Born in Lower Clapton in 1956 and playing 372 times for the Hammers, Geoff Pike was your typical, ever reliable, good honest club man. He joined West Ham in 1966 as a ten year old and played his youth football in Thurrock and for Gidea Park Rangers before playing in the FA Youth Cup Final for the Hammers against Ipswich in 1975. Geoff made his first team debut the following season in a home defeat to Birmingham but it was not until the following season that he started to get a run in the first team. He was quite prolific initially, scoring seven goals from midfield in just 21 appearances. The goals never came as thick and fast again but he still totalled 41 over his 12 seasons at Upton Park.

Geoff was never as talented as many of the players that blossomed in that West Ham era. The Bond’s, Brooking and Devonshire’s of the World however, were well aware of the work rate and industry that Geoff provided in midfield and the combination provided the platform for the clubs phenomenal success in the late seventies and early eighties. The FA Cup final win in 1980 was undoubtedly the highlight of his career and that was followed by the Wembley League Cup final against Liverpool the following season and the promotion success back to the first division in 1981. Indeed, if we need any more hero status for Geoff, his first full 90 minutes for the club saw us beat Spurs 5-3 at home. But Geoff Pike was never the hero – he was the guy that played in the side every week and worked his socks off without the accolades. Every team needs one or two of those, even nowadays. Alan Curbishley was a similar type player in those earlier days at West Ham but he decided to move on for pastures new because of the lack of recognition. Geoff did not – he was part of the West Ham family and was happy to be just doing his job and it led to more play time for him when Curbishley left.

Geoff Pike played in the 1980 FA Cup final win over Arsenal. We all know Brooking scored the only goal, and it was initially from great work from Alan Devonshire down the left, and baby faced Paul Allen was the youngest ever player to win the Cup final – and who was the forgotten man in the midfield? The man who rarely got any praise, but he was always there mopping up, probing, and supporting – Geoff Pike of course! When asked about winning the FA Cup, Geoff said the feeling was “very difficult to explain but two weeks later, my first child was born and I think I went through the complete range of emotions over that period of time – elation, concern, love and then feeling very tired after no sleep!” In the famous 85/86 season where the Hammers finished 3rd in the top flight, he still managed 15 games despite being in the twilight of his career. He had served our club loyally and without the plaudits for twelve seasons. A rarity nowadays for any seasoned professional.

Geoff Pike played his last game for West Ham in April 1987 against Everton. He then joined Notts County, where he was made club captain for two seasons before playing a couple of seasons at Orient and then finally Hendon. Much of his life after his playing days has been spent working in FA coaching roles where he still says he is doing “all the work for Trevor Brooking.”

Last week Harry Redknapp was nominated for an award for his services to West Ham despite leaving his role as manager 13 years ago!

Speaking to Hugh Southon from Claret and Hugh he said of a return to West Ham is unlikely he told Hugh “That will never happen. I loved every minute of my time at the club but it won’t happen again. I’ve had my time as a manager – I’m getting older. There’s plenty left in me but West Ham is no longer an option at my time of life. It’s Sam’s club now.” Alan Curbishley who was up for the same award was speaking on Talksport last Friday about his time at West ham and how the sale of George McCartney spelt the end of his reign.

So in the absence of any football for West Ham until the weekend which living former West ham manager would you like to return or would you prefer to stick with Sam?

Manager Duration Games Won Drawn Lost Win Rate

Lou Macari 1989-1990 38 14 12 12 36.84%

Billy Bonds 1990-1994 227 99 61 67 43.61%

Harry Redknapp 1994-2001 327 121 85 121 37.00%

Glenn Roeder 2001-2003 86 27 23 36 31.40%

Alan Pardew 2003-2006 163 67 38 58 41.10%

Alan Curbishley 2006-2008 71 28 14 29 39.44%

Gianfranco Zola 2008-2010 80 23 21 36 28.75%

Avram Grant 2010-2011 47 15 12 20 31.91%

Sam Allardyce 2011-2014 128 52 32 44 40.63%

Bobby Moore is West Ham’s greatest player. He is also England’s, and arguably international football’s, finest ever defender and captain. As such, his place in his club and country’s history must always be honoured. It is only right that his legacy should be central to both the plans for the development of the Olympic Stadium and redevelopment of a vacated Upton Park. That all goes without saying, but still, an outstanding issue for me is how the club can most appropriately remember the other ‘greats’ that have made invaluable contributions to our history.

