# 2009–10 West Ham United F.C. season

The 2009–10 Premier League was West Ham United's fifth consecutive season in the Premier League, following a ninth-placed finish in the 2008–09 Premier League. They were managed by Gianfranco Zola - in his second season after replacing Alan Curbishley in September 2008.

## Season summary

The Hammers won their first Premier League game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, but failed to win another until early November after an injury time winner from Zavon Hines sealed an upset victory against Aston Villa.
The Upton Park riots took place in West Ham's first Football League Cup game on 25 August against fierce rivals Millwall. The club was fined £115,000 after pitch invasions and brawling, resulting in a Millwall fan being stabbed. West Ham won the game 3–1 after extra time.
On 19 January 2010, former Birmingham City owners David Gold and David Sullivan completed a joint takeover of West Ham United from cash-strapped Icelandic owner Björgólfur Guðmundsson.
West Ham's mid-season form was patchy, but a loss at Old Trafford began a string of six consecutive losses to put them in relegation danger. The run was broken by a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw at Everton, followed by a 1–0 win at home against Sunderland. Another poor game at Anfield was a minor hiccup in West Ham's quest for survival, as they then earned three points against Wigan Athletic in a hard-fought 3–2 win. Simultaneously, Hull City blew an opportunity against Sunderland, losing 1–0. West Ham's Premier League status was confirmed on 3 May with Hull's 2–2 draw with Wigan, which left them five points behind West Ham with one game left to play.
West Ham's away record of only one away win all season equalled their lowest number of away wins for a season, previously set in 1960–61. On 11 May 2010, two days after the end of the season, the club announced the termination of their manager Gianfranco Zola's contract with immediate effect.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 32 | 56 | −24 | 38 | |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 37 | 79 | −42 | 36 | |
| 17 | West Ham United | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 47 | 66 | −19 | 35 | |
| 18 | Burnley (R) | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 42 | 82 | −40 | 30 | Relegation to Football League Championship |
| 19 | Hull City (R) | 38 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 34 | 75 | −41 | 30 | Relegation to Football League Championship |

## First-team 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 | ENG | Robert Green |
| 4 | DF | WAL | Danny Gabbidon |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Kieron Dyer |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Scott Parker (vice-captain) |
| 9 | FW | BRA | Ilan |
| 10 | FW | MEX | Guillermo Franco |
| 11 | FW | EGY | Mido (on loan from Middlesbrough) |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Carlton Cole |
| 13 | MF | POR | Luís Boa Morte |
| 14 | MF | CZE | Radoslav Kováč |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Matthew Upson (captain) |
| 16 | MF | ENG | Mark Noble |
| 17 | FW | RSA | Benni McCarthy |
| 18 | DF | USA | Jonathan Spector |
| 20 | MF | FRA | Julien Faubert |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 21 | MF | SUI | Valon Behrami |
| 22 | DF | POR | Manuel da Costa |
| 23 | DF | COD | Hérita Ilunga |
| 28 | GK | HUN | Péter Kurucz |
| 29 | GK | CZE | Marek Štěch |
| 30 | DF | ENG | James Tomkins |
| 31 | MF | WAL | Jack Collison |
| 32 | MF | ITA | Alessandro Diamanti |
| 33 | DF | SUI | Fabio Daprelà |
| 35 | MF | ENG | Josh Payne |
| 36 | MF | ENG | Anthony Edgar |
| 41 | FW | ENG | Zavon Hines |
| 45 | DF | ENG | Jordan Spence |
| 46 | MF | ENG | Junior Stanislas |
| - | MF | CHI | Luis Jimenez (on loan from Inter) |

### Out on loan

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 |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Freddie Sears (on loan to Coventry City) |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Frank Nouble (on loan to Swindon Town) |
| 44 | DF | ENG | Bondz Ngala (on loan to Plymouth Argyle) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ISL | Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson (on loan to Roeselare) |
| — | DF | ENG | Matt Fry (on loan to Charlton Athletic) |

## Results
### Pre season

West Ham took part in a pre-season training camp in Austria and Slovenia, and had scheduled four pre-season games; however, the game against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen was called off due to wet weather. West Ham also took place in the 2009 Barclays Asia Trophy, where they finished third.

#### 2009 Barclays Asia Trophy
### FA Cup
## Statistics
### Overview

| Competition | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Premier League | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 47 | 66 | −19 | 021.05 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 |
| League Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | +0 | 050.00 |
| Total | 41 | 9 | 11 | 21 | 52 | 72 | −20 | 021.95 |

### Goalscorers

| Rank | Pos | No. | Nat | Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | ST | 12 | | Carlton Cole | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | ST | 32 | | Alessandro Diamanti | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | ST | 10 | | Guillermo Franco | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | MF | 46 | | Junior Stanislas | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | ST | 9 | | Ilan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | DF | 15 | | Matthew Upson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | MF | 8 | | Scott Parker | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | MF | 14 | | Radoslav Kovac | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | MF | 16 | | Mark Noble | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | DF | 22 | | Manuel da Costa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | MF | 31 | | Jack Collison | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | ST | 41 | | Zavon Hines | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | DF | 23 | | Herita Ilunga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | 13 | | Luis Boa Morte | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | 20 | | Julien Faubert | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | 17 | | Luis Jiménez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | 21 | | Valon Behrami | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 47 | 1 | 4 | 52 |

