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Is this West Ham’s worst ever player?

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Kieron Dyer InjuryThe venue was a heaving Essex hostelry, and with some mates and fellow Hammers, I was waiting for the World Cup opener to start whilst deciding whether or not I should fill up my worryingly empty pint glass before the match kicked off. We had talked for hours on all things West Ham: best ever team, fastest player, tallest player, best goal…you get the idea. The topics grew more bizarre as more drinks were knocked back. And then the question that caused most debate and variations in answer was put to the gathered throng: worst ever player?!

After an initial lull in the proceedings, alcohol fuddled brain cells were slowly revved into action, and the names began to arrive thick and fast. Over the years, and lets be fair, it’s probably no different at any other club, West Ham have signed, played, and waved cheerio to a host of less than first rate players. Many, it was pointed out, taken on by Mr Harold Redknapp during his tenure at The Boleyn.

Votes for Savio, Beauchamp, Gary Charles, Gary Breen, Alan McKnight, Gary Strodder, John Cushley, Marco Boogers, Benni McCarthy, Ben-Haim, and Titi Camara…well the calls were endless with a list approaching biblical proportions now lying on the pub table in front of us.

Savio – £9M spent on a “potential world star” player who made ten appearances and only one start. Marco Boogers – 1M for a player making two starts, two subs, and sent off at Old Trafford for clattering Gary Neville (not all bad then!!).This fellow then fled to Holland claiming mental illness – you couldn’t make it up, could you?

Titi Camara at £1.7M from Liverpool who was just awful beyond words, and the legendary Gary Charles who cost £4.4M and made just six appearances before going AWOL and eventually retiring into obscurity. The list seemed alarmingly endless and the debate was in full swing when the name Kieron Dyer was put into the mix…and our decision was well and truly made.

In the interests of fairness, the lad could play…he could but he didn’t…hardly ever! Even when he DID manage to make it onto the pitch, he invariably left it fairly sharpish, and certainly well before the referee was checking his timepiece for full-time.

After making over 250 appearances for Newcastle United, Kieron Dyer left Tyneside to be part of a potentially explosive new dawn with West Ham under Icelandic businessman Eggert Magnusson in 2007. But, shortly after making his debut, Dyer suffered a severe broken leg in a League Cup tie and was ruled out for the rest of the season. The former England international went on to start only a handful of games at West Ham in the best part of four seasons before eventually being released by current manager Sam Allardyce. Dyer eventually moved to QPR as a free agent but was released by Harry Redknapp having made a minimal impact owing to injuries.
During his time at Upton Park, it was reported that Dyer was earning £83,000-a-week, and estimates suggest each of his appearances cost us in the region of £406,666. Dark days indeed from the Icelandic dynasty which nearly saw us go bust, but Kieron was laughing all the way to the bank.

As they say, nice work if you can get it!

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Plaistow born Spencer is a lifelong Hammer and having spent half-a century plus, enduring this lifelong obsession, along with every other West Ham supporter, knows exactly what it takes and what it means to wrap that Claret & Blue scarf round your neck every other Saturday and head off for the Boleyn !

A Chartered Surveyor by profession, Spencer, now 58, has played, coached and managed at semi-pro level within Essex for a number of clubs, and, simply unable to give up playing, currently turns out for the Iron Maiden Over 35’s side when he is not watching the Hammers, playing guitar in his Classic Rock covers band Gunrunner, or more probably, injured yet again!

11 comments

  • Walshie says:

    I can’t agree with that. Dyer was a talented player but injury robbed him of his best years. He might have been the biggest transfer flop, apart from Savio, but this was not because of a lack of ability. Can you imagine how he must have felt being injured so often?
    Titi Camara is surely more deserving of the ‘award’ as he was total pants although some of the others mentioned would run him close.

  • mt says:

    What!? No Nigel Quashie or my own personal favourite Keith Rowland(never done a thing,ever)?

  • Blimey says:

    Good Lord! Kieron ‘glass legs’ Dyer was far from being the worst. Granted he is probably the worst value for money player ever. (Even taking Davor Shukor into account!)

    But with should luminaries as :

    Tal Ben Haim
    Sebastien Carole
    Paul Hilton
    Yaniv Katan
    Robbie Kean (On loan)
    Vlad Labant (Repka’s best mate)
    Walter Lopez
    Neil Mellor
    Mido
    Adam Nowland
    Wayne Quinn
    Raggi Soma

    and two more that I feel need serious consideration for their absolute fultile contributions to the club:

    Emanuel Pogotetz

    and my favourite panto villan

    Nigel Quashie… (Have you ever seen him kick a ball without taking a player with it?)

    xx

    • Spence55 says:

      Not going to argue Walshie. As I said the boy could play…we just never saw him ! Worst player was probably misleading…worst value was more apt.

    • Spence55 says:

      Blimey…your impressive “duffers” list just helps confirm why we have never won the Premiership mate !!!!

    • roger holcombe says:

      Worst attitude goes to Marco Boogers
      yes he had the ability but????

  • Woodrow Why?at says:

    What about Mitchell Thomas?!!!!!

  • Alan says:

    No mention of Lee Bowyer? He was an absolute kipper for us. Wayne Bridge another. I think they were worse than Dyer cus they played and were hopeless, at least Dyer had the excuse of a set of crutches!

  • Little Slim Sam says:

    Don’t forget the likes of Faubert, Obinna, Radiciou, Dumitrescu, Scaloni, Spector.

    The list could go on for a while.

  • Far West Hammer says:

    Goodness, I had forgotten all about Nigel Quashie until reading this!

    My vote’s for Camara for all around terribleness, and Robbie Keane for his complete apathy.

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