For instance, what about our first ever England international, Danny Shea; our first striking superstar Syd Puddefoot; or our all time record goal scorer Vic Watson. Similiarly, one could also point to formidible centre half, Big Jim Barrett Snr; central defensive pivot and captain, George Kaye; goal scoring left-winger Jimmy Ruffell; inside-right Stanley Earle; winger, Stan Foxell; tricky forward Johnny Morton; or the last great amateur player, V.W.T Gibbins. What about the claims of that ‘Prince amongst Inside Forwards,’ Len Goulden, a genuine contender for the title of the club’s greatest ever creative midfielder. Then amongst our past goal keepers, there are such great shot stoppers as Ted Hufton, Ernie Gregory, Phil Parkes and Ludo Miklosko. Unquestionably four of the best custodians to appear for any English club.

Nearer our own time, there is the prolific 1957-58 striking partnership of Vic Keeble and John Dick; the exciting attacking full-back partnership of John Bond and Noel Cantwell; the deadly McAvennie-Cottee combination that nearly fired us to the 1st Division title in 1985-86; the rock solid defensive midfielder, Andy Malcolm; and, of course, the skillful and deadly Johnny Byrne. And this leads us to a group of players, who are second only to Bobby Moore in receiving official recognition from the club for their achievements. These include, Sir Geoff Hurst; Martin Peters; Sir Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds and Paolo Di Canio. While there are others such as Alan Devonshire, Ronnie Boyce, Alvin martin, Ray Stewart, Tony Gale, Julian Dicks, Pop Robson, Graham Paddon and David Cross who arguably deserve more recognition.

Then there is a unique category of player whose contributions to the history of the club are directly linked to a single famous victory. Amongst these are included: Alan Taylor’s goal scoring a feats in winning the1975 FA Cup; Alan Sealey’s famous double in the 1965 ECWC Final; Sam Small’s winning goal in the 1940 War League Cup Final; and Bobby Zamora and Richardo Vaz Te’s, respective, winning goals in the 2005 and 2012 Championship Play-off Finals. Similiarly there needs to be recognition of the ‘international Hammers.’ who have been capped by their countries whilst with the club; as well as the great/best Hammers sides. In this latter category are the 1923 and 2006 FA Cup Finalists; the 1940 League War Cup winners; the 1964, 1975 and 1980 FA Cup winners; the 1965 ECWC winners and 1976 ECWC Finalists; the 1985-86 title challenging side; the 1966 and 1981 League Cup Finalists; the 1957-58 and 1980-81 2nd Division Championship winners; the the 2005 and 2012 Play-off Championship winners.

There must be further recognition of the greatest Hammers managers, principally Ron Greenwood and Johnny Lyall, but also the others based on their achievements. Plus there might also be acknowledgement of influential figures, such as Arnold Hills, Billy Moore. Wally St pier, Tony Carr, Ernie Gregory and Eddie Bailey who have made a unique individual contribution to the club on a number of different levels. What about the famous and original concept of the ‘Academy of Football,’ centred around Malcolm Allison and all those 1950s Hammers players who went on to manage leading clubs and introduce innovative ideas and tactics?

The above summary of the clubs ‘greats’ is by definition personal and subjective. I am sure that every fan will have their own views and will both agree/disagree with my choices and put forward other excellent names for inclusion. That is fair enough, because it is the nature of the exercise. So, what is the best possible way of recognising the contributions of all our ‘greats?’ Well, firstly I would like to float the idea that the club launch a ‘Hammers Hall of Fame’ and a set up nominating body composed of supporters, ex-players and other stakeholders, who would be formally charged with deciding who/what should be inducted. This would be reviewed and names added annually. The ‘Hall of Fame’ can cover the above categories and establish a baseline for the offical recognition of the club greats.There could also be an online website and travelling exhibition, dedicated to the Hall of Fame, to help engage with youngsters/supporters and promote the history of the club in the community.

