West Ham United Football Club

Brief History

West Ham United Football Club was originally formed back in 1895, though they were originally a works football team called The Thames Ironworks Football Club. This is where the nickname "The Irons" comes from. In 1898-89, the club entered the Second Division of the Southern League and gained promotion to its First Division at the first attempt. The following year the club became a public limited company and changed their name to West Ham United Football Club. In 1919, West Ham successfully applied to enter the Football League and entered into the Second Division. Promotion to the First Division was gained in the 1922-23 season.

West Ham have won the F.A. Cup three times; in 1963-64 beating Preston North End 3-2; in 1974-75 beating Fulham 2-0; and 1979-80 beating Arsenal 1-0. They also won the (now defunct) European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964-65 beating 1860 Munich 2-0, and came runners-up in the same competition in 1975-76 losing to Anderlecht 4-2.

West Ham have never been hugely successful in the League, their highest ever position being a third-place finish in the old First Division in 1985-86. They have been in the Premiership for most of the seasons since its inception in 1992-93; however, in 2002-2003, after a poor campaign in which it took them nearly six months to win their first home match, they were relegated from the Premiership. The following season they reached the playoff final but were defeated by Crystal Palace.

Managers

	West Ham's first manager, a renowned drinker, was eventually suspended after insulting board members at a meeting. He died the following year in 1933.		Presided over the club during the Second World War and had to totally rebuild the team when it ended. Took on Ted Fenton as youth team coach in 1948 who eventually took over when Paynter retired in 1950.
Syd King 1902 - 32		Charlie Paynter 1932 - 50
	A progressive thinker, Ted Fenton continued to develop West Ham's youth policy and instilled the more 'continental' style of play that West Ham were to become renowned for. Won the 2nd division championship in 1958, but struggled to progress in the 1st division and was dismissed in 1961.		Greenwood reaped the benefits of Ted Fenton's youth policy and, with further additions to the squad, in the 1963-64 season West Ham won the FA Cup. The Cup Winners Cup followed the year after and the nucleus of the side were to make up the core of the England World Cup winning team in 1966. Greenwood was promoted upstairs in 1974 and his assistant, John Lyall, took over.
Ted Fenton 1950 - 61		Ron Greenwood 1961 - 74
	Lyall had to replace the World Cup winning trio, but bought players to good effect, and in 1975 West Ham won the FA Cup again
John Lyall 1977 - 89		Lou Macari 1989 - 90
Billy Bonds 1990 - 94		Harry Redknapp 1994 - 2001
Glenn Roeder 2001 - 03		Alan Pardew 2003 - date

Players

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