AS Tony Gale stepped out on what used to be Upton Park, memories came flooding back. From his run-in with the Chicken Run to the time a traffic jam forced him to run the last three miles to make kick-off. From Billy Bonds’ pre-match ritual of tackling walls to Vinnie Jones once spending a whole […]
AS Tony Gale stepped out on what used to be Upton Park, memories came flooding back.
From his run-in with the Chicken Run to the time a traffic jam forced him to run the last three miles to make kick-off.
From Billy Bonds’ pre-match ritual of tackling walls to Vinnie Jones once spending a whole game necking pints in the players’ lounge.
Galey spent ten years as a player at West Ham and was a part of their 1986 team which almost won the League title before eventually finishing third — still their highest ever placing.
Upton Park, the club’s home for 112 years until they left for the London Stadium in 2016, still holds a special place in his heart — as it does with all Irons.
But the only Hammers there now are jack-hammers as builders work on transforming the nine-acre site into 842 flats as part of the spectacular luxury development by Barratt London.
SunSport and West Ham legend Gale were given an exclusive look inside the newly-named Upton Gardens site yesterday.
With a lump in his throat and a tear in his eye, the former centre-back, who played 300 League games for the East End club, admitted: “It feels so strange seeing the old place like this. I never realised how big the whole site was.”
It is nearly 35 years since Gale made his West Ham debut in a 0-0 draw against Ipswich way back in August 1984.
As he looked around at the apartments being constructed, the only thing the same yesterday was the glorious weather.
He recalled: “It was sunny, much like today, and I remember Ipswich had Alan Sunderland and Mitch D’Avray playing for them. But it was a rubbish game.”
That was not Gale’s first appearance at Upton Park, though, as he captained Fulham to a 1-0 victory there as a teenager in September 1978.
He said: “As our coach pulled into Green Street I remember seeing all the crowds and then the stadium for the first time and thinking, ‘Wow’.”
I remember having a bad time one season and a couple of fellas gave me stick. So I stuck my fingers up at them. About ten minutes later the whole of the Chicken Run was singing ‘Tony Gale is a w**ker’
Former West Ham player Tony Gale
Within six years it was his home ground after John Lyall signed him in 1984.
Gale said: “My contract at Fulham was up and Chelsea and West Ham both wanted to sign me.
“John Lyall and his chief scout Eddie Bailey turned up at my house on the same day as John Neal and Ian McNeill from Chelsea. I had no idea they were coming. Could you imagine that happening now?
“I was a Chelsea fan as a kid and my dad thought I’d pick them.
“But I didn’t want to be disrespectful to Fulham because of the West London rivalry so I chose West Ham because I thought they were far the better club.
“Transfer tribunals had just been introduced and I was one of the first players to have his fee decided by one.
“Fulham wanted £1million for me and West Ham basically offered nothing.
“The tribunal settled on £200,000. I was gutted because I was on five per cent.”
As he stood chatting in his hi-viz jacket and hard hat where Upton Park’s main West Stand used to be, Gale said: “We had a long dressing room. At one end was physio Rob Jenkins’ room — he was a right character.
“Then at the other end as you went through the bath and showers was a little gym where we warmed up.
“We never warmed up on the pitch before games like they do now. We’d go in the gym and Bonzo would be doing block tackles up against the wall — that was his warm-up.
“Then, years later, when Mark Ward, Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee would try to turn off the light switch with the ball.
“Then you’d go through another door and there was the players’ lounge.
“After games all the players’ wives, parents and friends would be in there while the kids played in the gym. It was a really good atmosphere.
“A couple of us managed to get a local brewery to put a couple of kegs of lager in there.
“Vinnie Jones came over with Wimbledon one season when he was injured and stayed in there for the whole game. He couldn’t believe it was free.”
Gale could have done with a hard hat when he had a spat with die-hard fans in the Chicken Run, one of the most vicious terraces in English football.
He said: “The Chicken Run was hilarious. It could also be cruel.
“I remember having a bad time one season and a couple of fellas gave me stick. So I stuck my fingers up at them.
“About ten minutes later the whole of the Chicken Run was singing ‘Tony Gale is a w**ker’.”
One of the new apartment blocks on that side of the site is named Lyall House after former boss John.
His 15-year spell in charge ended after the club were relegated in 1989 and Gale said: “When John left a part of the club died.
“Lou Macari was brought in but the fans never took to his long-ball style so Bonzo ended up becoming boss.”
Bonds was renowned for his stamina but Gale matched him when his drive to a match against West Brom hit trouble.
He said: “My dad was a London taxi driver and we used to go to games in his cab because we could use the bus lanes.
“That day the traffic was solid so I ended up running from Stratford to Upton Park, arriving 25 minutes before kick-off.”
