Locker room rampage rocks West Ham pre-season

West Ham legend Tony Cottee lifted the lid on a chaotic moment in the club’s history during a recent appearance on the ‘Under the Cosh’ podcast. Cottee recounted a bizarre incident in 1985 in which a West Ham hooligan invaded the dressing room and brutally bandaged the team after a pre-season defeat.

The Hammers were in the midst of a disastrous pre-season campaign, failing to record a single win and suffering a demoralizing 3–0 defeat to Fourth Division side Leyton Orient.

As manager John Lyall began his post-match review, the sanctity of the dressing room was shattered. A large tattooed skinhead, believed to be a member of the famous “Inter City Firm” (ICF), burst in.

Unaware of Lyall’s presence, the thug launched into a foul-mouthed tirade, mercilessly criticizing each player’s performance.

“Parksy (Phil Parkes), you’re too old, you can’t catch the ball anymore, Ray Stewart, you’re just taking penalties.

“He went through the whole team, grabbed me and said ‘look at you, you’re a little midget’. He massacred everyone and went through the whole team – even the substitutes, all the young kids (saying) ‘you’re not good enough to play for West Ham’.

In a surprising turn of events, manager Lyall chose not to intervene or defend his players. He simply allowed her to express her frustrations.

The episode finally ended when the police arrived and apprehended the hooligan. As he was escorted, Lyall reportedly muttered a cryptic remark: “He’s right, isn’t he?”