West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford, East London, England. The club will compete in the EFL Championship in the 2026–27 season following relegation from the Premier League. The club plays at the London Stadium, having moved from their former home, the Boleyn Ground, in 2016.
West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. It moved to the Boleyn Ground, which remained its home ground for more than a century, in 1904. The team initially competed in the Southern League and Western League before joining the Football League in 1919. It was promoted to the top flight in 1923, when it was also losing finalist in the first FA Cup final held at Wembley. In 1940, the club won the inaugural Football League War Cup.
West Ham United has won five major honours in its history. Domestically, it has been winner of the FA Cup three times (1964, 1975 and 1980) and runner-up twice (1923 and 2006). In European competitions, the club has reached three major European finals winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, finishing runner-up in the same competitions in 1976, and winning the second edition of the Conference League in 2023. The club has also won one minor European trophy by winning the Intertoto Cup in 1999. West Ham United is one of eight clubs never to have fallen below the second tier of English football, spending 68 of 100 league seasons in the top flight, up to and including the 2025–26 season. The club's highest league position to date came in 1985–86, when it achieved third place in the then First Division.
Three West Ham players were members of the 1966 World Cup finals-winning England team: captain Bobby Moore and goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Millwall, and the fixture has gained notoriety for frequent incidents of football hooliganism. West Ham adopted their claret, sky blue and white colour scheme in the early 1900s, with the most common iteration of a claret shirt and sky blue sleeves first emerging in 1904.
History
Origins
thumb|right|200px|Earliest club shot, during its founding year as Thames Ironworks in 1895
The earliest generally accepted incarnation of West Ham United was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks F.C., the works team of the largest and last surviving shipbuilder on the Thames, Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, by foreman and local league referee Dave Taylor and owner Arnold Hills and was announced in the Thames Ironworks Gazette of June 1895. Thames Ironworks was based in Leamouth Wharf in Blackwall and Canning Town on both banks of the River Lea, where the Lea meets the Thames. Thames Ironworks built many ships and other structures, the most famous being . The last ship built there was the dreadnought in 1912 and the yard shut soon after.
The repair yard of the Castle Shipping Line was a very near neighbour and their work team, initially known as the Castle Swifts, would informally merge with the Thames Ironworks own team. The team played on a strictly amateur basis for 1895 at least, with a team featuring a number of works employees. Thomas Freeman was a ships fireman and Walter Parks, a clerk. Johnny Stewart, Walter Tranter and James Lindsay were all boilermakers. Other employees included William Chapman, George Sage and Fred Chamberlain, as well as apprentice riveter Charlie Dove, who was to have a great influence on the club's future at a later date.
{| style="float:left;"
|
|
|}
Thames Ironworks won the West Ham Charity Cup, contested by clubs in the West Ham locality, in 1895, then won the London League in 1897. They turned professional in 1898 upon entering the Southern League Second Division, and were promoted to the First Division at the first attempt. The following year they came second from bottom, but had established themselves as a fully-fledged competitive team. They comfortably fended off the challenge of local rivals Fulham in a relegation play-off, 5–1 in late April 1900 and retained their First Division status.
The team initially played in full dark blue kits, as inspired by Mr. Hills, who had been an Oxford University "Blue", but changed the following season by adopting the sky blue shirts and white shorts combination worn from 1897 to 1899. Following growing disputes over the running and financing of the club, in June 1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. was disbanded, then almost immediately relaunched as West Ham United F.C. – reflecting the West Ham, London district where they played – on 5 July 1900 with Syd King as their manager and future manager Charlie Paynter as his assistant. Because of the original "works team" roots and links (still represented upon the club badge), they are still known as "the Irons" or "the Hammers" amongst fans and the media.
