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111-460: The stigma of violence attached to Millwall can be traced back over 110 years. Millwall played local rivals West Ham United away at Upton Park on 17 September 1906 in a Western League game. Both sets of supporters were primarily made up of dockers, who lived and worked in the same locality in east and south London. Many were rivals working for opposing companies and vying for the same business. A local newspaper, East Ham Echo , reported that, "From

222-511: A Kevin Nolan goal. The highlight of the first half of the season was a 3–1 home win against reigning European champions Chelsea on 1 December 2012 which saw them in eighth position and 12th at the end of the year. On 22 March 2013, West Ham secured a 99-year lease deal on the Olympic Stadium , with it planned to be used as their home ground from the 2016–17 season. Tenth place was secured at

333-568: A pitch in the Upton Park area in the guise of the Boleyn Ground stadium in 1904. West Ham's first game in their new home was against fierce rivals Millwall (themselves an Ironworks team, albeit for a rival company) drawing a crowd of 10,000 and with West Ham running out 3–0 winners, and as the Daily Mirror wrote on 2 September 1904, "Favoured by the weather turning fine after heavy rains of

444-407: A 1–0 win over Arsenal, and on the last day of the season defeated newly crowned League Champions Manchester United 1–0 with a goal by Tevez to finish 15th. In the 2007–08 season , West Ham remained reasonably consistently in the top half of the league table, with Freddie Ljungberg in the team, despite a slew of injuries; new signing Craig Bellamy missed most of the campaign, while Kieron Dyer

555-413: A Cup Winners Cup Final, two League Cup Finals and an FA Cup Quarter-final. He had, however, been an unused substitute for most of United's matches since his return to the club, though Gary Walsh was selected as substitute goalkeeper for the 1994 FA Cup final . At the end of the season he was given a free transfer and joined Blackpool , but within six months he had left Bloomfield Road and returned to

666-506: A blocked blood vessel in his brain. As Roeder needed medical help and recuperation, former stalwart Trevor Brooking stood in as caretaker manager. Despite not losing another game, the Hammers were relegated on the last day of the season at Birmingham City , with a record high for a relegated club of 42 points from a 38-game season. Ten seasons of top-tier football were over. Many top players, including Joe Cole , Di Canio and Kanouté, all left

777-572: A first European quarter-final in 41 years, followed by a 4–1 aggregate win over Lyon for a first such semi-final since 1976. Playing the same opposition they met in their 1976 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, Eintracht Frankfurt , the Hammers were knocked out of the Europa League, following a 3–1 aggregate loss to the German side. At the end of the 2021–22 Premier League season, West Ham confirmed

888-478: A four-year deal to become the next manager of West Ham subject to a work permit . West Ham's form continued to be poor with the team seldom outside the relegation zone, placing Grant's future as manager under serious doubt. A 4–0 Football League Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United was an otherwise bright spot in a disappointing season. West Ham's form in the Premier League did not affect their form in

999-450: A ground that usually only held half that number to watch Luton beat Millwall 1–0. Violence started before the match when Luton Town fans hurled bricks, bottles and other projectiles from the roofs of buildings at Millwall fans making their way from the train station to the stadium. Overcrowding on the terrace holding the Millwall fans forced police to open security gates to allow supporters onto

1110-484: A major coup on the last day of the transfer window after completing the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano . The club was eventually bought by an Icelandic consortium, led by Eggert Magnússon , in November 2006. Manager Alan Pardew was sacked after poor form during the season and was replaced by former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley . The signings of Mascherano and Tevez were investigated by

1221-458: A new contract in 2024, having led West Ham to three consecutive European seasons for the first time in their history, reaching at least the quarter-finals of each. On May 23, the club named Julen Lopetegui as his replacement. The Thames Ironworks Team (1895–1900) used the Union Flag as its badge. The principal element of the badge is the crossed pair of rivet hammers, tools that were used in

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1332-459: A permanent basis, and he was their regular goalkeeper throughout the 1990–91 season, keeping goal in their League Cup Final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday (in which he was injured, but refused to leave the field) and the Cup Winners' Cup Final victory over Barcelona the following month. He became a cult hero with United fans and got a standing ovation whenever he returned to Old Trafford. He

1443-478: A place away from the day-to-day affairs of the club on the West Ham board. This would have allowed them to appoint Redknapp as manager. Bonds refused the post offered and walked away from the club. His accusations of deceit and manipulation by the board and by Redknapp have continued to cause ill-feeling. Peter Storrie claimed that they had handled the situation correctly, saying, "If Harry had gone to Bournemouth, there

1554-478: A player often quoted as one of the biggest failures in the Premier League. His first season in charge saw West Ham fighting the threat of relegation until the last few weeks, while his third season would also see another relegation battle. Always willing to enter the transfer market, Redknapp bought in the winter transfer window John Hartson and Paul Kitson , who added the impetus needed at the season's end. In 1999, West Ham finished fifth, their highest position in

