WHUFC.com
West Ham United supporters have selected their Team of the Decade for the
2000s
11.01.2010
The waiting is finally over - supporters have picked their West Ham United
Team of the Decade for the 2000s.
Nearly 100,000 votes were cast on whufc.com, with fans choosing from a
shortlist of 42 of the 147 different players who represented West Ham
between January 2000 and December 2009.
The Hammers contested 461 matches in that period, winning 174, drawing 109
and losing 178.
An unforgettable decade saw West Ham secure promotion to the Premier League
in 2005 before reaching the FA Cup final a year later.
While some categories saw two players closely contesting a place in the Team
of the Decade, with just 150 votes separating Yossi Benayoun and Trevor
Sinclair in the right midfield berth, others were more clear-cut.
Up front, for example, Paolo Di Canio received more than 91 per cent of the
vote to be named as one of the two forwards.
The winning team contains players who represented the Hammers throughout the
decade, including three - Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard - who
were in the side that drew 2-2 at Newcastle United on 3 January 2000, and
three - Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Scott Parker - who appeared in the
2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on 28 December 2009 in the decade's final
game.
Of the starting eleven, three - Ferdinand, Cole and Lampard - came through
the ranks of the club's famed Academy, while four - Tomas Repka, Benayoun,
Di Canio and Carlos Tevez - were among the dozens of foreign-born players to
impress in a claret and blue shirt over the past ten years.
Ten members of the team are or were full internationals, having earned a
grand total of 484 caps and 67 goals between them. Di Canio, amazingly, is
the only player never to have represented his country at senior level.
So, without further ado, here is the official, as voted by the fans, West
Ham United Team of the Decade for the 2000s.
GOALKEEPER
ROBERT GREEN
Born: 18 January 1980, Chertsey, England
Debut: 22 October 2006
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 West Ham United
Premier League
Most recent game: 3 January 2010
West Ham United 1-2 Arsenal
FA Cup third round
Appearances: 134
Goals: 0
The England goalkeeper and 2007/08 Hammer of the Year held off the challenge
of Shaka Hislop and David James to secure his place. Green has started West
Ham United's last 108 league matches, showing a high level of fitness and a
superb level of consistency in his performances.
RIGHT-BACK
TOMAS REPKA
Born: 2 January 1974, Slavicin Zlin, Czechoslovakia
Debut: 15 September 2001
Middlesbrough 2-0 West Ham United
Premier League
Last game: 23 January 2006
West Ham United 2-1 Fulham
Premier League
Appearances: 188
Goals: 0
A powerful, uncompromising defender, Tomas Repka quickly won his way into
the hearts of West Ham United fans following his arrival from Italian club
Fiorentina. A Czech Republic international, Repka recovered from being
sent-off twice in his first three Hammers appearances to chalk up nearly 200
appearances across the back-four.
LEFT-BACK
STUART PEARCE
Born: 24 April 1962, Hammersmith, England
Debut: 7 August 1999
West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League
Last game: 19 May 2001
Middlesbrough 2-1 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 50
Goals: 3
He may have been 37 when he made his West Ham United debut, but former
Nottingham Forest and England hero Stuart Pearce quickly became a cult hero
at the Boleyn Ground following a series of typically whole-hearted displays.
In a round 50 games, Pearce also found the net three times with his famous
left foot.
CENTRE-BACK
RIO FERDINAND
Born: 7 November 1978, Peckham, England
Debut: 5 May 1996
West Ham United 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Premier League
Last game: 18 November 2000
Leeds United 1-0 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 158
Goals: 2
Still performing at the highest level for Manchester United and England, Rio
Ferdinand made his West Ham United debut as a 17-year-old in May 1996. The
accomplished central defender caught the eye with his strong tackling and
heading and composure in possession, tempting Leeds United to spend £18m on
him in November 2000.
CENTRE-BACK
MATTHEW UPSON
Born: 18 April 1979, Hartismere, Suffolk
Debut: 3 February 2007
Aston Villa 1-0 West Ham United
Premier League
Most recent game: 3 January 2010
West Ham United 1-2 Arsenal
FA Cup third round
Appearances: 93
Goals: 3
Like Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson is a ball-playing central defender of the
highest order. Having come through the ranks at Luton Town, Upson joined
Arsenal as a teenager before moving on to Birmingham City. Having moved to
West Ham United in January 2007, Upson has become an England regular since
arriving in east London.
RIGHT MIDFIELD
YOSSI BENAYOUN
Born: 5 May 1980, Dimona, Israel
Debut: 13 August 2005
West Ham United 3-1 Blackburn Rovers
Premier League
Last game: 13 May 2007
Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 72
Goals: 8
He may have spent just two seasons at the Boleyn Ground, but the talented
Israeli midfielder quickly became a West Ham United hero with his blend of
subtle passing and intricate ball skills. A member of the team that reached
the 2006 FA Cup final, Benayoun also played his part in the Hammers' 'Great
Escape' in 2006/07.
LEFT MIDFIELD
JOE COLE
Born: 8 November 1981, Islington, England
Debut: 2 January 1999
West Ham United 1-1 Swansea City
FA Cup third round
Last game: 11 May 2003
Birmingham City 2-2 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 150
Goals: 13
One of the Academy of Football's finest products, the supremely talented Joe
Cole was earmarked for great things from a very young age. Under the
tutelage of Academy Director Tony Carr, Cole developed into one of England's
best wide midfielders before moving across London to Chelsea in the summer
of 2003.
CENTRE MIDFIELD
SCOTT PARKER
Born: 13 October 1980, Lambeth, England
Debut: 26 September 2007
West Ham United 1-0 Plymouth Argyle
League Cup third round
Most recent game: 28 December 2009
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 72
Goals: 2
The reigning Hammer of the Year has become a hugely popular figure at the
Boleyn Ground since joining the club from Newcastle United in the summer of
2007. A whole-hearted performer, the all-action midfielder has been in
consistently superb form this season, with many commentators tipping him for
an England re-call.
CENTRE MIDFIELD
FRANK LAMPARD
Born: 21 June 1978, Romford, England
Debut: 31 January 1996
West Ham United 3-1 Coventry City
Premier League
Last game: 21 April 2001
West Ham United 0-2 Leeds United
Premier League
Appearances: 187
Goals: 38
One of the finest English midfielders of his generation, Frank Lampard
followed in his father's footsteps through the Academy ranks into the West
Ham United first team. Now 31, Lampard continues to produce the goods for
Chelsea and England, and is certain to be a central figure for his country
at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
FORWARD
PAOLO DI CANIO
Born: 9 July 1968, Rome, Italy
Debut: 30 January 1999
Wimbledon 0-0 West Ham United
Premier League
Last game: 11 May 2003
Birmingham City 2-2 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 141
Goals: 51
The mercurial Italian Paolo Di Canio became a true West Ham United legend
during his four-and-a-half year stay in east London. Blessed with outrageous
talent and an unstinting will to win, Di Canio's time with the Hammers was
marked by a succession of unforgettable goals and charismatic celebrations.
FORWARD
CARLOS TEVEZ
Born: 5 February 1984, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Debut: 10 September 2006
West Ham United 1-1 Aston Villa
Premier League
Last game: 13 May 2007
Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
Premier League
Appearances: 29
Goals: 7
Having joined West Ham United alongside fellow 2006 FIFA World Cup star
Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez remained at the Boleyn Ground for less than
a year. During that short time, however, he became a crowd favourite,
scoring seven goals in ten matches as the Hammers staved off relegation in
dramatic circumstances.
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