West Ham manager Alan Curbishley insists Carlos Tevez deserves a hero's welcome at Upton Park on Saturday - and not the hateful reception usually reserved for returning ex-Hammers.
The likes of Paul Ince, Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe all left the club on bad terms and, down the years, have come in for huge amounts of abuse from their former supporters.
But Curbishley hopes it will be different for Tevez, who signed for Manchester United in the summer after playing a central role in West Ham's remarkable fight against relegation last season.
The club won seven of their last nine games and Tevez scored seven times in the run-in, including the winner at Old Trafford on the last day which confirmed the Hammers' survival.
Curbishley credits Tevez as the "standout" performer in that run-in and believes his character and commitment deserves recognition from the home fans.
"We tried as much as we could to keep Carlos Tevez but it was not to be," said Curbishley.
"It will be nice for the players to see him again and the fans as well. He left us at Old Trafford, which was a grand occasion and I'm sure the West Ham fans will show their appreciation.
"I think a month after he came here, he had already decided to tough it out with us, that he was going to stay.
"He was happy at the club and he had decided he was going to do his best to keep us up - which he did.
"I had a little chat with him on the Monday morning (after the United game) and he was delighted with what he had helped the club achieve.
"Tevez has got that hunger and that's what endeared him to the fans. His biggest asset for me was that Tevez kept the crowd up, even when we weren't winning.
"The way the fans were at the time, if he was on the teamsheet then we had a chance.
"There were some other big performances in the run-in so it was a collective thing - but people stand out and Carlos stood out."
Curbishley was criticised for allowing Javier Mascherano to leave for Liverpool and for not playing Tevez the moment he took over at West Ham.
At that stage, the Argentina striker had not scored for a struggling Hammers side - but Curbishley learned quickly he had to be in the team.
"He was always aggressive in training, not trying to impress, it was just the way he was," said Curbishley.
"There was one game that epitomised his attitude. We played Bolton and had to win to go into the last week with a chance of staying up.
"On the Tuesday afternoon, he phoned the physio up and said his ankle was swollen and came back for treatment straight away.
"Wednesday, Thursday and Friday he went into the oxygen chamber because he was that desperate to play.
"He scored from a free-kick against Bolton and went straight over to the physio and jumped all over him.
"That demonstrated to me he was desperate to play, desperate to do well and desperate for the club to stay up."
Tevez was careful to give West Ham his full respect but at the end of the season his sights were set on joining United.
A quick scan of the message boards on the internet indicates clearly the vast majority of West Ham fans are looking forward to thanking Tevez for his efforts when his name is read out on Saturday.
But others point out the club have been struggling for form at Upton Park and Tevez's presence should not distract anyone from the real matter at hand.
West Ham have not won in their last five home matches and could rue dropped points against Wigan, Bolton and Reading as they enter a tough run of fixtures against United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Fulham and then Liverpool all before the end of January.
But West Ham did the double over United last season, beating the champions in Curbishley's first game in charge 12 months ago.
"People need to remember that we have won four, drawn four and lost two of the last 10 games but I can't get away from that we have not won the games at home and done enough," said Curbishley.
"Perhaps with expectation levels not the same tomorrow, with the pressure on Manchester United, it could work in our favour, like it did last year."
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