West Ham's Premiership XI

Since the Premier League’s inception in 1993, it’s fair to say that West Ham United have had a rather turbulent time; the era has been packed with relegations, promotions and controversies, but also some of the Premiership’s greatest footballers. This is a Hammers dream-team which has been accumulated over the years and would certainly be a force right at the very top of the table.

GK – 17. Shaka Hislop

There’s more competition than you might think for the goalkeeper’s spot, but I’ve gone for Shaka. Ludek Miklosko was coming towards the end of his career when the Premiership was formed so Hislop has been given the nod to take the gloves from here. He played over 100 times in his first spell at Upton Park but will be most remembered for his first season, 1998-99, when he collected the ‘Hammer of the Year’ award. With the club facing a goalkeeping crisis, Hislop was signed and instantly installed as ‘the number one’. He was eventually replaced by another contender, David James, and moved on. However he returned for a short spell in 2006 to play a vital role and protect the goal in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool and this gives him an excellent shout to be involved in this team.

RB – 23. Glen Johnson

We didn’t see him in the claret and blue for long enough but if he had been able to stay I’m sure he would’ve been remembered as one of our greatest right-backs to date. He proved his maturity when he was thrown into the first-team when the side were on the brink of relegation and was invaluable to our admirable attempt at escaping the fall to the second flight. He has since played for Portsmouth, Chelsea and Liverpool and represented England 35 times. He really adds a modern and attacking edge to the right side of defence.

LB – 3. Julian Dicks

It’s always a bonus to have goals coming from random areas of the field and having Julian Dicks at left-back would certainly offer that. Not only was Dicks an unforgiving, tough defender, he also managed to score 50 goals for the Hammers over his two spells there. His formidable reputation as ‘The Terminator’ made him an intimidating player for any right-winger to come up against but also a threatening enemy for opposing right-backs. He’s one of the first names on the team sheet.

CB – 5. Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand definitely makes the team, and arguably makes the cut for a dream team of the Premier League’s entire history. Ferdinand has absolutely everything you could want in a defender; he’s comfortable on the ball, can be physical when called upon, extremely quick and has footballing intelligence like few others. Ferdinand won ‘Hammer of The Year’ at just 19 years of age and has gone on to win the Premiership five times and the Champions League with Manchester United, who shelled out £30 million for him from Leeds way back in 2002, a price that is still baulked at, considering it is for a defender, till this day. However there is no question he has been worth it and is a definite starter for this team.

CB – 6. Steve Potts

It was a difficult choice as to who Ferdinand should be paired with but in the end, Steve Pott’s hard-work paid off. It would’ve been nice to have Potts on the bench due to his versatility, but his work ethic, loyalty and dedication to the cause meant he was able to sneak into the starting line-up. Not the biggest of defenders, and certainly no goal-scorer, but Potts was notoriously underrated and one of the most loyal players in West Ham’s history. He made 399 appearances for the Hammers and therefore more than deserves his place in this team. Steve Potts is the most trustworthy of the back four.

CM – 21. Michael Carrick

Carrick is another one of Tony Carr’s graduates who gets a place in the first team. He provides great vision and a superb long-ball from midfield as well as being able to do the simple things with excellence whilst not forgetting his defensive duties. Some people may not rate Carrick but Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t spend £18 million on a man and put him in his team 167 times if he is not good enough for Manchester United. Perhaps surprisingly, Carrick also played for West Ham 137 times. The fact that he won ‘Young Hammer of the Year’ two years in a row in a side dominated by the famous FA Youth Cup Champions such as Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe is testament to his ability and how well he played for West Ham whilst he was there.

CM – 8. Scott Parker

Parker partners Carrick in a solid centre-midfield which helps to give the more attacking players the freedom to show their flair. Parker is the one of the more recent entries and certainly deserves his place after his phenomenal individual performances have dragged a terrible West Ham side out of so many desperate situations. Parker is incredibly calm on the ball and utilises his famous swivel to great effect in order to control the pace of the game, but his rugged determination and commitment is what really solidifies his place here. If the team needed someone to lift them during periods of difficulty, Parker is the man. He will soak up pressure from deep and bring the ball forward to either lay it off to the more advanced players or take it upon himself to put the ball in the back of the net.

RM – 7. Trevor Sinclair

Tricky Trevor Sinclair has been able to force his way past the competition to take the right hand side of midfield. On his day, Sinclair was one of the best wingers West Ham has had in the last 30 years and this is something we have often missed in recent times. Sinclair was quick and had an outstanding delivery and is also just one of the many in this team who was capable of producing truly magical goals. Paolo Di Canio’s Wimbledon goal will be remembered as the Hammers’ greatest goal in living memory but a few of Sinclair’s are worth a shout, particularly one against Derby County. Sinclair played more games for West Ham than any other club in his career and therefore certainly deserves his place.

