The writer Irvine Welsh once said that ‘success only comes in one form and teaches nothing, while failure occurs in many ways and is essential for learning’. So failure might be considered more interesting than success because it triggers deeper analysis and creative problem-solving. Such theory can be applied in all walks of life, but is especially relevant in football. When a team is on a winning streak no thought is given to the shortcomings that might easily be masked by victory. Sometimes a heavy defeat will provide a wakeup call and compel closer examination. It might be indicative of a struggling side low on confidence and devoid of inspiration. The more hopeful observer will simply dismiss it as a fluke or temporary aberration where nothing went right. Fortunately West Ham have never succumbed to a double digit defeat. The biggest defeat in the club’s history was during Thames Ironworks days. They were beaten 8-0 by Sheppey United in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup in 1897. But the Hammers have taken a fair number of pastings in more recent times.
West Ham 2 Blackburn Rovers 8, First Division, 26 December 1963
It was the game that spawned a hundred headlines about Christmas turkeys getting stuffed, too much pudding and crackers that didn’t pop. West Ham were hosting league leaders Blackburn Rovers in an early 11am kick-off. There was a feeling the previous year’s big freeze might be repeated, but Christmas 1963 was relatively mild with a light frost. Come Boxing Day heavy rain had ominously fallen in London. Upton Park’s sickly turf had usually been ripped to shreds by December and was fortified by sand. If it stayed dry the pitch was just about playable; but the slightest hint of moisture would turn Upton Park into a mud bath. By modern standards the game would have been postponed. But the previous winter was a barometer for severe weather conditions and was unlikely to be called off just because it was raining. Rovers took the lead after five minutes as Fred Pickering smashed a 20-yarder past Jim Standen. Hope briefly showed its face when Johnny Byrne equalised five minutes later, but then a pivotal moment; every game has one, where it could have been oh so very different. Byrne subsequently hit the bar and Geoff Hurst agonisingly missed the tap in. Alas, Brian Douglas was in a rich vein of form, scoring one and assisting four of Rovers’ eight goals. He engineered a 4-1 lead by half time and there was worse to come after the break. Rovers doubled their lead in the second half as Fred Pickering and Andy McEvoy each completed hat-tricks. Johnny Byrne scrambled home a consolation on the hour; but 8-2 remains West Ham’s heaviest defeat in a first class game. Curiously, West Ham were due to play Rovers in the return fixture two days later. But how would manager Ron Greenwood pick the players up after such a defeat, and what changes would he make to the team? The post-match inquest was illuminating as some players turned on Bobby Moore, whom they felt should have taken more responsibility as team captain. It hardly seems credible that the captain of West Ham and England could be so muted during the game. Mooro preferred to lead by example which is fine when everything is going well; but when the team is struggling a captain has to scream and shout, bang a few heads together: not Mooro’s style at all. For all his messianic qualities as a coach, Ron Greenwood was similarly uncommunicative. He had a diffident almost scholarly demeanour and avoided conflict. ‘Reverend Ron’ was unlikely to throw cups against the wall although it was surely warranted. Eventually, there was only one change as Eddie Bovington came in for Martin Peters at right half. The switch seemed to pay off as West Ham beat Rovers 3-1 in the return, undoubtedly assisted by Bovington’s close marking of Bryan Douglas. However, it proved to be the death knell for Martin Peters’ season. He was reduced to a squad player making only nine more appearances as Bovington kept his place for the FA Cup Final. A 3-2 win in the Final transformed an otherwise unremarkable season.
Manchester United 7 West Ham 1, Premier League, 1 April 2000
The Millennium proved to be a tumultuous time for West Ham who secured their highest ever finish in the Premier League. Fifth place would usually have guaranteed a place in the UEFA Cup (forerunner to the Europa League). However, UEFA dictated they qualify via the Intertoto Cup. The European campaign began in July and ended in November 1999 when Steaua Bucharest put the Hammers out in the second round proper. April Fool’s Day was prophetic as league leaders Manchester United were the opponents. West Ham were handily placed in 8th and went into an early lead when Frederic Kanoute headed down to Paulo Wanchope who slotted the ball past Mark Bosnich. The lead had lasted for precisely two minutes when Paul Scholes struck the ball from 20 yards which deflected past Craig Forrest in goal. A dubious penalty was converted by Dennis Irwin to put the home side ahead. Andy Cole then scored on the stroke of half time to make it 3-1. Scholes increased the home side’s early in the second half, and completed his hattrick with a second penalty after John Moncur had tripped Nicky Butt. David Beckham was in majestic form as he curled in a dipping free kick to make it 6-1. United underlined their dominance when they swapped Scholes and Cole for Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The newly introduced pair combined to complete the Hammers’ misery. In all truth Manchester United would have done the same thing to any team that day. They eventually won the Premier League title by a whopping 18 points with the Hammers finishing a respectable eight places below them.
Blackburn Rovers 7 West Ham 1, Premier League, 14 October 2001
By October 2001, the Hammers were a club in transition. Harry Redknapp had vacated the manager’s job in May and was replaced by Glenn Roeder. The reasons for Redknapp’s departure have never been satisfactorily explained but it was something of a watershed moment. Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard had both left the club and Paulo di Canio was coming to the end of his prime. West Ham had made a typically flaky start to the 2001/02 season winning only one of their first seven games. The portents were not good with a 5-0 away defeat against Everton fresh in their minds. A useful Blackburn Rovers side ran riot against a shell shocked opposition. Rovers motored into a 3-0 lead through goals from Garry Flitcroft, David Dunn, and Damien Johnson. However, the Hammers rallied and pulled a goal back through Michael Carrick just before half time. They played well in the early part of the second half but the deluge was close at hand. Czech international defender Tomas Repka, who had signed from Fiorentina in September 2001, struggled with the pace of the Premier League. On his debut Repka was sent off against Middlesborough. Having served a one match suspension he returned for the Rovers game but saw red after two bookable offences. The extra space was quickly exploited as an own goal from Grant McCann put Rovers 4-1 up. Another three goals were run in by Tugay, Matt Jansen and Craig Hignett despite the efforts of goalie Shaka Hislop. It was a chastening result that provoked a positive response from the players. The Hammers won the next three league games and jumped up seven places to eleventh. It was a season of swings and roundabouts but they secured a highly creditable seventh place finish.
