It’s been exactly 10 years since one of the greatest West Ham chants of a generation was born and this is how it came into being.
The song echoed through West Ham’s beloved and much-missed Upton Park as well as the London Stadium and away ends across the country.
Many fans will be astonished to learn that a decade has already passed since the chant’s first outing.
Whether it is taunting Liverpool fans with their Paolo Di Canio chant, a different take on the hokey cokey to goad Arsene Wenger or gallows humour about West Ham installing a claret and blue carpet at the London Stadium, Hammers supporters are famed for their wit.
West Ham fans have been so impressed by what they have seen and heard from new boss Nuno Espirito Santo so far, they have already been signing his name.
Witty Hammers fans forced into silence
There are a host of classic Hammers chants from down the years.
Some have staying power and continue to be sung today such as Ludek Miklosko, West Ham are massive, Over Land and Sea.
West Ham’s official club anthem Bubbles is iconic enough in itself.
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Nobody better than Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen’s on fire and Tomas Soucek again ole ole are regularly heard ringing around the terraces.
It’s been a tough couple of years for the Hammers, though, and that has been reflected in the atmosphere in the stands, especially at home.
Hammers fans protest against David Sullivan and Karren Brady before West Ham United v Crystal Palace - Premier League
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It speaks volumes for just how bad things have been at the London Stadium that West Ham fans have been rendered silent.
There have been no new chants, no new heroes in the last couple of years.
‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ and ‘Sack the board’ have been heard more often than anything else since David Moyes departed.
Supporters have been protesting against the owners this season and fans groups will continue their campaign by boycotting West Ham’s clash with Brentford on Monday night.
So ahead of a potentially half empty and even-quieter-than-usual London Stadium atmosphere it seems rather apt – and ironic – that today marks the birth of one of the best and most iconic West Ham chants in history 10 years ago.
And this is the real story of how it all began.
How one of the best West Ham chants in history was born 10 years ago
Although West Ham fans chanted ‘Nuno’ after their new manager’s first game, as a general rule they are not a fanbase who dish out hero worship willy nilly.
Whereas some clubs make idols of players and managers the moment they arrive, you have to earn being a Hammers hero.
It takes some players 10 years to be regarded club legends – and even then it is often open to debate.
But a certain mercurial Frenchman by the name Dimitri Payet achieved that feat in only 113 days of arriving in east London.
It was at Selhurst Park on October 17 2015 that West Ham United supporters sung a now famous song about Payet for the first time en masse.
Dimitri Payet gives birth to the iconic chant about him with a sumptuous goal in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on October 17 2015
Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images
The song had been doing the rounds as a suggestion on social media and YouTube.
But it was that day at Selhurst Park it came into being.
There had not been a Hammers star since Carlos Tevez and Di Canio who had connected with fans like Payet.
West Ham were well on their way to one of their most memorable seasons of their modern history as all ships rose with the tide that was Payet.
To the tune of Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus, Hammers fans quietened the noisy Palace faithful as they sang: “We’ve got Payet, Dimitri Payet! I just don’t think you understand. He’s Super Slav’s man, he’s better than Zidane. We’ve got Dimitri Payet!”
Just reading the chant is enough to give West Ham fans chills.
The story behind the birth of the ‘We’ve got Payet’ song
It brings back memories of an unforgettable period where the team often felt unbeatable when Payet was playing.
The fact he went on to receive a Ballon D’Or nomination after his debut season sums up just how much Payet took West Ham and the Premier League by storm.
The Frenchman had played a big part in the build-up to West Ham’s first goal at Palace 10 years ago today, riding a challenge from James McArthur and squaring the ball to Victor Moses, who laid on Carl Jenkinson for the finish.
But Payet’s finest moment of that game was yet to come.
The Frenchman, who signed for West Ham in a bargain £10.5million deal from Marseille in the summer before, outsmarted Palace’s Bakary Sako and ran unopposed into the box before chipping the ball over Wayne Hennessey for West Ham’s killer third goal.
Payet feigned to shoot, causing Hennessey to drop to his knees, leaving the goal free for the midfielder to work his magic.
Payet made it look easy, clipping the ball over the goalkeeper and celebrating with that aura of nonchalance before the ball had even crossed the line.
Then the song cemented itself into Hammers folklore forever.
Some fans didn’t think the Payet ditty would ever catch on. How wrong they were.
The Payet song was heard at every single West Ham match thereafter. And not just here and there, it was sung almost on loop for 90 minutes. That’s how good he was.
There was something bittersweet about the fact the song was based on Achy Breaky Heart – because Payet broke West Ham hearts when he suddenly demanded to leave 18 months into his Hammers career.
West Ham’s owners broke promises over the club’s stated ambitions when they left the Boleyn for the London Stadium.
Payet was fed up and family issues meant he pushed for a return to Marseille.
Time has been a great healer when it comes to Payet – because West Ham fans appreciate just how rare a talent he was.
Unfortunately the iconic chant that serenaded him is now 10 years old and remains undefeated, even if Bowen’s comes close.