# 1973–74 West Ham United F.C. season

In the 1973–74 season West Ham United played in the First Division for the sixteenth consecutive season.

## Season summary

They made a poor start to the season, failing to win any of their first eleven League matches, and were bottom of the table at Christmas after losing at home to Stoke City. However, they rallied in the second half of the season and a draw with Liverpool in their last fixture left them in 18th place, just one point ahead of relegated Southampton.
West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup in a third round replay by Third Division Hereford United. Hereford's team included Dudley Tyler, who had re-signed for them after leaving West Ham earlier in the season. West Ham had been within two minutes of defeat at home, before a solo goal by Pat Holland took the tie to a replay at Edgar Street, where Hereford came from behind to win 2–1.
West Ham's captain Bobby Moore, who had been dropped the previous autumn, played his last match for the first team in the first FA Cup match against Hereford before moving to Fulham. The 1973–74 season was also Ron Greenwood's last full season as West Ham's manager.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Coventry City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 43 | 54 | 0.796 | 38 | |
| 17 | Chelsea | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 56 | 60 | 0.933 | 37 | |
| 18 | West Ham United | 42 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 55 | 60 | 0.917 | 37 | |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 52 | 64 | 0.813 | 37 | |
| 20 | Southampton (R) | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 47 | 68 | 0.691 | 36 | Relegation to the Second Division |

## Results
### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| 25 August 1973 | Newcastle United | H | 1–2 | 28,169 | Robson |
| 27 August 1973 | Ipswich Town | H | 3–3 | 23,335 | Bonds, Brooking, Best |
| 1 September 1973 | Norwich City | A | 2–2 | 25,706 | Best, Robson |
| 4 September 1973 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–0 | 28,360 | |
| 8 September 1973 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–1 | 30,888 | |
| 10 September 1973 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–3 | 26,042 | Robson, Bonds (pen) |
| 15 September 1973 | Manchester United | A | 1–3 | 44,757 | Bonds (pen) |
| 22 September 1973 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | 23,567 | Robson |
| 29 September 1973 | Stoke City | A | 0–2 | 16,395 | |
| 6 October 1973 | Burnley | H | 0–1 | 23,604 | |
| 13 October 1973 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 34,708 | |
| 20 October 1973 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 21,097 | McDowell |
| 27 October 1973 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 31,237 | |
| 3 November 1973 | Leeds United | A | 1–4 | 36,869 | MacDougall |
| 10 November 1973 | Sheffield United | H | 2–2 | 21,243 | Bonds, Brooking |
| 17 November 1973 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 19,587 | |
| 24 November 1973 | Arsenal | H | 1–3 | 28,287 | Bonds |
| 1 December 1973 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 34,857 | |
| 8 December 1973 | Manchester City | H | 2–1 | 20,790 | Brooking, Doyle (o.g.) |
| 15 December 1973 | Birmingham City | A | 1–3 | 23,787 | Gould |
| 22 December 1973 | Stoke City | H | 0–2 | 16,513 | |
| 26 December 1973 | Chelsea | A | 4–2 | 26,982 | Lampard, Gould, Best (2) |
| 29 December 1973 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–2 | 33,172 | |
| 1 January 1974 | Norwich City | H | 4–2 | 32,259 | Gould, Paddon (2), Brooking |
| 12 January 1974 | Manchester United | H | 2–1 | 34,147 | Bonds, Holland |
| 19 January 1974 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | 27,216 | Holland |
| 2 February 1974 | Birmingham City | H | 0–0 | 27,948 | |
| 5 February 1974 | Ipswich Town | A | 3–1 | 25,747 | Mills (o.g.), McDowell, Best |
| 9 February 1974 | Leicester City | A | 1–0 | 27,032 | Best |
| 16 February 1974 | Everton | H | 4–3 | 29,347 | Paddon, Best (2), Bonds |
| 23 February 1974 | Burnley | A | 1–1 | 18,216 | Paddon |
| 2 March 1974 | Chelsea | H | 3–0 | 34,043 | Bonds (3) |
| 9 March 1974 | Derby County | A | 1–1 | 24,684 | Bonds |
| 16 March 1974 | Coventry City | H | 2–3 | 26,502 | Bonds (2; 1 pen) |
| 23 March 1974 | Sheffield United | A | 0–1 | 19,467 | |
| 30 March 1974 | Leeds United | H | 3–1 | 38,416 | Best, Robson, Brooking |
| 6 April 1974 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | 37,868 | |
| 12 April 1974 | Southampton | H | 4–1 | 24,163 | Robson (2), Best (2) |
| 13 April 1974 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 29,488 | |
| 15 April 1974 | Southampton | A | 1–1 | 26,515 | Best |
| 20 April 1974 | Manchester City | A | 1–2 | 29,700 | Gould |
| 27 April 1974 | Liverpool | H | 2–2 | 36,160 | Lampard, Brooking |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 5 January 1974 | Hereford United | H | 1–1 | 23,087 | Holland |
| R3 replay | 8 January 1974 | Hereford United | A | 1–2 | 17,423 | Best |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 8 October 1973 | Liverpool | H | 2–2 | 25,840 | MacDougall, Robson |
| R2 replay | 29 October 1973 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 26,002 | |

## Players

| Player | Pos | Lge Apps | Lge Gls | FAC Apps | FAC Gls | LC Apps | LC Gls | Date Signed | Previous Club |
| Mervyn Day | GK | 33 | | 2 | | 2 | | 1973 | Academy |
| Bobby Ferguson | GK | 9 | | | | | | 1967 | Kilmarnock |
| Clive Charles | DF | 1 | | | | | | 1970 | Academy |
| Keith Coleman | DF | 31 (2) | | 1 | | 2 | | 1973 | Sunderland |
| Frank Lampard | DF | 42 | 2 | 2 | | 2 | | 1967 | Academy |
| Kevin Lock | DF | 9 (2) | | | | 2 | | 1971 | Academy |
| John McDowell | DF | 33 | 2 | 1 | | 2 | | 1969 | Academy |
| Mick McGiven | DF | 21 | | 2 | | | | 1974 | Sunderland |
| Bobby Moore | DF | 22 | | 1 | | 1 | | 1958 | Academy |
| Tommy Taylor | DF | 40 | | 2 | | 2 | | 1970 | Orient |
| Billy Bonds | MF | 40 | 13 | 2 | | 1 | | 1967 | Charlton Athletic |
| Trevor Brooking | MF | 38 | 6 | | | 2 | | 1967 | Academy |
| Pat Holland | MF | 20 (3) | 2 | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 (2) | | 1969 | Academy |
| Bertie Lutton | MF | 4 (2) | | 1 | | | | 1973 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Graham Paddon | MF | 24 | 4 | 2 | | | | 1973 | Norwich City |
| Dudley Tyler | MF | 8 | | | | 1 | | 1972 | Hereford United |
| Alan Wooler | MF | 1 (1) | | 1 | | | | 1973 | Reading |
| Johnny Ayris | FW | 5 | | | | 1 | | 1970 | Academy |
| Clyde Best | FW | 34 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | | 1969 | Academy |
| Ade Coker | FW | 0 (1) | | 1 | | | | 1971 | Academy |
| Bobby Gould | FW | 11 (1) | 4 | 1 | | | | 1973 | Bristol City |
| Ted MacDougall | FW | 14 | 1 | | | 1 | 1 | 1973 | Manchester United |
| Pop Robson | FW | 22 | 7 | | | 1 | 1 | 1971 | Newcastle United |