Birth of West Ham United (1901–1961)
West Ham United joined the Western League for the 1901 season while also continuing to play in the Southern Division 1. In 1907, West Ham were crowned the Western League Division 1B Champions, and then defeated 1A champions Fulham 1–0 to become the Western League Overall Champions. and as the Daily Mirror wrote on 2 September 1904, "Favoured by the weather turning fine after heavy rains of the morning, West Ham United began their season most auspiciously yesterday evening; when they beat Millwall by 3 goals to 0 on their new enclosure at Upton Park."
200px|thumb|right|Billie the White Horse, saviour of the 1923 [[FA Cup final]]
In 1919, still under King's leadership, West Ham gained entrance to the Football League Second Division, their first game being a 1–1 draw with Lincoln City, and were promoted to the First Division in 1923, also making it to the first ever FA Cup final to be held at the old Wembley Stadium. Their opponents were Bolton Wanderers. This was also known as the "White Horse final", where nearly 300,000 people (according to Police estimates) came to see the match. Overcrowding led to the crowd spilling out on to the pitch, which had to be cleared prior to kick-off by "Billie", a giant white horse (actually grey) being ridden by PC George Scorey. The cup final match itself ended 2–0 to Bolton. The team enjoyed mixed success in the First Division but retained their status for ten years and reached the FA Cup semi-final in 1933.
In 1932, the club was relegated to the Second Division and long-term custodian Syd King was sacked after serving the club in the role of manager for 32 years, and as a player from 1899 to 1903. Following relegation, King had mental health problems. He appeared drunk at a board meeting and killed himself soon after. He was replaced with his assistant manager Charlie Paynter, who himself had been with West Ham in a number of roles since 1897 and who went on to serve the team in this role until 1950 for a total of 480 games. At the start of the 1939–1940 season, the club has assembled a group of players that Charlie Paynter believed was the most talented he'd managed. This included local men brought through the youth team such as Len Goulden, an England regular, and successful signings from the English and Scottish Leagues. There was hope for promotion and a successful new era until war broke out three matches into the season and league football was suspended for six years.
Although league competition was suspended, the War Cup was played in place of the FA Cup for the duration of hostilities. In June 1940 the club won its first major trophy, winning the War Cup by beating first division Blackburn Rovers 1–0 at Wembley Stadium.
Glory years (1961–1986)
Ron Greenwood was appointed as Fenton's successor in 1961 and soon led the club to two major trophies, winning the 1964 FA Cup Final. The team was led by the young Bobby Moore. West Ham also won the European Cup Winners' Cup the following year. During the 1966 World Cup, key members of the tournament winners England were West Ham players, including the captain, Bobby Moore; Martin Peters (who scored in the final); and Geoff Hurst, who scored the first hat-trick in a World Cup final. All three players had come through the youth team at West Ham. 200px|thumb|right|Champions statue on Barking Road
There is a "Champions" statue in Barking Road, opposite The Boleyn Tavern, commemorating West Ham's "three sons" who helped win the 1966 World Cup: Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Also included on the statue is Everton's Ray Wilson. After a difficult start to the 1974–75 season, Greenwood moved himself "upstairs" to become general manager and, without informing the board, appointed his assistant John Lyall as team manager. The result was instant success – the team scored 20 goals in their first four games and won the FA Cup, becoming the last team to win the FA Cup with an all-English side when they beat Fulham 2–0 in the 1975 final. The Fulham team included two former England captains, Alan Mullery and West Ham legend Bobby Moore. Lyall then guided West Ham to another European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1976, though the team lost the match 4–2 to Belgian side Anderlecht. Greenwood's tenure as general manager lasted less than three years, as he was appointed to manage England in the wake of Don Revie's resignation in 1977.
In 1978, West Ham were again relegated to the Second Division, but Lyall was retained as manager and led the team to victory in the 1980 FA Cup final with a 1–0 win against Arsenal, the most recent time a team from outside the top flight has won the FA Cup. They reached the final by defeating Everton in the semi-final. West Ham were promoted to the First Division in 1981, and finished in the top ten of the First Division for the next three seasons before achieving their highest-ever league finish of third in 1985–86; a group of players which came to be known as The Boys of 86.
