Eoin Wearen, in his time at West Ham, tangling with Manchester United's Paul Pogba during an FA Youth Cup game at Upton Park in January 2011. Stephen Pond
Wearen tear
Irish midfielder using West Ham lesson to educate the next generation
“There’s not much I can change about it for myself but if I can help others then that’d be great.”
WHEN EOIN WEAREN went to block a shot from Bohemians team-mate Jamie Doyle during a pre-season five-a-side training match at IT Blanchardstown in February, he knew almost immediately that the challenge had caused some damage to his knee.
Nevertheless, the midfielder was also relieved — having suffered the same injury to his other knee just over four years earlier — as he was certain that it wasn’t another dreaded encounter with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
“It was sore for a minute or two, but then I was back up walking and I actually drove home,” Wearen recalls. “It wasn’t like the last time. Back then I knew that it was bad because I could feel the pop in my knee. I was on crutches straight away and I could barely sleep that night. This didn’t feel like that at all.”
First impressions can be deceiving, however. Wearen was so adamant that the injury was merely minor that he initially didn’t think it warranted a scan. But with the new season just three weeks away, Bohs decided to arrange one as a precaution.
“I thought my turn for a serious injury had already come and gone. When I got the news it was a complete shock. I couldn’t believe it. I was looking ahead to getting on with the rest of my career. To be told at 24 that you’ve had a second ACL injury is hard to take,” says Wearen, who was suddenly forced to come to terms with the prospect of being ruled out for the 2017 season before it even began.
“If I’m being completely honest, because it was such a shock, in a lot of ways I probably reacted worse than I did when I had the injury the last time. It was knowing what it takes to get back, how much hard work and getting through the pain barrier is involved.
“In some ways people were saying it was better because I know what it takes to get back, but in ways that was worse; the fact that I already knew how hard it was. I was just thinking, ‘Jesus, I can’t believe I have to go through all this again just to get back on the pitch’.
“As soon as I was told I broke down, to be honest. I was in a bad way for a bit. For a few days after that I was numb. I could barely speak to anybody. I couldn’t even go up and speak to any of the lads or the coaching staff.
“I suppose I just needed two or three days to come to terms with that mental battle. As soon as it sinks in you just realise that you have to get on with it and you can’t feel sorry for yourself. You owe it to yourself and the club to get yourself sorted. Sitting around and complaining isn’t going to do you any good.”
Wearen had earmarked the 2017 season as one where he would make a big impact in a young Bohemians squad. Fresh leadership was needed at Dalymount Park. Having been contracted to a Premier League club and with three seasons in the League of Ireland already under his belt, Wearen felt he was ready to stand out.
Since he returned from West Ham United to join Bohs in 2014, the Glasnevin native has shown glimpses of his considerable potential. The 24-year-old — who spent the 2015 season with Sligo Rovers before returning to the Gypsies last year — clearly has more to offer, but he knows that consistency in his performances has been lacking.
Wearen says: “In my first six months here I hit the ground running and everything was working out for me. I was playing in an advanced midfield role so I could go and express myself by scoring and creating goals. I nearly got a move to Sheffield United off the back of it.
“Sligo was difficult, stop-start, and there’s been more of that since I came back to Bohs. I’ve had some really good games but I’ve also had a lot of games where I haven’t made the kind of impact that I would have liked.
Advertisement
“The players we have in midfield now — Oscar [Brennan], Fuad [Sule], Ian Morris — are all defensive-minded players, so the idea was for me to play in a more advanced midfield role this season and try to get back to that form. That’s the frustrating thing.
Wearen celebrates after scoring against Cork City during his first season with Bohemians.
“I think I’ve shown what I’m capable of. I just need to do it more often. The perception is that I’m as good as anybody on my day, but that day needs to come on a weekly basis.”
He adds: “I spoke to Keith [Long, Bohemians manager] and Trevor [Croly, assistant manager] and the plans were there in terms of my role in the team this season. With so many young lads coming through, there was a chance to be a leader on the pitch and to set the tone for the way we play.
“But injuries happen and you just have to get on with it. On the other side of it, if I had been fit for the start of the season then Fuad and Oscar might not have got the amount of game-time that they have, and they’ve been brilliant for us.
“That’s been a positive from the situation. Two 20-year-olds in there but they haven’t looked out of place in their first year in the league. That makes it easier for me. If I felt my absence was costing the team then that would be harder to take. I’d hate to feel like I was leaving the club and the fans down.”
While being confined to the sidelines is far from ideal for Wearen, he hasn’t been lying idle outside of his rehabilitation from the injury. As well as pursuing a business degree and his Uefa ‘B’ coaching licence, he’s managing the U11 team at St Kevin’s Boys, the club where he received his football education before moving to England at 16.
