The Hammers won their first Premier League game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux,[1] but failed to win another until early November after an injury time winner from Zavon Hines sealed an upset victory against Aston Villa.[2]
West Ham's mid-season form was patchy, but a loss at Old Trafford[5] began a string of six consecutive losses to put them in relegation danger. The run was broken by a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw at Everton,[6] followed by a 1–0 win at home against Sunderland.[7] Another poor game at Anfield[8] was a minor hiccup in West Ham's quest for survival, as they then earned three points against Wigan Athletic in a hard-fought 3–2 win.[9] Simultaneously, Hull City blew an opportunity against Sunderland, losing 1–0. West Ham's Premier League status was confirmed on 3 May with Hull's 2–2 draw with Wigan, which left them five points behind West Ham with one game left to play.[10]
West Ham's away record of only one away win all season equalled their lowest number of away wins for a season, previously set in 1960–61.[11]
On 11 May 2010, two days after the end of the season, the club announced the termination of their manager Gianfranco Zola's contract with immediate effect.[12]
[13]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
West Ham took part in a pre-season training camp in Austria and Slovenia, and had scheduled four pre-season games; however, the game against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen was called off due to wet weather.[14] West Ham also took place in the 2009 Barclays Asia Trophy, where they finished third.