At the redeveloped Upton Park, each of the residential blocks should be named after most famous Hammers elected to the Hall of Fame. Also the street names could commemorate great Hammers cup victories. At the centre of the re-development should be the proposed Bobby moore statute. But around it could also be installed stone plaques celebrating the most famous Hammers sides to play at Upton Park and their achievements, again nominated by the Hall of Fame.

Finally, the stands of the OS will be presumably named after Hammers greats, but what about the main approach road leading up to the OS being transformed in to an ‘Avenue of Hammers Legends,’ with projected images/display boards celebrating famous players on one side and achievements/events on the other. It may be that this Avenue will need to be in a format which can be disassembled out of season and re-assembled in close season, depending on the existing agreement with the authorities running the OS and Park. Or, alternatively, perhaps it can be left in situ permanently? This ‘Avenue’ will lead up to a re-situated ‘Champions’ statute, which would have pride of place at the main entrance.

Through these mechanisms/proposals the history of the club could be celebrated in its broadest sense, with some of our greatest names honoured. Moreover, it could be used to engage and educate youngsters and the community about their club. To be inducted in to the Hall of Fame would be a great club honour and ensure that our best players are formally recognized. Plus, the beauty of a ‘Hall of Fame’ is that is not closed or exclusively rooted in the distant past, new heroes, perceived greats and future honours can be nominated and added. The ‘Avenue of legends’ would inspire fans before each match and project the history of the club in a very visible and positive way.

I know that following the announcement of the sale and redevelopment of Upton Park, there was to be a call for suggestions about what could be included at the future site. This goes one step further by extending it to the OS and under-pinning it all with the defining concept of an Hall of Fame. It is placed in the public sphere to obtain fellow fans views and perhaps get it considered by the club. I am sure that the proposals could be highly effective and adopted with minmium cost to the club. Perhaps they might even attract commercial sponsorship to fund them?

SJ. Chandos.

There was an interesting article in the ‘get west london’ local newspaper conveying Harry Redknapp’s preliminary verdict on Modibo Maiga’s loan period at Loftus Road. The QPR Manager frankly admits that Maiga has been ‘underwhelming’ since arriving on loan in January. And there is a discernible aspect of genuine disappointment in Redknapp’s comments, because Maiga is a player that he has coveted since his more free scoring days in French football with Sochaux. Yet, the reality of working with the Mali international striker is apparently not in line with the anticipation, with both fellow loanees, Will Keane (Manchester Utd) and Kevin Doyle (Wolves) pushing Maiga down the first team selection pecking order.

And it all started so well, with Maiga appearing as a late substitute, on his debut, and scoring the equaliser in a 3-3 home draw with Burnley. However, the article makes the telling point that since making his dramatic debut, Maiga has only played 65 minutes of first team football in two 1-0 defeats. Redknapp is quoted as admitting that he has found it hard to include the 26 year old in his side, stating that:

‘Yeah, he’s got to make me want to pick him (Maiga). It’s true that he’s from a Premier League club, but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there with Wolves two years ago’

So, it appears that Maiga’s disappointing time at West Ham is being replicated during his loan spell at QPR. It was widely anticipated that Maiga would excel on dropping down a tier of football to the Championship. Yet, the early indications are that it is just not happening. Why is that the case? Is there a underlining problem relating to attitude or application; is English football just too physically demanding for the player; or is he not being properly utilised to maximise the positive aspects of his strike play?

Maiga has generally blown ‘cold’ at West Ham, with the odd bit of ‘hot’ play creating the impression that there was much more still to come from him. He has tended to struggle in a lone striker role, but there were signs at times that he was starting to adapt to it. Although one has tended to wonder if he would have performed better playing as a second striker in a 4-4-2 formation? A proposition that has not been tested at West Ham. And amid a number of non-discript performances, there were some tantalising glimpses of ability and striking prowess to tempt us to urge the club to persevere with the player. But, in view of the replication of this disappointing pattern at QPR, would this summer be an opportune time to bid ‘bon voyage’ to Maiga and sell him back to a French Club, and a national league, where his striking skills are still highly rated?

