With the upcoming Monday Night Football encounter between Premier League duo West Ham United and Newcastle United, we decided to piece together an XI of players to have played for both the Hammers and the Magpies. How high do you reckon this team would finish in the domestic league table?
GK: Shaka Hislop
Hislop had two separate spells at West Ham, with the latter being a lot more publicised as the shot-stopper played in that frantic FA Cup final against Liverpool. He was also an FA Cup runner-up with Newcastle, eight years prior to his appearance in the Millennium Stadium.
RCB: Wayne Quinn
The Englishman is not one of the most famous names in British football, however he starts off our three man defence nonetheless. He ended his career in 2004 at West Ham, whilst being on loan from Newcastle.
CB: Scott Parker
Perhaps an unfamiliar role for the central defensive midfielder, a lack of options means that the solid tough tackler has to fill in at centre-half. He enjoyed successful spells at both clubs.
LCB: Stuart Pearce
Pearce, renowned for his antics with the England national team, spent a couple of years at St James’ Park before moving to the Boleyn Ground in 1999. He scored two league goals for the Irons, from full-back.
CDM: Kevin Nolan
Having recently been released by Slaven Bilic, Kevin Nolan was a terrific servant to the club, helping them bounce back to the top tier of English football following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship.
RM: Lee Bowyer
Bowyer spent three years at Newcastle, in between two separate spells in East London. He was capped just once for England.
CM: Nobby Solano
Nolberto Solano played for nearly twenty different clubs during his professional career. This included playing for both West Ham and Newcastle, where he netted on twelve occasions and helped the latter to Intertoto Cup glory in 2006.
LM: Craig Bellamy
The Welshman possessed outstanding commitment as a player, and always gave 100% in spite of the colour of his club shirt.
CAM: Rob Lee
Lee recorded over 300 club appearances whilst residing in Tyneside, but failed to make a huge impact in Upton Park when he made the move in 2003.
ST: Demba Ba
Ba made an instant impact when he joined West Ham in 2011, scoring seven goals in 12 games. However, relegation to the second tier meant he opted to sign for Alan Pardew’s Newcastle. The rest is history!
ST: Andy Carroll
By far and away the most expensive player in this XI, Carroll burst onto the scene for his boyhood club, where he nearly averaged one goal per game. A move to Anfield did not work out, so the forward made his move to the Boleyn Ground permanent.
