West Ham

West Ham were born as the Thames Ironworks in 1885 before their renaming in 1900. The Hammers are a club with copious amounts of history. In 1904 they moved to the Boleyn Ground, commonly known as Upton Park, and have remained there ever since.

Despite being cloaked in history, the Hammers have not won too much silverware. Their highest position in the league was third place in 1986. However, they have won England's second division twice. They have also won the European Cup Winners Cup (in 1965) and tasted FA Cup success in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They came mightily close to winning a fourth FA Cup in 2006, Steven Gerrard scoring a 91st minute equaliser and Liverpool winning the resulting penalty shoot-out. 

The Irons like to call themselves "The Academy of Football", and when you see some of the players they have produced it is justifiable. Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were all part of the West Ham set-up in the 1960s and were the catalysts in England's World Cup Final success in 1966. Hurst and Peters were the goal-scorers in the final and Moore was the captain. 

Trevor Brooking also has a special place in the hearts of Hammers fans. His header won them the 1980 FA Cup final against Arsenal, and to date it is the only time that a side beneath the top flight has won the FA Cup. In recent years their academy has produced some prestigious talent with Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick being the cream of the crop. 

In 1999 maverick striker Paolo Di Canio joined the club and is still loved by fans today. Meanwhile, perhaps the biggest shock move in the history of football was witnessed in 2006 when highly rated Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez joined the club, and while Mascherano was insignificant, Tevez's goals kept West Ham in the Premier League.

Being in London, West Ham have many rivals, none more so than Millwall. The rivalry dates back to the Thames Ironworks days when they faced Millwall Ironworks. Both sides were shipbuilding companies and were involved in direct competition for contracts. The rivalry has considerably intensified over the years and the fixtures are often marred with violence. Tottenham are also heated rivals of the Hammers, mainly due to Spurs' poaching of their players (for example Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick and even Martin Peters).

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