury problems in the midfield convinced manager Gianfranco Zola that Collison would be better served by remaining at Chadwell Heath and training with the first-team squad. Collison repaid Zola's faith with more solid performances and scored his first goal for West Ham, an 18-yard strike, on 8 November against Everton in a 3–1 loss at Upton Park.[7] His good form earned him praise from Zola[8] who rewarded the twenty-year-old with a new five-year contract extention in December before the winter break.[9] On Boxing Day, he scored at Portsmouth in a 4-1 rout[10], and a match-winning goal against Manchester City on 1 March 2009.[11] In the away win at Wigan Athletic three days later, Collison dislocated his kneecap while attempting to chest down a long ball and was ruled out for six weeks.[12] He returned to the team in May two months later, coming on as a late substitute in the 1–0 win away at Stoke City. After an impressive 2008–09 season, Collison was chosen as Young Hammer Of The Year by Tony Carr.[13] Fans at the West Ham fansite Knees up Mother Brown overwhelmingly voted him as their Young Player of the Year.[14] [edit] 2009-10 seasonOn 23 August 2009 Collison played 89 minutes of the 2009–10 Premier League fixture against Tottenham before learning that his father had been killed in a motorcycle accident while travelling to the game.[15] Two days later, he started a League Cup tie against Millwall that went into extra time and ended 3-1 to West Ham. His teammates all wore black armbands to show their support and fans applauded him when the team entered the stadium. The match also featured a number of pitch invasions and violent clashes between fans outside the ground. After full-time, Collison left the pitch in tears visibly upset.[16] During the post-match interview, manager Gianfranco Zola complimented Collison's character in light of his father's death.[17] After a short stint on the sidelines due to the recurrence of the knee injury suffered at Wigan last season, Collison returned to training in October and made his comeback in the 9 October behind-closed-doors friendly against French side Valenciennes, scoring a goal himself,[18] and then marked his return to league action by making the starting eleven in the away loss at Stoke City eight days later.[19] Since then he has retained his place in the starting line-up. A right-footed midfielder, he usually plays on the left in a midfield diamond with the left-footed Valon Behrami on the right. [edit] International careerCollison is eligible to play for Wales through his grandfather who was born in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire[20] and is related to John Gwilliam, a former captain of the Wales rugby union team.[21] Though born in England, Collison chose to play for Wales due to Welsh ancestry on his mother's side.[22] His then-West Ham teammate and current Wales captain Craig Bellamy had alerted Wales youth coach Brian Flynn about Collison's eligibility. After observing the nineteen-year-old, Flynn named him in the squad to face the Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21's in a UEFA European U-21 Championship qualifier. In November 2007, Collison made his debut for the Wales Under-21 team in that match and scored in a 4-0 rout.[23] He made further appearances in the 4–2 win over France Under-21 in November 2007,[24] against Malta Under-21 in February 2008, when he scored his second international goal,[25] against Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21 in March 2008[26] and England Under-21 in May 2008.[27] While in the U21s, he formed a burgeoning partnership with Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal in central midfield.[28] Collison made his senior international debut for Wales in an away friendly win against Iceland on 29 May 2008.[29] Bellamy praised the young midfielder saying, "I've seen him every afternoon at West Ham and he does extra training. If you want to give this career a good go then you get the rewards and that seems to be how Jack is looking at it." After the death of Collison's father, national team coach John Toshack gave him the choice whether to make himself available for selection. Having played in West Ham's last two games, he declared himself available for the qualifier against Russia. This match would confirm Collison as a full Wales international as his previous six caps all came in friendlies.[30] He did not play, however, as he had to attend his father's funeral which took place on the day of the match. With the recurrence of the knee injury, he was ruled out of Wales' qualifying campaign that ultimately ended with a fourth place finish in the group. As he has yet to make an appearance in an official competitive match, he is still eligible to switch allegiances under FIFA rules. After U-21 defender Rhys Williams chose to play for Australia, his birth country, at senior level, there was speculation that Collison may do the same and opt to play for England.[31] Nevertheless, Collison has repeatedly stated that he is fully committed to Wales.[32][33] [edit] References
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