After West Ham’s excellent start to the 2021/22 season, supporters everywhere are questioning whether or not this could be the club’s best-ever campaign.
Sitting fourth in the league table after 12 games, six points behind leaders Chelsea, a top-four finish will definitely be the ultimate target come the end of the season.
With this in mind, we take a look at some of West Ham’s best ever seasons and where those teams finished in the league for that campaign…
5. 2015/16 season – 7th placed finish
Under the management of Slaven Bilic, West Ham became a very solid side during the 2015/16 season, when they eventually finished 7th to qualify for a Europa League playoff spot.
The squad showed team camaraderie that the Hammers had not seen in a long time. The likes of Dimitri Payet and Mark Noble shone in the club’s final season at Upton Park, and it was an unforgettable one for all West Ham supporters.
4. 1972/73 season – 6th placed finish
Manager Ron Greenwood led the Hammers to their joint-highest finish in the history of the club at that time, and the squad was flooded with West Ham legends.
A team that consisted of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard Sr, Trevor Brooking, Clyde Best and Pop Robson (who scored 28 goals) stood out as one of the club’s best-ever squads – eventually finishing sixth in the table that season.
3. 2020/21 season – 6th placed finish
Last season’s success during a pandemic-hit season, were astonishing for a side that were battling relegation the year before. David Moyes had done a fantastic job in getting consistency out of the squad.
The signings and full seasons of Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen and Vladimir Coufal impressed to help the Hammers lose no more than six times following the turn of the year and push the club to finish just two points away from a top-four spot.
2. 1998/99 season – 5th placed finish
The 1998/99 season under Harry Redknapp was an unforgettable campaign for most. Filled with future stars, this team played fluid and creative football that lit up the Boleyn ground.
The side that contained players like Paolo Di Canio, Julian Dicks, Rio Ferdinand, Steve Lomas, Frank Lampard, Ian Wright and Trevor Sinclair finished 5th to qualify for Europe in style after 19 years away – entering the Intertoto Cup the following season.
1. 1985/86 season – 3rd placed finish
Finally, the best ever season in West Ham’s 126-year history came in the 1985/86 campaign, when the squad finished third in the First Division under the legendary John Lyall and would’ve qualified for the UEFA Cup had English clubs not been banned.
The team scored 74 goals and were on course for a title challenge with only a few games to go, but ultimately finished just four points away from winning the trophy.
The iconic partnership of Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee totaled for an emphatic 46 goals that season and teamed up with the likes of Alvin Martin, Alan Devonshire and Mark Ward to give fans the club’s best ever league campaign in its history.
