Tonight marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of legendary West Ham United manager Ron Greenwood CBE.
The late Greenwood oversaw the development of the Academy of Football through the early 1960s, helping the likes of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Ronnie Boyce and many more fulfil their potential in a first-team shirt.
Under Greenwood, a keen follower of the techniques and methods used by leading European clubs, West Ham won the FA Youth Cup in 1963, with a team that included John Sissons, Harry Redknapp and four-goal final hero Martin Britt.
The following year, Sissons was in the senior side that beat Preston North End 3-2 at Wembley to win the FA Cup for the first time in the Club’s history – with Academy graduate Boyce scoring a last-minute winner.
The following year was Greenwood’s pièce de résistance, as West Ham produced a stunning all-round performance to defeat West German Cup winners 1860 Munich and win the European Cup Winners’ Cup – with striker Alan Sealey scoring both goals.
Another of Greenwood’s greatest achievements was turning Hurst from a wing-half into one of the finest centre forward English football has ever seen – one that netted 249 goals for the Club.
In 1974, Greenwood moved ‘upstairs’ and appointed another home-grown product, John Lyall, as his successor. The pair combined to guide West Ham to a second FA Cup triumph in 1975 – 2-0 over Moore’s Fulham.
Two years later, the great man ended 15 years at the Boleyn Ground when he was appointed England manager, guiding the Three Lions to Euro 1980 and the 1982 FIFA world Cup finals – their first since 1970.
Ron Greenwood passed away on 9 February 2006, aged 84.
Tonight, the late, great former Hammers and England boss will be remembered as a number of his former charges get together at the Boleyn Ground in his memory - John Ayris, Eddie Bovington, Peter Brabrook, Martin Britt, Terry Connelly, Roger Cross, Brian Dear, Alan Dickie, John Dryden, David James, Mick McGiven, Eddie Presland and Peter Shearing.