Despite our current struggles with the Goalkeeping position West Ham have been blessed with some fantastic goalkeepers through the years, in fact they have twice broken the World record transfer fee for a Goalkeeper.
The Great Goalkeepers have tended to come and enjoy long careers at the Hammers below are my choices for the best Goalkeepers to play for the Hammers.
Jim Standen 1962-1968 236 Apps (All Comps.)
Standen was originally signed as emergency cover after the Hammers goalkeeper Lawrie Leslie broke his leg in 1962.
Standen quickly established himself as a firm crowd favourite and went on to play a pivotal role in the most successful period in clubs history. Standen won both the FA Cup in 1964 now defunct European Cup Winners Cup in 1965. Standen also found time between those triumphs to win a County Championship medal with Worcestershire in 1964 heading their bowling averages in the process.
Standen played the majority of the games in his career at West Ham although he did play for Arsenal. Luton, Millwall and Portsmouth in England and the brilliantly named Detroit Cougars in America.
Standen’s cricketing career ended with him having played 133 first class games and having taken 313 wickets at an impressive average of 25.34. An impressive all round sportsman the likes we will perhaps never see again in the modern game, Standen deserves to be mentioned among the best to have played for the Hammers.
Phil Parkes 1979 – 1990 440 Apps (All Comps)
Parkes career began at Walsall before being transferred to QPR in 1970 and it was at QPR He really established himself playing his part in what is widely agreed to be QPR’s finest ever team that were just pipped to the League title by Liverpool in 1976.
West Ham broke the World Record Transfer fee for a Goalkeeper to bring Parkes to Upton Park and it wasn’t without risk as Parkes was known to have serious knee problems. John Lyall was not deterred and Parkes went on to serve the club with distinction for the next 11 years.
A key member of the 1980 Cup winning side and the famous boys of 86 team which pushed the great Liverpool side close for the title in the 1985-86 season, Parkes was also part of the side that were beaten finalists in the League Cup in 1981 and the semi-finals in 1989, he was also part of the side that won the second division Championship in 1980-81 which many observers believe to have been one of the best sides ever produced by the club.
Sadly Parkes last game for the club was a 6-0 demolition in the semi-final of the League against Oldham in 1990 he moved to Ipswich soon after that game and moved into coaching after only 3 games for the Suffolk based club.
Ludek Miklosko 1990-1998 373 Apps (All Comps)
Signed from Czech side Banik Ostrava for £300,000, the big shot stopper was Lou Macari’s last signing as West Ham manager in February 1990. The Czechoslovakian International quickly established himself as a fan favourite with his trade mark bravery and agility as well as his excellent distribution.
Ludo played a pivotal role in the clubs run to the 1991 FA Cup Semi-Finals and the clubs promotion to the 1st Division Ludo was named Hammer of the year for his performances in that season.
Sadly West Ham were relegated from the 1st Division and as such missed out on the inaugural Premier League season but Ludo again was outstanding as the club bounced back conceding only 16 away goals that season.
Miklosko then helped the club establish itself in the Premier League and was outstanding in one of the most famous matches at Upton Park, when the Hammers denied Manchester United the win that would have clinched the 1995 Premier League title for the Red Devils. Miklosko made several fantastic saves which ensured West Ham held on for the draw that meant the title went to Blackburn Rovers for the first time in 80 years.
Miklosko played two more seasons before losing his place to Craig Forrest at the start of the 1997 season and was eventually transferred to QPR in early 1998.
Ludo returned to the club as Goalkeeper coach following his retirement and is firmly established as a club cult hero.
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