Wearen spent five years at West Ham, the majority of which he reflects on fondly. In 2011 he was part of the Ireland U19 team that reached the semi-finals of the European Championship. The following year he received his first taste of competitive senior football while on loan at Dagenham & Redbridge. He was then rewarded with a one-year contract extension at West Ham, which he didn’t hesitate to sign despite interest from elsewhere.
Although he had yet to make a first-team breakthrough at Upton Park, Wearen’s career appeared to be on an upward trajectory when, at the age of 19, he put pen to paper on his new deal with his Premier League employers in the summer of 2012.
Wearen in possession for Ireland during their defeat to Spain in the 2011 U19 European Championship semi-finals. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
“The first three or four years there couldn’t have gone any better,” Wearen explains. “I was constantly playing above my level; if I was U16 I was playing with the U18s, if I was U18 I was training with the first team. Before [Gianfranco] Zola was sacked as manager, I did a whole pre-season with the first team when I was 16.”
Early in the 2012-13 season, however, Wearen suffered a setback which would spell the beginning of the end of his stint with the Hammers. After rupturing his ACL in a reserve game against Arsenal, his season was over. So too was his time in England. The injury had robbed Wearen of a chance to capitalise on his contract extension. West Ham opted not to offer him an opportunity to make amends and he was released in May 2013.
“When Avram Grant and then Sam Allardyce came in as managers it was a different club,” Wearen says. “New owners had taken over as well and opportunities weren’t there for younger players after that.
“My only regret with West Ham is that I didn’t get out sooner. You try to persist with being associated with a Premier League club. I had chances to move to League One and Championship clubs but I decided to stay another year at West Ham. A two-year contract in a league below was a far better option.”
The benefit of hindsight might not make a difference to Wearen now, but he’s keen for the young players he’s coaching at St Kevin’s to take advantage of his knowledge and experience.
“I’m speaking to a lot of the parents up there about all these things at the moment because I can pass on what I’ve experienced,” he says. “As a club we constantly have players going over to England so it’s great for me to be able to pass that on. There’s not much I can change about it for myself but if I can help others then that’d be great.
“I just tell them to go where they’re going to get an opportunity to play. For all that you might be doing in training, what you need is to play competitive games regularly.
Wearen regrets not leaving West Ham before the decision was taken out of his hands. Adam Davy
Adam Davy
“You might be 21 at a Premier League club with only five appearances to your name, whereas a player a league or two below might have 50. They’re the players who tend to go on and have more successful careers. That’s the way the game is.”
Wearen’s final season at West Ham coincided with Sean Maguire’s first. Wearen helped his compatriot to settle in East London, but having both returned to the League of Ireland, their careers have followed a similar path in the meantime.
Maguire’s goals have helped to fire Cork City to the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division and a move back to England now seems inevitable. Wearen has been inspired by the manner in which the 23-year-old striker has made the most of the platform the League of Ireland can provide.
“As a player you need to be as ambitious as you can. Otherwise time will just stand still and you need to have something to strive for,” Wearen says. “England is great if it’s the right move. I was fortunate enough to live in London and if it was an opportunity to live and play there again I’d grab it with both hands.
“But I also realise that there are other parts of England that are nowhere near as nice to live in as Dublin. Happiness and quality of life is really important. I’m happy at home but from a professional point of view you obviously want to play at the highest level you can.
“It’s always going to be there at the back of my mind and I’m still only 24. But at the moment I just need to make sure that I get back to full fitness, because not every ACL injury is a success story.”
Wearen is now 13 weeks into his recovery and the process has so far run smoothly. While there’s still a long way to go and he’s reluctant to set unattainable objectives, he’s optimistic about seeing some action before the end of a season in which the priority for Bohemians is maintaining their top-flight status.
"At the moment I just need to make sure that I get back to full fitness." Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Currently in seventh place, Keith Long’s side are on track to do so as things stand. However, the margin for error is slim at the bottom half of the table this season, with a quarter of the division set to be condemned to relegation at the end of the campaign.
Anything beyond Premier Division safety will be a bonus for Bohs, but Wearen has been using some cup-themed positive imagery to sustain him along the road to recovery.
“I think the second or third week of September is the FAI Cup semi-finals,” he says. “I’m hoping that the lads go on a bit of a cup run and that I might get back and play some part in that. That’s a vision I have in my head that sort of keeps me going every time I’m in the gym or out for a run.
