West Ham United cult hero, FA Cup winner, and one of the great entertainers of Upton Park
FootballAlan Devonshire was plucked from Southall in the Isthmian League for £5,000 and went on to become one of the most loved players in West Ham United's history.
A languid, gifted left winger with close control and the balance of a ballroom dancer, Devonshire joined West Ham in 1976 and spent 14 years at Upton Park. He played 446 games for the club, won the FA Cup in 1980 against Arsenal as a Second Division side, and helped the Hammers to promotion and to their highest ever league finish of third in 1985/86. He won eight caps for England between 1980 and 1983, and might have won many more but for a serious knee injury in 1984 that cost him two years of his peak.
Supporters at West Ham still speak about him with real affection. He played the game with a smile, ghosted past defenders as if they were not there, and embodied the kind of skilful, entertaining football that the East End expected of its heroes.
After playing he carved out a long and successful career in non-league management, guiding Maidenhead United, Braintree Town, Hampton and Richmond, and others through promotions and cup runs, earning him enormous respect in the non-league pyramid as one of its most thoughtful coaches.
At Steam Wine Bar, Devonshire brings the warmth of an East End dressing room, the stories of that 1980 cup run, and the quiet authority of a man who has lived football from every angle.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book Alan Devonshire or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
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