Club History:
Thames Ironworks F.C was founded in 1895 by Foreman and Referee Dave Taylor and Owner Arnold Hills. The club were the first ever winners of the West Ham Charity Cup in 1895 and won the London League in 1897. They turned professional in 1898 when they were added to the Southern League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division in their first season. The team played in Royal blue kits to keep with Oxford standard dress sense implemented by Arnold Hills, but changed to sky blue shirts and white shorts from 1897 to 1899. Because of finance problems at the club, Thames Ironworks F.C. had no choice but to disband. However, they returned on July 5th of 1900 as West Ham United F.C with Syd King as manager and Charlie Paynter as assistant. The original ‘working team’ roots remained represented on the club badge, and to this day they are known as 'the Irons' or 'the Hammers'. West Ham United joined the Western League for the 1901 season, in addition to playing in the Southern Division 1. In 1907 West Ham were named the Western League Division 1B Champions, and then defeated 1A champions Fulham F.C 1–0 to become the Western Leagues Champions.
In 1919, West Ham won entrance to the Football League Second Division, and were promoted to Division One in 1923, also appearing in the first ever FA Cup Final to be held at the old Wembley. Their opponents were Bolton Wanderers F.C. This became known as the White Horse Final because an estimated 200,000 people turned up to the game, and were forced onto the pitch. The pitch was cleared prior to kick-off, by Billie, a giant Grey horse ridden by PC George Scorey. The Cup Final ended in defeat for the Hammers, but the team enjoyed success in Division 1, retaining their status for 10 years and reaching the FA Cup semi-final in 1927.
In 1932 West Ham United was relegated to Division Two and long serving manager Syd King was sacked after 32 years as manager, and as a player from 1899 to 1903. He was replaced by assistant Charlie Paynter who had been with West Ham since 1897 and who went on to manage the team until 1950 for a total of 480 games. Under Paynter, and later Ted Fenton, West Ham spent the best part of 30 years in this league. Ron Greenwood was made manager in 1961 and led the club to two trophies, winning the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965.
During England’s World Cup victory of 1966 World Cup, key members of the squad were West Ham players, including the captain, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, and Geoff Hurst who to this day is the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. The importance of these players have lead many West Ham supporters and England fans alike to conclude that West Ham United won England the World Cup in 1966, and it is widely believed by many that England must have 3 starting West Ham United stars if they are ever to win the World Cup again. There is a statue in Barking Road near The Boleyn pub, displaying West Ham's three stars who helped win the 1966 World Cup: Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, and Everton F.C player Ray Wilson.
After a slow start to the 1974–75 Greenwood moved himself to ‘General Manager’ and appointed his assistant John Lyall as manager. There was instant success as the team scored 20 goals in the their first four games and won the FA Cup, becoming the last team to win the FA Cup with an all English side. Lyall then guided West Ham to another European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1976, though the team lost 4–2 to Anderlecht. In 1978, West Ham were relegated to Division Two, but Lyall led the team to an FA Cup Final win against Arsenal in 1980. This is notable because no team outside the top division has won the trophy since that time. West Ham were promoted to Division One in 1981, and finished in the top ten of the first division for a consistent 3 seasons before achieving their best ever league finish of third in 1985/86. However, they were relegated again in 1989.
Under manager Billy Bonds, West Ham spent the 1992–93 season in Division One. finishing second and returning to the Premier League in May 1993. Bonds quit and was replaced by Harry Redknapp 1994. He led West Ham to fifth place in the 1998–99 season. Despite consolidating the league placings for a handful of seasons, a disagreement with the board of directors during the close of the 2000–01 season led to Redknapp being replaced by Glenn Roeder, promoted from youth team coach. The dispute and accusations against his uncle angered academy graduate, and manager nephew’s Frank Lampard Junior, and the son of the FA Cup 1980 goal scorer demanded a transfer to Chelsea.
In Roeder's first season the team finished seventh, but the subsequent season resulted in relegation. Roeder had missed some of the season after being diagnosed with a brain tumour that was treated. He was replaced by caretaker manager, and West Ham Legend, Sir Trevor Brooking. However, despite remaining undefeated under Brooking’s charge, West Ham were relegated following their victory over Chelsea on the final match-day, because of another result in the league that was out of West Ham’s hands. Alan Pardew took over in October 2003, and led the team to a playoff final with Crystal Palace, which they lost. The following season when they again reached the playoff final, but this time won, beating Preston North End and gaining re-entry to the Premier League.
On their return to the top division, West Ham finished in 9th place. They also met Liverpool in Cardiff for what is thought to be one of the Best FA Cup Finals in the history of the Cup, as the Underdogs took Liverpool to a penalty-Shootout after a thrilling 3-3 draw. Manager Pardew was sacked during the season and was replaced by Charlton manager Alan Curbishley, who marked his appointment with a stunning 1-0 win over the ‘then’ champions Manchester United. The club was found guilty and fined 5.5 million pounds in April 2007 after being found guilty of a breach in regulations over their signings of Argentine duo Javier Mascherano, and Carlos Tevez. However, West Ham were critically able to avoided a points deduction, which proved vital for them. Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan, supported by other sides facing possible relegation, including Fulham and Sheffield United, threatened legal action against West Ham, believing there should have been a points deduction. West Ham evaded relegation by winning seven of their last nine games, including a 1–0 win over Arsenal, and Manchester United, concluding double victories over both clubs in a bizzare season of success and failure.
