| Club: | West Ham United |
| Season: | 1997–98 |
| Manager: | Harry Redknapp |
| Chairman: | Terry Brown |
| Stadium: | Boleyn Ground |
| League: | Premiership |
| League Result: | 8th |
| Cup2: | FA Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Sixth round |
| Cup3: | League Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Quarter-finals |
| League Topscorer: | Hartson (15) |
| Season Topscorer: | Hartson (24) |
| Highest Attendance: | 25,909 (vs. Everton, 31 January) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 23,335 (vs. Crystal Palace, 3 December) |
| Average Attendance: | 24,967 |
| Prevseason: | 1996–97 |
| Nextseason: | 1998–99 |
During the 1997–98 English football season, West Ham United F.C. competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).
After last season's near miss with relegation, West Ham United looked more convincing than they had done for years during 1997–98. John Hartson matured into one of the best strikers in the Premiership, with his partner Paul Kitson also providing a steady supply of goals. Young centre-back Rio Ferdinand remained loyal to his employers despite endless speculation of a move to a bigger club.
West Ham finished 8th in the final table, just one place short of UEFA Cup qualification. Holding on to Hartson and Ferdinand gave Harry Redknapp's men an even more enhanced chance of achieving that goal next time round.
See main article: 1997–98 FA Premier League.
West Ham United's score comes first[1]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1997 | Barnsley | A | 2–1 | 18,667 | Hartson, Lampard | |
| 13 August 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 25,354 | Hartson, Berkovic | |
| 23 August 1997 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 34,356 | Watson (own goal) | |
| 27 August 1997 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 18,289 | Kitson | |
| 30 August 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 3–1 | 24,516 | Hartson, Rieper, Berkovic | |
| 13 September 1997 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 | 55,068 | Hartson | |
| 20 September 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 25,884 | ||
| 24 September 1997 | Arsenal | A | 0–4 | 38,012 | ||
| 27 September 1997 | Liverpool | H | 2–1 | 25,908 | Hartson, Berkovic | |
| 4 October 1997 | Southampton | A | 0–3 | 15,212 | ||
| 18 October 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | 24,864 | Berkovic, Hartson (2) | |
| 27 October 1997 | Leicester City | A | 1–2 | 20,201 | Berkovic | |
| 9 November 1997 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 34,382 | Hartson (pen) | |
| 23 November 1997 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 30,031 | Lampard | |
| 29 November 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 2–1 | 24,976 | Hartson (2) | |
| 3 December 1997 | Crystal Palace | H | 4–1 | 23,335 | Hartson, Berkovic, Unsworth, Lomas | |
| 6 December 1997 | Derby County | A | 0–2 | 29,300 | ||
| 13 December 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 24,344 | Kitson | |
| 20 December 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–3 | 21,653 | ||
| 26 December 1997 | Coventry City | H | 1–0 | 24,532 | Kitson | |
| 28 December 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 2–1 | 22,087 | Kimble (own goal), Kitson | |
| 10 January 1998 | Barnsley | H | 6–0 | 23,714 | Lampard, Abou (2), Moncur, Hartson, Lazaridis | |
| 17 January 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 30,284 | ||
| 31 January 1998 | Everton | H | 2–2 | 25,909 | Sinclair (2) | |
| 7 February 1998 | Newcastle United | A | 1–0 | 36,736 | Lazaridis | |
| 21 February 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 25,000 | Sinclair | |
| 2 March 1998 | Arsenal | H | 0–0 | 25,717 | ||
| 11 March 1998 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 25,892 | Sinclair | |
| 14 March 1998 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 25,829 | Sinclair, Unsworth | |
| 30 March 1998 | Leeds United | H | 3–0 | 24,107 | Hartson, Abou, Pearce | |
| 4 April 1998 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 39,372 | ||
| 11 April 1998 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 25,155 | ||
| 13 April 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1–1 | 28,036 | Berkovic | |
| 18 April 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–1 | 24,733 | Hartson (2) | |
| 25 April 1998 | Southampton | H | 2–4 | 25,878 | Sinclair, Lomas | |
| 2 May 1998 | Liverpool | A | 0–5 | 44,414 | ||
| 5 May 1998 | Crystal Palace | A | 3–3 | 19,129 | Lampard, Omoyinmi (2) | |
| 10 May 1998 | Leicester City | H | 4–3 | 25,781 | Lampard, Abou (2), Sinclair |
See main article: 1997–98 FA Cup.
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Emley | H | 2–1 | 18,629 | Lampard, Hartson | |
| R4 | 24 January 1998 | Manchester City | A | 2–1 | 26,495 | Berkovic, Lomas | |
| R5 | 14 February 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–2 | 25,729 | Kitson, Berkovic | |
| R5R | 25 February 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–1 (5–4 on pens) | 21,972 | Hartson | |
| QF | 8 March 1998 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 38,077 | Pearce | |
| QFR | 17 March 1998 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 (3–4 on pens) | 25,859 | Hartson |
See main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup.
| R2 1st Leg | 16 September 1997 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–1 | 8,525 | ||
| R2 2nd Leg | 29 September 1997 | Huddersfield Town | H | 3–0 (won 3–1 on agg) | 16,137 | Hartson (3) | |
| R3 | 15 October 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 3–0 | 20,360 | Hartson (2), Lampard | |
| R4 | 19 November 1997 | Walsall | H | 4–1 | 17,463 | Lampard (3), Hartson | |
| QF | 6 January 1998 | Arsenal | H | 1–2 | 24,770 | Abou |
[2] (captain)
| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 June 1997 | MF | Eyal Berkovic | Maccabi Haifa | £1,750,000 | |
| 9 July 1997 | DF | David Terrier | Metz | Free transfer | |
| 21 July 1997 | GK | Craig Forrest | Ipswich Town | £500,000 | |
| 15 August 1997 | DF | David Unsworth | Everton | Swap | |
| 18 September 1997 | DF | Ian Pearce | Blackburn Rovers | £2,300,000 | |
| 26 September 1997 | DF | Andrew Impey | QPR | £1,200,000 | |
| 28 October 1997 | FW | Samassi Abou | Cannes | £250,000 | |
| 29 January 1998 | MF | Trevor Sinclair | QPR | £2,300,000 | |
| 20 February 1998 | GK | Stephen Bywater | Rochdale | £300,000 |
| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 1997 | DF | Slaven Bilić | Everton | £4,500,000 | |
| 15 August 1997 | MF | Danny Williamson | Everton | Swap | |
| 12 September 1997 | DF | Marc Rieper | Celtic | £1,400,000 | |
| 25 September 1997 | MF | Michael Hughes | Wimbledon | £1,600,000 | |
| 29 January 1998 | DF | Keith Rowland | QPR | Swap | |
| 29 January 1998 | MF | Iain Dowie | QPR | £1,600,000 | |
| 26 March 1998 | MF | Ian Bishop | Manchester City | Free transfer |
Transfers in: £8,600,000
Transfers out: £7,500,000
Total spending: £1,100,000
|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Goalkeepers|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Defenders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Midfielders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Forwards|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players who left the club permanently or on loan during the season|-|}
Considering starts in all competitions
Considering a 4-3-1-2 formation
Craig Forrest, 20
Stan Lazaridis, 34
Eyal Berkovic, 45
Samassi Abou, 16