There’s no point trying to build any sense of jeopardy here – this was the greatest league campaign in West Ham’s history and represented the pinnacle of John Lyall’s powers as a manager.
Indeed, West Ham were fortunate to still have Lyall in charge; he had agreed terms with QPR to replace Terry Venable at Loftus Road. But having given permission for him to talk to Rangers, the West Ham board then scuppered the deal by demanding £150,000 compensation. Wanting to avoid any unpleasantness, Lyall withdrew his acceptance of the offer.
Having narrowly avoided relegation in 1984-85, Lyall set about improving the squad, particularly in midfield. Cottee and Goddard were to remain as principal strikers, but Lyall wanted someone with vision and aggression to play in just behind them and paid £350,000 to St. Mirren for Frank McAvennie. With Paul Allen gone, a replacement for him was sourced from Oldham Athletic in the diminutive form of Mark Ward. Lyall drove all the way up to Liverpool himself to talk to Ward and persuade him and his family that this was the right move for them.
A Disgruntled Fan and a Change of Fate
Still things were not going well on the pitch though. A difficult pre-season came to a heat with a 3-1 defeat against Orient at Brisbane Road. A disgruntled fan managed to barge his way into the dressing room after the game and gave the team a piece of his mind. Lyall allowed him to speak before he was removed. And afterwards said ‘He’s right though, isn’t he?’
The season started away at newly promoted Birmingham with Cottee and Goddard up front, Ward out wide right and McAvennie deployed just behind the strikers. Famously, after just 19 minutes, Goddard was forced off with a shoulder injury. McAvennie moved up front alongside Cottee and Alan Dickens took on the play-maker role. The game ended in a 1-0 defeat but the die was cast for the team’s set-up for the rest of the campaign.
McAvennie, Cottee, and the Unbeaten Run
McAvennie was an instant hit with the fans scoring twice in the first home game of the season, a 3-1 win over QPR. They loved his aggression and limitless energy. Something which highlighted the somewhat less active role taken by his partner Cottee. After a home defeat by Luton and away at Manchester United it became clear that something was still wrong with the set-up.
In a private meeting called by captain Alvin Martin, Cottee’s lack of effort in closing down was discussed, among other things, including the need for Neil Orr to stop trying fancy stuff and get the ball clear. Cottee to his credit accepted that he needed to work harder and following that meeting the team went on a run of 18 games unbeaten in the league starting with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on 31 August and ending with a 1-0 defeat at Spurs on Boxing Day.
The TV Blackout and the Blonde Bombshell
It was a feature of the first half of the season that there was no football on TV. The game in England was in turmoil with football-related violence on the upturn, and two high-profile disasters in the shape of the Bradford Fire and the Heysel disaster making the product something that TV companies did not necessarily want to be associated with. The Football League on the other hand felt the product was worth more money and there was stalemate. So, no football on TV for the time being.
That meant the majority of football fans who did not go regularly, and attendances at Upton Park were under 20,000 for most games at this time, did not know about the blonde bombshell that was Frank McAvennie. After a brace against Liverpool and with Cottee struggling with his new role, Lyall dropped Cottee to the bench for the trip to Southampton starting with Greg Campbell up front.
Cottee came on a substitute and the team did not look back. By mid-September it was expected that both would score in home matches and a healthy rivalry developed to see who could score the best goal. Against Aston Villa on 19 October 1985, they both scored twice, and all four goals were magnificent. After drawing a few away games in a row, a 2-1 win at Newcastle started a run of five consecutive away wins, with Oxford, Ipswich, Coventry and QPR also falling victim.
Winter Freezes and Cup Heroics
McAvennie had earned a call-up to the Scotland squad and played in their World Cup qualifier in Australia, stepping off the plane to score the winner at Loftus Road. By Christmas, West Ham were in third place in the league, already ruing the slow start. Manchester United had won their opening 10 matches but their form was faltering, West Ham found themselves level on points with Liverpool at the turn of the year.
