Lopetegui Demands More After Disappointing Loss
West Ham United Football Club – the club which is recognised among its supporters as the team that won the only World Cup in England’s history in 1966 led by the player universally recognised as being the best defender in the history of the country’s football – Bobby Moore.
He provided assists and two fellow Hammers – Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters – the goals which saw the nation triumph over the then West Germans at Wembley Stadium.
Moore is remembered as the greatest player in West Ham history making 544 appearances for the club whilst Hurst was a goal scorer supreme scoring 180 goals in 411 appearances. Martin Peters, meanwhile, made 302 appearances, scoring 81 goals before being transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in 1970 after 11 years at West Ham. 121
The club was founded in 1895 as the Thames Ironworks from which of course from where comes its nickname of two, The Irons, the other being the Hammers. The club was moved into Upton Park five years later which remained their home for over a century and is still seen by thousands of fans as the club’s spiritual home.
The team was involved in non League football before joining the Football League 18 years later, finding their way into the top flight of the game 1923, when they were also losing finalists in the first FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium losing to Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in what became known as the “White Horse Final.”
This was as a result of chaotic scenes before the game with crowds infiltrating the stadium far exceeding what was then a capacity of 125,000. Police – one on a grey horse – were called in to clear the terraces of thousands and that horse and rider became the most historically highlighted photo of the day.
The club’s next appearance in a Final came in 1964 when they beat Preston North End after a titanic semi final against Manchester United at Hillsborough on a soaking wet day when the youthful side ran out 3-2 winners over the the powerful Old Trafford outfit.. The club has since won the biggest domestic Cup twice more but the 1964/65 victory was followed by a European Cup Winners Cup success against 1860 Munich.
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