West Ham midfielder Jack Collison: Hammers eager to bounce back to Premier League

Jack Collison (Getty Images)

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After six years in the Premier League West Ham’s relegation to the Championship could see an exodus of the Hammers more experienced players, but Jack Collison is confident the younger players can step up and get the club back into the top flight.

Upton Park is renowned for its production line of young talent and Collison explained some of the clubs academy players were ready for the fight for Premier League football.

“It’s all experience and I know a lot of the young players are relishing the opportunity,” the midfielder told the club’s official website.

“It’s a massive club and the people should be working hard to play for the claret and blue. We’ve got great traditions.

“Obviously it hasn’t been a great season, but the people above will have a busy summer and will be eager to bounce back.”

The Hammers finished the season bottom of the league with 33 points and seven points clear of safety and Robert Green, Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Matthew Upson are just four players expected to leave the club but Collison promised the club’s fans they will do their utmost to repay their faith during this tough season.

“I’ve said before that West Ham is a massive club and it’s important that we bounce straight back up and get back where we belong in the Premier League, because that’s what the fans deserve,” he added.

“It’s a great club with great traditions and if you look at the support on Sunday, I don’t think many clubs would have had that amount of fans turn up and be so great even after being relegated the week before.

“They sang their hearts out, even at 3-0 down.

“They were still cheering when they could quite easily have got on our backs and given us some abuse – and it would have been fully deserved, really.”

The potential departure of Parker would leave a gap in the central midfield for Collison to come into and, if that happens, the Welshman insists he is more than ready to fill the England internationals boots having learnt so much from the club captain.

“We’ll see what happens. They are big boots to fill,” he admitted.

“Scotty Parker has been unbelievable and it’s been a pleasure for players like myself and the other young players to watch him day-in, day-out in training and the intensity he attacks everything with is quite amazing.

“Obviously a lot of clubs are going to be interested in Scotty now and I don’t think any West Ham fan can say anything bad about him.

“He’s worked his heart out all season and, at times, has done unbelievable things.”