West Ham United is a professional team that is based in the Stratford area of East London. It is a member of the Premier League and the club has been playing in the London Stadium since 2016, after playing at Upton Park for many years. The club was started in 1895 as the Thames Ironworks before being renamed as West Ham United in 1900.
History of West Ham United
The club began in 1895 when it was first known as the Thames Ironworks, which was the team of the last surviving and largest shipbuilder that was on the Thames. After a number of disputes about club finances and operations, the club was disbanded and relaunched as West Ham United in 1900.
At its first attempt, the team made it to the First Division. It was in 1904 the team moved into the Boleyn Ground, remaining there for over a century. They played mostly in the Western League and Southern League until they joined the Football League in 1919.
Up to the big leagues
It was in 1923 that West Ham United got promoted to the First Division for the first time. The same year they lost their first FA Cup final, which was also the first FA Cup final to be played at Wembley. It was in 1940 that West Ham won its first major piece of silverware when capturing the first-ever Football League War Cup. In the club’s history, they have managed to win the FA Cup on three occasions.
They did so in 1964, 1975 and in 1980. They finished runner-up both in 1923 and 2006. One of the club’s big achievements in the 1960s was supplying three players to the England team that won the 1966 World Cup on home soil. This included the captain of the team Bobby Moore, as well as goal scorers Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst.
Strong consistency
Over the club's history, it has also made an appearance in two major European competition finals. The team was the winner of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 before finishing runner-up in this competition then in 1976. The club also managed to capture the 1999 Intertoto Cup. West Ham United is part of a group of eight teams that have never been below English football's second tier.
Of its 94 league seasons, West Ham United has spent 62 of these seasons in top-flight football. The best finish West Ham United has ever had in the premier division was in 1985/1986 when they finished in 3rd place. In recent times, West Ham had their best finish in the Premier League of 7th in the 2015/2016 season.
Fans & supporters
The supporters have a track record of being very local and loving to sing. Many of their songs became iconic in football. They also have a record for being hostile to certain players who have left the club in some sort of negative manner, such as Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe. The club also previously had issues with football hooliganism.
There are a number of major rivals that battle it out with West Ham United. The majority of these are also based in London, with the main rival being with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Perhaps the fiercest and oldest rival is Millwall. They are both based in the locality and were formed through local companies.
West Ham United stadium
Most of the home games took place at Boleyn Ground over the years. This was often known as Upton Park and had a capacity of about 35,000. The club signed a 99-year lease for the Olympic Stadium in London in March 2013. They started playing there in the 2016/2017 season, with a lot of backlash about this move from rival clubs and among some supporters. This ground has a capacity of about 60,000 and was built to host the London 2012 Olympics.
Betting on West Ham United
West Ham United always has a team that can throw up surprises. They are known for having great, exciting young players who go onto bigger things. This always causes an air of excitement whenever West Ham United take the field. All of the major betting sites are getting to have plenty of betting markets for West Ham United games. To see the best sites for your needs, you can check out the reviews over on Roger.com.
