West Ham United Season Review 2008/09
This was the season that saw West Ham United turn on the style with free-flowing football that evoked memories of the great players and teams of yesteryear.
At the back there was a defensive resilience that won plenty of admirers as the Hammers challenged in almost every match they played.
The arrival of Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke energised all at the club and their faith in exciting young players like James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Junior Stanislas summed up the new spirit at the Boleyn Ground.
The wide open race to be the 2008/09 Hammer of the Year also said much about this exciting campaign. Several candidates were in the frame after stellar seasons in the claret and blue with England’s Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole pushing eventual winner Scott Parker all the way for the coveted award.
New arrivals like Herita Ilunga and Valon Behrami also became instant favourites. It was a season of change that offered plenty of hope that West Ham United will be a force to be reckoned with in future.