“You’d never know, there might be a cup final at the end of all this. It might be a big ‘if’ but you have to keep that mentality because it can be hard to keep going every day. The rehab is tough and only somebody that has been through it knows exactly what it takes to come back. But it’s so far, so good, and hopefully it stays that way.”
Irish midfielder using West Ham lesson to educate the next generation
WHEN EOIN WEAREN went to block a shot from Bohemians team-mate Jamie Doyle during a pre-season five-a-side training match at IT Blanchardstown in February, he knew almost immediately that the challenge had caused some damage to his knee.
Nevertheless, the midfielder was also relieved — having suffered the same injury to his other knee just over four years earlier — as he was certain that it wasn’t another dreaded encounter with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
“It was sore for a minute or two, but then I was back up walking and I actually drove home,” Wearen recalls. “It wasn’t like the last time. Back then I knew that it was bad because I could feel the pop in my knee. I was on crutches straight away and I could barely sleep that night. This didn’t feel like that at all.”
First impressions can be deceiving, however. Wearen was so adamant that the injury was merely minor that he initially didn’t think it warranted a scan. But with the new season just three weeks away, Bohs decided to arrange one as a precaution.
“I thought my turn for a serious injury had already come and gone. When I got the news it was a complete shock. I couldn’t believe it. I was looking ahead to getting on with the rest of my career. To be told at 24 that you’ve had a second ACL injury is hard to take,” says Wearen, who was suddenly forced to come to terms with the prospect of being ruled out for the 2017 season before it even began.
“If I’m being completely honest, because it was such a shock, in a lot of ways I probably reacted worse than I did when I had the injury the last time. It was knowing what it takes to get back, how much hard work and getting through the pain barrier is involved.
“In some ways people were saying it was better because I know what it takes to get back, but in ways that was worse; the fact that I already knew how hard it was. I was just thinking, ‘Jesus, I can’t believe I have to go through all this again just to get back on the pitch’.
“As soon as I was told I broke down, to be honest. I was in a bad way for a bit. For a few days after that I was numb. I could barely speak to anybody. I couldn’t even go up and speak to any of the lads or the coaching staff.
“I suppose I just needed two or three days to come to terms with that mental battle. As soon as it sinks in you just realise that you have to get on with it and you can’t feel sorry for yourself. You owe it to yourself and the club to get yourself sorted. Sitting around and complaining isn’t going to do you any good.”
Wearen had earmarked the 2017 season as one where he would make a big impact in a young Bohemians squad. Fresh leadership was needed at Dalymount Park. Having been contracted to a Premier League club and with three seasons in the League of Ireland already under his belt, Wearen felt he was ready to stand out.
Since he returned from West Ham United to join Bohs in 2014, the Glasnevin native has shown glimpses of his considerable potential. The 24-year-old — who spent the 2015 season with Sligo Rovers before returning to the Gypsies last year — clearly has more to offer, but he knows that consistency in his performances has been lacking.
Wearen says: “In my first six months here I hit the ground running and everything was working out for me. I was playing in an advanced midfield role so I could go and express myself by scoring and creating goals. I nearly got a move to Sheffield United off the back of it.
“Sligo was difficult, stop-start, and there’s been more of that since I came back to Bohs. I’ve had some really good games but I’ve also had a lot of games where I haven’t made the kind of impact that I would have liked.
“The players we have in midfield now — Oscar [Brennan], Fuad [Sule], Ian Morris — are all defensive-minded players, so the idea was for me to play in a more advanced midfield role this season and try to get back to that form. That’s the frustrating thing.
“I think I’ve shown what I’m capable of. I just need to do it more often. The perception is that I’m as good as anybody on my day, but that day needs to come on a weekly basis.”
He adds: “I spoke to Keith [Long, Bohemians manager] and Trevor [Croly, assistant manager] and the plans were there in terms of my role in the team this season. With so many young lads coming through, there was a chance to be a leader on the pitch and to set the tone for the way we play.
“But injuries happen and you just have to get on with it. On the other side of it, if I had been fit for the start of the season then Fuad and Oscar might not have got the amount of game-time that they have, and they’ve been brilliant for us.
“That’s been a positive from the situation. Two 20-year-olds in there but they haven’t looked out of place in their first year in the league. That makes it easier for me. If I felt my absence was costing the team then that would be harder to take. I’d hate to feel like I was leaving the club and the fans down.”
While being confined to the sidelines is far from ideal for Wearen, he hasn’t been lying idle outside of his rehabilitation from the injury. As well as pursuing a business degree and his Uefa ‘B’ coaching licence, he’s managing the U11 team at St Kevin’s Boys, the club where he received his football education before moving to England at 16.
