Hello everyone,
Never in a million years did I think I’d be at this fantastic Club for eleven years. So much has happened over those eleven years, and they’ve gone so fast. Moving to London with my wife Jess, and with my two kids Sonny and Sadie both being born down here and growing up loving West Ham - it’s been a third of my life.
This is a moment of reflection. The people who I’ve met and the bonds and connections I’ve made, not just with players but with all the staff and the fans, I’ve got a great relationship with everyone at the Club.
I was just 24 when I joined West Ham. I remember I was at Ipswich and going in to see the manager Mick McCarthy and he said: ‘Speak to your agent as West Ham have come in for you this morning and they’ve made a bid’. It happened so fast, everything was a blur and I was down the A12 and doing a medical, then signing my contract and I was a West Ham player.
I came in from the Championship in the summer of 2014 and maybe had a little doubt in myself about whether I would come in and play every week, but I managed to play all 38 games that first season and I remember thinking to myself: ‘I want to play as many games as I can because I don’t know when this might end. Every week is like a cup final to me and I have to stay in this team’.
I was honoured to be voted Hammer of the Year that first season, then my second we left Upton Park and had an incredible season. We went to places like Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool and won, Dimitri Payet and Manu Lanzini were on another level, everything clicked and we didn’t fear anyone. We managed to give the Boleyn Ground the best possible send-off in the last home game against Man United, being 2-1 down and coming back to win 3-2 was an amazing feeling.
The next year I got called-up for England and I remember the Club secretary calling me while I was at home playing FIFA! An hour later I was in the car up to St George’s Park, then a few days later I made my debut against Spain at Wembley. It was a boyhood dream come true and I was so proud.
I always enjoyed scoring and setting up goals, and taking set-pieces and putting in crosses with my left foot were always big parts of my game. I took a lot of pride in that and was fortunate enough to score some bangers over the years against some top opposition. My favourite was ‘Dave Martin Day’ when I scored at Chelsea in November 2019, and that was with my right foot!
I’ve also had lows, and there were injuries, challenges after we moved and of course with COVID, which was a sad moment for everyone around the world and put everything into perspective. No club or player will be on top every single season, but what makes it special is, after you’ve hit the bottom, you fight and come out on top and the feeling is so much better.
We went into COVID in a relegation battle. David Moyes had us all on video calls to keep us together and we had that connection, and when we came back we managed to stay up. That is the best group I’ve been involved in in football. It was such a joy to come in every day and enjoy the jokes and banter, but also have the same attitude to want to do well for this Club which showed on the pitch, and we had those fantastic years in Europe. I truly believe they were down to the personalities and characters we had in the squad, and I was sad to see a lot of them move on. Talking about friendships, I like to think in ten or 20 years’ time we’ll all meet up again.
It was an incredible journey and I hope one day I’ll be sat in the stands watching West Ham back in Europe with the fans who have given me so much love and support.
When I got sent-off against Frankfurt, I remember playing Norwich on the Sunday and the fans singing to me in the warm-up, and that meant so much more to me than just support. It was like ‘We’re still with you through the lows’, which made the high of winning the trophy so much sweeter.
I don’t want to look back and feel sad, but I’ve made some unbelievable memories, not just on the pitch but also off it. To be part of the lows like fighting relegation battles to of course go on and win the Europa Conference League, it was an incredible day for everyone connected to the Club, as it’d been far too long coming.
Of course, I’d have loved to have started the final but, for me, the bigger picture was bringing that trophy back to east London and those three days - the night before, the night of the final and the day after - were incredible. The whole open-top bus journey, I couldn’t believe how many people were on the streets. I just didn’t want it to end.
East London people are similar to where I’m from in Liverpool, with my working-class background. They understand life, understand reality and know everything is not always rosy, but as long as you work hand and understand what they want, you’ll earn their respect, and I think I’ve done that throughout my eleven years, and they’ve stood by me through the highs and the lows.
I’ve had some incredible moments, and the whole journey at West Ham has been wild, but I don’t think I’d want it any other way.
I’m not one to look for attention or to stay in the limelight, or whatever you want to call it. I just like to know the people at the training ground and the fans can look at me and know I’ve got the best interests of everyone connected to the Club at heart and I’ll give everything I’ve got, whether I’m playing or not.
I’d like to think I’ve gone out and trained the best I could every day, to the best of my ability, and that’s how I want to be remembered - for doing the right things.
I really don’t know the right words to end on, but I think the one that stands out is ‘grateful’. To have been on this journey for eleven years, I’d like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who has helped me get this far, and helped me along the way. I am so grateful and appreciative.
But I’m not closing the book. I’ll never walk away. Once you’re in the West Ham family, you’re in for life, and I’m sure I’ll be back.
All the best to you all and good luck for the future.
