As we meander our way to a seemingly inevitable relegation, I thought I’d cast an eye on our previous relegation seasons. Not pleasant, not pretty, at times almost unbelievable - yet each tells a story, and at times history repeats itself.
1931/32
Our first drop to Division 2 (as it was once known), aka the second tier came so long ago that even the most senior member of the KUMB team, wasn’t around to witness it. Or so they claim.
According to Wikipedia: As a warm-up to the season West Ham completed a three-match, unbeaten tour of Switzerland and began the season with their first ever win at Bolton's Burnden Park. This would be one of only 12 wins all season which saw poor form for the team.
February saw the return of Syd Puddefoot to the club after ten years away, but his seven appearances and no goals did nothing to stave off relegation. West Ham gained a single point from their last 10 games, finished 22nd and bottom and were relegated to the Second Division. Vic Watson was the top scorer with 25 goals in all competitions. He was also top scorer in the league with 23. Jimmy Ruffell made the most appearances; 41 in all competitions.
Relegation for West Ham had a dramatic effect on the mental health of manager King. Suffering from delusions, these became chronic during the season and were a factor towards his sacking and death the following season’
Relegated along with the mighty Grimsby Town, conceding a whopping 107 league goals along the way, it would be 26 war-interrupted years before we reached the upper echelons again. This would also not be the first time a West Ham manager would appear to be delusional. Too soon? Sorry.
1977/78
I was five years old at the end of this season. Despite my youth, it was the beginning of my West Ham journey. I treasured looking at programmes family members had. Already I knew Bonds and Brooking were names who were held in high esteem.
Just three years after an FA Cup win - and two after reaching the final of the European Cup Winners Cup - we contrived to finish 18th, one point shy of Queens Park Rangers. Never recovering from a poor start to the season which resulted in just one win from our opening 12 league games. Not notching a victory at the Boleyn until 10 December. A spirited run from March of six wins in eight games gave us hope, but a last day defeat at home to Liverpool sealed the club's fate, ending a 20 year top flight run.
The cup competitions, which drew two heavy defeats failed to bring any respite. A team containing the aforementioned Bonds and Brooking plus the likes of Lampard, Devonshire, Pop Robson and David Cross among others, dropped down a division.
1988/89
Three seasons previously we came desperately close to winning the league. Failure to adequately build on that season took its toll. We didn’t strengthen where needed. Injuries took hold. Goal machine Tony Cottee departed. A quest for a replacement took an eternity.
The previous season we stayed up on goal difference and once again, we started poorly. But league form was somewhat tempered by some great escapades in the cup. Only three league wins before January, including the demolition of a dominant Liverpool side was masked as we reached the semi finals of the League Cup.
In reality, despite the emergence of Paul Ince as a genuine talent, the squad was frail. The stalwarts of 85/86 on the decline, the new acquisitions largely substandard; David Kelly and Alan McKnight being the arrivals in the summer. After departing the cup competitions, less said the better, a run of six late league wins from seven gave misguided hope, before Liverpool ended all hope beating us 5-1 at Anfield. We ended up two points shy of safety, in a Tyne-Tees relegation sandwich.
1991/92
Following a Billy Bonds-led return to the top flight, after a thoroughly enjoyable season and a bit, we only lasted one term in the top division finishing stone bottom six points adrift of safety.
The writing seemed on the wall in the summer. The unveiling of an awful Bukta kit with our marquee signing being Mitchell Thomas. It’s not to say we didn’t have our moments. Beating Tottenham and Arsenal in consecutive weeks and Mike Small notching a great run of goals before inexplicably forgetting the offside rule in November.
Only three wins in 23 league games followed, sending us back to whence we came. Taking two attempts to beat non-league Farnborough summed up that season. West Ham being West Ham, we offered some light relief in our last two home games beating champions elect Manchester United, apparently in an obscene manner, then letting the iconic Frank McAvennie say a final farewell by notching a second half hat trick in his final game for the club (but only after Thomas faked an injury to let him enter the fray).
2002/03
It still beggars belief how we got relegated with a record of 42 points, with a squad including Di Canio, Defoe, Sinclair, Cole, Kanouté and Carrick. The precedent was set when, in our first home outing, Kanoute missed a penalty against defending champion Arsenal that would have put us 3-1 up. They bounced back later to equalise.
While our strikers took it in turns to suffer absence through injury, we didn’t win a home game until late January. In stark contrast, in our last 11 games of the season we won six and drew four - the only defeat coming at Bolton who pipped us on the final day.
A raucous and bizarre end of the season culminated in Sir Trevor Brooking leading us, after Glenn Roeder was found to have a brain tumour. PDC's late winner against Chelsea in our final home game that season will live long In the memory. As will then chairman, Terrence Brown's comments in coming months that it was "our turn to go down".
Before we get all misty-eyed over this glorious failure may I remind our readership of the awful Fila white with claret pin stripes shirt, plus this was the season Gary Breen was our star summer signing. In that transfer window, we spent £0.
2010/11
In January 2010, David Gold and David Sullivan bought West Ham. On 3 June they appointed Avram Grant as boss, replacing GIanfranco Zola. Within a year we were relegated, finishing bottom and knocked out of the league club at the semi final stage by their former club Birmingham.
Just two points were picked up from the final nine league games. Only Scott Parker really came through the season with any credit, his performances earning the FWA Footballer of the Year award, Hammer of the Year award, an England recall plus inspirational team talk of the year for a stirring half-time tirade at the Hawthorns, seeing us claw back a three-goal deficit.
33 points saw us six adrift of safety. Just seven league victories all season. 38 players, well 37 - I still refuse to accept Wayne Bridge was actually a footballer not a cardboard cut-out during his loan spell. Revolving door personnel, with no real strategic planning, the first of an ill-judged look at the CV, not the substance, managerial appointment. The shape of things to come?
And so here we are. 2025/26 looks set to be added to the list, just a couple of years after European glory, with all the hallmarks of failed investment and terrible recruitment strategy. Only this time we’re going down without the remotest hint of a fight.
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