Ups and downs (1986–2005)
However, the Hammers suffered relegation again in 1989, which resulted in Lyall's sacking. He was awarded an ex gratia payment of () but left the club in what Lyall described as "upsetting" circumstances, meriting only 73 words in a terse acknowledgement of his service in the club programme. Lyall left West Ham after 34 years' service.
thumb|left|Yearly performance of West Ham since joining the Football League
After Lyall, Lou Macari briefly led the team, though he resigned after less than a single season in order to clear his name of allegations of illegal betting while manager of Swindon Town. He was replaced by former player Billy Bonds. In Bonds' first full season, 1990–91, West Ham again secured promotion to the First Division. Now back in the top flight, Bonds saw West Ham through one of their most controversial seasons. With the club planning to introduce a bond scheme, there was crowd unrest. West Ham finished last and were relegated back to the Second Division after only one season. However, they rebounded strongly in 1992–93. With Trevor Morley and Clive Allen scoring 40 goals, they guaranteed themselves second place on the last day of the season with a 2–0 home win against Cambridge United, and with it promotion to the Premier League.
thumb|right|200px|West Ham players on open-top bus near [[Boleyn Ground|Upton Park celebrate winning the 2005 play-off final in Cardiff. From L-R Shaun Newton (crouching), Back row, Matthew Etherington, Jimmy Walker, Teddy Sheringham, Marlon Harewood, Front row Don Hutchison, Carl Fletcher, Elliott Ward and Mark Noble (with flag).]]
With the team in the Premier League, there was a need to rebuild the team. Oxford United player Joey Beauchamp was recruited for a fee of £1.2 million (equivalent to £ million in ). Shortly after arriving at the club, however, he became unhappy, citing homesickness from his native Oxford as the reason. Bonds in particular found this attitude hard to understand compared to his own committed, never-say-die approach; providing for Bonds' further evidence of the decay in the modern game and modern player. Fifty-eight days later, Beauchamp was signed by Swindon Town for a club-record combined fee of £800,000 (equivalent to £ million in ), which included defender Adrian Whitbread going in the opposite direction. Whitbread was valued at £750,000 (equivalent to £ million in ) in the deal.
Assistant manager Harry Redknapp was also now taking a bigger role in the transfer of players, with the club's approval. With rumours of his old club AFC Bournemouth being prepared to offer him a position, the West Ham board and their managing director, Peter Storrie, made a controversial move. The board were anxious not to lose Redknapp's services and offered Bonds a place away from the day-to-day affairs of the club on the West Ham board. This would have allowed them to appoint Redknapp as manager. Bonds refused the post offered and walked away from the club. His accusations of deceit and manipulation by the board and by Redknapp have continued to cause ill-feeling.
Redknapp became manager on 10 August 1994.
Redknapp's seven years as manager was notable for the turnover of players during his tenure and for the level of attractive football and success which had not been seen since the managership of John Lyall. Over 134 players passed through the club while he was manager, producing a net transfer fee deficit of £16 million, despite the £18 million sale (equivalent to £ million in ) of Rio Ferdinand to Leeds United in 2000. Some were notably successful, such as the signings of Stuart Pearce, Meanwhile, some were expensive, international players who failed at West Ham, such as Florin Raducioiu; a player often quoted as one of the biggest failures in the Premier League. His first season in charge saw West Ham fighting the threat of relegation until the last few weeks, while his third season would also see another relegation battle. Always willing to enter the transfer market, Redknapp bought in the winter transfer window John Hartson and Paul Kitson, who added the impetus needed at the season's end.
