13 September 2006 - A Big Bid For A Bit Of Best

On 13 September 2006, a shirt worn by George Best in a record-breaking performance sold at auction for £24,000.

The shirt in question was the one worn by Best for Manchester United in a Fifth Round FA Cup match against Northampton Town on 7 February 1970. United won 2-8 with Best providing six of the goals, a record haul for the competition at the time. In 1996, a participant in a newspaper competition won the shirt as a prize, then held on to it for 10 years before putting it up for auction at Christie's, where it was expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000. Several bidders attempted to claim it and it eventually went to an anonymous buyer.

The auction included other football memorabilia, including the Fulham shirt worn by Bobby Moore in his last English league match (£3,600) and the 1970 FA Cup winners' medal awarded to Chelsea captain Ron Harris (£13,200). The day's biggest disappointment was the shirt worn by Brazilian midfielder Rivelino in the 1970 World Cup. Although Christie's expected the shirt to go for somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000, it failed to find a buyer.

5 July 1900 - A Club Reforged

On 5 July 1900, a new club rose from the ashes of Thames Ironworks FC. Calling themselves West Ham United, the new club went on to win three FA Cups and two international trophies while launching the careers of some of football's biggest stars.

Built from the remains of Old Castle Swifts FC, Thames Ironworks served as the works team for the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. The team was successful, winning the London League in 1898 and the Southern League's second division in 1899, but disbanded in June 1900 over disputes about the club's administration and financing. On 5 June 1900, the club was relaunched as West Ham United.

West Ham were elected to the Football League in 1919 and rose to the top tier in 1923. That year, they reached the FA Cup Final, but lost to Bolton Wanderers 2-0. They eventually won their first FA Cup in 1964, led by Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. That team went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, while Moore and Hurst helped England to World Cup glory in 1966.

Two more FA Cups followed in 1975 and 1980, and they were one of the three winning finalists in the 1999 Intertoto Cup. Meanwhile, they launched the careers of such luminaries as Trevor Brooking, Paul Ince, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, and Frank Lampard.

Since their election to the Football League in 1919, West Ham have moved regularly between the top two tiers of English football. They most recently finished seventh in the Premier League.

8 September 1958 - Moore Makes His Mark

On 8 September 1958, 17-year old center back Bobby Moore made his debut for the West Ham senior side in a 3-2 win over Manchester United. He would go on to become the club's longest-serving captain while making a total of 646 appearances for the Hammers.

Born in 1941 in the town of Barking in northeast London, Moore joined the West Ham youth academy in 1956 at the age of 15. The next year, West Ham's veteran center back Malcolm Allison developed tuberculosis. His illness opened the door for Moore, who secured the starting position after his appearance on 8 September 1958, with the Hammers finishing in sixth place in the Division One table that season.

Moore, who developed a reputation as an intelligent and technically gifted defender, claimed the captain's armband in 1961 and retained it until his departure in 1974. During that time, the club generally languished mid-table, but won the 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup. Moore's greatest accomplishment, however, was captaining England to victory in the 1966 World Cup.

In 1974, with his ability declining, but his popularity intact, he moved to Fulham. He later played in the United States and Denmark before retiring in 1978.

30 July 1981 - Rocky Takes The Pitch

On 30 July 1981, Paramount Pictures released Victory, a film about a group of football-playing Allied prisoners of war in a German prison camp during WWII. Known as Escape to Victory outside of North America, the movie starred Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone alongside a group of real-life footballers including Pelé and Bobby Moore.

Based loosely on the 1941 "match of death" between Soviet prisoners and a German Army team, the film follows a group of POWs who agree to play an exhibition match against their captors and assemble a side led by Englishman Captain John Colby (played by Michael Caine). Pelé's character, Corporal Luis Fernandez, is from Trinidad and Tobago, while Stallone plays the team's inexperienced goalkeeper, American Captain Robert Hatch.

