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Hope Springs Eternal
Comments (36) : Will Everton's new Hope be the next Rooney or Jeffers?
With graduates such as Wayne Rooney, Francis Jeffers, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe, Everton's academy is well respected for producing promising young strikers.
It's something that has not gone unnoticed by some of England's leading lights in recent years, with Manchester United and Arsenal splashing out big money on the emerging talent of Rooney and Jeffers. The two may have ended up at different ends of the footballing scale, but they were both trained to the high standards that academy manager Ray Hall expects.
The latest striker out of Hall's famed classroom, Hallam Hope, has been schooled in a similar way. Yet based on early evidence, the Manchester-born front-man looks set to be more Rooney than Jeffers. Hope joined Everton aged 11 after a short spell at Manchester City. He quickly rose through the ranks, earning a reputation as a powerful and hard working forward who found goals easy to come by. Naturally, comparisons followed, with many believing Hallam was a mixture between the tenacious Rooney, and the 'fox in the box' Jeffers. Both seemed unfair.
The youngster announced himself to many after scoring a hat-trick against Watford in the final of the 2008 Milk Cup. A year later, he was selected for the England Under 16 squad for the Sky Sports Victory Shield. A brace on his debut against Wales aided the Young Lions' cause en route to winning the tournament. Hope has since taken the international baton and ran with it, stepping up to the Under 17's where he currently has 10 goals from 10 matches (two of which came against Portugal last summer and can be seen in the video below).
A strong, energetic, instinctive finisher, the only real question mark is over Hope?s ability in the air. While not the smallest, he lacks some of the physical presence of recent graduates Vaughan and Anichebe. That said, Hallam did bag the winner in last weekend?s youth team match against Sheffield United with his head. It is something the player himself has also picked up on, showing he clearly isn't resting on his already impressive laurels.
Everton instil a confident but determined nature in their prospects, and Hope is no different. That level-headedness combined with an undoubted ability to score goals, put Hallam Hope in line to be the next front man off their already impressive production line.
Reader Comments (36)
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2 Posted 14/04/2011 at 15:57:53
I'll try not to get too excited then.
3 Posted 14/04/2011 at 16:03:56
4 Posted 14/04/2011 at 16:04:57
5 Posted 14/04/2011 at 15:57:36
This close season could go a long to defining this clubs future. Sell the crown jewels to pay the debts and we'll reach a new low.
Editorial Team
6 Posted 14/04/2011 at 16:19:10
I was looking for one of Adam Forshaw but that bugger musta crept in by mistake.
7 Posted 14/04/2011 at 16:23:12
I've little doubt that in the coming months, partly as a result of this article, people on here (and elsewhere i'm sure) will call upon Moyes to put him on the bench and in the first team, to get him some experience at the top level.
The benefits of this are debatable, but for me (and without wanting to be 'too Doddy'), Moyes has a proven track record of holding back players until he knows they are ready. See Baines, Coleman, Bily, and Rooney, to an extent, for examples.
I hope this doesnt lead to overly premature calls for this lad to be 'the next Wayne Rooney'...let nature take its course. But hears to hoping he's, well...the next Wayne Rooney I guess!
8 Posted 14/04/2011 at 18:07:14
9 Posted 14/04/2011 at 18:10:22
10 Posted 14/04/2011 at 18:31:13
11 Posted 14/04/2011 at 18:51:33
:)
12 Posted 14/04/2011 at 18:57:46
13 Posted 14/04/2011 at 19:33:09
14 Posted 14/04/2011 at 20:08:14
Apparently Hallam has been tapped up by every agent and every other club in the North West already and his dad is a big Man U fan. Hallam isn't arsed, he just loves playing footy and loves it at Everton especially as he gets to train alongside and has had a lot of contact with the first team from a young age. He also reckons he's a far better chance of making it into the first team if he stays at Everton.
I do think Everton get it right when it comes to nurturing the youth. Lets hope Hallam stays with us past his 21st birthday.
15 Posted 14/04/2011 at 20:12:41
16 Posted 14/04/2011 at 20:34:34
17 Posted 14/04/2011 at 20:41:30
Nice one but I prefer "abandon all hope ye who enter here" :-)
18 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:02:19
19 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:16:36
I call for Moyes to start him Saturday!
20 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:31:18
21 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:33:09
22 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:36:30
23 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:39:15
24 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:41:35
No hope.
Bob Hope.
Hallam Hope.
25 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:50:17
26 Posted 14/04/2011 at 22:17:37
That would be Hope Akpan!
27 Posted 14/04/2011 at 21:55:03
Still very young and really hard to know which way his development will take him.
I think FourFourTwo is very premature in bigging him up since he is still to do anything of note and is still some way off knocking on the first team door. McAleny is the striker closest to the first team door (on the bench for the last couple of games), Hope is just one of several in the academy learning the ropes.
I sincerely do hope (no pun intended) that he comes good with time but he could probably do without this level of hype and just keep his head down and continue to learn off the academy coaches.
28 Posted 15/04/2011 at 00:34:39
29 Posted 15/04/2011 at 01:22:50
Good little story in any case and good to hear how some of the younger ones in the academy are going. For the ones that go watch any academy games are there any other youngsters that catch the eye and could have a future?
30 Posted 15/04/2011 at 08:32:38
Unless you were referring to Ken Dodd that is?
31 Posted 15/04/2011 at 08:36:31
32 Posted 14/04/2011 at 18:31:13
33 Posted 15/04/2011 at 09:39:32
I think one of the reasons that Carey as able to sign him was he was manager at Blackburn prior to Everton and so had some sort of relationship with him.
I hope History doesn't repeat it's self.
34 Posted 15/04/2011 at 14:06:55
35 Posted 15/04/2011 at 18:01:08
I think its widely accepted that although Baines was well established in the Wigan first team, he still had much development to take place before being able to hold down a first team place at Everton. Indeed, it was a centre half in the shape of Lescott that was keeping him out most of the time.
As for Bily, I'd say nearly two years later, the well established Russian is still adjusting, developing and being eased in to the way of English football... and quite rightly too. He isn't quite ready yet.
36 Posted 15/04/2011 at 19:57:26
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1 Posted 14/04/2011 at 15:58:12