Tottenham And West Ham United

Tottenham and West Ham are less than 12 miles apart and have shared a rivalry stretching back to the late years of the 1890s. Today’s London derby at Upton Park is the 142nd competitive meeting between the two clubs.

Tottenham and West Ham: Last Season

2013-14 will be remembered by West Ham fans as the season when they recorded three victories over Tottenham. In a season of turmoil which saw West Ham flirt with relegation, it was only their win over Spurs in the final home game of the season, which made them mathematically safe. West Ham came into each of the games against Spurs after a poor run of form but produced a determined performance to which Spurs simply couldn’t respond.

without an away league goal prior to the first match at White Hart Lane, West Ham scored three.

In the Cup having done little since their previous win at Spurs, West Ham came back to score twice in the final ten minutes and

at Upton Park after 4 successive defeats, West Ham scored twice in the first half as 10-man Spurs struggled with their commitment and aerial power.

Tottenham and West Ham Connections

There are many connections between Tottenham and West Ham.

1. Thanks West Ham

Many players have played for both Tottenham and West Ham. Spurs can be grateful to West Ham for a number of players who over the years made the journey from Upton Park to play a major part in Tottenham’s success.

Martin Peters signed in March, 1970 and was an integral part of Tottenham’s success story in the early 1970s. He developed a near-perfect understanding with Martin Chivers and Alan Gilzean with the trio creating many goals for each other. Peters captained Spurs to the 1973 League Cup success over Norwich City.

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Paul Allen moved from Upton Park in the mid-1980s, remaining at Spurs for 8 seasons and was in the Tottenham FA Cup winning team in 1991. An industrious midfield player who worked tirelessly on the right wing, he was greatly missed when out of the team.

Jermain Defoe joined Tottenham in 2004 and spent 9 of the next 10 years at White Hart Lane becoming the club’s 5th highest scorer of all-time with 143 goals. His 23 goals in European competitions took him to the top of the goalscoring chart, one ahead of Martin Chivers.

2. Off to Upton Park

Many players have also made the opposite journey from White Hart Lane to West Ham.

Jimmy Greaves made an unexpected departure from Spurs in March, 1970 as part of the deal for Peters. Greaves maintained his record of scoring on his debut when getting two goals for the Hammers against Manchester City. On the opening day of the 1970-71 season Spurs and West Ham met at White Hart Lane. The match ended in a 2 – 2 draw. Alan Gilzean scored both goals for Spurs but Greaves equalised in the first half for West Ham.

Chris Hughton was integral to Spurs success in the 1980s, winning 2 FA Cups and the UEFA Cup. He also played in the 1987 Cup Final and left Spurs in 1990. He later returned to Tottenham as a coach and was assistant to Martin Jol.

3. One of the Best

Tottenham’s League Cup replay win over West Ham in 1986-87 is regarded by many Spurs fans as one of their best performances. After a scoreless draw at Upton Park, Spurs went ahead early in the first half at White Hart Lane. through Nico Claesen. They added a second from Glenn Hoddle with 20 minutes and it was only in the final ten minutes that Spurs marked their supremacy with Clive Allen completing a hat-trick.

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4. Bill Nicholson

After Bill Nicholson stepped down as Tottenham manager in September, 1974, he worked for West Ham for a period as an adviser. When Keith Burkinshaw became Spurs manager in 1976, he invited Nicholson back to White Hart Lane. He remained at the club in various roles, including club President, until his death in October, 2004.

5. Tottenham’s First League Cup Tie

In the early 1960s the new League Cup competition got off to a slow start with clubs who were playing in European competitions preferring to give it a miss. The promise of a Wembley Final and a place in Europe for the winners changed everyone’s mind and Spurs first took part in the competition in 1966. They were drawn against West Ham who won 1 – 0 at Upton Park and Spurs had Alan Gilzean sent off for abusive language towards the officials.

6. A Day to Forget for Spurs

The final match of the 2006 season took Spurs to Upton Park. Spurs and Arsenal were battling to finish 4th in the Premier League and secure the final Champions League spot. Going into the match Spurs held a single point advantage and needed to at least match the Arsenal result.

On the morning of the match, the Tottenham squad was struck down with sickness which at the time was thought to be food poisoning and became known as ‘Lasagnegate’. Requests for a postponement or a delayed kick-off were rejected by the authorities so Martin Jol had to send out a team with many players suffering the effects of the sickness.

West Ham took the lead but Defoe equalised only for the home team to score again to claim a win which denied Tottenham a place in the Champions League.

7. First League Match

The first League match between Tottenham and West Ham was played at Upton Park in March, 1921. The teams had met many times in the Southern League and other competitions, including an FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane a month earlier. On that occasion Spurs won 3 – 0.

In the 2nd Division game West Ham defeated Spurs 2 – 1. The Tottenham goal was penalty from Arthur Grimsdell. In those days clubs played the return fixture the following weekend and Spurs who were on their way to claim the league title and promotion won 2 – 0.

Tottenham And West Ham United – Connections

By Logan Holmes | Aug 16, 2014