LM – 26. Joe Cole

Cole is on the other side of the field to Sinclair. He may not be such a conventional winger, but his skill really enhances this front four’s fantastic style. It’s a shame as to how Cole’s career has panned out, he promised to be the more special of all those from ‘The Academy of Football’ but it hasn’t quite worked out for him, largely because of the ambiguity of what his position is. The role behind the strikers would be good for him but, in a 4-4-2 formation, it’s been decided he should be given the left side of midfield to make his own. He’ll take on defenders and look to cross, or alternatively cut inside and weave his way into the box; an invaluable asset.

ST – 10. Paolo Di Canio

Of course Di Canio is up front, he’s unlikely to get his head on the end of Sinclair’s crosses but if Cole fails to work his way into the area, Di Canio will succeed. He has unbelievable ability on the ball and is also a great goal-scorer, as well as a scorer of spectacular goals. If he was given a chance at a more successful team I have no doubts that he would’ve won more honours and become a Premier League legend, but Di Canio’s loyalty to West Ham meant he never accepted any offers until he was literally forced out of the club. The fiery Italian had as much skill as he did passion and has become a true West Ham legend.

ST – 32. Carlos Tevez

Admittedly it doesn’t make for the tallest striking partnership, even Sam Allardyce would need to change things around for these two, but the ability of the team means they can handle it. Tevez was fantastic for West Ham in his short time there and has been fantastic ever since, despite his string of controversies. Tevez will run all day long, harrying defenders and forging chances for himself, and when he gets them, he will take them. But Tevez is not just feisty; he is one of the most talented players seen at Upton Park in the Premier League and therefore earns the place as the 11th man in this team.

Subs

GK – 1. Robert Green

Regretfully, Green is the only player out of the lot who we still have with us today. He leaves David James and his error prone ways in the reserves and is often overlooked as one of our best players in recent years. Green has salvaged so many points for us over his time at West Ham and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who prays that he gets a new contract.

DEF – 4. Danny Gabbidon

It’s a random one but Gabbidon gets a place on the bench through the merit of our first season back in the Premier League. It was a very memorable team yet not many players would get into this 11, so it’s probably best to have the ‘Hammer of the Year’ waiting to take over from Potts or Ferdinand at any time.

MID – 12. Matthew Etherington

Etherington was a really good, old-fashioned winger who could really win you a game when he was at West Ham. Etherington could replace Cole if we needed to add width and make a more balanced midfield. He deserves a place on the bench.

MID – 18. Frank Lampard

You might not like him but Lampard has been the most consistent goal-scorer from midfield in Premiership history. Alternatively to the Etherington plan, you could bring him on for Sinclair and push Cole behind the strikers to make a 4-3-1-2 team which Barcelona would be proud of.

ST – 21. Jermain Defoe

It’s coming towards the end of the game, you need a goal and the opposing defenders are looking tired, who do you bring on? Jermain Defoe would be a great option a quick player and lethal finisher. Similarly to Lampard he’s certainly not a Hammers favourite, but you can’t deny his ability.

ST – 9. Dean Ashton

It’s always nice to have a little bit of a different option on the bench in terms of strikers, someone a little bit more physical who will get on the end of a cross and put it away. Pre-injury Dean Ashton shrugs off Demba Ba and Iain Dowie to become this option from the bench.

Manager – Harry Redknapp

Alan Pardew was taken into consideration but who better to appoint than Harry Redknapp. West Ham was Redknapp’s first major job and it was he who drafted many of the academy players in this side into the first-team. He also led us to eighth and fifth place finishes in the Premiership and a European trophy. Some Hammers may feel like Harry has betrayed them in recent times by joining Spurs but we have to accept it was a fantastic career move which has taken him to become number one contender for the England job. I’ll never forgive Terence Brown for this one.

So, overall, this has been a rather depressing exercise and has shown what an unbelievable force we could’ve been in the Premier League throughout its existence. However, we can certainly be proud of the players we have had and the ones we have nurtured into the celebrated names they are today.

Do we never learn? 'NEVER write off the Germans!'

