On Sunday, against Everton, the Hammers defender James Collins was introduced, late-on, as a substitute taking the place of Aaron Cresswell.
The Welshman received a standing ovation from the Hammers faithful as he strode on to the field of play.
After the final whistle had sounded and the team had started their end-of-season lap of appreciation, it was noticeable that Collins had tears in his eyes suggesting that his career at West Ham United was coming to an end.
Collins has spent ten years as a Hammer, in two spells at the club. At thirty-four-years-of-age Collins is knowledgeable enough to know his time as a Premier League player is coming to an end.
His first spell at the club began in 2005 when West Ham signed him, along with Danny Gabbidon, for a combined fee of £3.5 million from Cardiff City.
The Welshman spent four years at the club before moving to Aston Villa, for what was described as an undisclosed fee.
Collins went on to spend just under three years wearing the claret and blue of Aston Villa before he was re-signed by the Hammers, for what was once again described as an undisclosed fee.
It’s fair to say that Collins was never a world-class defender but his reliability, his courage, his never-say-die attitude and his willingness to give his all for the West Ham cause endeared him to the Hammers faithful.
If, as his actions suggested yesterday, his time at the club is up, it’s fair to say that he’ll be missed by the club and we’d like to wish him well whatever he decides to do next.
