Following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, West Ham remain perilously close to relegation.
Despite back-to-back top seven finishes in the last two seasons, reaching the Europa League semi-final, and spending over £170 million on new signings this season, the Hammers sit in 17th place with just 12 games left to play, only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
After 26 games, David Moyes’ side sit on 24 points. This is the same number of points as the 2010/11 West Ham side had after 26 games, the last time the Hammers were relegated to the Championship.
West Ham finished that dismal campaign with a 0-3 loss at home to Sunderland. The Hammers weren’t playing for anything on the final day that season, being officially relegated the week before after a 2-3 loss to Wigan Athletic.
The careers of the men who played in that final match all vary from club legends to one-season players. Rising East looks back at them.
Robert Green
The ex-England International keeper was of the longest-serving Hammers playing that day, finishing his fifth season with the club after joining from Norwich in 2006.
Green only missed one league game for the Hammers that season, managing to keep five clean sheets. He stayed with West Ham for the following season, before leaving for QPR in 2013.
Green would go on to have spells with Leeds United and Huddersfield Town, before retiring in 2019 after one season with Chelsea, which resulted in Green’s first piece of silverware in a Europa League winners medal.
Danny Gabbidon
Gabbidon also had a lengthy spell with West Ham, signing in 2005 and going on to make 96 appearances for the club.
The Welsh defender left West Ham after this season, signing with newly promoted QPR.
Gabbidon retired in 2015 after a brief return to Cardiff. He has since been a pundit primarily on BBC Radio Wales.
James Tomkins
The Hammers’ academy product started 18 games in his fourth season with the club.
Tomkins stayed with West Ham for five more seasons, making 208 league appearances. He left for fellow London side Crystal Palace in 2016, where he still plays currently.
Jordan Spence
Another academy product, Spence only played in the last two league games of the 2010/11 season.
Spence was contracted with West Ham for eight years, but was loaned out seven times and only made seven appearances for the Hammers.
After a brief stint with Dutch side ADO Den Haag, Spence retired in 2020.
Wayne Bridge
Bridge only spent half a season at West Ham, joining on loan from Manchester City in January 2011.
After appearing 15 times for the Hammers, Bridge returned to his parent club in the summer.
The ex-England international made a total of 316 appearances in the Premier League, with clubs such as Southampton, Chelsea and Fulham. After one season with Championship side Reading, Bridge retired with a haul of four trophies.
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Jack Collison
Collison made over 100 appearances for West Ham, scoring 11 goals.
The Welshman would stay with the Hammers until 2014, signing with Ipswich Town. Collison’s playing career ended in 2016 after one season with Peterborough United.
Collison has since switched to a management career, even coaching the West Ham Under 18s between 2017-2019. Collison currently manages the American side Huntsville City FC.
Thomas Hitzlsperger
Hitzlesperger joined the Hammers in the summer of 2010. However, a torn tendon meant he missed the majority of the season, only playing the last 11 games.
The German would leave West Ham at the end of the season. He would retire in 2013 after brief spells with Vfl Wolfsburg and Everton.
After retirement, Hitzlesperger would become the highest-profile male footballer to come out as gay.
Luis Boa Morte
Boa Morte joined West Ham in 2007 and would make 91 appearances for the club before leaving at the end of the Hammers’ relegation campaign.
The Portuguese midfielder would have short spells at AEL, Orlando Pirates, and Chesterfield before retiring in 2013.
Boa Morte currently works as Marco Silva’s assistant manager at Fulham.
Freddie Sears
Sears is the third youngest goalscorer in West Ham history, scoring against Blackburn in 2008 at the age of 18.
Sears made appearances for West Ham, scoring 2 goals. He would spend most of his Hammers career on loan elsewhere before leaving in 2012.
The Englishman has spent the majority of his playing career at Ipswich Town, making 203 appearances for the Tractor Boys. Sears is currently on his third stint at Colchester United.
Zavon Hines
Hines only made 6 starts for West Ham in the 2010/11 season and made 22 appearances in his four years with the Hammers.
Hines played across all levels of the English football pyramid, playing for eight different clubs after leaving West Ham in 2011.
Hines would retire in 2019.
Frédéric Piquionne
The French striker signed for West Ham for £2.66 million in 2010. Piquionne was the Hammers’ top goalscorer in the 2010/11 campaign, netting seven goals.
Piquionne made a total of 54 league appearances for West Ham before leaving in 2013.
He retired in 2015, with one French cap to his name.
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Lars Jacobsen: The Dane only spent one season with the Hammers. Jacobsen made spells with FC Copenhagen and Guingamp before retiring in 2017.
Victor Obinna: Another one-season player, Obinna scored 3 goals for West Ham before returning to parent club Inter Milan. Obinna retired in 2018.
Scott Parker: Collecting his third straight Hammer of the Year that season, Parker would leave West Ham for Tottenham in the summer of 2011. After retiring in 2017, Parker has since managed Fulham, AFC Bournemouth, and Club Brugge.
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Manager: Kevin Keen
With Avram Grant getting fired a week before West Ham were officially relegated, Kevin Keen stepped in for his third and last spell as Hammers’ caretaker manager.
Keen would go on to have one permanent manager’s job at Colchester United between 2015-2016, which resulted in the team’s relegation to League 2.
