A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2008–09 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Björgólfur Guðmundsson | ||
| Manager | Alan Curbishley (until 3 September) Gianfranco Zola (from 9 September) | ||
| Premier League | 9th | ||
| FA Cup | Fifth round | ||
| League Cup | Third round | ||
| Top goalscorer | Carlton Cole 10 | ||
| Highest home attendance | 34,802 (v Arsenal) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 10,055 (v Macclesfield Town) | ||
|
| |||
The 2008–09 season saw West Ham United compete in the Premier League, where the club finished in 9th place. The beginning of the season was overshadowed by the sudden resignation of manager Alan Curbishley, following the sale of first team players Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland - after Curbishley claimed that these transfers had been authorised without his consent - and the related financial troubles of the club's owners, brought on by the 2008 Icelandic Banking Crisis. The club's owners had their assets frozen by the UK government, with the club narrowly avoiding going into administration as a result. Curbishley was replaced by Italian former Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola on 9 September.[1]
The club recovered from its off-field troubles, and a relatively poor start to the season, to finish in the top half and were never seriously threatened with relegation after the turn of the year.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Fulham | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 53 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[a] |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 45 | 45 | 0 | 51 | |
| 9 | West Ham United | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 51 | |
| 10 | Manchester City | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 50 | |
| 11 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 45 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- ^ Since both finalists of the FA Cup (Chelsea and Everton) and the League Cup winners (Manchester United) qualified for the European competitions based on their league position, the sixth-placed team (Aston Villa) received a berth in the Europa League play-off round and the seventh-placed team (Fulham) received a berth in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Results
Premier League
| 16 August 2008 1 | West Ham United | 2–1 | Wigan Athletic | London |
Ashton  3', 10' |
Report | Zaki 47' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 32,758 Referee: Steve Bennett |
| 24 August 2008 2 | Manchester City | 3–0 | West Ham United | Manchester |
| Sturridge 65' Elano 70', 76' |
Report | Stadium: Etihad Stadium Attendance: 36,635 Referee: Howard Webb |
| 30 August 2008 3 | West Ham United | 4–1 | Blackburn Rovers | London |
| Davenport 12' Samba 20', og'Cole 89'Bellamy 90' |
Report | Roberts 22' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 32,905 Referee: Mike Riley |
| 13 September 2008 4 | West Bromwich Albion | 3–2 | West Ham United | West Bromwich |
| Morrison 3' Bednar 37'Brunt 83' |
Report | Noble 29' Neill 35' |
Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 26,213 Referee: Lee Probert |
| 20 September 2008 5 | West Ham United | 3–1 | Newcastle United | London |
| Di Michele 8', 37' Etherington 53' |
Report | Owen 67' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,743 Referee: Phil Dowd |
| 27 September 2008 6 | Fulham | 1–2 | West Ham United | London |
| Murphy 59' |
Report | Cole 43' Etherington 45' |
Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 23,946 Referee: Andre Marriner |
| 5 October 2008 7 | West Ham United | 1–3 | Bolton Wanderers | London |
| Cole 69' |
Report | K. Davies 30' Cahill 34'Taylor 86' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 33,715 Referee: Mike Dean |
| 19 October 2008 8 | Hull City | 1–0 | West Ham United | Kingston-upon-Hull |
| Turner 51' |
Report | Stadium: KC Stadium Attendance: 24,896 Referee: Chris Foy |
| 26 October 2008 9 | West Ham United | 0–2 | Arsenal | London |
| Report | Faubert 75', og' Adebayor 90' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,802 Referee: Phil Dowd |
| 29 October 2008 10 | Manchester United | 2–0 | West Ham United | Manchester |
| Ronaldo 14', 30' |
Report | Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,397 Referee: Peter Walton |
| 1 November 2008 11 | Middlesbrough | 1–1 | West Ham United | Middlesbrough |
| Mido 83' |
Report | Mullins 21' |
Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 25,164 Referee: Andre Marriner |
| 8 November 2008 12 | West Ham United | 1–3 | Everton | London |
| Collison 63' |
Report | Lescott 83' Saha 85', 87' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 33,961 Referee: Mark Halsey |
| 15 November 2008 13 | West Ham United | 0–0 | Portsmouth | London |
| Report | Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 32,328 Referee: Martin Atkinson |
| 23 November 2008 14 | Sunderland | 0–1 | West Ham United | Sunderland |
| Report | Behrami 20' |
Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 35,222 Referee: Mike Dean |
| 1 December 2008 15 | Liverpool | 0–0 | West Ham United | Liverpool |
| Report | Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,169 Referee: Peter Walton |
| 8 December 2008 16 | West Ham United | 0–2 | Tottenham Hotspur | London |
| Report | King 68' O'Hara 90' |
Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,277 Referee: Chris Foy |
| 14 December 2008 17 | Chelsea | 1–1 | West Ham United | London |
| Anelka 51' |
Report | Bellamy 33' |
Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,675 Referee: Mike Riley |