Oldham Athletic 6 West Ham 0, Littlewoods Cup Semi-Final, 1st Leg, 14 February 1990
Lou Macari had big boots to fill when he became West Ham’s sixth manager in 95 years. His predecessor John Lyall had won the FA Cup twice, reached the European Cup Winners Cup Final and steered the club to their highest ever league finish. The Hammers aimed to secure promotion to the top flight at the first attempt. However, it had been a distinctly underwhelming campaign. By February 1990 they were 11th in the league, but the Littlewoods Cup provided an exciting distraction from the daily grind. West Ham had beaten Birmingham, Aston Villa, Wimbledon and Derby on their way to a semi-final against Oldham Athletic. The Latics would go on to become founder members of the Premier League, but at the time were a mid-table Second Division side much like West Ham. With Nottingham Forest or Coventry waiting in the Final it was easy to imagine claret and blue ribbons on the trophy. Sadly, the Hammers were blown away by clinical finishing from the home side who were in irresistible form. Within 20 minutes Oldham were two up with goals from Neil Adams and Andy Richie. The Hammers had no answer to their pace and movement as Earl Barrett increased the Latics’ lead after 33 minutes. Soon after half time Rick Holden became their fourth different scorer of the evening, before former Manchester City striker Roger Palmer added the fifth after 70 minutes. Andy Richie scored his second and completed Oldham’s half dozen eight minutes from time. West Ham’s misery was compounded by headline writers who gleefully coined the ‘St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’. A 3-0 victory in the return at Upton Park was scant consultation for what might have been Oldham were defeated in the Littlewoods Cup Final by Nottingham Forest, but along with West Ham were promoted the following season. Two FA Cup semi-finals followed but Oldham were unable to maintain the impetus and later dropped down the Football League. West Ham endured the sequence of promotion-relegation-promotion before settling into the Premier League.
Reading 6 West Ham 0, Premier League, 1 January 2007
After Glen Roeder and Alan Pardew, the Hammers returned to a tried and trusted formula as former player Alan Curbisley was appointed manager in December 2006. Once again it was a headline waiting to be written as a New Year’s Eve hangover readily sprung to mind. Just for a change the Hammers were in deep trouble as they festered in 18th place. They had won only five of the last 25 games and were desperate for some light relief. But a Reading side managed by Steve Coppell tore West Ham to pieces. After 30 minutes they were 3-0 down courtesy of Brynjar Gunnarsson, Stephen Hunt and an own goal from Anton Ferdinand. Kevin Doyle added to their lead and Leroy Lita slotted in a fifth on 53 minutes. Doyle later converted a corner to complete the rout. There was an inevitability about the manner of defeat as West Ham’s defence continually went missing. Nothing went right as Lee Bowyer left the field with a dislocated shoulder and the resulting changes produced little in the way of attacking initiative. The outlook seemed bleak, but there was a remarkable turnaround as the Hammers won seven of their last 10 games to finish in 15th place. For Premier League new boys Reading, it was a highly satisfactory start as they finished in eighth place.
West Ham 0 Arsenal 6, Premier League, 11 February 2024
It was a game that gave David Moyes’ critics all the ammunition they needed as the Hammers endured their heaviest defeat at the London Stadium. Arsenal were in ominously good form as they chased Premier League leaders Liverpool. Strangely, the winning margin also brought Arsenal level on goal difference with close rivals Manchester City. West Ham needn’t have been so obliging but were quite simply swept away by superior opposition. The Gunners cruised to a 4-0 lead in a remarkable first half with goals from William Saliba, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, leaving the home fans in stunned silence. The Hammers defence looked static and horribly flat footed as Saka tormented a demoralised team. He strolled through to score his second after the break, and Declan Rice unleashed a fierce shot in the 70th minute to make it 6-0. Rice was acutely aware of the impact on his former club and quickly suppressed any celebration from his teammates. Fans were streaming away from the London Stadium at half-time and boos reverberated as the final whistle blew. In all truth Arsenal’s dominance was total and West Ham were just the unfortunate team on the receiving end. Nevertheless, the sound of knives being sharpened was audible as the fans turn on David Moyes. He had always built his teams on a sound defence and they were certainly found wanting in that department. But West Ham had, by this point in the season, already beaten Arsenal twice and recorded notable victories against Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United. They had qualified for the second phase of the Europa League, and would eventually lose narrowly to a formidable Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter finals. However, the Hammers hadn’t won since December and three points seemed more elusive than ever. The Europa Conference League win now seemed a very long time ago. The first victory of 2024 came at the end of February when Brentford were defeated 4-2. West Ham eventually finished 9th in the Premier League but Moyes’ time was up. There was a grudging respect from fans but fell some way short of genuine affection. His contract wasn’t renewed and subsequently moved back to Everton. Arsenal were pipped for the Premier League title by Manchester City. They had almost identical stats but City won two games more than Arsenal, perhaps proving that points are more important than goals.
Be the first to comment