The year was 2005 and a young Jack Collison had just joined the Academy at West Ham United coming from his boyhood club, Peterborough United, at the ripe young age of 16. A promising addition for sure, but nobody yet knew what the young Welshman might bring to the club.
In a recent post from Hammers Polls, they asked a question reacting to a post from Iron Times on Twitter. The question, Which one player in their prime would you have back in the first team now for West Ham?
Which one player in their prime would you have back in the first team now?
— Hammers Polls (@HammersPolls) June 19, 2019
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I immediately voted for Collison as the memories came pouring back from my earliest times as a West Ham fan and it got me thinking, what could have been?
Collison began his time at West Ham playing for the U18s. He played in the Academy for another 2 years until he was promoted up to the senior club at West Ham in 2007. After working closely with Kevin Keen, who is now taking over for Collison in coaching, Jack was finally getting his debut against Arsenal on New Years Day 2008.
In an open letter that he wrote talking about his time at West Ham, Collison explained his overall excitement and then fear as the gaffer told him to “stay close to Fabregas.” That match Jack ran 7.5 km in the second half alone leading to a record that season. He would only feature once more that season in a loss to Bolton away.
The 2008/09 season was when Collison first found the back on the net and helped West Ham finish 9th with close hopes of making it to Europe. Jack Collison to many fans was West Ham through and through. He was quoted once stating, “Football was my escape, and I wasn’t playing for anyone, I was playing for West Ham, I was playing for every fan who carried my night, every fan who took the time to write to me. I was playing for the memory of my father and, after that night, in particular, I always felt a special bond with the fans.”
He continued to grow into a solid midfielder that could play on the wings as well when needed. Jack’s progress was halted, of course, right of the beginning of the 2010/11 season due to a knee injury. His progress and West Ham United’s both halted as the Hammers got relegated and ended the season in disarray.
Any West Ham fan that was around during the 2011/12 season will remember it as magical. Collison was a pivotal part of the turn around as he played in 31 matches assisting 3 times and scoring 4. He also put in 2 during the playoff run helping secure West Ham back into the Premier League. This was my first season as a fan of the club and Jack quickly became a favorite of mine.
Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for Jack and West Ham. He was again out with knee injuries for most of the 2012/13 season. Jack scored his second to last EPL goal against Arsenal in a victory, a bit ironic if you think back to where it all started.
His final season as a Hammer came in 2014/15 where has also was loaned out twice and never could get it going again as the knee injuries were catching up with him. When Jack was on, he was on. He gave it all 100 percent of the time until there was no more time left. He finally hung up his boots in 2016 back with his boyhood club, Peterborough United.
The sad thing, he was only 27 when he retired. If knee injuries didn’t get in the way of him playing, I have no doubt he would still be running up and down the pitch hopefully still in Claret and Blue. He has since come back to East London to coach the youth teams and has now moved on physically, but I doubt he will ever move on in his heart or from the hearts of the fans.