IN the third part of our feature looking back at West Ham
United's international stars, we examine Hammers impact on the
Red Dragons of Wales.
There is a distinct hint of the valleys around Upton Park these
days. In fact West Ham United can account for four of the current
Welsh senior squad, more than any other club bar Cardiff City.
The Hammers have amongst their ranks, two ex-Bluebirds in Danny Gabbidon and James Collins, and the pair have clearly impressed in the red, as well as the claret and blue. Danny currently holds the title of Welsh Player of the Year, and his team-mate and compatriot is the Young Player of the Year for the second season running.
The links to the Principality date much further back than that however. West Ham United's first ever international player was in fact Welsh.
Bill Jones was a halfback who played for the Hammers on 15 occasions. He won four caps in total, two whilst at West Ham, against England and Scotland in 1902. It is believed that he was killed in action in 1918.
Other historical figures from the land of our fathers are Dick Richards and Wilf James. Dick played for the Hammers from 1922-24. Along with the six England internationals, the wing forward also played in the famous White Horse Cup Final team, taking the total to seven.
He played on the right for West Ham United, to accommodate Jimmy Ruffell, and his natural left side for Wales, such was his versatility. He won all three of the matches he played in whilst at Upton Park, beating England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and winning the Home Nations Championship.
Wilf James earned two caps at West Ham in 1931 and 1932, both against Northern Ireland.
Probably the most famous Welsh Hammer of all, however, was the Welsh Wizard Phil Woosnam. An amazing player for West Ham, he was extremely influential in the 1958 promotion side, and has gone down as a legend due to his fantastic attacking abilities and footballing brain. Phil won 14 caps at Upton Park during four years.
Woosie eventually moved to the United States where he coached in Atlanta before becoming commissioner of the League. It is widely believed that he is more responsibly the any other individual for the rise of Soccer in the USA.
Back in the 21st century - James Collins has won 10 senior caps
for Wales, despite still being eligible for the Under-21s. He only
made his debut in
2004 during a 0-0 draw with Norway, starting alongside
Gabbidon.
Since moving to Upton Park, Collins has made four appearances for Wales, and only three for the Hammers, earning his first in the Premiership as a substitute at Anfield.
Danny Gabbidon has taken the Premiership by storm since his transfer to London, and surprised many, but it will have come as no shock to those who follow the Dragons. He has been a regular stalwart at the back for his country since making his debut in a 0-0 draw with the Czech Republic, in March 2002.
Danny has 24 caps, and was not on the losing side for Wales until August 2003. Since joining the Hammers he has won five, most recently against Cyprus in a friendly with Collins and Carl Fletcher.
Fletch made his Welsh debut in a 4-0 victory over Scotland, in which Christian Dailly was the Scots captain. He has earned 13 caps since, and established himself into the centre of the midfield, in the absence of Robbie Savage.
Fletch joined Danny in the team that faced England at the Millennium Stadium this season. James Collins came on as a sub.
The other current Hammer to have won international recognition is Gavin Williams, who arrived from Yeovil last season. Williams has been included in most of the recent Welsh squads, but only has one cap to his name so far - which came in a friendly draw with Slovenia.
That also proved to be a significant milestone for ex-Hammer John Hartson, who was awarded the national captaincy for the first time that night.
Hartson was a great servant to West Ham, during his three years at the Boleyn, and has been a fantastic player for the Welsh as well. With 51 caps and 14 goals he is eighth in the all time scoring charts.
John has been regularly leading the line for Wales in recent years, but in fact made his debut back in 1995, before even coming West Ham. He scored three goals in the World Cup campaign, nearly notching against England with a bullet header, and bagged four goals in the Dragons Euro 2004 qualification campaign, which helped them all the way to the playoffs. Also playing in the two leg defeat to Russia was Gabbidon, and Andy Melville.
Andy is 10th in the all time Wales appearance tables with 65 international caps and three goals. The centre half has been representing his country since 1989, making his debut against West Germany. Towards the end of his service, he partnered Gabbidon at the back.
Melville joined West Ham United from Fulham in 2003, and appeared at the Millennium Stadium against Crystal Palace in the first Playoff Final. He was due to play against England at Old Trafford in 2004, but withdrew just before kick-off with an injury.
Another Welsh defender, Mark Bowen, had a brief spell with the
Hammers in 1995. Mark won 41 caps and played in both Melville and
Hartson's debuts.
Mark also spent many years coach the national side with Mark Hughes
after retirement.
The man who gave Hartson his Welsh debut was none other than ex-West Ham striker Bobby Gould, who managed the national side from 1995-99.