Great West Ham Games of the Past—an occasional series.

We Ask, Can Terry Remember That Far Back?


West Ham Utd. 5 Coventry City 0

Upton Park (April 2000)

I'll start off with this game, as I was there, West Ham have not scored five "unanswered" goals since and, according to one newspaper report, these unlikely words were linked with the club—"sensational, irresistible and unstoppable." I have to slap myself to think of a West Ham team that has had such honey-coated words connected with it, although two seasons later and the team, with pretty much the same players, was relegated. At least I can tell future generations that I was at Upton Park and saw the world's greatest player, Paolo di Canio, run an opposition to shreds and score two goals.

The team was curious in the sense that I have no memory whatsoever of the goalkeeper, Feuer. Apparently, he played for West Ham for two seasons (non consecutive ones) but only started on four occasions, this obviously being once of them, but as this game was so deliciously one-sided, it is not a surprise that he played little part and that I never had got wind of him, soon after which he disappeared quickly. Apparently, he was an American. Okay, still never heard of him, but I am sure he remembers this game just as well as I do. Our other three goals were scored by Michael Carrick (now at Manchester Utd.), Javier Margas (a Chilean who now has retired and was last in the news for having bought dictator Augusto Pinochet's armoured car) and Frédéric Kanoute (a France-born Malian who has enjoyed a high level of success since with Spanish team Sevilla). The rest of the team comprised Ian Feuer; Igor Stimac; Rio Ferdinand; Scott Minto; Trevor Sinclair; Frank Lampard, and Paolo Wanchope. Frank Lampard, who plays for Chelsea, probably has been the most successful and is currently always an obvious choice for the England national team. West Ham players call him Fat Frank, which really annoys Chelsea fans, as when he was at West Ham, he did need to lose a few pounds, but since he arrived on the other side of London, that's hardly been the case, and he has turned into an international star...still, "Who ate all the pies?; who ate all the pies?; Frankie did; Frankie did; Frankie ate all the pies."

This game also was notable in the sense that I got my tickets through the Flyers. Former Flyer Craig Allen, a Scot, had a colleague in his London office who had an apartment next door to the apartment former manager Harry Redknapp used when he was in London. This colleague knocked on the door, to which our Harry shuffled towards. "Yeah?" "Er, good evening, Mr. Redknapp, it's your neighbour. I wondered if you had any tickets for the Coventry game?" "Sure, cost yer a bottle of port." "Okay." So, all I needed to do was replace this bottle, and there I'd be, East London-style, shouting down from the terraces. Mr. Redknapp currently is in trouble with London's Finest over alleged tax fraud, but far from me to doubt his business methods.