As West Ham United prepare for the beginning of the 2018/19 Premier League season, London Stadium Tours have revealed their initial schedule for Legends Tours, to be hosted by Tony Cottee, Alan Taylor and Phil Parkes.
All returning after hosting immensely popular tours last season, Tony Cottee will guide fans around London Stadium on 30th September, Phil Parkes will lead groups on 28th October, and Alan Taylor's tour takes place on 2nd December.
Here’s some more on the legendary trio:
Tony Cottee
Learning his trade by climbing through the ranks of West Ham, Cottee developed into a prolific forward. Making his debut at 17, he scored against arch-rivals Spurs, some way to start your career.
In his first league season, 1982-83, he scored five goals in eight games. By the age of 20 and three campaigns later, he’d tallied up 37 league goals. Two years later was his stand-out one for the Hammers, winning PFA Young Player of the Year and leading his side to a highest-ever finish of third.
In 1988, Cottee departed and was a British record transfer of £2.2 million, as he joined Everton. They reached the FA Cup final in his first season but were beaten by rivals Liverpool and following Colin Harvey’s sacking in 1990, things went downhill at Goodison for Cottee.
In 1994 he returned to his beloved West Ham. His impact was instantaneous with 23 goals in his first two seasons, contributing to their highest finish since 1986, 10th. But he fell out of favour and left to Selangor, in Malaysia, where he won his first trophy. That only lasted a year before he came back to England and Leicester City, scoring 34 goals in three seasons and winning the League Cup with the Foxes.
Secure your place on Tony Cottee's tour...
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Alan Taylor
Diminutive striker Taylor signed for the Hammers in 1974 for £40,000. His first few months in Claret and Blue were pretty memorable, in just his fifth game he scored a brace at Highbury to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Their semi-final went to a replay, Taylor produced another two goals to see off Ipswich Town. In a London-Derby final, he managed a third consecutive brace to clinch the FA Cup against Fulham, West Ham’s second FA Cup triumph.Â
After an incredible first season, Taylor then fired in goals on West Ham’s path to the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final in 1976, however they lost to Anderlecht 4-2. His best goal-scoring return came in that same season, ending as the Hammers’ top scorer with 17 goals in 50 games.
Injuries took a toll on Taylor in further years as left the club after 36 goals in 124 games, following their relegation in 1978. He had other various spells with Norwich City, Cambridge United and Burnley to name a few.
Secure your place on Taylor's tour...
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Phil Parkes
The man voted in West Ham’s greatest XI back in 2003, Phil Parkes made an astonishing 344 appearances in-between the sticks for West Ham over 11 years at Upton Park.
That is amazingly the exact same as his number of games for QPR whom he played for, before moving to East London. He collected his only England cap whilst playing for Rangers but won his only major trophy when playing for the Hammers.
In 1979 he joined the club for £565,000, a world record fee for a goalkeeper at the time. Six bids came in from Manchester United and Parkes’ former manager at QPR, Dave Sexton, but West Ham got their man and their number one for the next decade. His finest moment came in helping West Ham win their third FA Cup, defeating Arsenal 1-0, the sweetest of all his clean sheets.
He helped West Ham return to the First Division in 1981, reach a League Cup final in the same year and go close in many a title race. He left in 1990 to join Ipswich Town where he played just three times before moving into coaching. One of the all-time great Irons.
Secure your place on Parkes' tour...
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Full Legends tour schedule:
Tony Cottee // 30th September //Â 11:00 & 14:00 // Book your place...
Phil Parkes // 28th October // 11:00 & 14:00 // Book your place...
Alan Taylor // 2nd December  // 11:00 & 14:00 // Book your place...
The tour, which lasts approximately two hours, not only includes your guided tour of the stadium with your chosen legend and guide but also a 30 minute Q&A session to close the experience. As well as the Legends tour, matchday tours are also available through August and September (with further dates to be confirmed following the finalised broadcast schedule), allowing fans the chance to look behind the scenes at London Stadium just hours before West Ham United take to the field in the Premier League.
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Match Day Tour schedule:
Bournemouth // 18th August //Â 9:45 & 10:00
Wolves // 1st September // 9:45 & 10:00Â
Chelsea // 23rd September // 8:30
Manchester United // 29th September // 7:30
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