Kevin Lock enjoyed many a battle with Sam Allardyce during his playing days.
The former West Ham United centre-back, now 58, regularly locked horns with Big Sam during the 1970s and early 1980s. Thirty years later, Lock believes the Hammers manager will lead his old club back to the Premier League.
Speaking to the matchday programme the 1975 FA Cup winner, who now works as an usher at Chelmsford Magistrates Court in Essex, also revealed his admiration for present-day defender James Tomkins.
"I think Sam Allardyce has done a fantastic job," said the Plaistow-born Lock. "We have come down from the Premier League but there are a lot of good teams in the Championship, so to be where we are in the table at the moment is fantastic.
"I was delighted when Sam got the job. Playing against him, he was always uncompromising and he is exactly the sort of person we needed to get everybody together and get us out of this league."
Concentrating on Tomkins, the man who was once labelled 'the new Bobby Moore' has been impressed with the 22-year-old's form and composure throughout what has been a long and challenging 2011/12 season.
"James has been outstanding. The times I have been over to watch or seen him on the television, I have always thought he is a fantastic player.
"He has been so consistent this season and is the type of player West Ham need to build around. He has had his chance to play every week this season under Sam Allardyce, who was a centre-back himself, and Sam has obviously seen something in James. I was at the Nottingham Forest game in January and he was clearly man of the match.
"West Ham fans love their own and James has claret and blue running through his veins. I was always a fan myself and from the age of ten I used to come over and watch the games at Upton Park.
"The supporters want players like James and Mark Noble in the team."
While he still takes a big interest in his old club's fortunes, Lock is keeping himself busy with his new career, taking pride in organising his courtroom just as he organised the West Ham back four 35 years ago.
"I absolutely love it," he confirmed. "I have always been interested in the law and I read a lot of novels about trials. When I finished playing and coaching and had had enough of getting sacked every couple of years, I bought a pub.
"When I finished running the pub, the Prince of Wales in Mountnessing in Essex, I didn't know what to do until I saw an advert for ushers.
"That was six years ago and I've been doing this ever since. I run the courtroom and I am there to make sure everything runs smoothly and that the solicitors and anybody else who needs to be there is in the room."