1665-585: A position he was in when he died of a heart attack on 19 August 2001. Sealey joined Coventry City as an apprentice in 1976 and made his debut as a 19-year-old on 11 April 1977, in a 1–1 draw at Queens Park Rangers . He spent the next five seasons at the West Midlands club before joining Luton Town in 1983 for £100,000. He was a regular in the team for much of his time at Kenilworth Road , but he missed their 1988 League Cup triumph due to injury, his place being taken by Andy Dibble . A year later, Luton reached

1776-423: A prolonged battle against relegation. They finally secured their survival with two games remaining by defeating Wigan 3–2. The club managed to take 35 points from 38 games, seven fewer than the total they had when relegated seven years prior. On 11 May 2010, two days after the end of the 2009–10 season, West Ham announced the termination of Zola's contract with immediate effect. On 3 June 2010, Avram Grant signed

1887-520: A referee was attacked and the FA ordered the club to erect fences around The Den's terracing. The BBC documentary Panorama was invited into the club by Millwall in 1977 to show the hooligan reputation was a myth and being blown out of proportion by reporting. Instead the BBC portrayed hooliganism as being deeply rooted in Millwall, and attempted to link them to the far-right political party National Front . The show

1998-492: A second spell in charge a day later. On 22 July 2020, the club secured their Premier League status for another season, following a 1–1 draw away to Manchester United. Ahead of the 2020–21 season , West Ham's ownership attracted criticism, including from club captain Mark Noble who publicly criticized the sale of academy graduate Grady Diangana . Despite losing the opening two games of the season, West Ham's form improved and by

2109-502: A second successive season of European football, qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League after finishing seventh. The season was also notable for being Mark Noble's final as a West Ham player, with the midfielder retiring from football after 18 years as a first team player at the club, making 550 appearances in all competitions, scoring 62 times. By finishing 7th in the 2021–22 Premier League, West Ham qualified for

2220-459: A sixteen-pound sledgehammer and then use his sledgehammer to hold the rivet in place while the men on the other side flattened the other end of the rivet. Outside the ship, exposed to the elements, two men with rivet hammers – one right-handed, one left-handed – would hammer the protruding and still glowing rivet flat, so securing one of the many points necessary to link each of the ship's large plates. The crossed hammers were also incorporated into

2331-405: A team featuring a number of works employees. Thomas Freeman was a ships fireman and Walter Parks, a clerk. Johnny Stewart , Walter Tranter and James Lindsay were all boilermakers. Other employees included William Chapman, George Sage and Fred Chamberlain, as well as apprentice riveter Charlie Dove , who was to have a great influence on the club's future at a later date. Thames Ironworks won

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2442-423: Is not solely a Millwall problem, it is not a football problem, it is a problem which plagues the whole of our society", he said. Paphitis later introduced a membership scheme whereby only fans who would be prepared to join and carry membership cards would be allowed into The Den. Scotland Yard withdrew its threat to sue, stating: "In light of the efforts made and a donation to a charity helping injured police officers,

2553-663: The 1992–93 season before returning to Manchester United on a free transfer in January 1993, this time as Peter Schmeichel 's understudy. In his second spell at Old Trafford , he made just two first-team appearances – once as a substitute when Schmeichel was sent off in the FA Cup Quarter-final against Charlton and the other in the League Cup final for which Schmeichel was suspended, which United lost 3–1 to his old club, Aston Villa. It meant his last four appearances for United were

2664-521: The 2014–15 Premier League , one place higher than the previous season. Minutes after the last game of the season, on 24 May 2015, the club announced that Allardyce's contract would not be renewed and that they were seeking a new manager. By winning the Premier League Fair Play table for 2014–15, West Ham qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League , entering at the first qualifying round. On 9 June 2015, former West Ham player Slaven Bilić

2775-405: The 2022–23 Europa Conference League , entering at the play-off stage . The 2022–23 campaign was a mixed bag for the Hammers . The club finished 14th in the Premier League, only securing their Premier League status with two games remaining and exiting the League Cup to lower league opposition in a season that saw manager David Moyes come under pressure. In January 2023, Mark Noble returned to

2886-675: The European Cup Winners' Cup the following year. During the 1966 World Cup , key members of the tournament winners England were West Ham players, including the captain, Bobby Moore ; Martin Peters (who scored in the final); and Geoff Hurst , who scored the first hat-trick in a World Cup final. All three players had come through the youth team at West Ham. There is a "Champions" statue in Barking Road , opposite The Boleyn Tavern , commemorating West Ham's "three sons" who helped win

2997-510: The FA Premier League . However, they were eliminated in the playoff semi-finals by Derby County , and the game at the New Den had to be halted twice due to pitch invasions by Millwall hooligans. There was also widespread fighting in the stands. In October 2004, during a Football League Cup tie at home to Liverpool , Millwall fans taunted their Liverpool counterparts with songs making fun of

3108-528: The Football League in 1919. It was promoted to the top flight in 1923, when it was also losing finalist in the first FA Cup final held at Wembley . In 1940, the club won the inaugural Football League War Cup . West Ham United has won five major honours in its history. Domestically, it has been winner of the FA Cup three times (1964, 1975 and 1980) and runner-up twice (1923 and 2006). In European competitions,

3219-620: The Hillsborough disaster which had claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans in 1989. This escalated into violent clashes between fans of the two teams. Seven months later, three Liverpool fans received three-month prison sentences and a further two avoided prison sentences but received banning orders. Three Millwall fans received three-month prison sentences and six-year banning orders. In January 2009, hundreds of Millwall fans perceived as "high risk" individuals gained access to an FA Cup fourth-round match away at Hull City . The game, won 2–0 by Hull,

3330-675: The Premier League , the top tier of English football . The club plays at the London Stadium , having moved from their former home, the Boleyn Ground , in 2016. West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. It moved to the Boleyn Ground, which remained its home ground for more than a century, in 1904. The team initially competed in the Southern League and Western League before joining

3441-455: The Premiership with boyhood heroes West Ham. Due to an injury crisis, Sealey made his Hammers debut as an outfield player, coming on as an attacking substitute against Arsenal in the autumn of 1995. During his 18-month spell at the Boleyn Ground , he was understudy to Luděk Mikloško . Sealey joined Third Division club Leyton Orient in 1996, and was their first-choice goalkeeper from

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3552-712: The West Ham Charity Cup , contested by clubs in the West Ham locality, in 1895, then won the London League in 1897. They turned professional in 1898 upon entering the Southern League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division at the first attempt. The following year they came second from bottom, but had established themselves as a fully-fledged competitive team. They comfortably fended off

3663-499: The flamethrowers on them". In 1982 Millwall club chairman Alan Thorne threatened to close the club because of violence sparked by losing in the FA Cup to non-league side Slough Town . The 1985 Kenilworth Road riot , after an FA Cup sixth-round match between Luton Town and Millwall on 13 March 1985, became one of the worst and widely reported incidents of football hooliganism to date. On that night, approximately 20,000 people packed into

3774-412: The 1966 World Cup: Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Also included on the statue is Everton 's Ray Wilson . After a difficult start to the 1974–75 season, Greenwood moved himself "upstairs" to become general manager and, without informing the board, appointed his assistant John Lyall as team manager. The result was instant success – the team scored 20 goals in their first four games and won

3885-534: The BBC as one of the worst cases of civil disorder seen in Britain in recent times. A police spokeswoman said that 47 police officers and 24 police horses were injured, and the Metropolitan Police considered suing the club after the events. The then chairman Theo Paphitis responded that Millwall could not be blamed for the actions of a mindless minority who attach themselves to the club. "The problem of mob violence

3996-449: The FA Cup, becoming the last team to win the FA Cup with an all-English side when they beat Fulham 2–0 in the 1975 final. The Fulham team included two former England captains , Alan Mullery and West Ham legend Bobby Moore. Lyall then guided West Ham to another European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1976, though the team lost the match 4–2 to Belgian side Anderlecht . Greenwood's tenure as general manager lasted less than three years, as he

4107-483: The FA Cup. Millwall lost the game 2–0. Towards the end of the match, violence broke out in part of the stand allocated to Millwall, with individuals fighting amongst themselves and then against police, resulting in 14 arrests, of which two were Wigan supporters. West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford , East London , England. The club competes in

4218-486: The First Division but retained their status for ten years and reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1933. In 1932, the club was relegated to the Second Division and long-term custodian Syd King was sacked after serving the club in the role of manager for 32 years, and as a player from 1899 to 1903. Following relegation, King had mental health problems. He appeared drunk at a board meeting and killed himself soon after. He

4329-482: The First Division in 1981, and finished in the top ten of the First Division for the next three seasons before achieving their highest-ever league finish of third in 1985–86; a group of players which came to be known as The Boys of 86 . However, the Hammers suffered relegation again in 1989, which resulted in Lyall's sacking. He was awarded an ex gratia payment of £ 100,000 (equivalent to £314,000 in 2023) but left

4440-434: The First Division. Now back in the top flight, Bonds saw West Ham through one of their most controversial seasons. With the club planning to introduce a bond scheme , there was crowd unrest. West Ham finished last and were relegated back to the Second Division after only one season. However, they rebounded strongly in 1992–93. With Trevor Morley and Clive Allen scoring 40 goals, they guaranteed themselves second place on

4551-482: The Metropolitan Police Service has decided not to pursue legal action against Millwall F.C. in relation to the disorder". Some legal experts said it would have been difficult to hold a football club responsible for something that occurred away from its ground and involved people who did not attend the match. The scheme introduced by Paphitis now only applies to perceived high-risk away games. Many fans blame

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4662-645: The Premier League, who were concerned that details of the transfers had been omitted from official records. The club was found guilty and fined £5.5 million in April 2007. However, West Ham avoided a points deduction which ultimately became critical in their avoidance of relegation at the end of the 2006–07 season . Following on from this event, Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan , supported by other sides facing possible relegation, including Fulham and Sheffield United , threatened legal action. West Ham escaped relegation by winning seven of their last nine games, including

4773-771: The Thames, Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company , by foreman and local league referee Dave Taylor and owner Arnold Hills and was announced in the Thames Ironworks Gazette of June 1895. Thames Ironworks was based in Leamouth Wharf in Blackwall and Canning Town on both banks of the River Lea , where the Lea meets the Thames . Thames Ironworks built many ships and other structures,

4884-404: The challenge of local rivals Fulham in a relegation play-off, 5–1 in late April 1900 and retained their First Division status. The team initially played in full dark blue kits, as inspired by Mr. Hills, who had been an Oxford University " Blue ", but changed the following season by adopting the sky blue shirts and white shorts combination worn from 1897 to 1899. Following growing disputes over

4995-475: The club as sporting director. Despite the troubles in West Ham's domestic campaign, they excelled in the Europa Conference League. The club progressed to the final unbeaten, winning 13 games and drawing just once. They went on to win the competition, defeating Fiorentina 2–1 in the final to claim their first major trophy since 1980 and their first European trophy in 58 years. Moyes was not offered

5106-578: The club has reached three major European finals winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965 , finishing runner-up in the same competitions in 1976 , and winning the second edition of the Europa Conference League in 2023 . The club has also won one minor European trophy by winning the Intertoto Cup in 1999. West Ham United is one of eight clubs never to have fallen below the second tier of English football, spending 66 of 98 league seasons in

5217-517: The club in what Lyall described as "upsetting" circumstances, meriting only 73 words in a terse acknowledgement of his service in the club programme. Lyall left West Ham after 34 years' service. After Lyall, Lou Macari briefly led the team, though he resigned after less than a single season in order to clear his name of allegations of illegal betting while manager of Swindon Town . He was replaced by former player Billy Bonds . In Bonds' first full season, 1990–91 , West Ham again secured promotion to

5328-430: The club. The next season, now in the second tier, Roeder resumed his stint as manager. Results were still poor, however, and after an away defeat to Rotherham United , he was sacked on 24 August 2003. Brooking again took over as caretaker. He lost only one game, a 2–0 away defeat to Gillingham and is known as "the best manager West Ham never had." Former Crystal Palace player and manager of Reading Alan Pardew

5439-636: The coat of arms of the County Borough of West Ham and those of its successor, the modern London Borough of Newham . The Thames Ironworks lay partly within what is now the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. However, the blacksmith's tongs in that Borough's coat of arms represent the local saint, Dunstan , the patron saint of Stepney and metalworkers, rather than the Ironworks. Les Sealey Leslie Jesse Sealey (29 September 1957 – 19 August 2001)

5550-617: The crowd to confront some of the home supporters and was knocked unconscious. The ground was again closed for two weeks in 1934 following crowd disturbances after the visit of Bradford (Park Avenue) . Pitch invasions resulted in another closure in 1947 and in 1950 the club was fined after a referee and linesman were ambushed outside the ground. In the 1960s, hooliganism in England became more widely reported. On 6 November 1965 Millwall beat west London club Brentford 2–1 away at Griffin Park and during

5661-462: The culprit over to police. The News of the World , however, bore the headline: "Millwall Thugs Deck Linesman With Concrete". This has led to a siege mentality among supporters of the club, which gave rise to the Millwall fans' famous terrace chant, No one likes us, we don't care , being sung in defiant defence of themselves and their team. In April 2013, Millwall met Wigan Athletic in a semi-final of

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5772-405: The emerging vessel and two outside. Inside the ship one member of the team would heat the rivets till they were white hot and, using Iron Fingers ( blacksmith 's tongs ), throw them to a second person, known as a "catch-boy" or "putter-in", who would pick the rivet up and place it the hole, also using tongs. The third person was known as the "holder-on" and he would then smash the rivet home with

5883-457: The end of November, the club sat in fifth place. The club would not drop out of a European spot for the rest of the season and went on to qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stages after finishing in 6th. Moyes signed a new three-year contract on 12 June 2021. West Ham won their first three games of the year 2022, temporarily elevating the club to fourth place in the Premier League. The team beat Sevilla 2–1 on aggregate to reach

5994-546: The end of the season with nine home wins and only three away from home. Only 11 away goals were scored, the lowest of the entire league. In 2013–14 , West Ham finished 13th in the Premier League. They also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup before losing 9–0 on aggregate to eventual cup-winners Manchester City . A feature of the season were the criticisms of manager Sam Allardyce by supporters relating to his perceived negative playing tactics. West Ham finished 12th in

6105-460: The field of play. The Hammers were fined £115,000 by the FA. In January 1988, when Millwall were knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal in a third round match at Highbury , 41 Millwall hooligans, were arrested after clashing with Arsenal's firm The Herd . In August 1993, Millwall relocated to the New Den and ended that season third in Division One, entering the playoffs to try and win a place in

6216-569: The field of play. West Ham were fined £115,000, an amount seen as an insult by Millwall, which staunchly defended the actions of its own fans and the club's inability to do any more than it had for a match at a rival's ground. Former club chairman Reg Burr once commented: "Millwall are a convenient coat peg for football to hang its social ills on", an example being the reporting of convicted murderer Gavin Grant . Although he had played for eight different clubs, playing his fewest games (four) for Millwall, and

6327-432: The final again and he was able to keep goal this time in a 3–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest in which Sealey had a poor game, including fouling Steve Hodge to concede a penalty (converted by Nigel Clough ). He was dropped from the team for Luton's next game and replaced by Alec Chamberlain . Sealey never played for Luton again. In December 1989, Sealey was loaned to Manchester United and made two league appearances during

