This summer football fans all over the country will put aside club loyalties to get behind the England team. Whichever team they support, England fans will no doubt acknowledge the contribution made by West Ham to England’s World Cup cause – past and present.

A striking feature of those hoping to be on the plane to South Africa this summer is the number of players who share some connection to West Ham. In total there are eight players in England’s 30-man provisional squad who either currently play at Upton Park or who are graduates of the club’s academy, including important players such as Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand. This group has amassed 287 caps between them.

The current crop of players will try to follow in the footsteps of West Ham legends such as Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore. Famously, it was Hammers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters who provided all of the goals in England’s 4-2 victory over West Germany in 1966.  At the back, Bobby Moore’s keen anticipation and ability to read the game helped ensure England had the most watertight defence in the tournament – not conceding a goal until Eusebio’s 82nd minute penalty in the semi-final.

The East London club held a testimonial in May for academy director Tony Carr, who has been on the club’s coaching staff since 1973. Carr himself connects the legends of 1966 and the latest generation of talent to have been nurtured by the club. He joined West Ham as a teenager in 1966, when Hurst, Moore and Peters were all in the first team and creating history with England. Current players such as Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson and Michael Carrick have all benefited from Carr’s years of experience.

This is an impressive contribution to the national cause for which all fans would be grateful should today’s crop achieve in South Africa as much as their West Ham predecessors did in 1966. England fans will look to Rio Ferdinand to emulate Bobby Moore by becoming the second London-born central defender to lead England to World Cup glory.

 

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