1997–98 West Ham United F.C. season

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).

Season summary
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.

Final league table

 * Results summary


 * Results by matchday

Results
West Ham United's score comes first

Squad
(captain)

Out

 * Transfers in: £8,600,000
 * Transfers out: £7,500,000
 * Total spending: £1,100,000

Appearances and goals
! 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




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Starting 11

 * Considering starts in all competitions
 * Considering a 4-3-1-2 formation


 * GK: #22, 🇨🇦 Craig Forrest, 20
 * RB: #2, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tim Breacker, 24
 * CB: #15, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Rio Ferdinand, 46
 * CB: #19, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ian Pearce, 39
 * LB: #6, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 David Unsworth, 41
 * CM: #18, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Frank Lampard, 38
 * CM: #11, Steve Lomas, 42
 * CM: #17, 🇦🇺 Stan Lazaridis, 34
 * AM: #29, 🇮🇱 Eyal Berkovic, 45
 * CF: #10, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 John Hartson, 42
 * CF: #24, 🇫🇷 Samassi Abou, 16