We want your best West Ham team of all time and the beauty is that the age differences between us all will obviously reflect our choices.
We have strayed into ‘Fantasy Football’ o the basis that it truly is pretty quiet out there and we also hope this will help you hopefully to distract yourselves from the issues that surround us.
I had to look at my choices before realising I had made some very embarrassing exclusions but as you look back over the years that really is very easy.
Thankfully my time as a fan included those wonderful sixties years but there are several superb players from that era I have had to leave out.
It really is a tricky one to be honest – how for example to you fit PDC, TC, Budgie Byrne, Carlos Tevez and Sir Geoff into the same team for example.
Here’s my attempt – I expect arguments (4-4-2):
Phil Parkes, John Bond, Rio Ferdinand, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard Senior; MOORO – (SKIPPER OF COURSE), Alan Devonshire, Trevor Brooking Martin Peters, Paolo Di Canio, Sir Geoff Hurst
Parks,bonds,Martin,Moore,dicks,Sinclair,brooking,Devo,Goddard,Paolo,cross, sub cottee
Parkes mcdowell lampard(senior) bonds Martin Moore robson hurst Tevez Di Canio Peters
Parkes, Ray Stewart, Rio Ferdinand, Bobby Moore, Julien Dicks, Steve Lomas, Alan Devonshire, Mark Ward, Trevor Brooking, Paulo Di Canio and Sir Geoff Hurst
Most of those won trophies. Plenty of creativity, might be a bit light in the striker department. Perhaps a fox like Pop Robson instead of Di Canio?
Parkes.
Stewart, Moore, Martin, Dicks.
Brooking, Bonds, Payet, Devonshire.
Di Canio, McCavennie.
Subs. Ludo, Hurst, Ashton, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand
Parkes, Stewart, Martin, Moore, Dicks, Bonds, Brooking, Devonshire, Peters, Hurst, Di Canio
Parkes, Stewart, Martin, Moore, Lampard Snr, Bonds, Peters, Brooking, Pop Robson, Hurst, Di Canio
Great selection Hugh, and if you only considered the players time as Hammers I wouldn’t argue too much with your picks although it could be argued that Bobby played mostly in the back four, especially for England. But if we consider pure greatness in players that played for the Hammers before moving on, then Frank Junior must replace Devonshire and Tevez replaces Paolo. Using this latter definition of players that moved on from the Hammers, my sub is Mascherano.
Parkes Stewart Martin Moore Dickes Bonds Brooking Devonshire Robson Hurst Dicanio
Shaka Hislop
Billy Bonds
Bobby Moore (c)
Steve Potts
Rio Ferdinand
Trevor Brooking
Martin Peters
Mark Noble
Dimitri Payet
Geoff Hurst
Carlos Tevez
3-5-2
Parkes
Moore
Ferdinand
Gale
Devonshire
Payet
Bonds
Di Canio
Brooking
Hurst
Robson
Parkes, Bonds, Lampard (snr), Peters, Martin, Moore, Devonshire, Brooking, Byrne, Hurst, Di Canio.
Subs Ludo, Ferdinand, Stewart, Dicks, Pop Robson