The 2011–12 season is West Ham United's first season back in the Football League Championship, after being relegated from the Premier League at the conclusion of 2010–11 campaign. They also competed in the League Cup and the FA Cup. It was their first season under manager Sam Allardyce who was appointed in May 2011 after the sacking of previous manager Avram Grant. On 19 May 2012 the season ended with West Ham winning the 2012 Football League Championship play-off Final and promotion back to the Premier League after only one season in the Championship.
1 July: The new season starts with new manager Sam Allardyce in charge. His new assistant manager is Neil McDonald
1 July: Player departures at the start of the new season include Anthony Edgar, Danny Gabbidon, Lars Jacobsen, Matthew Upson, Jonathan Spector, Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson, Kieron Dyer and Thomas Hitzlsperger. Striker Demba Ba leaves for Newcastle United while Radoslav Kováč moves to F.C. Basel.
3 July: Kevin Keen leaves West Ham to become first-team coach with Liverpool.
4 July: Martyn Margetson is appointed as new goalkeeping coach.
7 July: Ian Hendon is appointed as development coach.
27 July: The club reveals academy prospect Dylan Tombides is being treated for testicular cancer. Tombides was diagnosed while representing Australia in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
10 August: Former Northern Ireland international George McCartney rejoins West Ham on a season-long loan from Sunderland.
16 August: West Ham record back to back away wins for the first time since November 2007.
24 August: The Hammers exit the League Cup in the first round after losing 2–1 at home to League Two side, Aldershot Town. Debutant Callum McNaughton is sent off with the score at 1–0.
31 August: The summer transfer window closes. West Ham brought in 12 players, with 20 leaving the club on a permanent basis. This included last season's Hammer of the Year, Scott Parker.
11 October: West Ham's bid for the 2012 Olympic Stadium collapses after legal challenges from rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient.
15 October: West Ham climb into an automatic promotion spot for the first time this season following a 4–0 win over Blackpool at Upton Park.
19 November: Carlton Cole scores West Ham's 2,000th away League goal in a 2–1 away win against Coventry City in front of 6,500 West Ham fans at the Ricoh Arena.
21 January: West Ham go top of The Championship for the first time this season after beating Nottingham Forest, 2–1 thanks to two penalties from Mark Noble.
1 February: The Hammers suffer their heaviest defeat of the season so far at the hands of Ipswich Town, losing 5–1.
4 February: Despite playing with 10 men after the 8th minute dismissal of captain Kevin Nolan, West Ham best local rivals, Millwall 2–1 with goals from Carlton Cole and Winston Reid. Manager Allardyce described the victory as "one of the best wins of my entire managerial career".
21 February: For the third successive game West Ham have a man sent-off. Following dismissals of Nolan against Millwall and Matt Taylor against Southampton, Robert Green is sent-off against Blackpool. With West Ham 2–1 up, Henri Lansbury went in goal, keeping a clean-sheet in a 4–1 win.
24 March: West Ham draw their fifth game in a row equalling their record for consecutive draws, a result which sees them go 10 games unbeaten.
27 March: West Ham record their twentieth win of the campaign in a 2–0 win at Peterborough United and equal a club record of 11 away wins in a season.
6 April: With a 4–0 win at Barnsley, West Ham record their twelfth away win of the season and break a club record for the number of away wins during a season.
14 April: Ricardo Vaz Tê scores West Ham's first league hat-trick since Marlon Harewood in September 2005 as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 6–0.
28 April: Despite finishing the season with only eight defeats, the lowest number in the league, West Ham are placed third behind Reading and Southampton and enter the play-offs.
19 May: West Ham clinched promotion back to the Premier League thanks to a 2–1 victory over Blackpool at the Wembley Stadium with goals from Carlton Cole and Vaz Tê.
For the second season running, West Ham's team kit was produced by Macron. SBOBET continue their association with the club, providing the shirt sponsorship for a fourth season.