6438-440: The final weeks of the season. He was named as goalkeeper for the 1990 FA Cup final replay against Crystal Palace after a poor display from Jim Leighton in the preceding 3–3 draw, and made several saves to help his side win 1–0. He later offered his winner's medal to Leighton, who had played throughout the cup run, but the FA subsequently granted medals to both players, who remained friends thereafter. United signed Sealey on

6549-437: The fixture has gained notoriety for frequent incidents of football hooliganism . West Ham adopted their claret and sky blue colour scheme in the early 1900s, with the most common iteration of a claret shirt and sky blue sleeves first emerging in 1904. The earliest generally accepted incarnation of West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks F.C. , the works team of the largest and last surviving shipbuilder on

6660-407: The game a hand grenade was thrown onto the pitch from the Millwall end. Brentford's goalkeeper Chic Brodie picked it up, inspected it and threw it into his goal. It was later retrieved by police and determined to be a harmless dummy. There was fighting inside and outside the ground during the game between both sets of supporters, with one Millwall fan sustaining a broken jaw. The Sun newspaper ran

6771-483: The ground as well as pitch invasions and crowd trouble inside Upton Park . In August 2009, the financial concerns of Icelandic owners parent companies left the current owners unable to provide any funds until a new owner was found. The club's shirt sponsor SBOBET provided the club with help to purchase a much needed striker, the Italian Alessandro Diamanti . West Ham had a poor season which involved

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6882-409: The head, drawing blood. The stadium announcer warned that the game would be abandoned if there were any more disturbances from the crowd, prompting some Millwall fans to invade the pitch in an unsuccessful attempt to get the game abandoned. When Millwall's unbeaten home record of 59 games came to an end against Plymouth Argyle in 1967, the windows of the away team's coach were smashed. In the same year,

6993-490: The highest number of goals in a season (65), the fewest games lost in a season (8) and the lowest number of away defeats (5). The season also marked the last season where the team played at the Boleyn Ground, with them moving to the London Stadium from next season - ending their 112-year stay at the stadium. Following Manchester United's win in the 2016 FA Cup final , West Ham took their Europa League place and qualified for

7104-491: The job, Chairman Brown recruited from within the club, appointing reserve team coach Glenn Roeder as manager on 9 May 2001. He had already failed in management with Gillingham , where he lost 22 of the 35 games he managed, and Watford . His first big signings were the return of Don Hutchison for £5 million (equivalent to £10.4 million in 2023) and Czech centre back Tomáš Řepka . Finishing seventh in his first season Roeder, in his office at Upton Park , suffered

7215-438: The last day of the season with a 2–0 home win against Cambridge United , and with it promotion to the Premier League . With the team in the Premier League, there was a need to rebuild the team. Oxford United player Joey Beauchamp was recruited for a fee of £1.2 million (equivalent to £3.1 million in 2023). Shortly after arriving at the club, however, he became unhappy, citing homesickness from his native Oxford as

7326-459: The loss, West Ham announced the sacking of manager Avram Grant just one season into his tenure. On 1 June 2011, Sam Allardyce was appointed as manager as Grant's replacement. The club finished third in the 2011–12 Football League Championship with 86 points and took part in the play-offs. They beat Cardiff City in the play-off semi-final 5–0 on aggregate to reach the final against Blackpool at Wembley on 19 May 2012. Carlton Cole opened

7437-644: The managership of John Lyall. Over 134 players passed through the club while he was manager, producing a net transfer fee deficit of £16 million, despite the £18 million sale (equivalent to £38.3 million in 2023) of Rio Ferdinand to Leeds United in 2000. Some were notably successful, such as the signings of Stuart Pearce , Trevor Sinclair , Paolo Di Canio , John Hartson , Eyal Berkovic and Ian Wright . Meanwhile, some were expensive, international players who failed at West Ham, such as Florin Raducioiu ; Davor Šuker , who earned as much in wages as

7548-789: The media. West Ham United joined the Western League for the 1901 season while also continuing to play in the Southern Division 1. In 1907, West Ham were crowned the Western League Division 1B Champions, and then defeated 1A champions Fulham 1–0 to become the Western League Overall Champions. The reborn club continued to play their games at the Memorial Grounds in Plaistow (funded by Arnold Hills) but moved to

7659-569: The morning, West Ham United began their season most auspiciously yesterday evening; when they beat Millwall by 3 goals to 0 on their new enclosure at Upton Park." In 1919, still under King's leadership, West Ham gained entrance to the Football League Second Division , their first game being a 1–1 draw with Lincoln City , and were promoted to the First Division in 1923, also making it to the first ever FA Cup final to be held at

7770-592: The most famous being HMS  Warrior . The last ship built there was the dreadnought HMS  Thunderer in 1912 and the yard shut soon after. The repair yard of the Castle Shipping Line was a very near neighbour and their work team, initially known as the Castle Swifts , would informally merge with the Thames Ironworks own team. The team played on a strictly amateur basis for 1895 at least, with

