By Pete Ellis
Today marks the end of Bobby Zamora’s football career.
The Barking boy, a graduate of the famous Senrab boys club, announced that he will be hanging up his boots with immediate effect.
The man that made his name at Brighton, and found his way to West Ham in a part ex deal that saw Jermaine Defoe go the other way, played a key role for the Hammers at a pivotal point in our recent history.
The promotion season in 2005, where he and Matt Etherington played like men possessed in the play offs, still fills me with great pride.
Zamora scored the goal that took us up, and in that following season he carried on with some great displays showing his ability to hold the ball up and have the craft and guile to bag a few tasty goals in the process.
He was also the man that took a 50 yard pass down on his chest at Highbury, mugged Sol Campbell off to such an extent to needed psychiatric help at half time and curled a peach into the Gooners net past Lehmann.
That West Ham team was the last to win at Highbury.
Then the following year, with the great eacape in full swing, he was the “other” saviour to compliment Tevez’s heroics, and wouldn’t you know it, he scored the winner against Arsenal at the Emirates, making West Ham the first team to win there.
A proper character around the club, I enjoyed watching Bobby play and thought he never really got the plaudits that his talents and performances deserved.
Some of the goals he scored, like the two mentioned against Arsenal, the one touch lob versus Ipswich, and the wizardry versus Birmingham, would have been talked about for decades if his name was Bergkamp or Cantona.
Watch the goal versuss Birmingham and it’s like Dutchman in his prime.
Anyway, thanks for the memories Bobby, you played your part in some historic moments for us and you never let us down.
Enjoy your retirement mate.