The TV cameras returned for the start of the FA Cup campaign, a 1-0 win away at Charlton, played at their temporary home of Selhurst Park. Tellingly, a 3-1 defeat at Anfield and a sending off for Ray Stewart made for a sobering afternoon, but then the weather took over. After the Anfield defeat on 18 January 1986, West Ham played only one league match until 12 March. The bitterly cold winter and progress in the FA Cup caused a string of matches to be postponed.
The FA Cup campaign largely dodged the weather – a 0-0 draw at home to Ipswich resulted in a replay at Portman Road, which also ended in stalemate. Lyall lost the toss for choice of venue for the replay which took place two days later at a snow-bound Portman Road, and extra time winner from Cottee putting West Ham through to a fifth round tie against Manchester United at Upton Park. Another draw and a famous Sunday afternoon replay win at Old Trafford. Geoff Pike’s header from 18 yards and a Ray Steward penalty made it 2-0. The following Wednesday, the sixth round tie at Sheffield Wednesday proved too much and the Hammers succumbed 2-1.
The Relentless Run-In
If Lyall thought the FA Cup schedule was ridiculous it was nothing compared to what was coming in the league. With just one league game played since January, a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Upton Park, the Hammers had slipped to seventh place but with a raft of games in hand. Two unfortunate and underserved defeats followed – 1-0 at a very poor Arsenal, Tony Woodcock’s winner with more than a hint of handball, and 2-1 at an even poorer Aston Villa.
Confidence was starting to sag, but Easter proved a turning point with a magnificent 4-0 win on a mud bath of a pitch at Stamford Bridge and a 2-1 over Spurs on Bank Holiday Monday. Another undeserved defeat at Nottingham Forest, Johnny Metgod’s free kick still stings Phil Parkes’ fingers to this day.
Then a run of 10 games in 27 days, the statistics being quite simple. Win them all and West Ham would be Champions. They got off to a good start with home wins over Southampton and Oxford, but then a significant defeat at home to Chelsea. Whether the Hammers were overconfident after winning so well at Stamford Bridge, who can say? It meant they needed Liverpool to drop points if West Ham were to win the league. Surely, they would not win every game?
The 8-1 and the Final Sprint
Lyall’s Hammers drew breath and carried on with victory at Watford on 19 April. Two days later a memorable 8-1 win over Newcastle at Upton Park, a hat-trick for Alvin Martin against three different goalkeepers. Five days later a 1-0 win over Coventry kept the pressure on Liverpool, but they kept winning.
Two days later a 1-0 win over Manchester City, but Liverpool did not falter. Another two days later, a 2-1 win over Ipswich but Liverpool’s form meant that if they won at Stamford Bridge on 3 May the title would be theirs no matter what West Ham achieved. The Hammers won 3-2 but Liverpool got their victory and the title. An exhausted West Ham crawled over the line with defeat at Goodison on May Day Bank Holiday. Had they not lost to Chelsea it could have been a title decider, but in the end only runners-up spot was at stake.
Legacy of the Boys of ’86
In the end the record books show 1985/86 champions Liverpool, FA Cup winners Liverpool. But the contribution of West Ham united to the campaign is often overlooked – by everyone except West Ham fans of course. West Ham finished the campaign in third place, which remains to this day a top-flight club record.
Four points behind champions Liverpool, reflecting on what might have been. The slow start? The silly defeats at Arsenal and Villa? Home defeat to Chelsea? Not playing a league match for two months then 10 in four weeks? There were a lot of ‘what ifs’ to ponder for Lyall. How would he strengthen the squad in the summer and push West Ham on?
My YouTube series “The John Lyall Years” follows the fortunes of the club during John Lyall’s tenure, merging match footage with interviews, newspaper cuttings, news items, music, TV, and cinema from the time. It is a must for anyone who remembers those heady days, or those who are curious to learn. 1986-86 is covered in Episodes 51-56 – see @westhamhistory
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