The club was managed by John Lyall and the team captain was Billy Bonds.

The season started well for West Ham and they went unbeaten in their first nine league games.

Four defeats in a row in December and January and a slump in form then occurred and they reached a low position of 14th at the end of February 1982.

David Cross was the top scorer with 20 goals in all competitions and 16 in the league.

West Ham United's score comes first[3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.