FORMER West Ham United manager John Lyall has been honoured at Upton Park, the ground where he spent 34 years of his working life.

On Sunday, January 20, 2008, around 300 people – including members of the Lyall family, along with John’s former team-mates and those who played under him, gathered for the ceremony organised by the The Heritage Foundation.

Lyall joined the West Ham groundstaff in the mid-50s but his playing career as a tough-tackling left-back ended prematurely at the age of 24 due to a persistent knee injury.

He turned to coaching and after several seasons looking after the youth team, he was promoted to Assistant Manager to Ron Greenwood in 1971. Three years later Greenwood advised the board to upgrade John to First Team Manager and he became boss in his own right when Ron stood down in 1977 to become England chief.

In Lyall’s 15 seasons in charge, West Ham not only continued to play the brand of entertaining, attacking football that had been synonymous with Greenwood, they also achieved most of the biggest honours in the club’s history. Although beaten in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup (1976) and League Cup (1981), Lyall’s Hammers twice won the FA Cup (1975 and 1980), won the second division championship (1981) with a record points haul.

But probably his finest achievement was to guide West Ham to third place in the old first division (now Premier League) in 1985-86 – it still stands as Hammers’ highest-ever final league placing.

A man of great integrity, Lyall was not only widely regarded as a fine coach, but also as a gentleman of the game, whose honest beliefs and principles never left him. Many of his admirers still maintain that West Ham acted disgracefully when they sacked him after the team had been relegated in May 1989.

John Lyall died of a heart attack at his Suffolk farmhouse in April 2006, aged 66.

After an opening address from Heritage president Rick Wakeman (former keyboard player with rock band Yes and now star of TVs Grumpy Old Men), Sir Trevor Brooking.gave a tribute to Lyall before John’s young grandson Sam unveiled the Blue Plaque that is now on display on the wall to the left of the main entrance at the Boleyn Ground.

The Heritage Foundation had previously awarded similar plaques in memory of Lyall’s predecessor and mentor, Ron Greenwood, as well as Bobby Moore. These are positioned on the wall on the opposite side of the entrance to the Dr Martens Stand.

Our first picture shows John’s immediate family in the foreground of the plaque – his widow Yvonne, so Murray, daughter-in-law Samantha and grandsons Scott, Charlie and Sam.

John’s brother, Jim, from Norfolk, and his cousin, George (who came down from Dundee, Scotland) also attended the luncheon that followed the plaque ceremony.

Ron Greenwood’s widow, Lucy, and his son, Neil (along with his partner Mo) were among the special guests.

The main guest speaker after lunch was Sir Geoff Hurst, who recalled his early days as a youth team colleague of John’s at Upton Park. Sir Geoff said: “Apart from all the wonderful things we remember John for in football, it is just as important to say that he was a thoroughly nice person too.”

Former England coach Terry Venables also spoke, recalling how, when he managed Spurs, he persuaded John back into football in a scouting capacity. “It was criminal that John wasn’t working in the game at that time and we were delighted to enjoy his experience and knowledge at Tottenham before he took the manager’s job at Ipswich,” said ‘Venners’ who also spoke very highly of West Ham’s enduring qualities as the ‘family club’ he knew as a youngster who was expected to sign for Hammers before he was lured west by Chelsea at the age of 16.

Among other ex-Hammers present were: Martin Peters, Billy Bonds (Lyall’s captain in the two FA Cup wins), Frank Lampard (Snr), Pat Holland, Alvin Martin, Alan Devonshire, Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, David Cross, Bobby Barnes, Tony Cottee, Tony Gale, Frank McAvennie, Stuart Slater. Mick McGiven (coach) and Rob Jenkins (physio) were also there, although Ronnie Boyce was at home in Norfolk recuperating after his recent successful heart bypass operation at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge. No jokes, please, about ‘Ticker’ losing his ticker!

Unfortunately, Alan Curbishley and Mervyn Day were unable to attend because West Ham were playing away at Manchester City that afternoon.

Chris Kiwomya, Charlie Woods and Geraint Williams (currently manager of Colchester United) were there to represent Ipswich Town, where John managed between 1990 and 1994.

Joining Rick Wakeman from the world of showbiz were ex-Bee Gee Robin Gibb (2008 Heritage president), Jess Conrad, actress Vicki Michelle and comedian Joe Goodman. The 1975 World Welterweight Boxing Champion John H. Stracey was another big name from the past there to pay tribute.

A special dinner to jointly honour John Lyall and Ron Greenwood, organised by their respective sons Murray and Neil, will be held at the Boleyn Ground on Friday, May 9, 2008. Full details of how to obtain tickets will appear here, and in EX magazine, as soon as they are available.

Words & Pictures by Tony McDonald

The Lyalls - Yvonne, Murray, Samantha, Scott, Charlie and Sam.

Billy Bonds, Ray Stewart, Alan Devonshire and Phil Parkes.

Rick Wakeman, Martin Peters and Sir Geoff Hurst.

Pat Holland and Sir Trevor Brooking.