Top TEN Hammers Heroes

We all love a good top ten, and our writer Katherine Alder has composed a list of her favourite Hammers.

TREVOR SINCLAIR

First choice goes to Sincs – I don’t know a single Hammer who wouldn’t rate his time at West Ham. He joined in 1998 in the January transfer window, and scored 7 goals in 14 games to help the Hammers reach the dizzy heights of 8th place. Sinclair had bags of skill and played in a fair few positions for the Irons, always seeming happy and passionate. He was a worker who had pride in wearing the shirt, and it was a shame to see him move onto Manchester City when we got relegated. Plus, he scored some amazing goals!

BOBBY MOORE

No list of Hammers greats would be complete without this man. He was instrumental as captain in England’s World Cup win, and is a true claret and blue hero. He captained the claret and blue army for ten years, and Pele called him the greatest defender that he had ever played against, which is an achievement in everyones eyes! Moore tragically died of cancer in 1993, and will always be remembered at Upton Park. The man is just a football legend and will never be forgotten.

TONY COTTEE

Come on, he always wins ‘rear of the year’ at Masters football! Ok, the man was a bit of a goal machine. Cottee secured the affections of West Ham fans on his debut, scoring against Tottenham aged just 17. Cottee is a self-confessed Hammer and enjoyed two spells playing in claret and blue.His strike partnership with McAvennie resulted in 46 goals for the pair in a season, with his goals helping to gain a 3rd place finish. In his two stints for the Irons, Cottee scored 116 league goals and cemented his place in the hearts of all Hammers.

ROBERT GREEN

This shot stopper is still in the West Ham team today, and has been a fan favourite since joining the Irons. Green has enjoyed spells in the England team and has been a regular first choice for the Hammers since joining from Norwich in 2006. Robert always shows the fans that he appreciates them and was Hammer of the Year runner up last season. He has been known to have a knack for saving penalties, and you probably won’t go to Upton Park without hearing ‘England number 1’ being chanted at him.

BILLY BONDS

Bonds enjoyed 21 years playing in claret and blue, and also managed West Ham from 1990-1994. He also gained the captain’s armband after the departure of Bobby Moore, after helping the Hammers to the 1971-2 League Cup semi-final. Bonds was a local hero and won the Hammer of the Year award on 4 occasions after playing a club record of 663 league appearances. In Bonds’ first season as manager, he took the Hammers up a division – let’s hope Big Sam has learnt from his example!

TREVOR BROOKING

Brooking played football the West Ham way, and was a definite fan favourite. He even has a stand at Upton Park named after him – a feat only equalled by Bobby Moore. He made 528 appearances for the Hammers, and memorable moments include his headed winner against Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup Final. He’s the best manager we never had – his caretaking stint was enough for him, as he found management too stressful. Brooking is a true gentleman and describes his relationship with West Ham as ‘this is my club. It will be my club forever.’

PAULO DI CANIO

How could this man not make it into a West Ham top 10? He had talent, flair, passion and skill in spades. Who could forget him catching the ball instead of scoring when the Everton keeper was injured? It may have irritated fans at the time, but nobody could question his sportsmanship. He was a colourful character in claret and blue and scored some brilliant goals. Now the manager of Swindon, Paulo is sure to make more headlines with his eccentric style. His fiery manner made him a favourite with the Hammers faithful.

JULIAN DICKS

Dicks is another player who enjoyed two spells at West Ham, with the majority of his career being spent at Upton Park. He became a fan favourite for his grit and determination, as well as scoring 2 against Tottenham in a crucial 4-3 victory. The hard man was nicknamed ‘The Terminator’ due to his no-nonsense playing style, and fans could easily forgive his red cards. Dicks has had some unsuccessful management spells, but says he would love the chance to manage West Ham one day. Watch this space…
http://console.unrulymedia.com/publisher/video/campaign?site=25425&page=1&id=51564575

TOMAS REPKA

A lot of people probably wouldn’t put Repka in their all time favourite top 10. The reason I have is that even when his family moved back to the Czech Republic, Repka wouldn’t join them until he had helped the Hammers return to top flight football. He may have been sent off on his debut and then received a red card in his third game for the club, but left the club in tears in 2006 to chants of ‘Super Tom’. Repka was definitely a favourite player for me – I love a bit of a psycho!

ALAN DEVONSHIRE

Devonshire made his Hammers debut in 1976, and played for West Ham until 1990, making 446 appearances in total. West Ham came in for Devonshire after he was rejected by Crystal Palace and ended up at non-league outfit Southall. He set up Brooking’s goal in the 1980 FA Cup Final, and will be remembered by Hammers as an extremely skilled midfielder. Injury marred his last few seasons in claret and blue, but his supply to Cottee and McAvennie was integral to West Ham’s league success. Devonshire now manages Braintree Town, so could be another future Hammers manager.

Let Kat know who would make your top ten on Twitter @alwaysintune

Want to have your say on the Hammers? Become a write for us! Get in touch via Twitter @Forever_WestHam