In the 2007–08 season, West Ham new signings Craig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer missed most of the campaign, but the Hammers were able to secure a 10th place, finish, three points ahead of rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Fights with the board over the sale of defenders Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland led Alan Curbishley to resign on 3 September 2008. His successor was former Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola became the clubs first foreign manager. In the 2008–09 season, West Ham finished 9th, one place behind Tottenham Hotspur.
In the 2009–10 Season, West Ham started with a 2–0 win over promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. The victory was soon overshadowed as West Ham had a poor season which saw them in a relegation battle for most of it, securing their survival only after a 3–2 victory over Wigan Athletic, finishing one place above the relegation zone. On 3 June 2010, Avram Grant signed a four year deal to become the next manager of West Ham United F.C.
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Rivalries
West Ham have strong rivalries with several clubs, mostly with other London clubs, especially with their neighbors Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The rivalry between West Ham and Tottenham works mainly around the departure of West Ham players to Tottenham. The rivalry was put in yet further aggression when former Hammers manager Harry Redknapp became Spurs’ manager.
The strongest and oldest rivalry is with Millwall. The competitive rivalry began between Thames Ironworks and Millwall Ironworks shipbuilding companies, when they were rivals for the same construction contracts. The early history of both clubs is similar, with West Ham the more successful in a number of meetings between the two, resulting in West Ham being promoted at Millwall’s expense. In the 1920s the rivalry was intensified during strike action started by the East End which Isle Of Dogs-based companies refused to support, sparking further ill will between the two camps.
The rivalry between West Ham and Millwall is so violent that is one of the most public within the world of sports hooliganism. In the 2009–10 League Cup early stages, the Hammers were drawn against Millwall, and inevitably, chaos broke out within the grounds, and outside of the stadium. Millwall fans threw rocks and bricks over the stadium walls, as a mass amount of West Ham supporters swarmed out of the stadium to fight them off. Amid the chaos, several West Ham fans invaded the pitch as West Ham looked to be heading for victory in Extra time.
The rivalry hit boiling point and became life threateningly violent when Millwall fans in the grounds began to chant and sing at West Ham midfielder Jack Collison, who had recently lost his father in a motorcycle accident. The verbal attack was described as “Putrid” as they jeered that the 20 year old midfielder “Should have died with his Dad”. Manager at the time Gianfranco Zola was appalled by the chants and jeers. He later described the Millwall supporters responsible as “Disgusting” and “Heartless”. Many Millwall fans came forth declaring they had nothing to do with the horrid chants, but the rivalry had already increased further. It would not be a long shot to suggest that the two clubs now ‘Hate’ each other.
Another rivalry which developed is with Sheffield United. The ‘Blades’ tried to sue West Ham for damages over their claim that West Ham had an unfair advantage by playing Carlos Tévez. The day after West Ham were fined, they continued their fight to stay in the Premier League by defeating Wigan Athletic 3–0. In their last nine games West Ham picked up 21 points by winning seven games and losing only two. Sheffield United only won two of their last nine games. Their 2–1 defeat by Wigan on the last day of the season confirmed their fully deserved relegation. Meanwhile, West Ham won 1–0 away to Manchester United, to ensure that they survived. The FA has sat twice on the matter and has thrown the case out twice. This action by Sheffield United has increased fan and club rivalry and they are now seen as rivals.
Stadium
Location: Green Street, Upton Park, London
Surface: Grass 112 x 72 yds
Construction Cost: £16,000,000
Capacity: 35,303 Seated
Designer: Henri Pillipe Tiite Parker
Opened: 1904
Stands: Sir Trevor Brooking Stand, East Stand, Bobby Moore Stand, West Stand
League Table: 2010-2011
1. Arsenal (0 Pts)
2. Aston Villa (0 Pts)
3. Birmingham City (0 Pts)
4. Blackburn Rovers (0 Pts)
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5. Blackpool (0 Pts)
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6. Bolton Wanderers (0 Pts)
7. Chelsea (0 Pts)
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8. Everton (0 Pts)
9. Fulham (0 Pts)
10. Liverpool (0 Pts)
11. Manchester City (0 Pts)
12. Manchester United (0 Pts)
13. Newcastle United (0 Pts)
14. Stoke City (0 Pts)
15. Sunderland (0 Pts)
16. Tottenham Hotspur (0 Pts)
17. West Bromwich Albion (0 Pts)
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18. West Ham United (0 Pts)
19. Wigan Athletic (0 Pts)
20. Wolverhampton Wanderers (0 Pts)
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