1991–92 West Ham United F.C. season
During the 1991–92 English football season, West Ham United F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.
Season summary
1991–92 was West Ham United's first season back in the First Division following promotion, ending a two-year absence from the top flight.However, their return to the First Division lasted just one season and they were relegated in bottom place, missing out on a place in the new FA Premier League, which would be created for the 1992-93 season. Their chances of survival were not helped by the fact that key players Trevor Morley and Julian Dicks missed large stretches of the season due to injury and off-field issues, such as the infamous Bond Scheme, which exacerbated the club’s poor league form.
The few bright spots of the season came in the final stages – after relegation was confirmed – in the shape of a 1-0 win over Manchester United which effectively ended the opposition's title hopes, and then came a 3-0 demolition of eighth-placed Nottingham Forest in which striker Frank McAvennie ended his second spell at Upton Park by scoring a hat-trick. The season could have ended very differently for the Hammers had they been able to show such fine form on a more regular basis.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | ||||
| 1 | Leeds United | 42 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 36 | 24 | 74 | 37 | +37 | 82 | ||||
| 2 | Manchester United | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 34 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 29 | 20 | 63 | 33 | +30 | 78 | ||||
| 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 39 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 25 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 75 | ||||
| 4 | Arsenal | 42 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 51 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 24 | 81 | 46 | +35 | 72 | ||||
| 5 | Manchester City | 42 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 29 | 34 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 70 | ||||
| 6 | Liverpool | 42 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 17 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 47 | 40 | +7 | 64 | ||||
| 7 | Aston Villa | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 60 | ||||
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 59 | ||||
| 9 | Sheffield United | 42 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 36 | 40 | 65 | 63 | +2 | 57 | ||||
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 25 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 53 | 61 | – 8 | 57 | ||||
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 25 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 26 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 54 | ||||
| 12 | Everton | 42 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 32 | 52 | 51 | +1 | 53 | ||||
| 13 | Wimbledon | 42 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 21 | 33 | 53 | 53 | ±0 | 53 | ||||
| 14 | Chelsea | 42 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 31 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 30 | 50 | 60 | – 10 | 53 | ||||
| 15 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 33 | 35 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 28 | 58 | 63 | – 5 | 52 | ||||
| 16 | Southampton | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 28 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 27 | 39 | 55 | – 16 | 52 | ||||
| 17 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 46 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 63 | 67 | – 4 | 51 | ||||
| 18 | Norwich City | 42 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 35 | 47 | 63 | – 16 | 45 | ||||
| 19 | Coventry City | 42 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 35 | 44 | – 9 | 44 | ||||
| 20 | Luton Town | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 14 | 54 | 38 | 71 | – 33 | 42 | ||||
| 21 | Notts County | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 33 | 40 | 62 | – 22 | 40 | ||||
| 22 | West Ham United | 42 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 35 | 37 | 59 | – 22 | 38 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
| Key | |
| League Champions, qualified for Champions League | |
| FA Cup winners, qualified for Cup Winners' Cup | |
| Qualified for UEFA Cup | |
| League Cup winners, qualified for UEFA Cup | |
| Relegated |
Results
West Ham United's score comes firstLegend
Football League First Division
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 4 January 1992 | Farnborough Town | A | 1–1 | 23,449 | Dicks |
| R3R | 14 January 1992 | Farnborough Town | H | 1–0 | 23,869 | Morley |
| R4 | 25 January 1992 | Wrexham | H | 2–2 | 24,712 | Morley, Dicks |
| R4R | 4 February 1992 | Wrexham | A | 1–0 | 17,995 | Foster |
| R5 | 15 February 1992 | Sunderland | A | 1–1 | 25,475 | Small |
| R5R | 26 February 1992 | Sunderland | H | 2–3 | 25,830 | M Allen |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st leg | 24 September 1991 | Bradford City | A | 1–1 | 7,034 | Small |
| R2 2nd leg | 9 October 1991 | Bradford City | H | 4–0 | 17,232 | Small, Morley, Keen, Parris |
| R3 | 29 October 1991 | Sheffield United | A | 2–0 | 11,144 | McAvennie, Small |
| R4 | 4 December 1991 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 16,325 | Small |
Full Members Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 22 October 1991 | Cambridge United | H | 2–1 | 7,812 | McAvennie, Parris |
| R3 | 26 November 1991 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–0 | 8,146 | McAvennie |
| S Area SF | 7 January 1992 | Southampton | A | 1–2 | 6,861 | Bishop 34' |