'My dad was a big West Ham fan. I scored at Upton Park once for Arsenal my dad was in the home end and he was like, "What are you doing, son?"' Ray Parlour on growing up a West Ham supporter

Ray Parlour, a former Arsenal player, reminisces about his upbringing in a West Ham-supporting household. Despite his father being a huge West Ham fan, Parlour chose to pursue his career with Arsenal, where he made his debut at 18 and became a key midfielder. He valued his time at Arsenal, emphasizing that he never considered leaving for West Ham, even though his father would have loved it. Parlour later had stints at Middlesbrough and Hull City, but his heart remained with Arsenal throughout his career.

"My dad was a big West Ham fan... we had lots of scouts coming to watch our games, and I played for Fulham at nine years old but Steve Rowley, bless his soul, kept pestering my dad, saying, 'Get him over to Arsenal'."

"My dad would have loved it if I'd played for West Ham, but I was never going to leave Arsenal... I wanted to make it as big as I could"

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