# 1997–98 West Ham United F.C. season

During the 1997–98 English football season, West Ham United F.C. competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

## Season summary

After last season's near miss with relegation, West Ham United looked more convincing than they had done for years during 1997–98. John Hartson matured into one of the best strikers in the Premiership, with his partner Paul Kitson also providing a steady supply of goals. Young centre-back Rio Ferdinand remained loyal to his employers despite endless speculation of a move to a bigger club.
West Ham finished 8th in the final table, just one place short of UEFA Cup qualification. Holding on to Hartson and Ferdinand gave Harry Redknapp's men an even more enhanced chance of achieving that goal next time round.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 6 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 58 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 57 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 8 | West Ham United | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 56 | |
| 9 | Derby County | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 55 | |
| 10 | Leicester City | 38 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 51 | 41 | +10 | 53 | |
* ↑ Aston Villa was rewarded entry to the UEFA Cup through UEFA Fair Play ranking.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table

### Results by matchday

| Match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H |
| Result | W | W | L | D | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | W | L | D | W | D | D | D | W | W | L | D | D | W | L | L | D | W |
| Position | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 8 |

## Results

West Ham United's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 9 August 1997 | Barnsley | A | 2–1 | 18,667 | Hartson, Lampard |
| 13 August 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 25,354 | Hartson, Berkovic |
| 23 August 1997 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 34,356 | Watson (own goal) |
| 27 August 1997 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 18,289 | Kitson |
| 30 August 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 3–1 | 24,516 | Hartson, Rieper, Berkovic |
| 13 September 1997 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 | 55,068 | Hartson |
| 20 September 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 25,884 | |
| 24 September 1997 | Arsenal | A | 0–4 | 38,012 | |
| 27 September 1997 | Liverpool | H | 2–1 | 25,908 | Hartson, Berkovic |
| 4 October 1997 | Southampton | A | 0–3 | 15,212 | |
| 18 October 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | 24,864 | Berkovic, Hartson (2) |
| 27 October 1997 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | 20,201 | Berkovic |
| 9 November 1997 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 34,382 | Hartson (pen) |
| 23 November 1997 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 30,031 | Lampard |
| 29 November 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 2–1 | 24,976 | Hartson (2) |
| 3 December 1997 | Crystal Palace | H | 4–1 | 23,335 | Hartson, Berkovic, Unsworth, Lomas |
| 6 December 1997 | Derby County | A | 0–2 | 29,300 | |
| 13 December 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 24,344 | Kitson |
| 20 December 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–3 | 21,653 | |
| 26 December 1997 | Coventry City | H | 1–0 | 24,532 | Kitson |
| 28 December 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 2–1 | 22,087 | Kimble (own goal), Kitson |
| 10 January 1998 | Barnsley | H | 6–0 | 23,714 | Lampard, Abou (2), Moncur, Hartson, Lazaridis |
| 17 January 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 30,284 | |
| 31 January 1998 | Everton | H | 2–2 | 25,909 | Sinclair (2) |
| 7 February 1998 | Newcastle United | A | 1–0 | 36,736 | Lazaridis |
| 21 February 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 25,000 | Sinclair |
| 2 March 1998 | Arsenal | H | 0–0 | 25,717 | |
| 11 March 1998 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 25,892 | Sinclair |
| 14 March 1998 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 25,829 | Sinclair, Unsworth |
| 30 March 1998 | Leeds United | H | 3–0 | 24,107 | Hartson, Abou, Pearce |
| 4 April 1998 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 39,372 | |
| 11 April 1998 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 25,155 | |
| 13 April 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1–1 | 28,036 | Berkovic |
| 18 April 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–1 | 24,733 | Hartson (2) |
| 25 April 1998 | Southampton | H | 2–4 | 25,878 | Sinclair, Lomas |
| 2 May 1998 | Liverpool | A | 0–5 | 44,414 | |
| 5 May 1998 | Crystal Palace | A | 3–3 | 19,129 | Lampard, Omoyinmi (2) |
| 10 May 1998 | Leicester City | H | 4–3 | 25,781 | Lampard, Abou (2), Sinclair |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Emley | H | 2–1 | 18,629 | Lampard, Hartson |
| R4 | 24 January 1998 | Manchester City | A | 2–1 | 26,495 | Berkovic, Lomas |
| R5 | 14 February 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–2 | 25,729 | Kitson, Berkovic |
| R5R | 25 February 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–1 (5–4 on pens) | 21,972 | Hartson |
| QF | 8 March 1998 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 38,077 | Pearce |
| QFR | 17 March 1998 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 (3–4 on pens) | 25,859 | Hartson |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st Leg | 16 September 1997 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–1 | 8,525 | |
| R2 2nd Leg | 29 September 1997 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3–0 (won 3–1 on agg) | 16,137 | Hartson (3) |
| R3 | 15 October 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 3–0 | 20,360 | Hartson (2), Lampard |
| R4 | 19 November 1997 | Walsall | H | 4–1 | 17,463 | Lampard (3), Hartson |
| QF | 6 January 1998 | Arsenal | H | 1–2 | 24,770 | Abou |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | CZE | Luděk Mikloško |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Tim Breacker |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Julian Dicks (captain) |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Steve Potts |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Richard Hall |
| 6 | DF | ENG | David Unsworth |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Trevor Sinclair |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Paul Kitson |
| 10 | FW | WAL | John Hartson |
| 11 | MF | NIR | Steve Lomas |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Stephen Bywater |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Rio Ferdinand |
| 16 | MF | ENG | John Moncur |
| 17 | MF | AUS | Stan Lazaridis |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Frank Lampard |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Ian Pearce |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Andrew Impey |
| 21 | GK | ENG | Les Sealey |
| 22 | GK | CAN | Craig Forrest |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Scott Mean |
| 24 | FW | FRA | Samassi Abou |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Lee Hodges |
| 26 | DF | FRA | Mohamed Berthé |
| 27 | FW | NGA | Emmanuel Omoyinmi |
| 28 | DF | AUS | Chris Coyne |
| 29 | MF | ISR | Eyal Berkovic |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Joey Keith |
| 31 | GK | ENG | Neil Finn |
| 32 | GK | FRA | Bernard Lama |
| 33 | FW | IRL | Lee Boylan |
| 34 | FW | ENG | Gary Alexander |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Ian Bishop (to Manchester City) |
| 8 | DF | DEN | Marc Rieper (to Celtic) |
| 12 | DF | NIR | Keith Rowland (to Queens Park Rangers) |
| 13 | DF | FRA | David Terrier (to Newcastle United) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | FW | NIR | Iain Dowie (to Queens Park Rangers) |
| 24 | MF | NIR | Michael Hughes (to Wimbledon) |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Ian Moore (to Nottingham Forest) |
| 30 | FW | POR | Paulo Alves (to Sporting Lisbon) |

### Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | MF | ENG | Jimmy Bullard |
| - | MF | ENG | Craig Etherington |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | DF | ENG | Anthony Henry |
| - | DF | WAL | David Partridge |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
| 2 June 1997 | MF | Eyal Berkovic | Maccabi Haifa | £1,750,000 |
| 9 July 1997 | DF | David Terrier | Metz | Free transfer |
| 21 July 1997 | GK | Craig Forrest | Ipswich Town | £500,000 |
| 15 August 1997 | DF | David Unsworth | Everton | Swap |
| 18 September 1997 | DF | Ian Pearce | Blackburn Rovers | £2,300,000 |
| 26 September 1997 | DF | Andrew Impey | QPR | £1,200,000 |
| 28 October 1997 | FW | Samassi Abou | Cannes | £250,000 |
| 29 January 1998 | MF | Trevor Sinclair | QPR | £2,300,000 |
| 20 February 1998 | GK | Stephen Bywater | Rochdale | £300,000 |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
| 14 May 1997 | DF | Slaven Bilić | Everton | £4,500,000 |
| 15 August 1997 | MF | Danny Williamson | Everton | Swap |
| 12 September 1997 | DF | Marc Rieper | Celtic | £1,400,000 |
| 25 September 1997 | MF | Michael Hughes | Wimbledon | £1,600,000 |
| 29 January 1998 | DF | Keith Rowland | QPR | Swap |
| 29 January 1998 | MF | Iain Dowie | QPR | £1,600,000 |
| 26 March 1998 | MF | Ian Bishop | Manchester City | Free transfer |
    Transfers in: £8,600,000
    Transfers out: £7,500,000
    Total spending: £1,100,000

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | CZE | Luděk Mikloško | 15 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | CAN | Craig Forrest | 21 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 32 | GK | FRA | Bernard Lama | 14 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Tim Breacker | 26 | 0 | 18+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Steve Potts | 33 | 0 | 15+9 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | David Unsworth | 42 | 2 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Rio Ferdinand | 47 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Ian Pearce | 40 | 2 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Andrew Impey | 26 | 0 | 19+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 8 | MF | ENG | Trevor Sinclair | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | NIR | Steve Lomas | 43 | 3 | 34 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | ENG | John Moncur | 25 | 1 | 18+3 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | AUS | Stan Lazaridis | 35 | 2 | 27+1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Frank Lampard | 43 | 9 | 28+4 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Scott Mean | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Lee Hodges | 5 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ISR | Eyal Berkovic | 47 | 9 | 35+1 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Paul Kitson | 17 | 5 | 12+1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | WAL | John Hartson | 43 | 24 | 33 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 24 | FW | FRA | Samassi Abou | 27 | 6 | 12+8 | 5 | 3+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 27 | FW | NGA | Emmanuel Omoyinmi | 5 | 2 | 1+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left the club permanently or on loan during the season ||||||||||||
| 7 | MF | ENG | Ian Bishop | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | DEN | Marc Rieper | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | NIR | Keith Rowland | 9 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | FRA | David Terrier | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | NIR | Iain Dowie | 17 | 0 | 8+5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | NIR | Michael Hughes | 6 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Ian Moore | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | POR | Paulo Alves | 4 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Starting 11

    Considering starts in all competitions
    Considering a 4-3-1-2 formation
* GK: #22, Craig Forrest, 20
* RB: #2, Tim Breacker, 24
* CB: #15, Rio Ferdinand, 46
* CB: #19, Ian Pearce, 39
* LB: #6, David Unsworth, 41
* CM: #18, Frank Lampard, 38
* CM: #11, Steve Lomas, 42
* CM: #17, Stan Lazaridis, 34
* AM: #29, Eyal Berkovic, 45
* CF: #10, John Hartson, 42
* CF: #24, Samassi Abou, 16