In 1999, West Ham finished fifth, their highest position in the top flight since 1986. Things began to falter for Redknapp with the sale of Ferdinand to Leeds in November 2000. Redknapp used the transfer money poorly with purchases such as Ragnvald Soma, who cost £800,000 (equivalent to £ million in ) and played only seven league games, Camara, and Song. Redknapp felt he needed more funds with which to deal in the transfer market. Chairman Brown lost patience with Redknapp due to his demands for further transfer funds. In June 2001, called to a meeting with Brown expecting to discuss contracts, he was fired.
With several names, such as former player Alan Curbishley, now linked with the job, Chairman Brown recruited from within the club, His first big signings were the return of Don Hutchison for £5 million (equivalent to £ million in ) and Czech centre back Tomáš Řepka. Finishing seventh in his first season Roeder, in his office at Upton Park, suffered a blocked blood vessel in his brain. Despite not losing another game, the Hammers were relegated on the last day of the season at Birmingham City, with a record high for a relegated club of 42 points from a 38-game season. Ten seasons of top-tier football were over. Many top players, including Joe Cole, Di Canio and Kanouté, all left the club. The next season, now in the second tier, Roeder resumed his stint as manager. Results were still poor, however, and after an away defeat to Rotherham United, he was sacked on 24 August 2003. He lost only one game, a 2–0 away defeat to Gillingham, and is known as "the best manager West Ham never had".
Former Crystal Palace player and manager of Reading, Alan Pardew was lined up to be the next bench boss. Reading and their chairman, John Madejski, however, were reluctant to let him leave. After serving a period of notice and gardening leave, and with West Ham paying Reading £380,000 () in compensation, he was appointed manager on 18 October 2003, their tenth manager. Pardew set out to rebuild the side bringing in Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood and Brian Deane. In his first season in charge, they made the playoff final only to lose to Crystal Palace. His signings of Bobby Zamora, Matthew Etherington and veterans Chris Powell and Teddy Sheringham saw West Ham finishing sixth and subsequently beat Preston North End 1–0 thanks to a Zamora goal in the 2005 playoff final, securing a return to the Premier League. After ensuring promotion, Pardew said, "It's a team effort. We defended well and we're back where we belong."
Final years at the Boleyn (2005–2016)
On their return to the top division, West Ham finished in ninth place, The highlight of the 2005–06 season, however, was reaching the FA Cup final and taking favourites Liverpool to a penalty shootout after a 3–3 draw. West Ham lost the shootout, but nonetheless gained entry to the following season's UEFA Cup as Liverpool had already qualified for the Champions League. In August 2006, West Ham completed a major coup on the last day of the transfer window after completing the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The club was eventually bought by an Icelandic consortium, led by Eggert Magnússon, in November 2006. Manager Alan Pardew was sacked after poor form during the season and was replaced by former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley.
The signings of Mascherano and Tevez were investigated by the Premier League, who were concerned that details of the transfers had been omitted from official records. The club was found guilty and fined £5.5 million in April 2007. However, West Ham avoided a points deduction which ultimately became critical in their avoidance of relegation at the end of the 2006–07 season. Following on from this event, Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan, supported by other sides facing possible relegation, including Fulham and Sheffield United, threatened legal action. West Ham escaped relegation by winning seven of their last nine games, including a 1–0 win over Arsenal, and on the last day of the season defeated newly crowned League Champions Manchester United 1–0 with a goal by Tevez to finish 15th.
In the 2007–08 season, West Ham remained reasonably consistently in the top half of the league table, with Freddie Ljungberg in the team, despite a slew of injuries; new signing Craig Bellamy missed most of the campaign, while Kieron Dyer was out from August 2007. The last game of the season, at the Boleyn Ground, saw West Ham draw 2–2 against Aston Villa, ensuring a tenth-place finish three points ahead of rivals Tottenham Hotspur. It was a five-place improvement on the previous season, and most importantly West Ham were never under any realistic threat of relegation. After a row with the board over the sale of defenders Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland, manager Alan Curbishley resigned on 3 September 2008. His successor was former Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola, who took over on 11 September 2008 to become the club's first non-British manager. In the 2008–09 season, West Ham finished ninth, a single place improvement.
thumb|right|350px|[[Kevin Nolan lifts the trophy after the 2012 Football League Championship play-off final.]]
