The SIX best West Ham players in recent memory
West Ham have watched some fantastic talent flow in and out of the club over the years, but I have aimed to capture the best six that we have witnessed at Upton Park since the 2006/07 season.
In that time, we have had our ups and downs; Premiership and Championship; the good, the bad and the ugly (sorry, Avram), but we’ve still had our fair share of top class players.
These are my SIX players that have impressed me the most over the past eight years at West Ham…
Click on Carlos Tevez to reveal
Mark Noble
Mark Noble was born and raised in East London as a West Ham fan and this is reflected in the passion he shows when he plays for us.
Our fans have become very fond of the hardworking central midfielder who will always give 100% for the cause. There are many who would love to see Noble rewarded with captaincy. Mark Noble is often overlooked by fans of other clubs but West Ham fans fully appreciate the tidying up job he does in midfield and is often found towards the top of pass completion statistics.
He is the current longest serving player at West Ham having made his debut ten years ago at the age of 17. Last season his efforts were rewarded with his second Hammer of the Year award after he had also won it the 2011/12 season.
Winston Reid
In the summer of 2010, West Ham completed the signing of the New Zealand international centre back following a solid set of displays in the World Cup.
Reid struggled to find his feet in England initially but has drastically improved and arguably developed into the finest West Ham centre back of the Premier League era. The All Whites captain deservedly won Hammer of the Year in 2012/3 after playing a key role in shoring up our defensive ranks for a top ten Premiership finish.
We must now get him to sign a new contract as a matter of urgency so that he can play himself into West Ham legend.
Scott Parker
For the four years of service that Parker provided for the Hammers, his £7m transfer fee was more than justified.
His defensive tenacity coupled with his energetic bursts forward made him the complete central midfielder at the peak of his game. Captain Scott Parker won Hammer of the Year an astonishing three times in four seasons with us.
In the year that we were relegated under Avram Grant, Parker was a shining light in a very dark season for us; almost singlehandedly keeping us afloat of the drop. In the same season, Parker also won Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and made the shortlist of six for PFA Player of the Year.
He eventually left when we went down to the Championship in order to keep his place in the England side by playing Premiership football.
Robert Green
West Ham fans have not been so keen on Green since he left, but we cannot forget his West Ham career which spanned six years and gave him over 200 appearances.
Green was a reassuring figure between the sticks for us and often kept us in games with an array of acrobatic and spectacular saves. He won Hammer of the Year in 2007/08 and was runner up to Scott Parker in 2010/11.
The likes of Arsenal and Tottenham courted him for a while but a calamitous error for England in the World Cup was the best possible thing for West Ham fans on a selfish level as interest in him waned dramatically.
We managed to keep him for another couple of seasons before he eventually left to join QPR when we were relegated.
Dean Ashton
Ashton had so much promise and such little luck. The stocky forward was a good finisher but his all round play was excellent; he would win almost all his aerial duels, hold the ball up and was good with his feet too.
Unfortunately for Deano and West Ham, he was highly prone to injury. Time and time again, we would be frustrated that he was on the physio table rather than the pitch. Ashton managed to score in the FA Cup final for us and earn his first cap for England before a horror tackle from Shaun Wright-Phillips – during England training – tragically forced him into an early retirement at the age of 26.
Ashton could have gone on to become one of the finest forwards for West Ham and even England but for the injury problems that he had to endure.
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez joined alongside fellow countryman Javier Mascherano on deadline day 2006 in what seemed a remarkable coup.
As it turned out, third party ownership had complicated everything about this signing and we were subsequently fined millions (especially by Sheffield United who still feel like they are victims of the Tevez saga down in League One).
The Argentinian striker got off to a very slow start in England and did not score until March 2007 where relegation seemed a foregone conclusion for the Hammers. Tevez, however, had other ideas as he rediscovered his shooting boots. He scored seven Premier League goals including an incredible solo effort against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the closing day of the season to ensure West Ham’s survival in the Premier League.
He was voted Hammer of the Year for his tremendous lead role in our great escape. Tevez left for Manchester United at the end of the season but West Ham still remain in his heart. When he scored against us, our fans applauded him and he apologised and was even seen saluting us with the famous cross-armed Hammers gesture during his period at Manchester United.
I would love to see Tevez back one day but West Ham fans acknowledge that this is unlikely as he is an outstanding talent and deserves all the plaudits that he gets.