Manager Gianfranco Zola League Cup Third round | Premier League 17th FA Cup Third round | |
Co-chairmen David Gold
David Sullivan Ground Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) | ||
The 2009–10 Premier League was West Ham United's fifth consecutive season in the Premier League, following a ninth-placed finish in the 2008–09 Premier League. They were managed by Gianfranco Zola - in his second season after replacing Alan Curbishley in September 2008. This was his first and only full season as manager.
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The Hammers managed to win their first Premier League game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, but failed to win another until early November after an injury time winner from Zavon Hines sealed an upset win against Aston Villa.
The Upton Park riots took place in West Ham's first Football League Cup game on 25 August against fierce rivals Millwall. The club was fined £115,000 after pitch invasions and brawling, resulting in a Millwall fan being stabbed. West Ham won the game 3-1 after extra time.
On 19 January 2010, former Birmingham City owners David Gold and David Sullivan completed a joint takeover of West Ham United from cash-strapped Icelandic owner Björgólfur Guðmundsson.
Mid-season form was up and down, but after a loss at Old Trafford, West Ham had a string of six consecutive losses to put them in major relegation danger. A late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Everton, followed by a 1-0 win at home against Sunderland, restored the faith. Another poor game at Anfield was a minor hiccup in West Ham's quest for survival, and, after being given a golden opportunity to stay up, West Ham earned three points against Wigan Athletic in a hard-fought 3-2 win. Simultaneously, Hull City blew an opportunity against Sunderland, losing 0-1. West Ham's Premier League status was confirmed on 3 May with Hull City's 2-2 draw with Wigan Athletic leaving Hull five points behind West Ham with one game left to play. West Ham's away record of only one away win all season equalled their lowest number of away wins for a season, last achieved in 1960-61. On 11 May 2010, two days after the end of the season, West Ham announced the termination of manager Gianfranco Zola's contract with immediate effect.
First-team squad
As of 9 April 2010.Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Pre season
West Ham took part in a two week foreign pre-season training camp in Austria, and had scheduled four pre-season games; however, the game against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen was called off due to wet weather. West Ham also took place in the 2009 Barclays Asia Trophy, where they finished third. A second "West Ham United XI" team largely comprising academy prospects and out-of-favour senior players also played a series of matches in England during this period.
"West Ham United XI" pre season results (all away): 2–1 (W) v Grays Athletic (12 July), 1–1 (D) v Cambridge United (18 July), 3–2 (W) v Thurrock (24 July), 3–0 (W) v Kingstonian (31 July)
Premier League
A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2009–10 season. Each team would play every other team twice, once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. The provisional fixture list was released on 17 June 2009, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage.