During the summer the football world was shocked when manager John Lyall was sacked after 34 years’ service to be replaced by Swindon boss and former Manchester United player Lou Macari. A further setback occurred when, in the opening game at Stoke City, Frank McAvennie broke his leg and missed the remainder of the season. The players were struggling to adjust to life in the Second Division and the team were lying tenth in the table.

Another League Cup adventure began when both Birmingham City and Aston Villa were knocked out at the Boleyn Ground. League results improved with a 2–0 win at Sheffield United followed by a 5–0 thrashing of Sunderland. The League Cup tie with Wimbledon was a stormy affair, with five bookings and one dismissal, but the Hammers were happy with the 1–0 victory. In December there was only one goal scored in five games, prompting manager Macari to buy two forwards, Trevor Morley and Jimmy Quinn.

The trip to Fourth Division Torquay United in the FA Cup was a disaster, with West Ham losing 1–0. In the League Cup it took two replays to beat Derby County but the team were now in the semi-finals for the second season running. In March Lou Macari was found guilty by the FA for betting irregularities while at former club Swindon Town. The intense media pressure was not the ideal preparation for the League Cup semi-final at Oldham. The team gave a shameful display, losing 6–0, and by the end of that week Macari had resigned.

The appointment of Billy Bonds as manager was greeted with enthusiasm and the upsurge in spirits under Billy’s leadership was remarkable. In the last 17 league games, 10 were won, three drawn, and only four were lost. The final memory of the season was Liam Brady scoring in his last competitive match in the 4–0 home victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The side finished in seventh place, but under Bonds they had shown greater consistency and adopted more attacking flair.