The West Ham Syndrome

Andrew
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Soccer

Welcome to The West Ham Syndrome, a podcast about West Ham, but with a bit of a twist. Look, we know there are already loads of brilliant Hammers pods out there, but this one’s going to be a little different. We’re not just here to ride the highs and lows of every matchday. Don’t worry, we’ll still talk about the games, because that’s what we all live for, but our focus is more on everything else that makes West Ham, well… West Ham.We’ll be getting into the bigger stories off the pitch and we’ve got some fun features lined up too. Think rewatching old season review DVDs, flicking through classic programmes and magazines, and unearthing some of the forgotten stories that make following this club such a rollercoaster.So, if you’ve ever wondered why supporting West Ham feels like a condition we can’t quite shake, this one’s for you. This is The West Ham Syndrome, talking West Ham beyond the matchday.

  1. 1d ago

    Irons in the Ink - Interview with Author Pete May | Season 2: Episode 5

    This week on The West Ham Syndrome, Andrew and Max are joined by Pete May - journalist, author, blogger and lifelong Hammer - for a wide-ranging conversation about three decades of writing West Ham United. Pete has written five books solely about the club, from Irons in the Soul (2002) and Hammers in the Heart (2005), through to Flying So High: West Ham's Cup Finals (2015), Goodbye to Boleyn (2016), and most recently Massive: The Miracle of Prague (2024). His Hammers in the Heart blog has been running since 2008 and is approaching four million views. We talk about what compelled Pete to write about the turbulent 2001/02 season, the emotional weight of leaving the Boleyn Ground, and how Prague fits into the broader story of West Ham's identity. Along the way, we get into some of the more eccentric corners of the club's history - including the short-lived West Ham Hotel and the club's own branded Chardonnay wine. We also touch on David Sullivan's resignation and Monday night's Panorama documentary before getting into Pete's quick-fire answers, where he tells us his favourite West Ham player, best game he's seen live, and what the West Ham way means to him. Pete's blog and Substack can be found at hammersintheheart.blogspot.com. Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    1h 5m

  2. Jun 5

    The Boys of 86 and the Greatest Season You Never Saw with Christopher Lepkowski | Season 2: Episode 4

    This week, Andrew and Max are joined by journalist and author Christopher Lepkowski to discuss his book The Slum Sport, which tells the story of the 1985-86 football season - the year that came closer to producing a West Ham title than anything before or since. We explore the extraordinary context of a sport in crisis: the aftermath of Heysel, the Bradford fire, and the total absence of football on television for half a season. Chris explains how Margaret Thatcher's government treated football fans in much the same way it treated the miners, and how Ted Croker famously pushed back in Downing Street. We also get into how the European ban robbed a generation of English players of an education, and why the stirrings of a breakaway Super League were already happening in 85-86. Then we turn to the West Ham specifics: the story of how Frank McAveney almost signed for Luton, the Stringfellows encounter that tells you everything about the Cottee-McAveney partnership, the 8-1 win over Newcastle, and just how close John Lyall's side came to pulling off something remarkable. Chris also talks us through the chapter song titles, the players nobody had heard of, and why that season planted the seeds of what would eventually become the Premier League. The Slum Sport is available now. Search "The Slum Sport" or find Chris on X at @_ChrisLepkowski. Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    1h 7m

  3. May 29

    From Despair to Where - Relegation Unpacked | Season 2: Episode 3

    Well. Here we are. In what is easily their least enjoyable recording session to date, Andrew and Max sit down to make sense of the unthinkable - West Ham United's relegation to the Championship after a season that was, in truth, a long time coming. Taking inspiration from A Christmas Carol (the Muppets version, naturally), the lads split this one into three acts. The Ghost of West Ham Past takes us back to January 2010, when David Sullivan and David Gold walked through the door with the proceeds of a Birmingham City sale and a plan that always had more to do with profit than passion. From the stadium deal that lined their pockets while breaking fans' hearts, to the criminal mishandling of David Moyes and the Declan Rice windfall - Andrew and Max unpick exactly how the seeds of this relegation were planted long before a ball was kicked this season. The Ghost of West Ham Present surveys the wreckage: £350 million spent since the Rice sale, a revolving door of managers, a squad built by committee (if that committee was one man on his phone), and a boardroom that has haemorrhaged its senior leadership faster than the team haemorrhaged points.  And the Ghost of West Ham Future? Sullivan won't sell cheap. Kretinsky lurks. The finances are brutal.  Scrooge, in the end, changes his ways. Whether David Sullivan will do the same is, frankly, less certain. COYI. Whatever league we're in. Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    1h 13m

  4. May 22

    No Place Like Home - Joseph Fordham on Documenting the Last Days of Upton Park | Season 2: Episode 2

    In 2015, with West Ham's move from the Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium announced, photographer and creative director Joseph Fordham set himself a task: to collect 112 portraits and personal accounts from fans, players and club figures - one for every year West Ham had called Upton Park home. What followed was 374 days of matchday photography, interviews over email, recorded conversations in the club bar, and one memorable trip to Gloucester to photograph Sir Geoff Hurst. The result was No Place Like Home, a self-funded, self-published book that sold 2,000 copies and captured a moment in time that can never be repeated. In this episode, Joe joins Andrew and Max to talk through the making of the book - how the idea came to him on a train, how Tony Carr opened a door that led to Sir Geoff Hurst, how David Gold gave up 45 minutes of his time and lit up talking about the old days, and why it took him nearly a decade to look back at the finished product with genuine pride. We also get into the fanzine that followed - 10 issues of irreverent, offbeat fun produced out of the Truman Brewery - Joe's complicated feelings about the London Stadium and what No Place Like Home has grown into since. Plus the quickfire round: first game, favourite player, best goal, worst heartbreak and what the West Ham Way really means. A proper love letter to the Boleyn Ground and the people who made it home. Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    1h 10m

