What west Ham players were perhaps not good enough but always played and were always popular through sheer graft.

[Mr Anon]

And do these players always end up with an ironic song!?

Christian Dailly the first like this I remember, although perhaps my memory fails me and he actually was good all along!

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

 Only West Ham player I have ever seen deliberately pull out of tackles.

Erm. Yossi Benayoun.

[Mr Anon]

when my brother took my nephew to mcdonalds he was left confused when he asked for a lib burger, took a while to realise he was after a quarter lb burger  

[Massive Attack]

I always felt underwhelmed .
His longevity and being local doesn't erase from my memory of being  a PLODDER.
​​​​​​Payet elevated and made them all look better than they were
Noble was the Pirlo in the championship 

...And yet he did it mainly in the Premier League as Captain more than holding his own for 414 apps to be precise and countless Cup matches both domestically and in Europe. 

Slow on foot, no question, but as sharp as a tack in the mind. He would have got found out if he couldn't play alongside the likes of Payet regularly and yet he flourished. 

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

I always felt underwhelmed .
​​​​​​Leonards wagon can run faster than Mark 
His longevity and being local doesn't erase from my memory of being  a PLODDER.
​​​​​​Payet elevated and made them all look better than they were
Noble was the Pirlo of the championship .

[Massive Attack]

Over 400 Premier League appearances alone in the modern era isn't average to me.

And still to this day claim he was robbed of getting England Caps in part due to the exceptional talent in midfield at the time, but also in part due to the mismanagement to overlook him too. 

If anything, a lot of the time the players around him weren't quite good enough, not the other way around and it showed when he was finally played alongside worthy Team mates like Payet, Lanzini, Rice. He didn't at all look out of place. And they all knew how important hus role within the Team was valuing his contribution greatly.

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

NOBLE




 

Definitely good enough. There should be a million miles of separation between Noble and the likes of  Carlton Cole/Iain Dowie.

Good enough for us?...without doubt.
Mark Noble was decent on his day.
he  just sums  up the club  for me.
​​​happy and content to be  average.

How dare you coat off the rocket man

[Massive Attack]

NOBLE


 

Definitely good enough. There should be a million miles of separation between Noble and the likes of  Carlton Cole/Iain Dowie.

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Peter Butler always put a shift in and never shirked a challenge in the old second division.

He  was never going to cut it at the top table of football but would still of run through brick walls for the cause if required.

The likes of Hughton Winterburn and Pearce were all model pros and still done a decent job despite age catching up with them
​​​​​​
Teddy, Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand also worthy of a similar mention 

Ruddock and Mido maybe not such model professionals.

Ian Wright?
Fuck off

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

NOBLE

 

[Leavemyarcelona]

Jimmy Walker

And absolutely peaking at the moment of his career...

What a crowd behind the goal aswell. Not like todays mob

[Gary Strodders shank]

Peter Butler always put a shift in and never shirked a challenge in the old second division.

He  was never going to cut it at the top table of football but would still of run through brick walls for the cause if required.

The likes of Hughton Winterburn and Pearce were all model pros and still done a decent job despite age catching up with them
​​​​​​
Teddy, Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand also worthy of a similar mention 

Ruddock and Mido maybe not such model professionals.

[Massive Attack]

Jimmy Walker

And absolutely peaking at the moment of his career...

[Russ of the BML]

Mad dog

Mad Dog?!? 

You reckon he weren't good  enough? I thought he was a quality player. 

Suppose it depends on what the players are good enough for. For us at the time getting promotion and becoming a Premier League player, yes. Gave his absolute all which I felt masked his deficiencies. So much so it became a running joke of when he would next get booked.  He was fucking great fun though.

He was. Quality player and quality character. Gave his all but also enjoyed a laugh and the funny side of the game. With the bookings, it almost became a point where as the game wore on you knew he would get booked. As you say, the crowd loved it and I am sure he often got booked just to raise a cheer. 

[Mad Dog]

I quite liked mad dog as it goes...

[Massive Attack]

Mad dog

Mad Dog?!? 

You reckon he weren't good  enough? I thought he was a quality player. 

Suppose it depends on what the players are good enough for. For us at the time getting promotion and becoming a Premier League player, yes. Gave his absolute all which I felt masked his deficiencies. So much so it became a running joke of when he would next get booked.  He was fucking great fun though.

[Russ of the BML]

Mad dog

Mad Dog?!? 

You reckon he weren't good  enough? I thought he was a quality player. 

[Ladysmith]

If this post was written in 2034 I think we would look back and say Bowen

[Massive Attack]

Mad dog

[violator]

I thought Tom McAlister was a very good deputy whenever Parkesy was injured

[Pav BML]

Brevett is a good shout, I was just to the left of the goal myself. Powell was another one maybe just before him who gave his all but best days behind him. We did have some shite back then. 
John Paintsil has to be a big one. We all dream of a team of John Paintil's!
Behrami? Bit of a headless chicken but didn't stop running.

[only1billybonds]

Paul Hilton.

Wasn't as bad as first thought when we signed him the day after he played centre half in a Bury side that we had beaten 10-0 earlier that week.

Only at West Ham!

[side effect]

Pretty sure david speedie wasn't popular.

"David speedie is a wanker" was sung very loudly at him when he played for us (especially after his miss v Bristol rovers)

And then singing his praises against Cambridge the day I was so lucky to even get in that embarrassment of a south bank.

[Russ of the BML]

Based on my username, for many years I was in the bottom left corner of the Bobby Moore Lower and can say I have seen a few players like that down the years. 

Little bit off topic but rundown: 

Julian Dicks - The Terminator. The best. In every way. Absolutely one of my West Ham idols for how excited he made me to go and watch West Ham. Fired me up more than any other player. And what a player. Need I say more. 

David Unsworth - Had talent. Decent enough. Gave his all and was a grafter, very good in the air for a short bloke. Until his wife got involved and then became as flaky as fuck until he pissed off out. 

Rufus Brevett - In this category. He was quite popular through sheer graft and determination but limited as a player and got caught out alot through bad positioning. Not good in the air. 

Nigel Winterburn - Had that quality but was limited through his age. Became a bit if a cult favourite in the left corner of the BML through his passion and fight. Never gave in and excellent on the ball. 

Stuart Pearce - Absolute warrior. Again, like Winterburn, wasn't the Pearce of his younger days but what a player. Excellent distribution. Great in the air. Hard in the tackle and so much passion. Trying to play on with a broken leg made him a cult hero in the BML. 

Scott Minto - The worst. Poor player. Had ability but limited himself because he had no backbone. I would go so far as to say a coward. Only West Ham player I have ever seen deliberately pull out of tackles. No good in the air and got beaten every time. Poor positioning, no pace. Average on the ball. Makes me sick when I hear this lemon talk about his pro career on Talksport. Was so bad some games I genuinely felt sorry for him as he was roughed up all the time. Opponents took the piss out of him. 

[Sydney_Iron]

Always liked Super Tom, came across as a moody fucker but on his day he was the nuts.

Didnt he do time once he returned to the Czech Republic and his career finished.

i wish him well though wherever he is now!

[Council Scum]

So many spring to mind . Pike parris Collins fornals . Kevin keen was always a proper trier as well.

 

Kevin Keen doesn't belong in that category.

Kevin Keen was GOOD.

Keen could kill a ball dead, no matter how shit it was kicked at him (and that was a lot back then) a bandy legged menace on the wing.