10 Best West Ham Managers Ever Ranked
Football, undoubtedly, is a game in which the players play their tooth and nail to win matches. After the regressive practice sessions, they also do various exercises to give their best effort in the field. However, it is the manager of any football club or team that plays a very crucial role in making both ends meet.
London-based football club West Ham United appointed its first manager, Syd King, in 1902. Before 1902, team selection of West Ham used to be done by a committee. In this article, we will have a look at the best West Ham managers ever.
These managers are ranked on the basis of success, win percentage, legacy, and the quality of football. Here is the list of the 10 best West Ham managers ever.
10. Sam Allardyce
Samuel Allardyce was appointed to the then relegated West Ham United in 2011 vowing to play “attractive football” in getting West Ham back to the Premier League. He succeeded in that and in 2012, after only one season in the Championship, he brought West Ham back in the Premier League.
Big Sam described it as his best-ever achievement. He managed 181 games and helped to win 69 matches with a winning percentage of 38.12% till he served West Ham in 2015.
9. Harry Redknapp
After Billy Bonds departed the Hammers, Harry Redknapp took over to manage the team after 2 years of acting as his assistant manager. Redknapp’s managing career for the Hammers lasted 7 years where he managed players like Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, and Michael Carrick.
He guided the Hammers to finish the Premier League in a record-high position of 5th place in the 1998/1999 season. He will always be remembered as one of the best West Ham managers ever.
8. Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew had an impressive record as the manager of West Ham United. He guided the club to ninth place in the Premier League in the 2005–06 season. He managed 163 games from 2003 to 2006, with a 41.10% win percentage. His stats put him among the best West Ham managers ever.
7. Charlie Paynter
Charlie Paynter replaced Syd King as the manager of West Ham in 1933 when the Club was in serious danger of a second successive relegation and finishing 20th in the league by the end of the season which still remains their lowest.
Paynter took the club forward helping them improve their form resulting in them finishing third and fourth respectively in the following two years. He managed 480 matches for the club till 1950 with a 41.25% winning percentage.
6. Ted Fenton
Fenton was the third manager of the West Ham football club, and he was the first under whom the club won the league title(second division). He was appointed on 1 August 1950 and served till 31st march 1961. He managed 484 matches with a winning percentage of 39.88% percent, earning himself a place among the best West Ham managers ever.
5. David Moyes
Moyes is currently in his second spell with the club. He was initially appointed as the 16th permanent manager of West Ham United on 7 November 2017. He successfully guided the Hammers out of the relegation zone to the safety of a 13th-place finish, scoring impressive wins over Chelsea, Leicester City and former club Everton along the way.
Moyes returned to London Stadium in December 2019, and once against steered the team clear to safety. In 2020-21, he guided the team to a sixth-place finish thus earning a Europa League spot. He led the club to the UEFA Europa Conference League in the 2022-23 season, cementing his status as one of the best West Ham managers ever.
4. Billy Bonds
Billy Bonds with a lifetime achievement award was a popular choice when he was appointed as the manager of West Ham. He served for almost four years from 23 February till 10 August 1994. He also holds the best winning percentage as a permanent manager with a 43.61% percentage in 227 matches, winning 99 and losing just 67 games.
3. Syd King
Syd King was the first West Ham United F.C manager. He served for almost 31 years as a full-time manager. Syd King was born in Kent. During his period, the club achieved great heights. He successfully managed around 638 games.
The winning percentage, although it seems low, with only 38% percent, the popularity of Syd King can be ascertained easily when once a newspaper said: “Syd King is West Ham and West Ham is Syd King.”
2. Ron Greenwood
Ron Greenwood replaced Ted Fenton as West Ham’s manager in 1961. His reign at West Ham brought them sizeable success. He oversaw the development of players such as the 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning trio of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, and under him, the Hammers won the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 – the first two major trophies of their history.
In July 1977, after England coach Don Revie’s resignation, Greenwood was appointed full-time manager of England, ending his 15-year association with West Ham United.
1. John Lyall
Lyall also was the most successful manager of West Ham United F.C. He managed the team for 15 years from 1974-1989. He also led most of West Ham matches (708 matches) and helped to win 277 games with a winning percentage of 39.12% per cent. Lyall guided West Ham to two FA Cups(1975, 1980) and Football League Second Division title in 1981.
West Ham renamed the main gates to Upton Park as The John Lyall Gates in December 2009. West Ham announced in May 2015 that as part of their relocation to the Olympic Stadium in 2016, the gates would be moved to the new site. They are currently on display in the club’s official store.
Checkout: Best West Ham United Players Ever
Where’s Harry redknapp
Ron Greenwood with the players he had was a massive underachiever whose teams never finished higher than 8th in the 1960s.