In the 2009–10 season, West Ham started strongly with a 2–0 win over newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers, with goals from Mark Noble and newly appointed captain Matthew Upson. A League Cup match against old rivals Millwall brought about violent riots outside the ground as well as pitch invasions and crowd trouble inside Upton Park. In August 2009, the financial concerns of Icelandic owners parent companies left the current owners unable to provide any funds until a new owner was found. The club's shirt sponsor SBOBET provided the club with help to purchase a much needed striker, the Italian Alessandro Diamanti.
West Ham had a poor season which involved a prolonged battle against relegation. They finally secured their survival with two games remaining by defeating Wigan 3–2. The club managed to take 35 points from 38 games, seven fewer than the total they had when relegated seven years prior. On 3 June 2010, Avram Grant signed a four-year deal to become the next manager of West Ham subject to a work permit. West Ham's form continued to be poor with the team seldom outside the relegation zone, placing Grant's future as manager under serious doubt. A 4–0 Football League Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United was an otherwise bright spot in a disappointing season. West Ham's form in the Premier League did not affect their form in the two domestic cups. The Hammers reached the semi-final of the League Cup before being eliminated by eventual winners Birmingham City as well as the quarter-final of the FA Cup before a 2–1 defeat at eventual runners-up Stoke City.
On 15 May 2011, West Ham's relegation to the Championship was confirmed after a comeback from Wigan at the DW Stadium. With West Ham leading 2–0 at half-time through two Demba Ba goals, Wigan battled back to win 3–2 thanks to an added-time strike from Charles N'Zogbia. Following the loss, West Ham announced the sacking of manager Avram Grant just one season into his tenure. On 1 June 2011, Sam Allardyce was appointed as manager as Grant's replacement. The club finished third in the 2011–12 Football League Championship with 86 points and took part in the play-offs. They beat Cardiff City in the play-off semi-final 5–0 on aggregate to reach the final against Blackpool at Wembley on 19 May 2012. Carlton Cole opened the scoring, and although Blackpool equalised early in the second half, Ricardo Vaz Tê scored the winner for West Ham in the 87th minute.
West Ham, on their return to the Premier League, signed former players James Collins and George McCartney on permanent deals, as well as record signing Matt Jarvis and Andy Carroll on loan. They won their first game of the season, on 18 August 2012, 1–0 against Aston Villa thanks to a Kevin Nolan goal. The highlight of the first half of the season was a 3–1 home win against reigning European champions Chelsea on 1 December 2012 which saw them in eighth position and 12th at the end of the year. On 22 March 2013, West Ham secured a 99-year lease deal on the Olympic Stadium, with it planned to be used as their home ground from the 2016–17 season. Tenth place was secured at the end of the season with nine home wins and only three away from home. Only 11 away goals were scored, the lowest of the entire league.
In 2013–14, West Ham finished 13th in the Premier League. They also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup before losing 9–0 on aggregate to eventual cup-winners Manchester City. A feature of the season were the criticisms of manager Sam Allardyce by supporters relating to his perceived negative playing tactics. West Ham finished 12th in the 2014–15 Premier League, one place higher than the previous season. Minutes after the last game of the season, on 24 May 2015, the club announced that Allardyce's contract would not be renewed and that they were seeking a new manager. By winning the Premier League Fair Play table for 2014–15, West Ham qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, entering at the first qualifying round.
On 9 June 2015, former West Ham player Slaven Bilić was appointed as manager on a three-year contract. In Bilić's fourth game in charge, the team won at Anfield for the first time in 52 years, beating Liverpool 0–3, with goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho. At the end of the season, West Ham finished 7th in the Premier League. The team broke several records for the club in the Premier League era, including the highest number of points (62), the highest number of goals in a season (65), the fewest games lost in a season (8) and the lowest number of away defeats (5). The season also marked the last season where the team played at the Boleyn Ground, with them moving to the London Stadium from next season – ending their 112-year stay at the stadium.
