Top six West Ham? Historic stats tell a very different story
The constant cries for us to become a top six club and the anger at promises, or near promises, made by the board when they over-hyped the move from the Boleyn are understandable.
I was among those who never wanted to leave our old manor and a walk along Green Street now is as heartbreaking as it gets.
But sometimes we need a dose of reality and a realisation of what we are and where we are.
History tells its own story and thus I have dug back into the records from the year I started supporting this club to examine League positions down the years since 1962-63 when we stood on the brink of the golden years with a team to die for.
In that season we finished 12th, in ’63/64 we slipped to 14th, the following year we managed ninth and in World Cup year the Hammers found themselves in a lofty 12th place.
Over the remaining four ‘sixties’ season we finished 16th, 12th and eighth and 17th. Since then it has been little better – here’s the record:
1970s: 20th, 14th, 6th, 18th, 13th, 18th, 17th, 20th (league 2: 5th, 7th)
1980s: Ist (Old Division 2),9th, 8th, 9th, 16th, 3rd, 15th,16th, 19th
1990s: (Old Division 2) 7th and 2nd), 22nd,(Old Div 2, 2nd)13th, 14th, 10th, 14th, 8th, 5th, 9th
2000s until now: 15th, 7th, 18th Championship: 6th, 9th, 15th PL 10th, 9th, 17, 20th
Championship 3rd. PL 10th, 13th, 12th 7th, 11th, 13th 10th.
Us old timers have been on the dark side for a long time and probably have a better idea of what this club is rather than what it has aspired to be.
We are what we are and were at the Boleyn – top six talk is a fine fantasy but the reality is we aren’t and never have been quite as good as we would like to believe.