7881-462: The new manager on a three-year contract. In his first season in charge, the Hammers finished 10th, once again suffering from inconsistent form. However, after a poor first half to the following season, Pellegrini was sacked in December 2019 with the team only one point above the relegation zone. His last game in charge was a 2–1 home loss to Leicester City. He was replaced by David Moyes, who returned for

7992-441: The old Wembley Stadium . Their opponents were Bolton Wanderers . This was also known as the " White Horse final ", so named because an estimated 200,000 people came to see the match and the crowd was spilling out on to the pitch, which had to be cleared prior to kick-off by "Billie", a giant white horse (actually grey) being ridden by PC George Scorey . The cup final match itself ended 2–0 to Bolton. The team enjoyed mixed success in

8103-490: The opposite direction. Whitbread was valued at £750,000 (equivalent to £1.8 million in 2023) in the deal. Assistant manager Harry Redknapp was also now taking a bigger role in the transfer of players, with the club's approval. With rumours of his old club AFC Bournemouth being prepared to offer him a position, the West Ham board and their managing director, Peter Storrie , made a controversial move. The board were anxious not to lose Redknapp's services and offered Bonds

8214-495: The pitch side to avoid a crush in the oversold terrace. Numerous pitch invasions, fighting in the stands and missile-throwing occurred, of which one such object hit Luton's goalkeeper Les Sealey . It led to a ban on away supporters by Luton from their Kenilworth Road ground for four years. Luton were asked by Millwall to make the Wednesday night match all-ticket, but this was ignored. As a result, rival hooligan firms gained access to

8325-457: The playoff final only to lose to Crystal Palace. His signings of Bobby Zamora , Matthew Etherington and veterans Chris Powell and Teddy Sheringham saw West Ham finishing sixth and subsequently beat Preston North End 1–0 thanks to a Zamora goal in the 2005 playoff final , securing a return to the Premier League. After ensuring promotion, Pardew said, "It's a team effort. We defended well and we're back where we belong." On their return to

8436-414: The reason. Bonds in particular found this attitude hard to understand compared to his own committed, never-say-die approach; providing for Bonds' further evidence of the decay in the modern game and modern player. Fifty-eight days later, Beauchamp was signed by Swindon Town for a club-record combined fee of £800,000 (equivalent to £2.1 million in 2023), which included defender Adrian Whitbread going in

8547-409: The revenue gained from one entire stand and yet made only eight appearances; Christian Bassila , who cost £720,000 (equivalent to £1.5 million in 2023) and played only 86 minutes of football; Titi Camara ; Gary Charles , whose wages amounted to £4.4 million (equivalent to £9 million in 2023) but made only three starts for the club; Rigobert Song ; Paulo Futre ; and Marco Boogers ,

8658-574: The running and financing of the club, in June 1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. was disbanded, then almost immediately relaunched as West Ham United F.C. — reflecting the West Ham , London district where they played — on 5 July 1900 with Syd King as their manager and future manager Charlie Paynter as his assistant. Because of the original "works team" roots and links (still represented upon the club badge), they are still known as "the Irons" or "the Hammers" amongst fans and

8769-430: The scheme for diminishing Millwall's away support, such as at Leeds United where fans are issued with vouchers which are then exchanged for tickets at a designated point of West Yorkshire Police 's choosing on the day of the game. Also, early kick-off times arranged by the police often result in only a few hundred fans making the trip. The most infamous recent example of the rivalry between Millwall and West Ham flaring up

8880-440: The scoring, and although Blackpool equalised early in the second half, Ricardo Vaz Tê scored the winner for West Ham in the 87th minute. West Ham, on their return to the Premier League, signed former players James Collins and George McCartney on permanent deals, as well as record signing Matt Jarvis and Andy Carroll on loan. They won their first game of the season, on 18 August 2012, 1–0 against Aston Villa thanks to

8991-480: The sensationalist grenade-related headline "Soccer Marches to War!" Trouble was reported at Loftus Road on 26 March 1966 during a match between Queens Park Rangers and Millwall, at a time when both sides were near the top of the league table pushing for promotion to Division Two , but the London derby was won 6–1 by QPR. In the second-half, a coin was thrown from the terraces, which struck Millwall player Len Julians on

9102-487: The shipbuilding industry. The Blackwall and Canning Town neighbourhoods surrounding the Thames Ironworks echoed to the sound of hammers; steam hammers , sledge hammers and rivet hammers. Seven large mechanical steam hammers would punch small holes near the edges of the iron plates which would be joined to build the ships. The plates would be put in place and fixed together with rivets by teams of five, three inside

9213-486: The stadium. As well as the Millwall hooligans and those belonging to Luton's firm the MIGs , many of the 31 fans arrested after the violence were identified as being from Chelsea's Headhunters firm and West Ham United's Inter City Firm . The FA commissioned an inquiry which concluded that it was "not satisfied that Millwall F.C. took all reasonable precautions in accordance with the requirements of FA Rule 31(A)(II)." A £7,500 fine

