The sale of
Rio Ferdinand to
Leeds United contributed towards a dip in West Ham's otherwise good
Premier League form, seeing them 8th by Boxing Day, and mystery surrounded the departure of manager
Harry Redknapp on 9 May following a row with chairman
Terry Brown over transfer cash for what the club needed to challenge for a top six finish next season.
Alan Curbishley,
Steve McClaren and
George Graham were just some of the many names linked with the vacancy before it was announced that caretaker manager and former youth coach
Glenn Roeder would be taking over on a permanent basis. ==Final league table==