Manchester City v West Ham - History

Some fans might remember the season Sven was in charge of City and the anticipation of all those new signings and how they would gel in the opening game. Rolando Bianchi got on the end of an Elano ball for City's opener before strong hold up play by Nedum Onouha allowed Giovanni to score the second to answer all the doubters.That season City won the first three games, conceding zero goals in the process, and it was an amazing season!
City would first meet West Ham in the League over 90 years ago, in London. Tommy Browell and Frank Roberts scored goals for the visitors before the return match a week later saw Tommy Johnson and Jack Warner score for another 2-1 win. That game was the last one of the season which saw City finish 11th in the top division. Ernest Mangnall, the United Manager who cheered for City while in charge of United before actually moving to City, left City and management after that game. He would pass away less than eight years later aged 66.

The next season City would face West Ham at home for their eighth game of the season and would win 3-1. That would signal the last league win for ten games as a promising start drifted away. On 13th March 1926, William ‘Spud' Murphy scored the opener, and his last goal in his last game for City in a career of over 200 games for the blues, also against West Ham.

November 4th 1961 saw City host West Ham with City's Peter Dobbing score a hat trick but still lose the game 5-3. Later in the season he would again score three against West Ham, this time City were victorious 4-0.
In the title winning season of 1967/68 City won both meetings. A 3-2 win away in November was followed by a 3-0 win at Maine Road the following April. A brace by Lee in the first game and one by Young in the second helped City lift the trophy. West Ham were not in the same division for the League wins in 1937 and 2012 but for the 2014 winning season we would meet the Hammers four times, two in the League along with in the Capital One Cup. City scored fourteen goals in those four games and conceded just once. Negredo (5), Aguero (3), Dzeko (2) Silva, Toure Y, Nasri and Kompany netted back then with Ricardo Vaz Te the only West Ham scorer.

Head To Head:

Earlier this season West Ham sprung a surprise on the Blues in Manchester. However, that result bucked the recent trend of City dominance in the series. Last season the Blues lost at West Ham 2-1 despite a wonder goal from David Silva. But prior to that loss, Manchester City had dominated the series in recent years.

Past Players

Which players do the clubs both share? We all remember the Carlos Tevez controversy while at West Ham before joining City via United but who are some other names to have been involved with City and the Hammers?

Steve Lomas:

Started off at City in 1991, scoring 11 goals in over 100 appearances before leaving for West Ham in 1997. His last game for City was at home, in a 1-0 win against Oldham with his last goal for City came in a 1-1 draw away to Huddersfield, he actually scored an own goal at the end of the season which meant a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and relegation. City would soon find themselves in the third tier of English football while Lomas moved up. It is probably fair to say he had a better time with the Hammers, becoming club captain and winning the Intertoto Cup in 1999.

David James:

Moving from the Hammers to City to replace another England keeper, David Seaman, James might very well be remembered for being one of two City keepers on the field at the same time. In the last game of the season a decade ago City needed to beat Middlesbrough in order to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Play Off hero Nicky Weaver went in goal while David James played as a striker. It almost worked out when a cross, meant for the 6ft 4inch James was handled by a Boro defender. Robbie Fowler uncharacteristically missed the resulting penalty and City missed out.

Kevin Horlock:

Kevin was at West Ham twice but only for a season each time. It would be at City he would play most games and score most goals. With City at their darkest time he became the regular penalty taker and people may forget he was sent off in a game against Bournemouth after receiving a second yellow card for ‘walking towards the referee in an aggressive manner while asking a question'. City fans should remember him for that first goal in the playoff final comeback victory over Gillingham but memories tend to turn more to the Nicky Weaver penalty save and then sprint around Wembley or the Dickov equalizer and sliding on his knees.

Ian Bishop, Trevor Morely, Mark Ward and Clive Allen have also appeared for both sides while Malcolm Allison, City legend, played for West Ham in his very short career.

West Ham was the only club he made a significant amount of first team appearances with. Over 200 from 1951 and 1957 with his career ending prematurely after a game against Sheffield United on September 16th 1957.

Craig Bellamy:
Started with Norwich before spells at Coventry, Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn and Liverpool. From there he moved onto West Ham where his debut was that opening day defeat to Manchester City and a new look City side managed by Sven and, again, that brings us back to where we started.