"I spoke to Alan Pardew last summer about going to Reading and I was very impressed with the way he knew all about my game and how to get the best out of me," he reveals.
"I was on the verge of signing for him before I went and played in the Premiership again but you keep hold of those things for later on in life.
"It is a season later but I am very much looking forward to teaming up with Alan."
Teddy, of course, eventually linked up with Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth, but now, as he steps outside the top flight, he knows his game will have to change.
"Of course," he smiles, "you have to adapt to everything.
"There are going to be some good players about but there going to be some lesser players about, and it is all about adapting and getting on the wavelength of the players that you are around.
"They have to do the same thing with me - and hopefully we can forge an understanding early on."
Teddy will be the elder statesman on the field and, as such, the younger players - some half his age - will look to him for guidance.
"People have been saying that to me for the past five or six years, that I am the experienced lad, the veteran, and I have to help people along," he says.
"I will do what I can; I want to play football and if my experience rubs off on other people then great, but I am here to be a footballer, not a coach as such - there is plenty of time for that in the future.
"Coaching or management is not in my thoughts at the moment - I am enjoying myself too much playing football."
Whether this will be his last year as a player remains to be seen, and he adds:
"I have not made a statement about what I will be doing a year from now - we will see nearer the time."
Teddy has played many a time at Upton Park, of course, and he says:
"I don't have anyone particular memory but I have scored there a few times - so that is a good omen.
"I think it is a fantastic ground and the supporters have been great over the years - even if I have had a bit of stick!
"But I am a West Ham player now, so hopefully I can get on with the crowd and them with me - and we get some successful football going on.
"All my family are very West Ham-orientated and like the fact I have joined - they are all very pleased."
Teddy is more than ready for the challenge ahead and adds:
"It is a tough league and you have to start well to get in a nice position - and then keep going; it is a long, hard slog."
Much is expected of West Ham this season - from fans and the bookmakers - but that doesn't faze Teddy, who concludes:
"I know all about the pressure of expectancy but it is all about keeping cool and making the right decisions at the right times."