West Ham United play Fulham in the Premier League on Wednesday night. The Hammers are desperate for points in their bid to survive in English soccer's top flight. Fulham, on the other hand are enjoying a much more favorable season and has an outside chance of qualifying for Europe.
Whilst it is a London derby, it is not one of the fiercest. In fact, many good players have crossed the divide between the East and West London clubs. This includes one of the very best English soccer captains.
Top five West Ham and Fulham players
5. Paul Konchesky
Paul Konchesky grew up as a supporter of West Ham and played for the club's academy before coming through the ranks at Charlton Athletic. From the Addicks, he moved back to the Hammers and was part of the side that reached the FA Cup final in 2006. Konchesky scored a fluky goal in the match with Liverpool in Cardiff, but the Hammers went on to lose on penalties.
Konchesky then moved to Fulham, where he also got a runners-up medal. This time it was the Europa League, where the Cottagers lost in the final to Atletico Madrid. The left-back then moved to Liverpool, but it did not work out for him at Anfield. He then went on to play for clubs including Leicester City, Gillingham, and Billericay Town. Konchesky has since worked in coaching and was the manager of West Ham women.
4. Tony Gale
Tony Gale is best known these days for his work in the media as a pundit and commentator. However, he played over 300 times for both West Ham and Fulham. He did not win any silverware with either club, but was part of the Blackburn Rovers side that won the Premier League in the 1994/945 season.
3. Bobby Zamora
Just like Konchesky, Bobby Zamora grew up a West Ham fan and played for their academy. However, the striker was released and went on to make a name for himself on the South Coast with Brighton. After a brief spell with Tottenham Hotspur, Zamora was back at West Ham.
Zamora scored the winning goal for the Hammers in the 2005 Championship playoff final against Preston North End. He also played in the FA Cup final the following year, but missed his penalty in the shootout defeat to Liverpool. Carlos Tevez is often credited as being West Ham's saviour during the 2006/07 season. However, Zamora was just as important, scoring 11 Premier League goals that campaign.
The center-forward then moved to Fulham, where, alongside Konchesky, the Cottagers reached the Europa League final. Zamora then moved to Queens Park Rangers, where he again got the winner in the Championship playoff final against Derby County. He finished his career back at Brighton and is now a forward coach at the club.
2. Scott Parker
Scott Parker was an influential captain of West Ham who won the Hammer of the Year award three times. He even won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in the 2010/11 season, where the Hammers were relegated.
When West Ham went down, Parker moved to Spurs, which was unpopular. However, he had to make the transfer back to a Premier League team if he was to remain an England international. He then moved to Fulham, where he finished his playing career.
After a spell coaching Spurs' Under-18s, Parker was back at Fulham as assistant to Slavisa Jokanovic. He also worked under Claudio Ranieri before becoming the club's manager. Parker won promotion back to the Premier League with Fulham, which he has now also done with AFC Bournemouth and Burnley. He is still Burnley's manager and is currently fighting the same relegation battle as West Ham this season.
1. Bobby Moore
England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain has to be at the top of this list. As well as winning soccer's ultimate prize, Bobby Moore also won the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup with West Ham. He is regarded as West Ham's greatest ever player, and there is a stand named after him at the London Stadium.
After leaving the Hammers, Moore joined Fulham. He even featured for the Cottagers in the 1975 FA Cup final against West Ham. The Hammers won 2-0 that day thanks to a double from Alan Taylor. Moore was not able to emulate his playing career as a manager; he had brief spells at clubs including Oxford City and Southend United. Moore also worked as a commentator. He sadly passed away in 1993 at the age of just 51.