My ultimate Hammers XI
By Louis Pye
Right Midfield: Michail Antonio
Whilst this may not be his best position, having recently proved his worth as a top striker, Michail Antonio is a man who personifies what it means to be a Hammer.
The 30-year-old holds a host of iconic West Ham records under his belt that will live with his name forevermore. From scoring in the last ever game at the Boleyn to becoming the first Hammers player to score four goals in one match in Premier League history – with everything sandwiched in-between – this man has done it all.
Not many players have earned their way into West Ham history in such fashion, with the commitment and desire that he displayed for the club ever since his arrival.
Antonio has played in multiple positions under various managers and has always got on with whatever job has been tasked to do, whilst invariably performing.
Centre Midfield: Mark Noble and Scott Parker
These two players have won a total of four “Hammer of the Year” awards between them, with the former winning one and the latter taking home three.
Mark Noble’s victory came in 2014, around the time when he was at his footballing peak, and quite arguably period in time – along with his 2015/2016 season – when he most deserved an international call-up for England.
That opportunity looks to have passed, however, but he will be forever appreciated by the Hammers faithful in a way that the England hierarchy never saw him.
Making his first-team debut in 2004 – a 2-0 win over Southend United in the League Cup – Noble has never looked back. Since then, he has gone on to make 502 appearances for West Ham, with more seasons seemingly still left in the tank.
At 33, he may be past his best, but Mr West Ham still offers the club so much with his personality in and around the changing room, with his passion for the Hammers unbounded.
Scott Parker may not have had the longevity of Noble in east London, but his impact at the club during his five-year spell was almost unprecedented.
He was the constant driving force behind everything West Ham did during his time at the Boleyn, which was mostly a time of turbulence with the eventual relegation happening during the 2011/2012 campaign under Avram Grant.
The-now-Fulham manager played with his heart on his sleeve, without even being captain, despite consistently performing a level above his teammates.
No game summarises Parker more than the 3-3 away draw at West Brom, where the Hammers found themselves down by three at half-time.
The former England international led the team-talk whilst Grant and actual captain Matthew Upson took a back seat to inspire the tremendous comeback which earned the Irons a point.
Parker remains the only footballer to win the FWA Player of the Year despite being relegated.
Left Midfield: Dimitri Payet
It was a heartbreaking ending to a brief romance with the Frenchman but, Dimitri Payet is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest player than I have seen for West Ham United.
The magician was a breath of fresh air, not only to the Hammers but to the Premier League as a whole.
Footballers from abroad often take time to adapt to the English game, but Payet took to it like a duck to water and dazzled the Hammers faithful with his sublime pieces of skill, glorious goals that so often came in the form of free-kicks and creativity that still ranks him top of the “chances created” column for West Ham since his arrival, despite leaving in January of 2017.
At the club, he truly became one of the best players in the world, with him ranking 17th in the prestigious Balon D’or awards in 2016.
Fans may question him over the way he handled leaving West Ham, but I will always admire and thank him for giving me, as a supporter, something to get excited about every Saturday afternoon.