It is just over a year since Ireland kicked off the Japanese half of the 2002 World Cup and Gary impressed with a sequence of performances which by the end of the tournament saw him linked with, amongst others, Inter Milan.
Several Premiership clubs also chased him, and he turned down a lucrative longer deal at Everton to sign at Upton Park for one year with a one year option.
Trevor, who highlighted here on Friday the need to bring in half a dozen players to make up for the shortfall in players that the departure of players such as Gary has caused, admits: "I feel a bit sorry for Gary; we all felt when he left the World Cup having had such a good tournament that he was going to be a good signing for us.
"At the start, let's be honest, it didn't go well for the team and in the Birmingham game there was an early error.
"He didn't get the confidence himself and after Christmas there was the Manchester United game when we conceded those goals.
"For a variety of reasons he is probably a better player than the West Ham fans saw."
Another former centre half, Clive Delaney, who signed a short term deal with West Ham in January before being released in the summer, is also still hopeful of finding a club after moving on from trials at QPR and Burnley.
Meanwhile, West Ham's reserve friendly at St. Albans scheduled for Monday, August 4th, has been cancelled.
As with the Braintree reserve game, other commitments have intervened, with a lack of suitable numbers part of the equation due to injuries and the fact that the youth team are set to play in a prestigious tournament in Japan shortly.