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Latest West Ham News:
- » Hammers sign Icelandic defender
- West Ham sign Iceland Under-21 defender Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson from HK Kopavogur.
- » Ljungberg to quit internationals
- Sweden captain Freddie Ljungberg retires from international football to focus on playing for West Ham.
- » Collins eyes shock Wales recall
- West Ham defender James Collins has set his sights on being fit when Wales' World Cup qualifiers kick off in September.
- » West Ham release veteran Solano
- Nolberto Solano is released by West Ham after just one season at the club.
- » Hammers start against Wigan
- Premier League champions Man Utd begin their title defence against Newcastle on the opening weekend of the new season.
- » Ashton signs long-term contract
- West Ham striker Dean Ashton signs a new five-year contract.
- » Spector faces spell on sidelines
- West Ham United defender Jonathan Spector faces a spell of up to six months out injured after being diagnosed with a hip problem.
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West Ham United
West Ham came into being through workers from the shipbuilding company Thames Iron Works in 1895. The club was relaunched in 1900 as West Ham United and elected to the Football League in 1919. Success came in 1923 with promotion to the First Division and an appearance in the first Wembley FA Cup final. Later, under the auspices of captain Malcolm Allison and later coach Ron Greenwood, the Hammers plotted for the future by nurturing young talent and introducing innovative coaching techniques.
It paid off with FA Cup victory in 1964, a European Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1965 and the club rightfully took credit when three homegrown stars - captain Bobby Moore, striker Geoff Hurst and midfielder Martin Peters - helped England win the 1966 World Cup. Another FA Cup victory in 1975 was followed by relegation in 1978.
There was a return to Wembley in 1980 and the Hammers, still in the Second Division, beat Arsenal 1-0. After mixed success in the 1980s, West Ham sealed promotion to the F.A. Premier League in 1993. And while standing by their beliefs, the Hammers graced the Premiership for 10 years until their relegation in 2003. Secured a return to the top flight two seasons later via the play-offs, beating Preston 1-0 in Cardiff.
West Ham regained their top-flight status via the play-offs in 2005 and have since consolidated their position back among England's elite. The Hammers' 10-year stay in the Premier League ended with a nail-biting final-day draw at Birmingham City in May 2003, which came after a season spent battling to retain their Premiership status. Under Billy Bonds and then Harry Redknapp, the Hammers established themselves in the Premier League before finding their feet and recording four top-10 finishes in the space of five years.
Redknapp's successor, Glenn Roeder, continued the momentum with a seventh-placed finish in his first campaign, 2001/2002. After the long-serving Bonds guided the team back into the top flight in 1993, Redknapp stepped up from his post as assistant manager to take the helm in 1994 and led the evolution from strugglers to the Premiership's stylish stalwarts. In the former winger's seven-year reign, he brought stars such as the charismatic Italian Paolo di Canio to the Boleyn Ground.
