The Profile
Tony's story, told with respect to the facts.
Tony Cottee scored goals for West Ham, Everton, then West Ham again, then Leicester, and for England at international level. His career coincided with the pre-Premier League First Division era and the early Premier League years, and he was for a decade one of the most consistent goalscorers in the English top flight.
He was the West Ham number nine during a period when the club had a fiercely loyal following and made up the defining forward partnership with Frank McAvennie for the mid 1980s team that almost won the league in 1986. That season remains one of the great unfulfilled near-misses in West Ham history.
Post-playing, he has been a broadcaster for almost twenty years and is a regular on the after-dinner circuit, particularly for events linked to his former clubs. His Steam appearances have all been built around West Ham stories, which given the City audience's strong East End connections, always go down well.
“We nearly won the league in 1986. If we had, every book about English football would have a chapter about us. Because we did not, we are a footnote. That is how football decides who it remembers.”
Career highlights
- Over 200 top flight goals across a 15 year career
- West Ham United, Everton and Leicester City career
- 7 England caps
- PFA Young Player of the Year, 1986
- Sky Sports pundit
First hand
Tony Cottee at Steam
Tony has spoken at Steam twice. The West Ham reunion event in February 2026 alongside Kevin Nolan and James Collins was a room full of Hammers old and young.