How West Ham remembered Ludo Miklosko: ‘It’s like losing a member of the family’

With a microphone in his hand, former West Ham United defender Tony Gale ended his tribute to former team-mate Ludo Miklosko in appropriate fashion.

“Please, please, I’ve wanted to do this all my life,” said the 66-year-old, standing on the pitch at the London Stadium. “Can I start it? Oi big boy, what’s your name?”

And, as one, West Ham fans and Gale began to sing.

“My name is Ludo Miklosko,
“I come from near Moscow,
“I play in goal for West Ham.”

It was not the last time that iconic chant reverberated around West Ham’s Carabao Cup tie against Fulham on Tuesday, or the only tribute paid to Miklosko, who passed away on Monday aged 64 after a five-year battle with cancer.

Both teams stood in the centre circle and held a minute’s applause, while West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek held up a green jersey with No. 1 and Miklosko’s name emblazoned on the back, before laying it down on the club badge in front of the Bobby Moore stand. A fuller tribute will take place before the home game against Queens Park Rangers, another of Miklosko’s former clubs, on October 9.

The Czech played for West Ham between 1990-99, made 373 appearances and was named player of the year in 1991. In an interview with The Athletic in 2021, he shared special memories about his spell and a memorable encounter he had with a supporter who had changed their name to Miklosko. 

Like many others, Slaven Bilic, the Croatia and former West Ham manager, has reflected on cherished moments. The pair were team-mates during the 1996-97 season and remained close after their playing careers had ended.

“He helped me a lot when I joined and we formed a great relationship on and off the field,” Bilic tells The Athletic. “Last year he needed some help and our bond grew even stronger. It was very brave of him not to go through chemotherapy. Some people may think Ludo gave up, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Until the end, he wanted to live life the way he intended. I’m going to miss him a lot.

“It reached a point where I was emotional about it all and Ludo would be consoling me. It was another example of his strength. It’s impossible to be at a West Ham match and not hear his chant. He will always be remembered and loved.”

Miklosko succeeded fellow club legend Phil Parkes when he joined from Banik Ostrava on an initial trial. Miklosko, who also had a stint as a goalkeeping coach at West Ham before leaving in 2010, exceeded expectations and was always willing to impart knowledge and wisdom to younger goalkeepers. 

“He took me under his wing when I was 17,” says Steve Banks, Miklosko’s understudy between 1990-93 and now Blackpool’s goalkeeping coach. “That’s something that I’ll always appreciate because he really wanted to help me progress.

“He always reached out, which was another special quality about him. About 10 years ago, he asked me if I’d be prepared to go to the Czech Republic to put on a goalkeeping course for a week. He was going to bring along young goalkeepers who he thought had promising futures. I happily agreed and two of the youngsters who were involved were Antonin Kinsky (now the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper) and Radek Vitek (Middlesbrough).

“That was Ludo giving back but what really sticks in my mind is how selfless he was. When I was due to go back my flight was cancelled and Ludo drove me four hours to his house in the countryside. He brought me back to the airport the next day: in total he did about 12 hours of driving just for me. That’s why he’s so loved and I’m sure the West Ham fans will continue to make sure his name lives on.”

John Moncur, 59, a fellow club legend and ambassador, played with Miklosko between 1994-99. They experienced many special moments together but there is one which stands out. 

“When he was diagnosed with cancer, I phoned him and we had a heart-to-heart conversation,” says Moncur. “I wanted him to know that I’ll always be there for him. A lot of the lads would’ve had that conversation with him because we were all close with Ludo. When he came back to the club, that was probably his way of saying goodbye.

“His personality suited the club because he bought into the east end way. I remember he’d go on holiday to the Czech Republic and he’d always bring back beers for us. He won Player of the Year and it’s very unusual for a goalkeeper to win that. Everyone remembers his performance against Manchester United (in May 1995, which denied them the Premier League title). It was as if we had three goalkeepers. His performance in the second half is the best goalkeeping display I’ve ever witnessed.”

Against Fulham, West Ham offered a glimpse into the future with young goalkeeper Finlay Herrick, 20, making his third appearance. The youngster is from a generation of supporters and academy prospects who would have been told about Miklosko’s impact from their elders. 

The game was lost, but this was a night when the football felt secondary to remembering Miklosko.

“My Dad (Mark) watched him loads and Ludo was one of his favourite players,” supporter Tommy Dowsett, 25, tells The Athletic. “Earlier today he said to me that Ludo passing away feels like losing a member of the family. There’ll be others from my Dad’s generation who feel the same. We’ll keep singing his name forever. I’m young and don’t have any kids, but when I do I’ll bring them to games and hope to sing the chant with them one day.”