  5. May 15

    The 2006 FA Cup Final, 20 Years On | Season 2: Episode 1

    We're back! Season 2 of The West Ham Syndrome is here and we're kicking things off with a special episode marking the 20th anniversary of the 2006 FA Cup Final. On 13 May 2006, West Ham United faced Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in a match now widely regarded as one of the greatest FA Cup finals ever played. We take you through West Ham's road to the final, the context surrounding that season, and every moment of a game that had absolutely everything. We also take an honest (and slightly painful) look at how close West Ham have come to a final in the twenty years since. Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    1h 11m

  6. Feb 13

    Renford Rejects - the West Ham Episode | Season 1: Episode 18

    In this episode of The West Ham Syndrome Podcast, we’re doing something slightly different. Instead of focusing on matchdays, players, or club politics, we’re heading back to the 1990s to revisit a memorable crossover between West Ham United and the Nickelodeon series Renford Rejects — specifically the Series 3 episode, “Another Italian”. For many fans, Renford Rejects was part of growing up: a football show aimed at younger audiences that still managed to capture the spirit of the game surprisingly well. In this episode, a prank phone call leads to a dream trial at West Ham’s Chadwell Heath training ground, with Harry Redknapp and a late-90s squad featuring names like Paolo Di Canio and Rio Ferdinand making cameo appearances. We talk through the episode, reflect on the 90s football culture it represents, touch on the familiar faces who appeared in the series, and consider why moments like this stick in the memory. A slightly lighter, nostalgic detour — but still very much part of the wider story of West Ham and what it means to grow up with the club. Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    23 min

  7. Feb 6

    West Ham and the Financial Impact of Relegation (Interview with Chris Weatherspoon) | Season 1: Episode 17

    West Ham United are ranked 20th in Deloitte’s Football Money League, placing them among Europe’s highest-revenue clubs. And yet, as this season has shown, they remain firmly entangled in a relegation battle. How can a club with elite-level revenues still be financially vulnerable? In this episode of The West Ham Syndrome, we’re joined by football finance journalist Chris Weatherspoon to unpack the financial realities behind Premier League survival and what relegation would really mean for West Ham United. Drawing on Chris’ detailed analysis, we explore how revenues typically fall by around 46% after relegation, why broadcast income can halve overnight even with parachute payments, and how rising costs, including a £161m wage bill, £83.5m in transfer amortisation, and significant short-term transfer liabilities, complicate the picture. We also discuss why headline rankings like Deloitte’s Money League can create a false sense of financial security, the unique advantages of West Ham’s London Stadium deal, and why modern football increasingly produces clubs that are rich, but not resilient. 🔗 Read the original article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6773309/2025/11/07/west-ham-relegation-finances-impact/  (“West Ham United’s finances if they were relegated” by Chris Weatherspoon) Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    43 min

  8. Jan 30

    "The only religion is West Ham". The Belfast Hammers with Peter O'Prey | Season 1: Episode 16

    In this episode, we’re joined by Peter O’Prey – lifelong Hammer, retired teacher, and the founder and Chairman of the Belfast Hammers. Growing up in Belfast during the height of the Troubles, Peter reflects on what life was like in a deeply divided city and how supporting West Ham United became a source of solace, identity, and connection during turbulent times. From early supporter groups like the Twin Hammers to the founding of the Belfast Hammers in 1999, Peter explains how the group was shaped around one simple principle: “The only religion is West Ham.” We talk about the stories behind Peter’s 2024 book of the same name, the matches that defined a lifetime of following the club (both glorious and grim), and what a matchday pilgrimage from Belfast to East London really looks like. Along the way, there’s nostalgia, heartbreak, humour, and plenty of classic West Ham pain. The episode also features a quick-fire deep dive into Peter’s West Ham memories: favourite players, goals, kits, managers, and what he’d contribute to a virtual West Ham museum – before finishing with a thoughtful reflection on what “the West Ham way” truly means. 🎟️ Event plug: We’re also delighted to help promote an upcoming Belfast Hammers event, An Evening with Sir Trevor Brooking, celebrating one of the club’s true legends. 👉 Tickets available via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-evening-with-sir-trevor-brooking-tickets-1810390981159 👥 Get involved: You can connect with the Belfast Hammers and follow their work through their Facebook group here:  👉 https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastHammers/ Support the show Thanks for listening to The West Ham Syndrome. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, subscribe, and leave us a review, it really helps the show grow. Stay connected with us:  📧 Email: thewesthamsyndrome@gmail.com 📱 Follow us: @thewesthamsyndrome (Instagram & Twitter/X)

    1h 26m
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About

Welcome to The West Ham Syndrome, a podcast about West Ham, but with a bit of a twist. Look, we know there are already loads of brilliant Hammers pods out there, but this one’s going to be a little different. We’re not just here to ride the highs and lows of every matchday. Don’t worry, we’ll still talk about the games, because that’s what we all live for, but our focus is more on everything else that makes West Ham, well… West Ham.We’ll be getting into the bigger stories off the pitch and we’ve got some fun features lined up too. Think rewatching old season review DVDs, flicking through classic programmes and magazines, and unearthing some of the forgotten stories that make following this club such a rollercoaster.So, if you’ve ever wondered why supporting West Ham feels like a condition we can’t quite shake, this one’s for you. This is The West Ham Syndrome, talking West Ham beyond the matchday.

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The West Ham Syndrome
  • Show Website
    The West Ham Syndrome

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