Move to London Stadium and European success (2016–2023)
Following Manchester United's win in the 2016 FA Cup final, West Ham took their Europa League place and qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2016–17 edition. At the end of the first season at the London Stadium, the team finished 11th, along with having to deal with the departure of star man Dimitri Payet. However, the team suffered a poor start to the following season, taking only two wins in their opening 11 games. Following a 4–1 defeat to Liverpool at home and with the team threatened by relegation, Bilić was sacked on 6 November 2017. He was replaced by former Sunderland boss David Moyes on a contract until the end of the season. The team battled inconsistent form for the rest of the season but managed to avoid relegation and finish 13th. Moyes was not offered a new contract and left the club on the expiration of it on 16 May 2018.
On 22 May 2018, the club appointed former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini as the new manager on a three-year contract. In his first season in charge, the Hammers finished 10th, once again suffering from inconsistent form. However, after a poor first half to the following season, Pellegrini was sacked in December 2019 with the team only one point above the relegation zone. His last game in charge was a 2–1 home loss to Leicester City. He was replaced by David Moyes, who returned for a second spell in charge a day later.
On 22 July 2020, the club secured their Premier League status for another season, following a 1–1 draw away to Manchester United. Ahead of the 2020–21 season, West Ham's ownership attracted criticism, including from club captain Mark Noble who publicly criticized the sale of academy graduate Grady Diangana. Despite losing the opening two games of the season, West Ham's form improved and by the end of November, the club sat in fifth place. The club would not drop out of a European spot for the rest of the season and went on to qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stages after finishing in 6th. Moyes signed a new three-year contract on 12 June 2021.
thumb|West Ham players, staff and fans celebrate winning the [[2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final.]]
West Ham won their first three games of the year 2022, temporarily elevating the club to fourth place in the Premier League. The team beat Sevilla 2–1 on aggregate to reach a first European quarter-final in 41 years, followed by a 4–1 aggregate win over Lyon for a first such semi-final since 1976. Playing the same opposition they met in their 1976 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, Eintracht Frankfurt, West Ham were knocked out of the Europa League, following a 3–1 aggregate loss to the German side. At the end of the 2021–22 Premier League season, West Ham confirmed a second successive season of European football, qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League after finishing seventh. The season was also notable for being Mark Noble's final as a West Ham player, with the midfielder retiring from football after 18 years as a first team player at the club, making 550 appearances in all competitions, scoring 62 times. By finishing 7th in the 2021–22 Premier League, West Ham qualified for the 2022–23 Europa Conference League, entering at the play-off stage.
The 2022–23 campaign was a mixed bag. The club finished 14th in the Premier League, only securing their Premier League status with two games remaining and exiting the League Cup to lower league opposition in a season that saw manager David Moyes come under pressure. In January 2023, Mark Noble returned to the club as sporting director. Despite the troubles in West Ham's domestic campaign, they excelled in the Europa Conference League. The club progressed to the final unbeaten, winning 13 games and drawing just once. They went on to win the competition, defeating Fiorentina 2–1 in the final to claim their first major trophy since 1980 and their first European trophy in 58 years.
Moyes departure, managerial changes, and relegation (2023–present)
Despite having led West Ham to three consecutive European seasons for the first time in their history, reaching at least the quarter-finals of each and culminating in the 2023 success, Moyes was not offered a new contract. On 23 May 2024, the club named Julen Lopetegui as his replacement. However Lopetegui would be sacked on 8 January 2025 with the team in 14th position, seven points above the relegation positions; during his tenure, they lost nine of 20 Premier League games.
