1999–2000 West Ham United F.C. season

West Ham's involvement in the Intertoto Cup meant that they would have their shortest close-season in history. Only 62 days had passed since the last game of the previous season before West Ham took to the field against Jokerit of Finland.

West Ham had already played four games before the Premier League season began, and this match-fitness head-start on the rest of the division would see them in third place after five games.

Although they lost in the first leg of the Intertoto Cup Final 1–0 at home to Metz, West Ham managed to win the return leg 3–1 two weeks later and ensure UEFA Cup football.

Harry Redknapp regarded this result as his greatest night as West Ham's manager: "That was a great performance and a great day for West Ham, to win the Intertoto Cup and to be in the UEFA Cup and turning in such an outstanding performance against a good French team, to go over there and play so well and win 3–1. We took great support over to France and they enjoyed their day. Yeah, I think that was special. That was a real good day for me and West Ham's history."^{[citation needed]}

Frank Lampard was West Ham's top European goalscorer with four in ten games. He was ever-present in West Ham's European campaign, along with Trevor Sinclair, Paolo Di Canio and captain Steve Lomas.

After making only one substitute appearance in West Ham's first Intertoto Cup game, Ian Wright was loaned to Nottingham Forest. Later in the season he signed a permanent deal at Celtic.

On 15 December 1999, West Ham played a League Cup quarter-final game against Aston Villa. The game went to extra time and a reserve player, Emmanuel Omoyinmi, was brought on as a substitute for Paulo Wanchope in the 113th minute. Unknown to Redknapp, Omoyinmi had previously played in the competition for Gillingham, where he had spent time on loan earlier in the season, and was thus ineligible to play. Although the Hammers won the game on penalties, the game was replayed after the Football League upheld a complaint by Villa. West Ham lost the replay 3–1. The error eventually led to the resignations of the club secretary Graham Mackrell and the football secretary Alison Dowd: "Whatever happens, I'm responsible for administration here at West Ham United. The buck does stop with me," said Mackrell.^[1]

26 March 2000 saw West Ham meet Wimbledon. The Hammers had only beaten the Dons at home twice in the previous ten meetings between the clubs. The 9th minute of the game saw Di Canio score what would become the BBC's "Goal of the Season" with an airborne volley. Frédéric Kanouté doubled West Ham's lead in the 59th minute, before Wimbledon pulled one back after 75 minutes with a 25-yard volley from former Hammer Michael Hughes.

West Ham's heaviest defeat of the season came on 1 April when they were demolished by table-toppers and eventual champions Manchester United. Wanchope opened the scoring in the 11th minute but Manchester United proceeded to score seven, including a Paul Scholes hat-trick.

This sparked West Ham into a run of three straight wins, culminating with their biggest win of the season on 22 April, when they beat Coventry City 5–0. Di Canio scored in the 48th and 67th minutes, with the other goals coming from Michael Carrick, Javier Margas and Kanouté.

The Boleyn Ground saw its largest attendance of the season (26,044) on the last day against Leeds United. The game ended 0–0, and West Ham finished 9th in the Premier League, putting them in the top nine for the third consecutive season. Redknapp said after the Leeds game: "It's been a good season again. People don't realise that West Ham have only finished in the top ten 14 times in its entire history and this is only the second time that we've done it three years running."^{[citation needed]}

Di Canio was the season's leading scorer with 17 goals in all competitions. Sinclair made the most appearances with 49 in all competitions.

Results summary

West Ham United's score comes first^[2]

NOTE: This match was a replay after West Ham were ordered to replay the match after fielding an ineligible player in the original tie^[3]

Squad at end of season^[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	DF	ENG	Rio Ferdinand
16	MF	ENG	John Moncur
18	MF	ENG	Frank Lampard
19	DF	ENG	Ian Pearce
20	DF	ENG	Scott Minto
21	MF	ENG	Michael Carrick
22	GK	CAN	Craig Forrest
26	MF	ENG	Joe Cole
29	GK	USA	Ian Feuer
30	DF	CHI	Javier Margas
32	GK	ENG	Stephen Bywater
35	DF	IRL	Shaun Byrne[9]
38	DF	ENG	Adam Newton[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
23	DF	AUS	Chris Coyne (to Dundee)
28	GK	SCG	Saša Ilić[11] (on loan from Charlton Athletic)

The following players did not make a first-team appearance this season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
43	MF	AUS	Richard Garcia
44	FW	ENG	Gavin Holligan
45	DF	ENG	Ezomo Iriekpen
—	DF	CMR	Romarin Billong
—	DF	AUS	Steve Laurie
—	MF	AUS	Michael Ferrante
—	MF	FIN	Daniel Sjölund
—	FW	ENG	Amos Foyewa
—	FW	UGA	Moses Junju

