7. Alan Devonshire
Alan Devonshire signed for West Ham in 1976 from non-league side Southall for £5,000. He had a 14 year career at West Ham from 1976 to 1990, during which he played 446 games as a wide midfielder, scoring 32 goals. Devonshire helped the Hammers win the FA Cup in 1980 (then a second division club) in a 1-0 victory over favourites Arsenal. He collected a Second Division title medal the following year as the Hammers won promotion, and was still a very integral part of the side when they finished third in the league in 1986, four points short of what would have been the club's first ever top division title. He retired in 1992, after making only 25 appearances for Watford for whom he had signed two years previously. He has since managed Maidenhead United, Hampton & Richmond Borough and currently manages Conference side Braintree Town. During his playing career, he made 8 caps for England and also had a race horse named after him.
6. Martin Peters
Martin Peters, like many great West Ham players, was a product of the famous Hammer's youth academy. He went on to play more than 300 times for West Ham, scoring over 80 times in the process. Known as the 'complete midfielder', he had pace, industry, creativity and exquisite timing on the run in addition to being a free kick specialist. Peters was described by England manager Sir Alf Ramsey as being “ten years ahead of his time”. His versatility was such that while he was at West Ham he played in every position in the team, including goalkeeper. He stayed at the club for 11 years, helping them to win the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1965 and to reach the final of the League Cup in 1966 along the way. During his time at West Ham, he was also part of England's 1966 World Cup winning side that beat Germany in the final. He left in 1970 to join Tottenham Hotspur, becoming the first British player to be sold for £200,000. After playing for Spurs, he went on to have spells at Norwich and Sheffield United before retiring to become manager of Sheffield United. Peters was inducted, with former manager Ron Greenwood into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition for his achievements as a player.
5. Billy Bonds
Billy Bonds is a legend at Upton Park, and rightly so! In his 21 year playing career at the club, he played a whopping 793 games (a record that has never been close to being broken) and scored 59 times. Bonds was noted for his physical strength and fitness, for his committed, tough tackling, combative style of play while using the ball intelligently and effectively, and making surging runs forward, initially as an overlapping right-back early in his career, then from midfield where he balanced the skills of Trevor Brooking, and later as a centre-back bringing the ball out of defence. His inspiration and leadership qualities, where he led by example and always gave 100% on the football field, saw him appointed as club captain at West Ham from 1974 to 1984. He was the supporters' choice for 'Hammer of the Year' in 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1987 and was awarded an MBE in January 1988. After he retired, he was appointed West Ham manager in 1990 and helped them to two promotions and a top division mid-table finish before he resigned after only 4 years in charge. As a player, he helped West Ham win the FA Cup in 1975 and 1980 and become runners-up in the European Cup Winner's Cup and the League Cup. He is used as the model of the perfect Hammer for today's young squad. His name will live on for as long as the club does.
The rest of this list will be coming soon.
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