West Ham fans love a bitter grudge, just ask local lad Paul Ince. His ill-advised switch to Manchester United in 1989, when he wore the Old Trafford club’s shirt whilst still a West Ham player, puts him at the top of tree when it comes to foaming-at-the-mouth vitriolic Hammers hatred.
As a player, Ince’s returns to Upton Park usually resulted in him picking up a pre-game injury, or hardly leaving the centre circle. Rumours of collections being passed around East End pubs to pay the bail of the fool who would run on the pitch and thump him were commonplace.
He will be forever dubbed ‘Judas’ by the fans, and that seems unlikely to change. It’s a grudge for the ages.
Not to be outdone, Jermain Defoe became the lazily nicknamed ‘Mini-Judas’ after requesting a transfer after West Ham were relegated and then joining Spurs, although that animosity has withered to mild disdain over time. West Ham fans would have welcomed him back at any point in the last few seasons when they only had one striker.
Scott Parker gets a strange mixture of cheers and boos when he returns. Loved by the fans for being the only player that actually bothered in the terrible relegation season of 2010/11, he then went to Spurs and undid most of his good work. C’mon Scott, anywhere but Spurs.
Like in any relationship, being dumped by your favourite player hurts – especially if they go to Spurs – except you can’t go round afterwards and cut up all their clothes with a pair of scissors (does anyone actually do that?).
One of West Ham’s best ever flings came in the barrel-shaped form of French international Dimitri Payet.
The swaggering midfielder joined the club in June 2015 for a reported £10.7million and became the star of the show. He ended the season as joint top scorer with 12 in all competitions, helped the club finish seventh, and was named player of the season.
That season reignited his international career and he scored three goals during Euro 2016 to help France reach the final, where they were beaten by Portugal. His 89th-minute long-range strike against Romania had one French commentator shouting ‘Ooh la la’. Yes, they actually fit their own stereotype.
Payet came back to West Ham in August with the world telling him he was one of the greatest players on earth and east London was no place for such a star. This happens with the majority of good West Ham players; there’s always something better somewhere else.
Payet plodded on for the first few…
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