No.		Player	Position	Euro apps	Euro gls	Lge apps	Lge gls	FAC apps	FAC gls	LC apps	LC gls	Date signed	Previous club
1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup second leg winning team
1		Shaka Hislop	GK	9		22		1		3		July 1998	Newcastle United
8		Trevor Sinclair	RWB	10	1	36	7	1		2+1		January 1998	Queens Park Rangers
4		Steve Potts	CB	7+1		16+1		1		1		May 1984	Academy
11		Steve Lomas (captain)	CB	10		25	1	1		2	1	March 1997	Manchester City
15		Rio Ferdinand	CB	9		33		1		3		November 1995	Academy
7		Marc Keller	LWB	6+1		19+4				2+1	1	July 1998	Karlsruher SC
13		Marc-Vivien Foé	CM	5+1	1	25	1	1		3		January 1999	Lens
16		John Moncur	CM	5+1		20+2	1					June 1994	Swindon Town
18		Frank Lampard	CM	10	4	34	7	1		3	2	July 1995	Academy
10		Paolo Di Canio (Hammer of the Year)	CF	10	1	29+1	16	1		3		January 1999	Sheffield Wednesday
12		Paulo Wanchope	CF	7+1	3	33+2	12	0+1		2		July 1999	Derby County
Substitute
26		Joe Cole	M	2+3		17+5	1	1		2+1	1	July 1997	Academy
Other players
5		Igor Štimac	CB	2		24	1			2		August 1999	Derby County
20		Scott Minto	LWB	5		15+3		1		1		January 1999	Benfica
6		Neil Ruddock	CB	5	1	12+3		1		2+1		July 1998	Liverpool
30		Javier Margas	CB	2+1		15+3	1			1		July 1998	Universidad Católica
22		Craig Forrest	GK	1		9+2						July 1995	Ipswich Town
9		Paul Kitson	CF	3+5	2	4+6		0+1		0+2	1	February 1997	Newcastle United
Other players
14		Frédéric Kanouté	F			8	2					May 2000	Lyon
3		Stuart Pearce	CB			8						July 1999	Newcastle United
21		Michael Carrick	CM	0+1		4+4	1					July 1998	Academy
32		Stephen Bywater	GK			3+1						20 February 1998	Rochdale
29		Ian Feuer	GK			3						February 2000	Cardiff City
2		Gary Charles	RB			2+2				1		October 1999	Benfica
2		Rob Jones	RB	1								July 1999	Liverpool
28		Saša Ilić	GK			1						February 2000	Charlton Athletic
19		Ian Pearce	CB	1+1		1						September 1997	Blackburn Rovers
38		Adam Newton	CD	0+1		0+2						December 1997	Academy
17		Stan Lazaridis	LW	0+1								September 1995	West Adelaide
14		Ian Wright	CF	0+1								August 1998	Arsenal
35		Shaun Byrne	LWB			0+1						July 1998	Academy

Considering starts in all competitions^[13]

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	MS	Notes
1	GK		Shaka Hislop	34
15	CB		Rio Ferdinand	45
5	CB		Igor Štimac	28
4	CB		Steve Potts	26	John Moncur has 28 starts
8	RM		Trevor Sinclair	48
11	CM		Steve Lomas	37
13	CM		Marc-Vivien Foé	33
18	CM		Frank Lampard	47
7	LM		Marc Keller	27
10	CF		Paolo Di Canio	42
12	CF		Paulo Wanchope	41

Signings for the 1999–2000 season included full-backs Gary Charles, for £1.2 million from Benfica, and 37-year-old former England International Stuart Pearce, who signed from Newcastle United on a free transfer. Also arriving was Croatian Igor Štimac, for £600,000, who followed his Derby County teammate Paulo Wanchope to Upton Park. West Ham had already spent £3.5 million the previous month to bring in the lanky Costa Rican.

All of these transfers had been funded by the £5.75 million sale of Eyal Berkovic to Celtic, and Stan Lazaridis' £1.9 million departure to Birmingham City. West Ham had only spent £300,000 for Lazaridis four years earlier.

Harry Redknapp had tried to bring Slaven Bilić back from Everton but the player failed a medical.

• Gary Charles – Benfica, £1,200,000
• Stuart Pearce – Newcastle United, free
• Igor Štimac – Derby County, £600,000
• Paulo Wanchope – Derby County, £3,500,000

• Eyal Berkovic – Celtic, £5,750,000
• Stan Lazaridis – Birmingham City, £1,900,000