Former West Ham United defender James Collins is the latest guest to share his memories and take part in the inaugural ‘Mystery Player’ challenge on Iron Cast, the Club’s official podcast!
The 40-year-old, who often co-hosts the podcast with Chris Scull, made 214 appearances in east London across two spells having initially swapped Cardiff City for West Ham in July 2005, going on to be nicknamed the Ginger Pele by the Claret and Blue faithful and earning himself hero status.
For Collins, the road to West Ham started on the streets of his native Newport, and his football journey is not what you might call traditional. He didn’t start playing the game until he was 13, and that was because he was from a country known predominantly for its rugby.
It was hard not to like Collins as a player, a no-nonsense defender who relished a battle and gave everything for the badge.
He joined the Hammers as a relatively inexperienced 21-year-old, leaving for Aston Villa after four years but returning for a six-year stint in 2012. He subsequently linked up with Ipswich Town in 2019 as an established Premier League defender, something he never dreamed of happening.
In attendance at this month's visit to SC Freiburg in south-west Germany, and a regular visitor to London Stadium, he has experienced many highs and lows throughout his relationship with the Irons.
In conversation with Scull, Collins shared his West Ham story, discussed his friendship with now 'best mate' Danny Gabbidon, and looked back at an historic win against Arsenal at Highbury and the painful 2006 FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool.
You can check out the whole episode in the video player above, or you can download and subscribe to Iron Cast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and RSS here now!