### League position by matchday

| Matchday | 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 | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | L | D | D | W | L | D | W | L | L | L | D | W | L | D | D | D | L | W | W | L | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | L | W | L | D |
| Position | 4 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |

### 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 | ENG | Robert Green | 41 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | GK | HUN | Péter Kurucz | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | COD | Herita Ilunga | 17 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | WAL | Daniel Gabbidon | 11 | 0 | 8+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | ENG | Matthew Upson | 35 | 3 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | USA | Jonathan Spector | 29 | 0 | 22+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | WAL | James Collins | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | POR | Manuel da Costa | 16 | 2 | 12+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | ENG | James Tomkins | 26 | 0 | 22+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | SUI | Fabio Daprela | 8 | 0 | 4+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | DF | ENG | Bondz N'Gala | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 45 | DF | ENG | Jordan Spence | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 7 | MF | ENG | Kieron Dyer | 11 | 0 | 4+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Scott Parker | 33 | 2 | 30+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | POR | Luis Boa Morte | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | CZE | Radoslav Kovac | 34 | 2 | 27+4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | ENG | Mark Noble | 28 | 2 | 25+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | CHI | Luis Jimenez | 12 | 1 | 6+5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | FRA | Julien Faubert | 36 | 1 | 32+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | SUI | Valon Behrami | 28 | 1 | 24+3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | ENG | Kyel Reid | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 31 | MF | WAL | Jack Collison | 23 | 2 | 19+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | ENG | Josh Payne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | MF | ENG | Anthony Edgar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | MF | ENG | Junior Stanislas | 28 | 4 | 11+15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | BRA | Ilan | 11 | 4 | 6+5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | MEX | Guillermo Franco | 23 | 5 | 16+7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | EGY | Mido | 9 | 0 | 5+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Carlton Cole | 32 | 10 | 26+4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | RSA | Benni McCarthy | 5 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Freddie Sears | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Frank Nouble | 10 | 0 | 3+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | ITA | Alessandro Diamanti | 29 | 8 | 18+9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 41 | FW | ENG | Zavon Hines | 15 | 2 | 5+8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |

## Transfers
### In

| # | Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date |
| 17 | FW | Luis Jiménez | Inter Milan | Loan | 23 June 2009 |
| 24 | FW | Frank Nouble | Chelsea | Undisclosed | 21 July 2009 |
| 33 | DF | Fabio Daprelà | Grasshoppers | Undisclosed | 31 July 2009 |
| 14 | MF | Radoslav Kováč | Spartak Moscow | Free | 14 August 2009 |
| 32 | MF | Alessandro Diamanti | Livorno | Undisclosed | 28 August 2009 |
| 22 | DF | Manuel da Costa | Fiorentina | Trade for Savio | 31 August 2009 |
| 10 | FW | Guillermo Franco | Villarreal | Undisclosed | 17 September 2009 |
| 17 | FW | Benni McCarthy | Blackburn Rovers | Undisclosed | 1 February 2010 |
| 11 | FW | Mido | Middlesbrough | Loan | 1 February 2010 |
| 9 | FW | Ilan | Saint-Étienne | Free | 1 February 2010 |

### Out

| Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date |
| DF | Lucas Neill | Everton | Released | 4 June 2009 |
| FW | Freddie Sears | Crystal Palace | Loan | 26 June 2009 |
| MF | Kyel Reid | Sheffield United | Free | 1 July 2009 |
| GK | Jimmy Walker | Tottenham Hotspur | Released | 3 July 2009 |
| MF | Lee Bowyer | Birmingham City | Free | 8 July 2009 |
| FW | Savio Nsereko | Fiorentina | Trade for da Costa | 31 August 2009 |
| DF | James Collins | Aston Villa | Undisclosed | 1 September 2009 |
| MF | Anthony Edgar | Bournemouth | Loan | 1 October 2009 |
| DF | Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson | Cheltenham Town | Loan | 1 October 2009 |
| DF | Matt Fry | Gillingham | Loan | 15 October 2009 |
| MF | Josh Payne | Colchester United | Loan | 22 October 2009 |
| MF | Nigel Quashie | MK Dons | Loan | 24 November 2009 |
| GK | Marek Štěch | Bournemouth | Loan | 11 December 2009 |
| FW | Dean Ashton | Unattached | Retired | 11 December 2009 |
| MF | Josh Payne | Wycombe Wanderers | Loan | 22 January 2010 |
| MF | Nigel Quashie | Queens Park Rangers | Free | 22 January 2010 |
| FW | Frank Nouble | West Bromwich Albion | Loan | 8 February 2010 |
| FW | Freddie Sears | Coventry City | Loan | 12 February 2010 |
| DF | Bondz N'Gala | Plymouth Argyle | Loan | 16 March 2010 |
| DF | Calum Davenport | Unattached | Released | 17 March 2010 |
| FW | Frank Nouble | Swindon Town | Loan | 19 March 2010 |
| DF | Matt Fry | Charlton Athletic | Loan | 25 March 2010 |