Wearen spent five years at West Ham, the majority of which he reflects on fondly. In 2011 he was part of the Ireland U19 team that reached the semi-finals of the European Championship. The following year he received his first taste of competitive senior football while on loan at Dagenham & Redbridge. He was then rewarded with a one-year contract extension at West Ham, which he didn’t hesitate to sign despite interest from elsewhere.
Although he had yet to make a first-team breakthrough at Upton Park, Wearen’s career appeared to be on an upward trajectory when, at the age of 19, he put pen to paper on his new deal with his Premier League employers in the summer of 2012.
“The first three or four years there couldn’t have gone any better,” Wearen explains. “I was constantly playing above my level; if I was U16 I was playing with the U18s, if I was U18 I was training with the first team. Before [Gianfranco] Zola was sacked as manager, I did a whole pre-season with the first team when I was 16.”
Early in the 2012-13 season, however, Wearen suffered a setback which would spell the beginning of the end of his stint with the Hammers. After rupturing his ACL in a reserve game against Arsenal, his season was over. So too was his time in England. The injury had robbed Wearen of a chance to capitalise on his contract extension. West Ham opted not to offer him an opportunity to make amends and he was released in May 2013.
“When Avram Grant and then Sam Allardyce came in as managers it was a different club,” Wearen says. “New owners had taken over as well and opportunities weren’t there for younger players after that.
“My only regret with West Ham is that I didn’t get out sooner. You try to persist with being associated with a Premier League club. I had chances to move to League One and Championship clubs but I decided to stay another year at West Ham. A two-year contract in a league below was a far better option.”
The benefit of hindsight might not make a difference to Wearen now, but he’s keen for the young players he’s coaching at St Kevin’s to take advantage of his knowledge and experience.
“I’m speaking to a lot of the parents up there about all these things at the moment because I can pass on what I’ve experienced,” he says. “As a club we constantly have players going over to England so it’s great for me to be able to pass that on. There’s not much I can change about it for myself but if I can help others then that’d be great.
“I just tell them to go where they’re going to get an opportunity to play. For all that you might be doing in training, what you need is to play competitive games regularly.
“You might be 21 at a Premier League club with only five appearances to your name, whereas a player a league or two below might have 50. They’re the players who tend to go on and have more successful careers. That’s the way the game is.”
Wearen’s final season at West Ham coincided with Sean Maguire’s first. Wearen helped his compatriot to settle in East London, but having both returned to the League of Ireland, their careers have followed a similar path in the meantime.
Maguire’s goals have helped to fire Cork City to the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division and a move back to England now seems inevitable. Wearen has been inspired by the manner in which the 23-year-old striker has made the most of the platform the League of Ireland can provide.
“As a player you need to be as ambitious as you can. Otherwise time will just stand still and you need to have something to strive for,” Wearen says. “England is great if it’s the right move. I was fortunate enough to live in London and if it was an opportunity to live and play there again I’d grab it with both hands.
“But I also realise that there are other parts of England that are nowhere near as nice to live in as Dublin. Happiness and quality of life is really important. I’m happy at home but from a professional point of view you obviously want to play at the highest level you can.
“It’s always going to be there at the back of my mind and I’m still only 24. But at the moment I just need to make sure that I get back to full fitness, because not every ACL injury is a success story.”
Wearen is now 13 weeks into his recovery and the process has so far run smoothly. While there’s still a long way to go and he’s reluctant to set unattainable objectives, he’s optimistic about seeing some action before the end of a season in which the priority for Bohemians is maintaining their top-flight status.
Currently in seventh place, Keith Long’s side are on track to do so as things stand. However, the margin for error is slim at the bottom half of the table this season, with a quarter of the division set to be condemned to relegation at the end of the campaign.
Anything beyond Premier Division safety will be a bonus for Bohs, but Wearen has been using some cup-themed positive imagery to sustain him along the road to recovery.
“I think the second or third week of September is the FAI Cup semi-finals,” he says. “I’m hoping that the lads go on a bit of a cup run and that I might get back and play some part in that. That’s a vision I have in my head that sort of keeps me going every time I’m in the gym or out for a run.
“You’d never know, there might be a cup final at the end of all this. It might be a big ‘if’ but you have to keep that mentality because it can be hard to keep going every day. The rehab is tough and only somebody that has been through it knows exactly what it takes to come back. But it’s so far, so good, and hopefully it stays that way.”
‘Back then people wouldn’t touch you with a bargepole because they thought you were f***ing crazy’
‘Players who travel away, they might have loads of money but they don’t have the memories I have’
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
eoin wearen League of Ireland LOI Premier League Bohemians Wearen tear West Ham United