Hatch organizes a plan for several of the POWs to escape at halftime, but, despite being down at the break due in part to biased officiating, they are convinced to stay in attempt to win the match. Near the end, with the sides even at 4-4, Fernandez scores the potential match-winning goal, but is incorrectly ruled offside. Shortly afterward, as time is about to expire, the referee awards the Germans a penalty kick, but it is saved by Hatch, causing a celebration in the stands. Using the celebration as cover, the POWs then escape.

In addition to Pelé and Moore, the cast included Tottenham Hotspur star midfielder Osvaldo Ardiles, Manchester City midfielder Kazimierz Deyna, and several players from Ipswich Town.

24 February 1993 - Bobby Moore No More

On 24 February 1993, 51-year old England and West Ham United legend Bobby Moore died from bowel cancer.

Moore began his professional career in 1958 with West Ham, where he would stay for just over 15 seasons. Despite having fairly average physical talents, he was gifted with an uncanny ability to read the game and anticipate where the ball was going. That, combined with his impeccable timing, made him one of England's top defenders. He earned his first cap for England at 21, and at 22, became the youngest person to captain the English senior side.

He got his first silverware in 1964, when he led the Hammers to the FA Cup trophy, also earning personal accolades as the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. He followed by helping West Ham to the 1965 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with a 2-0 win over 1860 Munich. But he is best remembered for captaining England to the World Cup title in 1966, where Moore set up two of England's goals in the 4-2 win over West Germany in the Final. He would go on to make 108 appearances for England, making him England's most-capped player at the time, though Peter Shilton (125) and David Beckham (currently at 115) would later go on to surpass Moore's total.

Moore left West Ham in 1974 for London rivals Fulham, then in the Second Division. In his first season with Fulham, they met West Ham twice, beating them in the League Cup, but losing to the Hammers in the 1975 FA Cup Final. He also spent some time in the US during the English off-season, playing for the San Antonio Thunder and Seattle Sounders before retiring in 1978.

Afterward, Moore spent a brief period in management before moving on to work as a commentator. He made his last public appearance in the commentators' booth for England's match against San Marino on 17 February 1993, one week before his death.

29 May 1963 - "... And A Child Shall Lead Them ... "

On 29 May 1963, center back Bobby Moore became England's youngest senior team captain at 22 years, 47 days.

Moore, who played for West Ham from 1958 to 1974, earned his first senior cap for England in May 1962 in a 4-0 friendly victory over Peru. He played a significant role for England in the 1962 World Cup, which ended in a quarterfinal defeat to eventual winners Brazil.

His appearance on 29 May 1963 was only his 12th for the national team. Long-serving captain Johnny Haynes had just retired and his immediate successor, Jimmy Armfield, was injured, leading new manager Alf Ramsey to hand the captain's armband to Moore. He rewarded Ramsey's faith by leading the team to a 4-2 win over Czechoslovakia.

Armfield reclaimed the captaincy upon his return, but Moore received it permanently in 1964. He led England to victory in the 1966 World Cup, which made him an English football icon. He made a total of 108 appearances for the national team, a record at the time that was later surpassed by goalkeeper Peter Shilton (125 caps) and David Beckham (115).

13 September 2006 - A Big Bid For A Bit Of Best

On 13 September 2006, a shirt worn by George Best in a record-breaking performance sold at auction for £24,000.

The shirt in question was the one worn by Best for Manchester United in a Fifth Round FA Cup match against Northampton Town on 7 February 1970. United won 2-8 with Best providing six of the goals, a record haul for the competition at the time. In 1996, a participant in a newspaper competition won the shirt as a prize, then held on to it for 10 years before putting it up for auction at Christie's, where it was expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000. Several bidders attempted to claim it and it eventually went to an anonymous buyer.

The auction included other football memorabilia, including the Fulham shirt worn by Bobby Moore in his last English league match (£3,600) and the 1970 FA Cup winners' medal awarded to Chelsea captain Ron Harris (£13,200). The day's biggest disappointment was the shirt worn by Brazilian midfielder Rivelino in the 1970 World Cup. Although Christie's expected the shirt to go for somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000, it failed to find a buyer.