We may not retrieve the original c.£5m fee, but perhaps he and Alou Diarra could prove useful ‘make weights’ in striking a part-exchange deal(s) for any summer transfer targets currently plying their trade in the French League. That may be considered a disaapointing conclusion to both players time at the club, but some times you just have sell because its in the mutual interest of both the club and the players to do so. And so much the better if, in the process, they can help us land any of our summer targets.

SJ. Chandos.

Back in July last year I was asked to answer some questions by Colchester United for their official programme when we played them in a pre-season friendly.

I recently came across my answers again on my computer and was amused about what my expectations were pre season. Feel free to share how you would of answered these questions without the benefit of hindsight.

I have included the full article below as it appeared in the Colchester v West ham United programme.

1) What are the Hammers fans’ expectations for the coming season?

Well it’s that tricky second season back in the top flight. In many ways we would love to replicate our first season back and achieve a top 10 placing but honestly, most old school hammers fans will say as long as we don’t get relegated we will be more than happy surviving the second season syndrome. Our primary goal is to stabilise the club from any yo-yo characteristics between divisions.

2) What do you make of the transfer dealings so far this summer?

The majority of West Ham fans are pleased with our marquee signing of Andy Carroll for a reported £15.5M plus add-ons. The minority may grumble it’s a lot of money to spend on one player or point to his injury record or the media reports of high wages breaking the wage structure. However, the vast majority are delighted the owners have invested in the club and we are finally showing ambition.In other signings Sam Allardyce is a shrewd operator in getting a good bargain often on a free transfer. His signings of Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Collins and Momo Diame on next to nothing were a great successes at West Ham.Let’s hope Adrian, Razvan Rat & Danny Whitehead live all up to that previous success rate. Also if Ravel Morrison, Modibo Maiga and Alou Diarra hang around past the summer they will be like new signings for West Ham. Manchester United reject Ravel Morrison has scored 2 in 2 for the first friendlies of the season and wants to prove Sir Alex Ferguson wrong.

3) If you were Sam Allardyce, what areas of the team would you still be looking to strengthen?

We need a plan B upfront when Andy Carroll isn’t playing now that Carlton Cole has left the club. We know Sam is unlikely to play two up front so we need an Andy Carroll under study to fill the lone striker role when he can’t play. There is a chance Modibo Maiga can fulfil this role. He scored brilliance with his goal against Chelsea when we beat the then European champions 3-1.We also need a pacey winger with many names being linked with us in the media.

4) Which emerging West Ham talents should fans be looking out for this season?

Many fans were disappointed when Rob Hall recently left the club for Bolton after joining us just 9 years old, but there are plenty of talent in Tony Carr’s Academy of Football. I am going to pick out some names as the ones to watch.Barring the obvious of Danny Potts who was loaned to Colchester United and who broke through to the first team, my West Ham insider who used to work for West Ham tells me these are the players to watch. Paul McCallum appears to be another that is highly valued by West ham back room staff. He turned down many clubs to join the hammers and has obviously scored against Cork in our first friendly of the season. Sean Maguire, dubbed “the Irish Messi” has looked good in academy games last season.Younger players who have a bright future and could be future players for the West ham academy are:

• Sam Howes who is a 15 year old goalkeeper that has already played for West Ham under 18s and England under 16s. Despite our great academy it is very rare that top goalkeepers come along but in this case it is thought he will make the grade.

• Matt Carter is another under 16s central midfield player who has attracted interest from some top clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool and is regarded to possess a great engine and skill.

• Finally, Jordan Brown who recently signed from Arsenal, despite being offered a new contract at Arsenal he chose to come here and has scored 3 goals for the England under 16s.

5) With a host of new managers in the division, how do you think the Premier League will shape up in 2013/14?

What an exciting premier league season ahead. For me the manager changes makes it interesting. West Ham Hero Paolo Di Canio in charge of the Black cats for his first full season or as long as his roller coaster manager journey lasts. The colourful Ian Holloway & play off final magician back with Palace, the self styled special one at Chelsea, New managers at both Manchester football teams both trying to win the title and out do the other one and Everton without Moyes. Add a dash of Cardiff & Hull and you have a recipe for a fantastic season both on the pitch and the managers post match interviews.