Origins 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 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, the most famous being . The last ship built there was the
dreadnought 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 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 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 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 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 the media.
Birth of West Ham United (1901–1961) 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. and as the
Daily Mirror wrote on 2 September 1904, "Favoured by the weather turning fine after heavy rains of 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." final 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 the old
Wembley Stadium. Their opponents were
Bolton Wanderers. This was also known as the "
White Horse final", where nearly 300,000 people (according to Police estimates) came to see the match. Overcrowding led to the crowd 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 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 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. At the start of the
1939–1940 season, the club has assembled a group of players that Charlie Paynter believed was the most talented he'd managed. This included local men brought through the youth team such as
Len Goulden, an England regular, and successful signings from the English and Scottish Leagues. There was hope for promotion and a successful new era until war broke out three matches into the season and league football was suspended for six years. Although league competition was suspended, the
War Cup was played in place of the FA Cup for the duration of hostilities. In June 1940 the club won its first major trophy, winning the War Cup by beating first division
Blackburn Rovers 1–0 at Wembley Stadium.
Glory years (1961–1986) 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 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 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 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 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 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.
Ups and downs (1986–2005) However, the
Hammers suffered relegation again in 1989, which resulted in Lyall's sacking. He was awarded an
ex gratia payment of () but left 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 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 the last day of the season with a 2–0 home win against
Cambridge United, and with it promotion to the
Premier League. celebrate winning the 2005 play-off final in Cardiff. From L-R
Shaun Newton (crouching), Back row,
Matthew Etherington,
Jimmy Walker,
Teddy Sheringham,
Marlon Harewood, Front row
Don Hutchison,
Carl Fletcher,
Elliott Ward and
Mark Noble (with flag). 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 £ million in ). Shortly after arriving at the club, however, he became unhappy, citing homesickness from his native Oxford as 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 £ million in ), which included defender
Adrian Whitbread going in the opposite direction. Whitbread was valued at £750,000 (equivalent to £ million in ) 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 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. 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 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 £ million in ) of
Rio Ferdinand to
Leeds United in 2000. Some were notably successful, such as the signings of
Stuart Pearce, Meanwhile, some were expensive, international players who failed at West Ham, such as
Florin Raducioiu; 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 the top flight since 1986. 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 £ million in ) and played only seven league games, Camara, and Song. Redknapp felt he needed more funds with which to deal in 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. With several names, such as former player
Alan Curbishley, now linked with the job, Chairman Brown recruited from within the club, His first big signings were the return of
Don Hutchison for £5 million (equivalent to £ million in ) and Czech centre back
Tomáš Řepka. Finishing seventh in his first season Roeder, in his office at
Upton Park, suffered a blocked blood vessel in his brain. 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 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. 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 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 () 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 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."
Final years at the Boleyn (2005–2016) On their return to 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 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 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 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 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 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. lifts the trophy after the
2012 Football League Championship play-off final. 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 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 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 3 June 2010,
Avram Grant signed 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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), 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.
Move to London Stadium and European success (2016–present) Following Manchester United's win in the
2016 FA Cup final, West Ham took their Europa League place and qualified for 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 23 May the club named
Julen Lopetegui as his replacement. He was sacked on 8 January 2025 with the team in 14th position, seven points above the relegation positions; during his tenure, they lost nine of 20 Premier League games. On 9 January
Graham Potter was appointed as head coach signing a two–and–a–half year contract. On 27 September 2025, Potter was sacked by West Ham United following poor results and performances over the course of the second half of the
2024–25 season and the start of the
2025–26 season. At the time, West Ham were 19th in the league having won one of their opening five league games.
Nuno Espírito Santo took charge of the team. ==Crest==