5 July 1900 - A Club Reforged

On 5 July 1900, a new club rose from the ashes of Thames Ironworks FC. Calling themselves West Ham United, the new club went on to win three FA Cups and two international trophies while launching the careers of some of football's biggest stars.

Built from the remains of Old Castle Swifts FC, Thames Ironworks served as the works team for the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. The team was successful, winning the London League in 1898 and the Southern League's second division in 1899, but disbanded in June 1900 over disputes about the club's administration and financing. On 5 June 1900, the club was relaunched as West Ham United.

West Ham were elected to the Football League in 1919 and rose to the top tier in 1923. That year, they reached the FA Cup Final, but lost to Bolton Wanderers 2-0. They eventually won their first FA Cup in 1964, led by Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst. That team went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965, while Moore and Hurst helped England to World Cup glory in 1966.

Two more FA Cups followed in 1975 and 1980, and they were one of the three winning finalists in the 1999 Intertoto Cup. Meanwhile, they launched the careers of such luminaries as Trevor Brooking, Paul Ince, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, and Frank Lampard.

Since their election to the Football League in 1919, West Ham have moved regularly between the top two tiers of English football. They were recently relegated from the Premier League and will play in the Championship for the 2011-12 season.

8 September 1958 - Moore Makes His Mark

On 8 September 1958, 17-year old center back Bobby Moore made his debut for the West Ham senior side in a 3-2 win over Manchester United. He would go on to become the club's longest-serving captain while making a total of 646 appearances for the Hammers.

Born in 1941 in the town of Barking in northeast London, Moore joined the West Ham youth academy in 1956 at the age of 15. The next year, West Ham's veteran center back Malcolm Allison developed tuberculosis. His illness opened the door for Moore, who secured the starting position after his appearance on 8 September 1958, with the Hammers finishing in sixth place in the Division One table that season.

Moore, who developed a reputation as an intelligent and technically gifted defender, claimed the captain's armband in 1961 and retained it until his departure in 1974. During that time, the club generally languished mid-table, but won the 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup. Moore's greatest accomplishment, however, was captaining England to victory in the 1966 World Cup.

In 1974, with his ability declining, but his popularity intact, he moved to Fulham. He later played in the United States and Denmark before retiring in 1978.

30 July 1981 - Rocky Takes The Pitch

On 30 July 1981, Paramount Pictures released Victory, a film about a group of football-playing Allied prisoners of war in a German prison camp during WWII. Known as Escape to Victory outside of North America, the movie starred Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone alongside a group of real-life footballers including Pelé and Bobby Moore.

Based loosely on the 1941 "match of death" between Soviet prisoners and a German Army team, the film follows a group of POWs who agree to play an exhibition match against their captors and assemble a side led by Englishman Captain John Colby (played by Michael Caine). Pelé's character, Corporal Luis Fernandez, is from Trinidad and Tobago, while Stallone plays the team's inexperienced goalkeeper, American Captain Robert Hatch.

Hatch organizes a plan for several of the POWs to escape at halftime, but, despite being down at the break due in part to biased officiating, they are convinced to stay in attempt to win the match. Near the end, with the sides even at 4-4, Fernandez scores the potential match-winning goal, but is incorrectly ruled offside. Shortly afterward, as time is about to expire, the referee awards the Germans a penalty kick, but it is saved by Hatch, causing a celebration in the stands. Using the celebration as cover, the POWs then escape.

In addition to Pelé and Moore, the cast included Tottenham Hotspur star midfielder Osvaldo Ardiles, Manchester City midfielder Kazimierz Deyna, and several players from Ipswich Town.

24 February 1993 - Bobby Moore No More

On 24 February 1993, 51-year old England and West Ham United legend Bobby Moore died from bowel cancer.

Moore began his professional career in 1958 with West Ham, where he would stay for just over 15 seasons. Despite having fairly average physical talents, he was gifted with an uncanny ability to read the game and anticipate where the ball was going. That, combined with his impeccable timing, made him one of England's top defenders. He earned his first cap for England at 21, and at 22, became the youngest person to captain the English senior side.

