Jack Collison

Jack Collison

Collison with Peterborough United, July 2015
Personal information
Full name	Jack David Collison
Date of birth	(1988-10-02) 2 October 1988
Place of birth	Watford, England
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Peterborough United U21 (coach)
Youth career
1998–2000	Peterborough United
2000–2005	Cambridge United
2005–2007	West Ham United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2014	West Ham United	105	(11)
2013	→ Bournemouth (loan)	4	(0)
2014	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	9	(0)
2014	Ipswich Town	0	(0)
2015–2016	Peterborough United	10	(0)
Total		128	(11)
International career‡
2007–2011	Wales U21	7	(2)
2008–2014	Wales	15	(0)
Managerial career
2015–	Peterborough United U21
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:48, 15 November 2015 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 00:06, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

Jack David Collison (born 2 October 1988) is a retired Welsh international footballer. A product of their youth academy, he progressed from trainee to playing first team football in the Premier League for West Ham United after joining the club at age sixteen. A versatile, all-rounded midfielder, he was able to play in centre midfield or out wide. He totalled 14 goals in 121 games for the Hammers between 2007 and 2014. After missing a whole year through injury, he spent time on loan at Bournemouth and Wigan Athletic in his final season. Following his exit from the Boleyn Ground, Collison joined Ipswich Town, where injuries meant he did not play a single game. He resumed his career at Peterborough United, where he retired in February 2016 at the age of 27, blighted by injury.

Born in England, he represented Wales due to his Welsh maternal grandfather. Collison represented the nation at under-21 level before making his senior debut in 2008, totalling 17 full international caps.

Club career

Early career

Born in Watford, Hertfordshire and raised in Shefford, Bedfordshire, Collison started out at the local club Shefford Saints as a schoolboy. He moved to Peterborough United, and later Cambridge United, but was forced to find another club when Cambridge announced their disbanding of the youth set-up after being relegated from the Football League, due to financial problems.

West Ham United

Early career

After leaving Cambridge United, the seventeen-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. That summer, the teenager also featured in pre-season friendlies against Hornchurch and Milton Keynes 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, 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. On 11 April away at Bolton Wanderers, he was handed his first league start in place of the injured Mark Noble.

Rise to first team

A 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 defeat at Upton Park after coming on as a substitute for the injured Matthew Upson to make his home debut. 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, who rewarded the twenty-year-old with a new five-year contract extension in December before the winter break. On Boxing Day, he scored the equaliser at Portsmouth and had a hand in the next two goals in a 4–1 rout. He scored his third goal of the season, the only goal of the match against Manchester City on 1 March 2009. 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.

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. 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. 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. On 23 August 2009 Collison played 89 minutes of the 2009–10 Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, before learning that his father had been killed in a motorcycle accident, while travelling to the game.

Collison celebrating scoring a goal in May 2012 in a 3–0 win against Cardiff City.

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. During the post-match interview, manager Gianfranco Zola complimented Collison's character in light of his father's death. 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, and then marked his return to league action by making the starting eleven in the away loss at Stoke City eight days later. He scored his first goals of the season in consecutive matches, against Hull City and Burnley. Having not played since Wales' 1–0 defeat to Sweden on 3 March 2010, on 7 May 2010, it was announced that he would be out for around nine months after undergoing knee surgery having never fully recovered from the cartilage damage he suffered in the 2008–09 season.

Return from injury and promotion

After fourteen months out through injury, Collison made his first-team return on 7 May 2011 against Blackburn Rovers in a 1–1 draw at Upton Park. On 7 August 2011, he came on for Mark Noble on 74 minutes against Cardiff City at Upton Park in the opening Championship league fixture in a 1–0 defeat. Four days later Collison committed his future to the football club by signing a new long-term deal with West Ham. On 15 October he scored his first goal of the season in the 4–0 win over Blackpool at Upton Park. After just over a month out of the first team line up, Collison returned in the final away game of the season against Leicester City with West Ham needing to win to take automatic promotion into the final day of the season. With the score at 1–1, Collison hit a 25-yard shot that beat Kasper Schmeichel giving West Ham the points needed. Finishing in 3rd place with 86 points West Ham entered the Football League Championship play-offs. On 3 May 2012, Collison scored twice in a 2–0 win against Cardiff City in the first leg of the play-offs semi-final and again in the second leg to make the aggregate scoreline 5–0.

