Alan Taylor 1974-1979
The 1975 FA Cup final hero was signed from Rochdale a year earlier. Taylor scored two goals in the quarter final, the semi final and the final helping West Ham secure one of their three FA Cup wins.
Taylor’s career with West Ham was somewhat hampered by injury and was finally sold by the Hammers moving to Norwich in 1979 for £90,000. Sadly, Taylor got injured in just his fourth game for Norwich and he was released by the Canaries. He went onto play to in NASL for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Cambridge, Hull, Burnley and Bury before re-joining Norwich in 1988.
Norwich again released Taylor and he moved into the non-league. Post retirement, Taylor has worked as a milkman a pall bearer and ran a newsagent. He has also worked in corporate hospitality at the club.
Pat Holland 1969-1981
A local boy from nearby Poplar, Holland served the club for 13 years playing an integral part in the FA Cup win in 1975 and the run to the Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1976. Holland would go on to play just short of 300 times for the club. He moved onto to Leyton Orient as player coach and had a spell as reserve team manager at QPR before returning to Orient as youth team coach before his big break in 1988 when he moved to Tottenham Hotspur as reserve team coach. Holland stayed 7 years at Spurs before returning once again to Leyton Orient in 1995 this time as manager. Holland’s time with Orient was short lived and a poor first season followed by a slow start to the 96-97 season saw Holland sacked from his post.
Holland has not held a managerial position since but he has worked for MK Dons, Millwall, Arsenal, and Tottenham is a variety of scouting and coaching positions, Holland also owned a bar in Shenfield and a pub in Barking. He is currently working for Arsenal as a scout.
Tommy Taylor 1970-79
Signed from Leyton Orient in 1970, the former England Youth international went on to play nearly 400 times for the Hammers including the 1975 FA Cup win. Taylor’s time at the club was brought to an end by the form of Alvin Martin, and Taylor left the club in 1979 returning to Leyton Orient. Taylor spent three years at Orient before finishing his playing career in Belgium.
After his playing career ended, Taylor began coaching the youth team at Charlton before moving to coach in New Zealand in the mid-eighties before returning to the UK to coach Maidstone United. From Maidstone, he worked as youth team coach at Cambridge, eventually managing the first team for a season between 1995-1996. From Cambridge, Taylor returned to Leyton Orient as manager. Taylor remained at his boyhood club for five years before moving onto Darlington. He then moved on to Kings Lynn and then onto to be assistant manager at Peterborough, via Farnborough. Taylor left his post at Peterborough to manage Boston United in 2007.
In 2009 Taylor was approached to manage the Grenada national team. He contacted a number of English based players to enquire about their eligibility to play for Grenada including Jason Roberts, Jermain Beckford, and Bradley Wright-Phillips. His spell in the Caribbean was short lived however and he moved to Spanish side CD Torrevieja in Alicante before moving on again after only three months, Taylor now manages Floy who currently play in Norwegian 3rd Division.
Taylor has had wide and varied career in management and at the age of 65 shows no sign of slowing down.