He got his first silverware in 1964, when he led the Hammers to the FA Cup trophy, also earning personal accolades as the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. He followed by helping West Ham to the 1965 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with a 2-0 win over 1860 Munich. But he is best remembered for captaining England to the World Cup title in 1966, where Moore set up two of England's goals in the 4-2 win over West Germany in the Final. He would go on to make 108 appearances for England, making him England's most-capped player at the time, though Peter Shilton (125) and David Beckham (currently at 115) would later go on to surpass Moore's total.

Moore left West Ham in 1974 for London rivals Fulham, then in the Second Division. In his first season with Fulham, they met West Ham twice, beating them in the League Cup, but losing to the Hammers in the 1975 FA Cup Final. He also spent some time in the US during the English off-season, playing for the San Antonio Thunder and Seattle Sounders before retiring in 1978.

Afterward, Moore spent a brief period in management before moving on to work as a commentator. He made his last public appearance in the commentators' booth for England's match against San Marino on 17 February 1993, one week before his death.

11 July 1966 - England's First Step To World Cup Glory

On 11 July 1966, England and Uruguay played to a scoreless draw in the opening match of the 1966 World Cup Finals before a crowd of 87,000 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The draw was particularly disappointing for the hosts. In 1963, after Brazil eliminated them from the previous World Cup in the first knockout round, the English FA appointed Ipswich boss Alf Ramsey as the national side’s first professional coach and he began to build a team and a system to compete for the trophy when the World Cup came to England. He did not lack for confidence and, shortly after his appointment, he boldly predicted that England would win the next World Cup.

Ramsey had made several controversial decisions leading up to the World Cup, including giving the captain's armband to young defender Bobby Moore and switching England's formation from their traditional 4-2-4 to a 4-3-3. The new formation, which moved one of the forwards back into the midfield, had helped England defeat defending European champions Spain 2-0 in December 1965.

Against Uruguay, however, the English midfield struggled to advance in support of the forwards, resulting in too little offensive power and a 0-0 draw. The draw called Ramsey's prediction into question, but England subsequently found its offense in 2-0 wins over Mexico and France to finish on top of its group, then proceeded to defeat Argentina (1-0), Portugal (2-1), and West Germany (4-2, a.e.t.) to claim its first World Cup trophy.

29 May 1963 - "... And A Child Shall Lead Them ..."

On 29 May 1963, center back Bobby Moore became England's youngest senior team captain at 22 years, 47 days.

Moore, who played for West Ham from 1958 to 1974, earned his first senior cap for England in May 1962 in a 4-0 friendly victory over Peru. He played a significant role for England in the 1962 World Cup, which ended in a quarterfinal defeat to eventual winners Brazil.

His appearance on 29 May 1963 was only his 12th for the national team. Long-serving captain Johnny Haynes had just retired and his immediate successor, Jimmy Armfield, was injured, leading new manager Alf Ramsey to hand the captain's armband to Moore. He rewarded Ramsey's faith by leading the team to a 4-2 win over Czechoslovakia.

Armfield reclaimed the captaincy upon his return, but Moore received it permanently in 1964. He led England to victory in the 1966 World Cup, which made him an English football icon. He made a total of 108 appearances for the national team, a record at the time that was later surpassed by goalkeeper Peter Shilton (125 caps) and David Beckham (109, as of the time of this writing).

19 April 1958 - A Striking Debut

On 19 April 1958, 20-year old Manchester United striker/midfielder Bobby Charlton made his international debut for England in a British Home Championship match against Scotland at Hampden Park, Glasgow. England won 4-0, with two goals from Derek Kevan, one from Bryan Douglas, and one from Charlton - his first in an English record of 49 international goals. His last international goal came in England's 4-0 win over Colombia in a friendly played on 20 May 1970 in Bogotá.

Charlton played for the English national team through the 1970 World Cup, where England was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Franz Beckenbauer's West German side. In all, Charlton made 106 national team appearances, a record at the time, though later surpassed by Bobby Moore (108), David Beckham (109), and Peter Shilton (125). Charlton now stands as the fourth most-capped player for England. His goal-scoring record still stands, however, almost 39 years after that last goal in Colombia.