9324-411: The start of 1996–97 . In December 1996, the 39-year-old Sealey returned to West Ham in an exchange deal for 47-year-old Peter Shilton . He made his last first-team appearance on the final day of the 1996–97 season, fittingly against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He had come on as a substitute for Luděk Mikloško , West Ham's regular first-choice goalkeeper. At the end of the 1997–98 season he

9435-415: The third qualifying round of the 2016–17 edition . At the end of the first season at the London Stadium , the team finished 11th, along with having to deal with the departure of star man Dimitri Payet . However, the team suffered a poor start to the following season, taking only two wins in their opening 11 games. Following a 4–1 defeat to Liverpool at home and with the team threatened by relegation, Bilić

9546-458: The top division, West Ham finished in ninth place, The highlight of the 2005–06 season , however, was reaching the FA Cup final and taking favourites Liverpool to a penalty shootout after a 3–3 draw. West Ham lost the shootout, but nonetheless gained entry to the following season's UEFA Cup as Liverpool had already qualified for the Champions League . In August 2006, West Ham completed

9657-472: The top flight since 1986. They also won the Intertoto Cup beating French club Metz to qualify for the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup . Things began to falter for Redknapp with the sale of Ferdinand to Leeds in November 2000. Redknapp used the transfer money poorly with purchases such as Ragnvald Soma , who cost £800,000 (equivalent to £1.7 million in 2023) and played only seven league games, Camara, and Song. Redknapp felt he needed more funds with which to deal in

9768-457: The top flight, up to and including the 2023–24 season . The club's highest league position to date came in 1985–86 , when it achieved third place in the then First Division . Three West Ham players were members of the 1966 World Cup finals-winning England team: captain Bobby Moore and goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters . The club has a long-standing rivalry with Millwall , and

9879-413: The top level of English football in 1958. With the considerable input of player Malcolm Allison , Fenton helped develop both the initial batch of future West Ham stars and West Ham's approach to the game. Ron Greenwood was appointed as Fenton's successor in 1961 and soon led the club to two major trophies, winning the 1964 FA Cup Final . The team was led by the young Bobby Moore . West Ham also won

9990-493: The transfer market. Chairman Brown lost patience with Redknapp due to his demands for further transfer funds. In June 2001, called to a meeting with Brown expecting to discuss contracts, he was fired. His assistant Frank Lampard left too, making the sale of his son, Frank Lampard Jr. , inevitable; in the summer of 2001, he joined Chelsea for £11 million (equivalent to £23 million in 2023). With several names, such as former player Alan Curbishley , now linked with

10101-636: The two domestic cups. The Hammers reached the semi-final of the League Cup before being eliminated by eventual winners Birmingham City as well as the quarter-final of the FA Cup before a 2–1 defeat at eventual runners-up Stoke City . On 15 May 2011, West Ham's relegation to the Championship was confirmed after a comeback from Wigan at the DW Stadium . With West Ham leading 2–0 at half-time through two Demba Ba goals, Wigan battled back to win 3–2 thanks to an added-time strike from Charles N'Zogbia . Following

10212-459: The very first kick of the ball it was seen likely to be some trouble, but the storm burst when Dean and Jarvis came into collision (Millwall had two players sent off during the match). This aroused considerable excitement among the spectators. The crowds on the bank having caught the fever, free fights were plentiful." In the 1920s Millwall's ground was closed for two weeks after a Newport County goalkeeper, who had been struck by missiles, jumped into

10323-421: The way we have been reported is unfair", he said. Other examples of this include archive footage of their hooligan element's past bad behaviour being shown, when disorder has occurred at other grounds, not involving them. During a game between Millwall and Huddersfield Town , The Observer reported that a Huddersfield Town fan had thrown a coin at a linesman, and that some Millwall fans had intervened, and handed

10434-421: Was a good chance Bill would have resigned anyway, so we were in a no-win situation. We're sad that Bill is going, and it's a big blow but it's time to move on and we have appointed a great manager." Redknapp became manager on 10 August 1994. Redknapp's seven years as manager was notable for the turnover of players during his tenure and for the level of attractive football and success which had not been seen since

10545-429: Was an English professional football player and coach. He played as a goalkeeper , most notably in the top flight for Coventry City , Luton Town , Manchester United , Aston Villa , and West Ham United . He also played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle , Birmingham City , Blackpool , Leyton Orient and Bury . Following retirement, Sealey was appointed first team goalkeeping coach at West Ham United,

10656-419: Was appointed as manager on a three-year contract. In Bilić's fourth game in charge, the team won at Anfield for the first time in 52 years, beating Liverpool 0–3, with goals from Manuel Lanzini , Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho . At the end of the season, West Ham finished 7th in the Premier League. The team broke several records for the club in the Premier League era, including the highest number of points (62),

10767-437: Was appointed to manage England in the wake of Don Revie 's resignation in 1977. In 1978, West Ham were again relegated to the Second Division, but Lyall was retained as manager and led the team to victory in the 1980 FA Cup final with a 1–0 win against Arsenal , the most recent time a team from outside the top flight has won the FA Cup. They reached the final by defeating Everton in the semi-final. West Ham were promoted to