Loans

On 1 October 2013 Collison signed a one month's loan with Championship club AFC Bournemouth. He made his debut the same day in a 2-1 away defeat to Leeds United. At the end of October 2013, after playing four games for Bournemouth, Collison returned to West Ham United.

On 18 March 2014 Collison signed on loan for Wigan Athletic, also of the second tier, until the end of the season. Having not played for West Ham in the FA Cup in the 2013-14 season, Collison was not cup-tied. He played for Wigan in their semi-final game against Arsenal at Wembley on 12 April 2014. Arsenal won the game 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out, Collison taking the second Wigan penalty which was saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. Collison was released by West Ham at the end of the 2013–14 season. He had played 121 games in all competitions for West Ham scoring 14 goals.

Ipswich Town and Peterborough United

In September 2014, Collison joined Ipswich Town on a short-term contract until the end of December. After struggling with injury during his time with Ipswich, by December he had not played for the side and manager, Mick McCarthy, confirmed that Collison's contract would not be renewed.

On 29 May 2015, Collison signed a one-year contract with League One side, Peterborough United. On 3 August, he was named as Peterborough's under-21 team coach remaining registered as a player. On 13 February 2016, aged 27, Collison retired from playing following persistent knee injuries, having played 10 games for 'Posh'. He continued coaching their under-21 team.

International career

Collison is eligible to play for Wales through his maternal grandfather who was born in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire, and is related to John Gwilliam, a former captain of the Wales rugby union team. Born and brought up in England, Collison chose to play for Wales due to his Welsh ancestry. His then-West Ham teammate and former 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.

Under-21

In 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. He made further appearances in the 4–2 win over France Under-21 in November 2007, against Malta Under-21 in February 2008. In March, he scored his second international goal, against Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21. 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. While in the U21s, he formed a burgeoning partnership with Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal in central midfield and is likely to continue the partnership in the senior team.

Senior team

Collison made his senior debut for Wales in an away friendly win against Iceland on 29 May 2008. 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." 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. 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.

With Collison back to full fitness, Toshack named him in the 23-man squad for the 14 November friendly against Scotland. 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. Collison ended up having to withdraw after picking up a knock during the weekend match against Everton. In November Collison was in the final nomination for the Welsh Young Player of the Year award along with Simon Church and Aaron Ramsey.

On 6 September 2011, Collison made his competitive debut in the Euro 2012 qualifier against England and put to rest further speculation about his future at the international level.

Managerial career

Whilst still only 26 and a player at Peterborough United, Collison was confirmed as manager of their under-21 side whilst completing his coaching badges.

Honours

Individual

• BBC London Young Footballer of the Year: 2009

Club

West Ham United

• Football League Championship play-offs (1): 2011–12

Career statistics

As of match played 31 October 2015.

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
West Ham United	2007–08	Premier League	2	0	0	0	0	0	–		2	0
	2008–09	Premier League	20	3	4	0	0	0	–		24	3
	2009–10	Premier League	22	2	0	0	1	0	–		23	2
	2010–11	Premier League	3	0	0	0	0	0	–		3	0
	2011–12	Championship	31	4	1	0	0	0	3	2	35	6
	2012–13	Premier League	17	2	2	0	0	0	–		19	2
	2013–14	Premier League	10	0	0	0	5	1	–		15	1
	Total		105	11	7	0	6	1	3	2	121	14
AFC Bournemouth (loan)	2013–14	Championship	4	0	–						4	0
Wigan Athletic (loan)	2013–14	Championship	9	0	1	0	–				10	0
Ipswich Town	2014–15	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Peterborough United	2015–16	League One	10	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	12	0
Career total			128	11	8	0	8	1	3	2	147	14

External links

• Jack Collison career statistics at Soccerbase

• Kirby, Terry Father of West Ham star dies on his way to Spurs match, 25 August 2009, Evening Standard (London). Retrieved 25 August 2009.