On 9 January Graham Potter was appointed as head coach signing a two–and–a–half year contract. This lasted until 27 September 2025 when Potter was sacked following poor results and performances over the second half of the 2024–25 season and the start of the 2025–26 season. Nuno Espírito Santo was appointed to take charge of the team, with West Ham 19th in the league.
By January 2026, Nuno's own managership was under question as they hit bottom three. After a stronger March and April which found them battling with Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest around the relegation zone, West Ham's defeat to Newcastle United on 17 May left them needing other results to go their way to avoid the drop.
Despite a 3-0 win on the final day of the 25/26 season at home to Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur won against Everton, relegating West Ham.
Crest
200px|thumb|right|Club crest (1987–1998)
200px|thumb|right|Club crest (1998–2016)
Thames Ironworks FC
The Thames Ironworks Team (1895–1900) used the Union Flag as its badge.
Rivet Hammers
The principal element of the badge is the crossed pair of rivet hammers, tools that were used in the shipbuilding industry. The Blackwall and Canning Town neighbourhoods surrounding the Thames Ironworks echoed to the sound of hammers; steam hammers, sledge hammers and rivet hammers.
Seven large mechanical steam hammers would punch small holes near the edges of the iron plates which would be joined to build the ships. The plates would be put in place and fixed together with rivets by teams of five, three inside the emerging vessel and two outside. Inside the ship one member of the team would heat the rivets till they were white hot and, using Iron Fingers (blacksmith's tongs), throw them to a second person, known as a "catch-boy" or "putter-in", who would pick the rivet up and place it the hole, also using tongs. The third person was known as the "holder-on" and he would then smash the rivet home with a sixteen-pound sledgehammer and then use his sledgehammer to hold the rivet in place while the men on the other side flattened the other end of the rivet.
Outside the ship, exposed to the elements, two men with rivet hammers – one right-handed, one left-handed – would hammer the protruding and still glowing rivet flat, so securing one of the many points necessary to link each of the ship's large plates. The crossed hammers were also incorporated into the coat of arms of the County Borough of West Ham and those of its successor, the modern London Borough of Newham. The Thames Ironworks lay partly within what is now the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. However, the blacksmith's tongs in that Borough's coat of arms represent the local saint, Dunstan, the patron saint of Stepney and metalworkers, rather than the Ironworks.
Tower
A yellow or white tower was added, intermittently, from the 1950s onwards. The primary reason for this seems to be to represent Anne Boleyn's Tower, the most notable feature of Green Street House, an originally Tudor group of buildings which stood next to the Boleyn Ground until demolished in 1955. Green Street House was also known as Boleyn Castle through an association with Anne Boleyn. The manor was reputedly one of the sites at which Henry VIII courted his second queen, though there is no documentary evidence to support the tradition. There are a number of other factors which may have influenced the inclusion of the stylised castle feature, for instance:
- to reflect the contribution made to the club by players of Old Castle Swifts
- The imposing towers, roofs and doorway of the Engineering Department of the Thames Ironworks bore a strong resemblance to the castle feature in earlier iterations of the badge.
- The first verse of the club's anthem, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", begins "I'm dreaming dreams, I'm scheming schemes, I'm building castles high".
- The White Tower of the Tower of London as emblematic of East London. For hundreds of years, up until 1900, inner East London had been known as the Tower Division, an area which owed military service to the Tower of London. The (originally whitewashed) White Tower was used as insignia for the area, for instance on cap badges of local units of the army.
- In recognition of the 'West Ham Pals', the 13th Battalion of the Essex Regiment which was raised in Stratford in 1915 and saw extensive action and heavy losses on the Western Front in the World War I. The Battalion was formed from volunteers from West Ham and East London generally. Their war cry was "Up the Hammers". The cap badge of the Essex Regiment was the castle and key of Gibraltar, though the unit made an unsuccessful request to the War Office that crossed hammers could be used instead.
- The adoption (in 1904) of Boleyn Castle FC as the club's reserve side when they took over their grounds on the site.
