Farewell Boleyn: The 00s

Our journey down West Ham United memory lane finally brings us to the noughties, a topsy-turvy decade that had it all.

From the emerging talents of Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and co, England internationals Robert Green and Dean Ashton, to the enigmatic brilliance of Paolo Di Canio and Carlos Tevez.

There was, of course, a relegation to bear and then two nail-biting Play-Off finals at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Defeat by Iain Dowie's Crystal Palace proceeded Bobby Zamora's precious winner against Preston North End 12 months later. 

But West Ham were not done with South Wales, far from it, returning for a third successive year to give Liverpool an almighty scare in one of the all-time FA Cup final classics. Not that a first cup final in over quarter of a century heralded a peaceful 2006/07, with the departure of Alan Pardew and a Tevez-inspired Greatest Escape.

Calm was eventually restored, with successive top-ten finishes to follow, before Gianfranco Zola's Hammers saw out the decade with a fraught fight against the drop, eventually prevailing courtesy of Scott Parker's winner against Wigan Athletic.

So many wonderful moments, but what do you remember? Trevor Sinclair's thunderbolt of a volley against Charlton Athletic, Di Canio's devastating double at Stamford Bridge in 2002 or the epic Play-Off semi-final at the Boleyn Ground against Ipswich Town.

Maybe it is the 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on the opening day of the 2005/06 season that sticks in your mind, Marlon Harewood's hat-trick against Aston Villa, or wonderful strikes from Anton Ferdinand and Yossi Benayoun to bid a fond farewell to Tomas Repka.

Who can forget Ashton's spectacular strike at Eastlands, or Harewood's winner at Villa Park and then when Paul Konchesky planted a cross over Pepe Reina's head.

Perhaps you still savour that last victory at Highbury, or the first at the Emirates Stadium, not that there was a shortage of triumphs over Manchester United in the noughties either, with an improbable three on the spin between December 2006 and '07. The list goes on.

What will it be? Tell us your favourite goal, match and moment from the noughties and send them to us, either on Twitter or via email at [email protected].

You also have the chance to crown your player of the decade from our eleven-man shortlist. Does the long-serving Mark Noble stand head and shoulders above the rest, or are Di Canio and Tevez worthy winners too? Three-time Hammer of the Year Scott Parker is among the candidates, while there is of course a place for Academy graduates Joe Cole and Michael Carrick too.

Whoever it is and whatever your reasons, we want to hear them. You can vote via our poll on whufc.com, or alternatively tweet us your winner with #Boleyn00s. Our shortlist, then, comprises of:

Dean Ashton, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Paolo Di Canio, Matthew Etherington, Robert Green, Mark Noble, Scott Parker, Trevor Sinclair, Carlos Tevez and Bobby Zamora.

To make sure you are here for the final season celebrations at the Boleyn Ground, get your name on the 2015/16 season ticket short list now. Doing so will also ensure you get the best choice of seats at our new home in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.