Association Football is, by far, the most popular sport worldwide having almost double the fans of cricket, and having more fans than tennis, hockey, volleyball, and basketball combined. Association Football has its roots in many different games, dating back all the way to ancient Egypt, however, the sport as we know it today was created in Cambridge, England, in the 1850s. Since then Football has become ingrained in English culture and society. While cricket is considered England’s national sport, football is by far England’s favorite.
The popularity of football in the world, has led to bettors and gamblers casting their lot in with the game, and soon after its creation, football became massively popular in the betting community. Today, Football is the biggest betting sport in the world. The Football League sees millions of dollars in revenue annually from the betting industry. Online, football has just as big a presence in the sportsbook, as it does on land-based betting shops. Sites like www.helpbet.com are hugely popular among fans of football, as well as others of the biggest sports, like hockey, racing, etc.
Among the football clubs that have risen to major prominence is the West Ham United F.C., commonly called the Hammers by their fans, and opposition alike. In this article, we will look through the highs and lows of the Hammers’ long-standing history in the game of Football.
The Highs
West Ham United’s career started out with a bang, as they won the Western League Division 1B, and shortly after defeated Fulham to become the Western League Champions. Their next major success came in 1919, when they were allowed into the Second Division, where they played their first game against Lincoln City. A short four years later, the Hammers played their first ever FA Cup Final.
The team’s glory years were the 60s and 70s. Ron Greenwood was the manager, and he took his job seriously, leading the team to two major trophies, and their first FA Cup Final in 1964. They would go on to win a number of championships and titles, and several West Ham players would go down in history as greatest of all time, not the least of which was Geoff Hurst, who scored the first, and to-date only, hat-trick in the World Cup final.
The Hammers would go on to win an additional two FA Cup Finals in 1975 and 1980.
The Lows
Sadly, the Hammers have not had a spotless career. In 1978, they were briefly relegated to Second Division, however, manager John Angus Lyall dragged them out of their rut, and led them to their third, and final victory in the FA Cup Finals. In 1989, the Hammers suffered relegation, resulting in Lyall being sacked from the team. He was replaced by Lou Macari, who did not have a chance to do much, as he was faced with a number of controversies, and was forced to retire.
The Hammers got a new manager after Macari, who helped put the team back in First Division, and the Hammers have had a pretty respectable career since the 90s. They were runner-ups for the FA Cup Finals title in 2006.