Boys of '86: West Ham United's Greatest Season

The East London club, West Ham United, has had few and far between highlights for its long-suffering fans over the years. These include three FA Cup wins, a European Cup-Winners' Cup victory, and various other cup runs that fell short of success. Nonetheless, fans have enjoyed watching great players such as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, and Trevor Brooking.

Throughout the 47 seasons the club has spent in the top flight of English football, the prospect of challenging for the League Championship title has been little more than a dream, with one exception: the 1985-86 season. It was then that manager John Lyall's summer purchases of young, unknown Scottish striker Frank McAvennie from St Mirren and diminutive winger Mark Ward from Oldham Athletic proved to be the final pieces in a jigsaw that fell into place spectacularly, providing West Ham fans with a campaign they would never forget.

On the final Saturday of the 1985-86 season, the Hammers faced West Bromwich Albion, still holding genuine hopes of finishing as League Champions. With Liverpool playing at Chelsea that day, Lyall's men knew that if they beat the Baggies and the Blues triumphed at Stamford Bridge, they only needed a victory against Everton two days later to secure their first-ever league title. Despite victory at the Hawthorns, news filtered through that Liverpool player-manager Kenny Dalglish had hit a winner against Chelsea, ensuring that the Reds couldn't be caught.

Eighteen years on, this book reflects in detail on the one and only season in which the claret-and-blue army were really able to chant "We're gonna win the league." The volume includes exclusive interviews with the management and players who recount exclusive stories and anecdotes from this record-breaking season.

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