theyflysohigh : Steve Marsh

email: theyflysohigh@btinternet.com
West Ham United Club Historian : Welcome to the Private memorabilia collection of 'theyflysohigh'


Player Debuts ...
Please choose a Manager link to see which players
made debuts under their tenure ...
The Early Years
1900 - 1902
John Lyall
1974 - 1989
Syd King
1902 - 1932
Lou Macari
1989 - 1990
Charlie Paynter
1932 - 1950
Billy Bonds
1990 - 1994
Ted Fenton
1950 - 1961
Harry Redknapp
1994 - 2001
Ron Greenwood
1961 - 1974
Glenn Roeder
2001 - 2003
Trevor Brooking
2003
Alan Pardew
2003 - 2006
Alan Curbishley
2006 - 2008
Gianfranco Zola
2008 - 2010
Avram Grant
2010 - 2011
Sam Allardyce
2011 - 2015
You would have thought that compiling a list of players to have pulled on the Claret 'n Blue for the Hammers since the formation of the club as West Ham United in 1900 was an easy one, just sit down and start copying from the numerous record books.
But when you start to get down to the nitty gritty of comparing such publications that's when the anomalies bubble to the surface, and even then it's not clear-cut. Take the year 1911 for instance, two players with the same sounding surname, "REDWARD" and "REDWOOD". George Redwood gets a paragraph or two, but the descendants of F.E. Redward probably don't even realise their great Granddad played a small part in West Ham's history he's simply not mentioned.
Slaven Bilic
2015 -
A TALE OF TWO TAYLORS (1906-07 & 1907-1909)
3 months after compiling this definitive list of our Claret n' Blue heroes I came across a couple of Southern League photographs, clearly depicting two different players but with the same surname "TAYLOR" and equally confusing they came from the same period 1906-1907 this immediately aroused my curiosity. The current "Who's Who of West Ham United" records both these players Archie Taylor and William Taylor. On closer inspection they are recorded as making their debuts in the same match and playing the same number of games for the Hammers, clearly both these players records have somehow been merged together down the years. After extensive research I can now confirm that WILLIAM TAYLOR made his debut against Bristol Rovers at Upton Park 15th October 1906 having played just 4 games that campaign, he subsequently left to join Clapham Common FC. ARCHIE TAYLOR joined the Hammers the following season after William had left the club and made his debut against Swindon Town also at the Boleyn 1st September 1907 and went on to record 59 League appearances and 7 Cup games.
The Essex Pro Cup and the Southern Floodlit Cup games are another bone of contention, looking through the programmes circa 1950, the matchday programme clearly states on more than one occasion that these games were First Team Fixtures. Tommy Southern, Vic Niblett, Frank O'Farrell and Bill Nelson all made a debut appearance in the inaugural Essex Pro Cup game against Colchester United on the 28 September 1950. The record books show such games but the players are not recorded as making a First Team appearances, although Southern, O'Farrell and Nelson went on to play future League games for the Hammers Vic Niblett didn't.
West Ham United Football Club have now accepted that these players have indeed made a First Team appearance