Shield
A shield has been used in many iterations of the club badge, and the shape of the 2016 version matches the cross-section on the hull of HMS Warrior, the most famous ship built by the Thames Ironworks.
Iterations
The crest was redesigned and updated in the late 1990s, featuring a wider yellow castle with fewer cruciform "windows" along with the peaked roofs being removed; the tops of the towers had previously made the castle appear more akin to Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty's Castle than a functioning fortress. The designer also altered other details to give a more substantial feel to the iconography. When the club rebuilt the west stand of the Boleyn Ground (construction finished 2001–02) the "castle" from the redesigned badge was incorporated into the structure at the main entrance to the ground. A pair of towers were prominent features of the ground's appearance, both bearing large club badges.
A new badge was introduced following the end of the 2015–16 season, when the club moved into the Olympic Stadium. It removes the Boleyn Castle due to the club moving away, leaving just the crossed hammers, which the club says is inspired by the crest before and during the career of Bobby Moore. The word "London" was introduced below to "establish the club firmly on the international stage", and the more minimalist approach is to give a "strong statement that is instantly West Ham United". The shape of the crest is that of the hull of , the first ironclad warship in the Royal Navy, which was built by Thames Ironworks.
Colours
The club originally wore navy blue, the sporting colours of Harrow School and Oxford University (see Oxford blue), both of which Thames Ironworks chairman Arnold Hills had attended and represented. However, the team used a variety of kits including the claret and sky blue house colours of Thames Ironworks, as well as sky blue or white kit. The Irons permanently adopted claret and blue for home colours in 1903.
One story suggests that Thames Ironworks right-half Charlie Dove received the Aston Villa kit from William Belton, who was a professional sprinter of national repute, as well as being involved with the coaching at Thames Ironworks. Belton had been at a fair in Birmingham, close to Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa and was challenged to a race against four Villa players, who wagered money that one of them would win. Belton defeated them and, when they were unable to pay the bet, one of the Villa players who was responsible for washing the team's kit offered a complete team's "football kits" to Belton in payment. The Aston Villa player subsequently reported to his club that the kit was "missing". This, however, is often disputed. Thames Ironworks, and later West Ham United, retained the claret yoke/blue sleeves design, but also continued to use their previously favoured colours for their away kits.
Terms and phrases
West Ham United does not have a club motto, but there are a number of well known inter-related phrases which capture the club's culture and philosophy:
- The West Ham Way: The 'West Ham Way' is an approach to football that is generally regarded as having developed from the innovative work of Ted Fenton, Malcolm Allison (the club captain) and others in the 1950s. Though not precisely defined, it can be broadly described as emphasising developing good players and good men thorough the youth system, honesty, commitment, some aggression and a preference for creative attacking football. There is significant continuity from the advice given to the team, by founder Arnold Hills, ahead of the 1896-1897 season, the club's second:
- Academy of Football: The term generally applies to the youth system which became a central part of the clubs philosophy and identity in the era of Ted Fenton and Malcom Allison in the 1950s and 1960s. The term is also applied to the club as a whole, in particular it has been applied to the meetings of players that club captain Malcolm Allison would hold at Cassettari's Café on Barking Road, a short distance from the Boleyn Ground. In these meetings players would exchange ideas on playing styles, formations and tactics, famously using pepperpots and other cafe paraphernalia as illustrative props.
- Moore than a Club: The term was coined in emulation of FC Barcelona, whose motto ‘More than a club’ describes how it sees itself as a family, a champion of the local community (partly through its charitable Foundation) and an expression of regional identity. It is also a play on words of the West Ham Academy's most famous graduate, Bobby Moore. West ham has its own West Ham United Foundation, serving East London and Essex.
- A Family Club: The club has long been described as a family club, and this has been described as meaning staff and supporters are part of the West Ham family. Historically, this has included an approach which has valued family values such loyalty, tradition and continuity, for instance in the appointment and retention of staff, such as board members, managers and coaches.