Former member of the Hammer Everton manager Frank Lampard believes he will always be grateful to West Ham for showing him some much-needed quality.
The history between West Ham and Lampard junior is well-known.
Everton fans, on the other hand, may have more pressing concerns than Lampard's welcome back to east London as manager of the relegation-threatened Toffees on Sunday.
For very different reasons, the game is crucial for both West Ham and Everton.
West Ham are looking to keep pace in the race for the top six, while Everton are desperate for points to prevent relegation to the Championship.
West Ham fans are familiar with the story, but Everton fans may have been misled by media coverage of the Lampard-West Ham situation over the years.
Since he departed his boyhood club, West Ham fans have had nothing but love for the Academy graduate turned Chelsea hero.
Hammers supporters have been chastised for their attitude of Lampard since he left for Chelsea many years ago.
However, the story has been misinterpreted and misrepresented over time.
While allegations of nepotism when Lampard was a rising star were regretful, he was no saint during the ensuing feud.
As a boy, the retired former England great was a huge West Ham supporter, having grown up seeing his father, Frank Senior, become a legend at the club.
Lampard's relationship with the then-Upton Park faithful soured when he was traded to London rivals Chelsea and claimed he was unpopular with the fans.
Lampard went on to criticize the club and its supporters on multiple occasions, and he was booed on the terraces whenever the two clubs met.
When he scored against his previous team, he would always kiss the Chelsea emblem to further antagonize them, as did his numerous declarations that he had become Chelsea's biggest fan.
Time is said to be a great healer. However, words can also be useful.
"Physically strong team, well-organized team, several threats, difficult to break down, as seen by their league position, thus it will be a difficult battle."
"I came through at West Ham as a young guy and grew up as a West Ham fan, so it's always great going back to West Ham."
Lampard also showed some much-needed class as he paid his respects to West Ham ahead of his Everton return.
Lampard said before of the game that he will always be grateful to West Ham and spoke fondly of his childhood as a Hammers supporter.
Lampard also praised former Everton manager David Moyes for his work at the club.
"It seems like a long time ago, but the people who influenced my career in terms of guys like Harry Redknapp and Tony Carr, the youth team manager there (at the time), had a major effect on me." Some people behind the scenes affected me, and there were some really nice people at the club.
"In those words, it's essentially a region where I grew up." Coming back to West Ham has a lot of meaning for me for that reason. But what matters most is what we get on the day."