Ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United we asked Lars Jacobsen - who played for both clubs - to select a combined six-a-side team made up of three players he played with from each side.
The former defender admitted it was a tricky task, with key players missing out on his final selection. He justifies his decisions below.
Robert Green - West Ham
This is difficult because I’d pick more Everton players than West Ham because the team was much better during my time. But the challenge here is picking three from each, so for that reason I have to sacrifice Tim Howard who I think was the best of these two and go for Robert Green. He was also a top goalkeeper. Maybe not in the modern sense in terms of being able to play with his feet, but as a shot-stopper, he was top quality and had a big impact on our squad at West Ham.
Leighton Baines - Everton
When I got to Everton, Baines wasn’t really playing. David Moyes liked physical players and he was a small guy, but he had the breakthrough that season and he was unbelievable. On the ball, his delivery was phenomenal and perfect for the way we played at the time with guys like Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini in the box. He could run all day and was such a great guy, I really liked him. I made sure everyone I have picked in this team also had the personality to match their abilities.
Winston Reid - West Ham
He’s from New Zealand but grew up in Denmark. When I went to West Ham, we bonded quickly and spent a lot of time together. He was young and not great at that age, but he had the physical package. We used to do a lot of work together after training, trying to improve things like his long passing. Obviously, he progressed a lot and went on to become a top player who had a great career – even West Ham captain at one stage. His career was better than mine and I’m really pleased all his hard work paid off.
Mark Noble - West Ham
This was tough but I need to pick Mark Noble – Mr West Ham. It was between him and Scott Parker, but I have to select Noble because he was a top guy as well as a great player. The way he carried himself was first class. He was about 22, but it felt like he’d already been around forever. He was taking all the penalties and would always clean the dressing room after the game. I’d call him a real team player, and a real West Ham man.
Leon Osman - Everton
This was again really tough, I was torn between Ossie and Mikel Arteta. I would say Mikel is one of the best players I ever played with, an elite professional who even had his own team around him – I’d never seen that before. But Ossie was an Everton man, he was small in terms of build but such an impactful player. He scored goals and contributed so much to matches. He was an underrated but yet unbelievable player. Honourable mention to Tony Hibbert, too. We battled for the same position, and maybe he wasn’t the most talented in the squad, but his desire and will was huge – there’s not players like him anymore.
Phil Neville - Everton
I need to have Neville, our captain. He had a lot of experience playing for Manchester United and England. He was another great guy and good player. I always remember playing United and we were losing 1-0 at half-time – they were very strong that year. I was injured at the time but in the dressing room and Phil said to the group, ‘We need a big tackle’. I remember thinking it was a pretty strange thing to say, but then the team go back out in the second half, and he went in hard on Cristiano Ronaldo. Goodison Park exploded in response - the fans went crazy. It turned the atmosphere; we drew 1-1 and then went on a really good run of form.
Jarrad Branthwaite stars as this week’s feature interview and supporters can also hear from manager Sean Dyche, captain Seamus Coleman and Interim CEO Colin Chong on this week's reduced points deduction decision, plus you can read an exclusive Q&A with Abdoulaye Doucoure.
For all of this and more, pick up a copy of the programme, priced £4, around the ground or, alternatively, click here to order a copy online.
