An ode to Tomas Repka at West Ham: The angriest footballer ever

Anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions in life.

We often describe someone as 'angry' when 'frustrated', 'irritated' or 'annoyed' would be more appropriate. Most of us only feel anger occasionally, with the scarcity increasing the intensity of the descent of the red mist.

However, for Tomas Repka, the state of anger was permanent. Although he played in Serie A and the Premier League and enjoyed a seven-year international career with the Czech Republic, Repka was known for his furious outbursts that made Roy Keane look like a kitten in comparison.

With more screws loose than an entire B&Q socket, the defender has lived his life just as intensely off the pitch. Scientists estimate that Repka experienced only a handful of quiet nights throughout its existence.

Making a name during the breakup of Czechoslovakia in the 1990s, Repka was known for his prodigious heading ability and crisp tackling. Already known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, he missed the Czech Republic's run to the Euro 96 final after receiving a two-match ban for being sent off ahead of the tournament.

This tough commitment caught the attention of Fiorentina. Moving to Tuscany in 1998, Repka joined Francesco Toldo, Manuel Rui Costa, Gabriel Batistuta and Nuno Gomes during what was arguably the club's most evocative era.

Repka turned out to be the salt of a delicious stew while in Italy. Sent off six times in three seasons with Fiorentina, Repka cemented his fiery reputation. Any man willing to take on Pierluigi Collina deserves our utmost respect for his reckless naivety.

With his own reputation for brashness and a fanbase with an indulgence for crazed skinheads, it was no surprise that Repka caught the eye of West Ham United. Signed in the summer of 2001, the Hammers believed he was the man who would provide the defensive steel that would allow young starlets like Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe to flourish.

These hopefuls ignored all precedents in Repka's career to date. Sent off on his Middlesbrough debut, Repka was also sent off the pitch in a 7-1 spanking at Blackburn - his third appearance for the club.

In his match report for The Guardian, Daniel Taylor delivered a brilliant line: "If he scores a hat-trick on his next outing, one wonders if he can bring the referee home."

Things got so bad that after another sending-off against Fulham on Boxing Day 2002, Jon Brodkin wrote in The Guardian that Repka "wouldn't miss it if he never played for West Ham again".< /p>

After redefining the word anger, Repka came up with a free jazz interpretation of the term "responsibility".

Yet by the time he left, Repka had become a cult figure in Upton Park. Relegated in 2003 with a record 42 points, which ensured a sellout of the club's family money, Repka remained loyal to West Ham during their time in second-tier purgatory.

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READ: 'Too good to fall': Unraveling the mystery of West Ham's 2003 relegation

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Essentially, he was moved to right-back under Alan Pardew, where his frequent outbursts were less detrimental to club form. Granted, he was sent off for a header in a miserable home loss to Preston in...