As the world cup has progressed we’ve already seen the typical, predictable, yet rather fun circus of controversy, tears and ‘never write off the Germans’ slogan, which tends to show it’s face every four years.
Following England’s disappointing showing in the opening fixture of group C it was now time for the two lesser nations of the group to fight for some valuable points. Whoever lost this game would arguably find it almost impossible to qualify and whoever won would have a strong three points, go top of the group and genuinely be able to begin a solid quest for qualification. However; with the potential of the world cup knockout stages in store, neither side began with any particular strength, skill or determination. A very poor match by world cup standards, sporting only three to four players who could possible hope to even play in the premiership, was thankfully finished by a goal from former West Bromwich Albion midfielder, Robert Koren. Koren’s shot looked to be heading for the Algerian keeper’s grateful grasp when he suddenly appeared to forget he had the use of his arms and helplessly watched the ball fly past his chest into the back of the net. It appears it’s not only Robert Green having his problems and perhaps if these goalkeeping misjudgements continue to occur it will be the “Jabulani” ball who has yet more guilt to accept.
It was then the start of Group D where a reasonably strong Serbia side would take on last tournament’s wild card; Ghana. The Ghana side quite obviously missed the presence of Michael Essien in the middle, as any team would, following his heart-breaking injury and the lack of urgency in midfield became instantly apparent. The slow tempo in the middle of the park made for yet another poor game with a lack of attacking flair but Ghana will be pleased with the acquisition of Kevin-Prince Boateng as a Ghanian international as his flashes of quality proved decisive and he, himself will be delighted with his high stature in the team despite his easy route to the tournament. Despite a strong nucleus of Nemanja Vidic, Dejan Stankovic and the giant Nikola Zigic in the Serbian side they failed to advance from first gear and never really got going. An imbecilic hand-ball from a Serbian international in his own penalty area lost the chance to gain any points as Asamoah Gyan stepped up confidently for Ghana, in patriotic fashion to blast the ball into the back of the net resulting in wild celebrations of joy and cultural dance. However; despite the win, it was another disappointing display from an African side who I had expected to excel in this tournament.
With neither team a particular favourite of the Englishman, the majority of the nation did not mind if either side crashed and burned immediately. However; to see Germany beat Australia so convincingly was rather worrying as they put in, unquestionably, the performance of the tournament so far to smash the Aussies and place a gloomy cloud over group C, which of course includes England. Whoever draws Germany in the round of the last sixteen will have to do very well to advance any further in the competition. As we, in England, consistently moan how our players including the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney perform so magnificently at club level, yet fail to convert their form onto the international stage, it appears Germany have the complete opposite of that problem. With Miroslav Klose and Lucas Podolski only scoring three goals each domestically this season, they still managed to form a deadly partnership and opened the scored for Germany with a goal each. The third striker, the much talked about Mr. Muller, then aptly netted the third goal and to top it off, the introduction of Brazilian-born forward Cacau then netted the forth to complete the demolition.
Confident moves and comfortable passing from the Germans throughout made this performance more than convincing with the captain, Phillip Lahm just one of the stand-out players as he patrolled the flanks in aid of offense and defence. Mesut Ozil was another star who appears to have burst onto the scene and his effective play-making is likely to have taught England a lesson. We need Joe Cole. The young midfielders dribbling ability and eye for the killer pass, aswell as his own threatening runs towards goal made him a constant problem to the opposition. His position was clearly made for the slow tempo of this year’s world cup and the only players England have in that mould has to be Chelsea’s departing Mr. Cole. The controversial sending-off of Tim Cahill was a shocking mistake which sent the Australian into tears. Not only did it effectively kill the game off in Germany’s favour but it also broke the heart of a fantastic, honest footballer and again raises the question of video technology. The challenge should no where near have been deemed a red card offence and now Cahill’s tournament could be over due to the reckless, unnecessary antics of an irresponsible referee.
Holland’s game the following morning was of much anticipation with excitement building around this year’s team despite the absence of Arjen Robben. However, despite a relatively comfortable win, the side failed to live up to it's expectations of ‘total football’. An incredibly fortunate own-goal in favour of the Dutch saw a Danish defender, under little pressure, head the ball into the back of his own team mate only to watch it drop perfectly onto the post and in. Later on, as the game was becoming stale, Holland hit the post and the ball fell nicely for Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt who gratefully slotted home. Holland showed no where near the class of Germany the previous evening.
Japan then stole a deserved 1-0 win over another disappointing African side in the form of Cameroon. Despite the likes of Geremi, Sebastian Bassong and Samuel Eto’o, the organised unit of the Japanese drove out a grinding 3 points and increased their, before, slim chances of qualification to the knock-out stages.
Overall; the tournament is advancing calmly into one of potential excitement but has so far failed to hit the heights we had all hoped for. Apart from the Germans of course. Typically we wrote this off as their ‘worst team ever’, and yet again, typically they have proved us wrong with a stunning display of strength, skill and determination and emerged as genuine contenders. Tonight we can see the world champions, Italy with an ageing team against a Paraguay side without it’s two key strikers, Roque Santa Cruz and Oscar Cardozo. If the Italians fail to beat the Paraguayans then surely their chances of retaining their title is over. But then again; you never know in football.