With it being the international break, there is very little to talk about regarding The Albion, especially as none of the senior games involving our players have been played yet. There’s not a lot going on at West Brom, except for the departure of Michael Appleton to Portsmouth this week(Good luck Appy!)

So I don’t think there is better time for me than now to discuss the merits of some of our younger players. If there is one thing any fan wants to see, it’s a local lad running out onto the pitch for their club and showing how good they are. Of course, there is very little of that these days such is the vast scouting networks and the non-restriction of recruitment zones over a certain age, anyone who seems to be showing promise at a “smaller” club are quickly snapped up at a young age. West Brom know this all too well, following the departure of Jerome Sinclair to Liverpool at the age of 14 this summer. There was also another similar case this summer, with centre half Donovan Daniels being linked with moves to bigger clubs but he has been secured to the club.

Albion have a couple of youngsters out on loan at present, whilst a couple of other who seem to be breaking into the first team. So I’m going to have a quick look at some of them and how they are doing, or my views on them.

James Hurst: The young right back was also poached from Albion when he was younger, heading to Portsmouth. But things didn’t work out too well, with Hurst getting in trouble with the club for some things he posted online. Hurst returned to the club last summer, and ended up being thrust into action firstly at Ipswich in the Carling Cup then at Fulham in the Premier League, with Albion struggling for numbers at the back. For a youngster, Hurst was very impressive. He certainly looked as if he could defend, making some good tackles though some were a tad risky. His distribution wasn’t the best, but that was to be expected especially with the lack of movement from the forwards at the time. A loan spell at Blackpool was cut short, but Hurst still has plenty of promise.

Craig Dawson: One of the more known youngsters at West Brom, Craig Dawson was brought in from Rochdale last summer but stayed there on loan to further his football education. He returned to Albion this summer and has clearly impressed the important people at the club, with there being no chance of him going out on loan. Thrown in against Swansea, Dawson performed admirably in a 3-0 defeat. But it is his performances for England U21’s that have caught the eye, with Dawson scoring 4 goals already.

George Thorne: The highly-rated midfielder has been kept at Albion despite interest from Championship clubs Derby and Birmingham City. Thorne started the season on the bench for Albion, and was brought on last time out against Arsenal. Thorne is clearly very highly-rated, seemingly not just by West Brom. He was given an extended contract at the start of Pre-Season, then another contract a mere 3 weeks later. This would suggest that Thorne has been targeted by the bigger clubs, but I hope we keep hold of him. In the future he could perform Paul Scharner’s role, he has the physical presence and looks comfortable on the ball, with a good passing range.

Chris Wood: The New Zealander is another one of the more well-known youngsters at the club. He was first introduced into the first team set-up under Tony Mowbray at the back end of his reign, then Roberto Di Matteo gave him a big chance at the beginning of the promotion-winning season in the championship. Wood showed signs of his ability as a target man, laying on chances for his team-mates and winning the ball in the air but the question mark lay over his goal-scoring ability. Wood scored two goals that season, though one was a 30 yard volley after a couple of flicks! Last season he went to Brighton on loan and scored 10 goals, helping them to promotion as part of a three-pronged attack with Ashley Barnes and Glen Murray. This year he has shown his ability on loan at local rivals Birmingham City. Wood has scored 10 goals in 11 starts, including 2 goals in the Europa League. Wood is showing that he has the goal-scoring ability to match his all-round play, and he could have more of an immediate future with the Albion as a Target Man if Hodgson decides to offload one of Roman Bednar and Marc Antoine Fortune, or even both.

Saido Berahino: The young forward recently joined Northampton on loan, and after 3 goals in 4 appearances, has already had his loan spell extended by the club until January. I’ve not seen Berahino live, but his goal-scoring record for the Under 18 and reserve teams has been simply outstanding, whilst also getting international honours(And goals) up to the England U19’s squad
which he was withdrawn from today to continue playing for Northampton.

The future certainly seems bright, let’s hope the future is blue and white!