The punters at the Football Transfer Tavern have been less than impressed with West Ham’s recent performances.

They have had some poor results recently, and a lot of fans are saying that there have been a lot of heartless performances from players in the team.

They haven’t had to see that many times before, as West Ham have had more than their fair share of tough tackling midfielders in the past.

They have Mark Noble, but they could maybe do with another one of their old midfielders to inject some steel and grit, along with quality into the current side.

The Hammers at the bar are reminiscing about the great tough tackling midfielders of the past and debating who would be amongst the best of the lot.

The landlord has been listening in and has come up with the best THREE tough tackling West Ham midfielders of the past.

Do you agree with these picks and who do you think are the best midfield hard men that West Ham have had? Let us know.

 Billy Bonds

Billy Bonds is one of the greatest players in West Ham’s history and is definitely the best tough tackling midfielder they have ever had.

Bonds made almost 800 appearances for the Hammers and also went on to manage the side. He was a one club man and will always have the respect of West Ham United supporters.

In terms of what he did on the pitch, he was a very dedicated player, a great leader and also had the technical ability to justify his status as a club great.

He was pretty much everything that you could wish for in a tough tackling midfielder.

 Scott Parker

In the 2010-11 season Scott Parker kept West Ham in the Premier League almost single handedly.

He scored some incredible goals, such as one against Wigan Athletic in a 3-2 win and his passionate yet assured performances earned him two Hammer of the Year awards in consecutive seasons.

In his final full season he was unable to keep the Hammers up, but nobody could fault the Englishman’s application or blame him at all. He is one of very few players who came out of that season with his reputation among West Ham supporters in tact.

 Steve Lomas

After joining from Queens Park Rangers, Steve Lomas made over 200 appearances for West Ham.

The Northern Irishman was a true midfield general and if it was a question of commitment, Lomas was never going to be beaten.

The West Ham man was also capable of producing some magical moments and scored some brilliant goals during his time at Upton Park, including some unstoppable headers.

He was the club captain and was also a key member of the team that won the Intertoto Cup in 1999.