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Holladay IOL Consultant Dr. Jack Holladay Jack T. Holladay, MD doctor-hill.com | NEWMAN'S GUIDE TO BREASTFEEDING Jack Newman and Teresa... capersbookstore.com.au | CIDRAP >> Elaine Collison, MPA cidrapsummit.org |
Jack David Collison (born 2 October 1988, Watford, England) is an English-born Welsh international footballer who plays for West Ham United as a midfielder. Collison is a product of West Ham's famous youth academy and has quickly progressed from trainee to playing first team football in the Premier League since joining at age sixteen. 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] and usually plays out wide for West Ham or centre midfield for Wales.[2]
[edit] Club career[edit] Beginning careerAs a youngster, Collison started out at Peterborough[3] and later Cambridge United,[4][5] but was forced to find another club when the U's announced their disbanding of the youth set-up after being relegated from The Football League due to financial problems. The sixteen-year-old was offered a trial with West Ham and impressed Academy director 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.[6] 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,[7] 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.[8][9] On 11 April away at Bolton Wanderers, he was handed his first league start in place of the injured Mark Noble. [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. He scored his first goal for West Ham, an 18-yard strike, on 8 November against Everton in a 3–1 loss at Upton Park after coming on as a substitute for the injured Matthew Upson to make his home debut.[6][10] The goal was nominated for the Goal of the Season awards on the West Ham fansite Knees Up Mother Brown. His good form earned him praise from Zola[11] who rewarded the twenty-year-old with a new five-year contract extension in December before the winter break.[12] On Boxing Day, he scored the equaliser at Portsmouth and had a hand in the next two goals in a 4-1 rout.[13] He scored his third goal of the season, the only goal of the match against Manchester City on 1 March 2009.[14] Although he mostly played in centre midfield during his days in the reserves, he eventually established himself as first-choice on the left side of Zola's midfield diamond.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] On 24 May, he finished the season on a high by assisting Junior Stanislas to score the winner in a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough. Collison was chosen as Young Hammer Of The Year by Tony Carr.[18] Fans at the West Ham fansite Knees up Mother Brown overwhelmingly voted him as their Young Player of the Year.[19] [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.[20] 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.[21] During the post-match interview, manager Gianfranco Zola complimented Collison's character in light of his father's death.[22] After missing most of September's games 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,[23] and then marked his return to league action by making the starting eleven in the away loss at Stoke City eight days later.[24] Since then he has retained his place in the starting line-up and ended scored in consecutive matches, against Hull City and Burnley. [edit] International careerCollison is eligible to play for Wales through his grandfather who was born in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire[25] and is related to John Gwilliam, a former captain of the Wales rugby union team.[26] Though born in England, Collison chose to play for Wales due to Welsh ancestry on his mother's side.[27] 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. [edit] Under-21In November 2007, Collison made his debut for the Wales Under-21 team in that match and scored in a 4-0 rout over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the European Championship qualifying.[28] He made further appearances in the 4–2 win over France Under-21 in November 2007,[29] against Malta Under-21 in February 2008. In March, he scored his second international goal,[30] against Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21.[31] He was in the squad that narrowly lost to England Under-21 in the qualification play-offs and were denied a place in the 2009 European Championships.[32] While in the U21s, he formed a burgeoning partnership with Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal in central midfield[33] and is likely to continue the partnership in the senior team.[2] [edit] Senior TeamCollison made his senior debut for Wales in an away friendly win against Iceland on 29 May 2008.[34] 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."[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] Nevertheless, Collison has repeatedly stated that he is fully committed to Wales.[38][39] With Collison back to full fitness, Toshack named him in the 23-man squad for the 14 November friendly against Scotland.[40] Flynn also named him amongst 11 other senior internationals in the preliminary squad to face the Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21's in a qualifier on 18 November.[41][42] Collison ended up having to withdraw after picking up a knock during the weekend match against Everton.[43] In November Collison was in the final nomination for the Welsh Young Player of the Year award along with Simon Church and Aaron Ramsey.[44] [edit] Honours
[edit] Career Statistics
As of 6 February 2010[47] [edit] References
[edit] External links
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