Having transferred to West Ham from Dundee United for a fee of £430,000 in 1979, he became an instant favourite with the fans who nicknamed him "Tonka", meaning 'Indestructible'. He was also renowned for his ability as a penalty taker, scoring 76 out of 86. One of these penalties came in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool in the 1981 Football League Cup Final. He is also notable to be the only non-English player to appear for West Ham United in any of their three FA Cup winning sides and played a pivotal role in the club's successful period of the early 1980s. Ray later became a manager at clubs Forfar Athletic, Livingston and Stirling Albion. Ray was capped for Scotland on 10 occasions.