10878-478: Was extremely damaging for the club. On 11 March 1978 a riot broke out at The Den during an FA Cup quarter-final between Millwall and Ipswich Town , with the home team losing 6–1. Fighting began on the terraces and spilled onto the pitch; dozens of fans were injured, with some hooligans turning on their own team's supporters leaving some innocent fans bloodied. Bobby Robson , then manager of Ipswich, said of Millwall fans afterward, "They [the police] should have turned

10989-541: Was former Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola , who took over on 11 September 2008 to become the club's first non-British manager. In the 2008–09 season , West Ham finished ninth, a single place improvement. In the 2009–10 season , West Ham started strongly with a 2–0 win over newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers , with goals from Mark Noble and newly appointed captain Matthew Upson . A League Cup match against old rivals Millwall brought about violent riots outside

11100-408: Was hoping to get a two-year contract, but was offered just a one-year deal and turned it down in favour of a transfer, and was signed by Aston Villa. For much of the first half of 1991–92, Sealey was Villa's first-choice goalkeeper, but he then lost his place to long-serving Nigel Spink and never played for the club again. He had several games on loan at Birmingham City during the opening weeks of

11211-404: Was levied against Millwall, though this was later withdrawn on appeal. The penalty that Millwall faced was perhaps that the club's name was now "synonymous with everything that was bad in football and society". In May 2002, hundreds of hooligans attaching themselves to Millwall were involved in disorder around the ground, after the team lost a play-off game to Birmingham City . It was described by

11322-548: Was lined up to be the next bench boss. Reading and their chairman, John Madejski , however, were reluctant to let him leave. After serving a period of notice and gardening leave, and with West Ham paying Reading £380,000 (equivalent to £759,000 in 2023) in compensation, he was appointed manager on 18 October 2003, their tenth manager. Pardew set out to rebuild the side bringing in Nigel Reo-Coker , Marlon Harewood and Brian Deane . In his first season in charge, they made

11433-472: Was loaned out to Bury but did not make a first-team appearance. Upon his return to West Ham he was appointed as the club's goalkeeper coach, although he was still registered as a player during the 1999–00 season, taking him past his 42nd birthday in September 1999. He was a nephew of Alan Sealey , another West Ham United player. He was the father of footballers Joe and George Sealey. Joe notably played as

11544-527: Was out from August 2007. The last game of the season, at the Boleyn Ground , saw West Ham draw 2–2 against Aston Villa , ensuring a tenth-place finish three points ahead of rivals Tottenham Hotspur . It was a five-place improvement on the previous season, and most importantly West Ham were never under any realistic threat of relegation. After a row with the board over the sale of defenders Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland , manager Alan Curbishley resigned on 3 September 2008. His successor

11655-518: Was overshadowed when seats, coins and plastic bottles were thrown by some away supporters. There were conflicting reports in the media as to whether missiles were initially thrown by Hull supporters following chanting and jeering by Millwall fans at Jimmy Bullard (an ex-West Ham player) just prior to the fixture. On 25 August 2009, Millwall played away at West Ham United in the Football League Cup, losing 3–1 after extra time. One Millwall supporter

11766-421: Was replaced with his assistant manager Charlie Paynter , who himself had been with West Ham in a number of roles since 1897 and who went on to serve the team in this role until 1950 for a total of 480 games. The club spent most of the next thirty years in the second division, first under Paynter and then later under the leadership of former player Ted Fenton . Fenton succeeded in getting the club promoted back to

11877-426: Was sacked on 6 November 2017. He was replaced by former Sunderland boss David Moyes on a contract until the end of the season. The team battled inconsistent form for the rest of the season but managed to avoid relegation and finish 13th. Moyes was not offered a new contract and left the club on the expiration of it on 16 May 2018. On 22 May 2018, the club appointed former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini as

11988-405: Was signed to Bradford City at the time, the BBC used the headline, "Former Millwall striker Gavin Grant guilty of murder". After a game against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in September 2010, manager Kenny Jackett said Millwall's hooligan problems are to a certain extent exaggerated by media sensationalism . "I see it as unjust. We are an easy club to criticise and in my time [at the club],

12099-537: Was stabbed during clashes between the two sets of fans outside the ground. The game saw hundreds of West Ham fans invade the pitch on three occasions, forcing the game to be temporarily suspended once. The police later said the violence, because of its scale, was organised beforehand. In the aftermath of the disorder, Millwall were handed three charges by the FA and later cleared of all of them; West Ham received four charges and were found guilty on two counts: violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour, and entering

12210-505: Was stabbed. The game itself saw about fifty West Ham supporters invade the pitch on three occasions, forcing the game to be temporarily suspended once. The police later said the violence, because of its large scale, was organised beforehand. The Football Association later handed Millwall three charges and West Ham four. Millwall were cleared of all charges while West Ham were found guilty of two: violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour and failing to prevent their fans entering

12321-467: Was when, in the 2009–10 season , The Lions were drawn against The Hammers in the Football League Cup . The police halved the number of tickets given to travelling Millwall fans from 3,000 to 1,500, sparking anger among Lions fans. On the evening of 25 August 2009, clashes between some Millwall and West Ham fans outside Upton Park resulted in 20 people being injured, including one Millwall fan who

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