West Ham United legend Frank McAvennie admits postponements cost Boys of '86 title in exclusive interview

McAvennie played a leading role in the Hammers’ 1985/86 campaign, where the east London club finished third in the First Division.

But McAvennie feels that West Ham’s infamous Boys of ’86 side would have won the title for the first time in the club’s history were it not for a lengthy list of postponements.

The Scotsman, talking exclusively to the Echo, said: “I have great pride in playing a major role in the Boys of ’86 team.

“No one could beat us that year in the league. It was the weather that beat us because we had to play every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday for seven weeks due to postponements.

“That’s a lot of games and we only had 14 or 15 players so everyone wanted to play.

“We had three replays against Ipswich Town and a couple against Manchester United in the cup competitions. It was a never-ending saga.

“It was difficult to not play for a while and then play every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday and it’s that, I think, that beat us and cost us the title.”

Liverpool went on to win their 16th title, while Merseyside rivals Everton claimed the runners-up position.

West Ham finished the term with 84 points - four points adrift of the title winners and two behind the Toffees.

The Hammers travelled to Goodison Park on the final day of the season knowing that a draw was enough to claim second spot.

But two goals from Gary Lineker, who finished the campaign as the division’s top goalscorer with 30 goals, inspired Everton to a 3-1 win.

McAvennie, now 57, had only joined West Ham in the summer of 1985.

And the former Scotland international striker, who went on to make two appearances for his national side in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, is revered as a Hammers legend after the role he played during two separate spells at Upton Park.

But McAvennie admits that a move to east London would not have materialised were it not for a clash with Luton Town chairman David Evans.

McAvennie added: “I came down to sign for Luton and that didn’t happen.

“A lot of toing and froing took place with the manager but it was one of those situations where when I found out West Ham were interested in me, there was no debate really.

“It was a case of, even as a Scotsman, I knew West Ham played a big part in England winning the World Cup so it was an easy decision for me to make to join the club.

“I also loved the fact that West Ham played the way I liked to play football.

“I don’t think I would have been such a big hit if I had have gone to Luton because they played a different style of football.

“I just wanted to come down and test myself against the best and that’s why I was thinking about Luton in the first place.”

Having joined the club from St Mirren, McAvennie remained at Upton Park until October 1987.

After scoring 33 league goals in 85 appearances, the Scotsman returned north of the border to join boyhood club Celtic in a £750,000 deal.

However, a fallout with the Scottish giants resulted in the striker moving back to east London for a second stint in a move worth £1.25million in March 1989.

Back in claret and blue - Frank McAvennie returned to West Ham United for a second spell in 1989

London rivals Arsenal, who were on course to win the First Division title, had also registered a strong interest in McAvennie.

But the frontman turned his back on a move to the title-elect Gunners in favour of a return to West Ham, who were doomed to relegation.

McAvennie admitted: “The love of the club, fans and manager John Lyall were the main reasons as to why I came back to West Ham.

“I had a big fallout with Celtic because they didn’t pay me, so I was very disillusioned with football and I just wanted to go somewhere I was loved.

“I loved the fans and I knew I didn’t have to go to West Ham and prove myself.

“If I went to Arsenal I would have had to start again and prove myself.

“I knew West Ham would get relegated, while Arsenal would win the league that year, but I am very loyal.

“I don’t think I could have gone to Arsenal and watched West Ham get relegated.”

Having made his comeback, McAvennie was unable to help the Hammers stave off the drop into the Second Division. And his second spell with the club proved to be less successful in front of goal.

But the striker was heavily involved in the side that won promotion back to the top flight, having finished as the Second Division runners-up in the 1990/91 season.

McAvennie’s final match in claret and blue ended in style, as he netted a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest in May 1992 to take his tally to 60 goals for the club and move up to 20th in West Ham’s all-time top goalscoring charts.

Having scored just six goals in 20 league games during a term that ultimately saw West Ham relegated, McAvennie enjoyed a brief spell with Aston Villa, before featuring once for Irish side Cliftonville.

A return to Celtic - which resulted in a loan spell with Swindon Town - followed a short stint with South China. McAvennie hung up his boots after spells with Falkirk and, his first club, St Mirren.

Despite narrowly missing out on powering West Ham to their first ever First Division title triumph, McAvennie will always be regarded as a legend in east London.

Goalscorer - Tony Cottee wheels away after finding the back of the net for West Ham United against Portsmouth at Upton Park

‘Partnership with Cottee was my best’

FRANK McAvennie has admitted that his best strike partner was Eastwood-based Tony Cottee.

The two frontmen came within four points of firing West Ham United to their first ever First Division title triumph in the 1985/86 season.

And despite playing alongside the likes of Liverpool and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish, McAvennie is adamant that no partnership during his career matched the one he enjoyed with Cottee.

McAvennie said: “My partnership with Tony Cottee was the best of my career.

“Tony was a good player but we were total opposites to be honest.

“I was this guy that used to go out all the time, whereas Tony would stay in and count his money.

Potent - Tony Cottee is fifth in West Ham United’s all-time top goalscoring charts

“I’m a great believer that good players can play with each other.

“When I hear people say new signings need time to bed in I think that’s a load of nonsense because good players can play.

“We had the likes of Alan Devonshire and Alan Dickens behind us and they were great players so that helped us to score goals.

“And then we had players like Tony Gale, Alvin Martin and Ray Stewart at the back and having a few other Scotsmen in the team was good for me.

“But Tony and I scored a lot of goals together and it is, without a doubt, the best partnership I had with another striker.”

McAvennie and Cottee proved to be a potent pairing as West Ham scored 74 goals in a 1985/86 campaign which ultimately saw the Hammers finish in third.

The Scotsman was also on target in the 8-1 win over Newcastle United, in April 1986, which was the biggest First Division victory over the course of the season.

While McAvennie was originally signed by West Ham to play behind the front two strikers, the ex-Scotland international went on to score 60 goals over two spells in claret and blue.

Meanwhile, Cottee scored 146 goals across two stints and is fifth in the club’s all-time scoring charts.

Ex-striker is critical of Macari

FRANK McAvennie believes that Lou Macari was the worst manager he ever played under.

McAvennie was managed by Macari at West Ham United and Celtic.

Macari, who had got his managerial career off to a fine start at Swindon Town, became the first Hammers boss to have never worked for the club in a previous capacity when he was appointed in July 1989.

But West Ham struggled under the Scotsman’s guidance and were in 10th place in the Second Division by the end of the year.

An FA Cup third round exit at the hands of Torquay United followed in January 1990 and after it emerged the manager was being investigated for betting irregularities while at Swindon Town, Macari left his position a month later.

Criticised - Frank McAvennie was not impressed with Lou Macari

McAvennie departed Upton Park in 1992 for boyhood club Celtic, but the striker was soon joined in Glasgow by his ex-manager.

And the former frontman is critical of Macari.

McAvennie said: “I’m the only player that I know that has played for three clubs twice because I had two spells at West Ham, Celtic and St Mirren.

“I also played under Lou Macari twice but I didn’t see eye-to-eye with him. 

“He was never there and he was not my kind of manager.

“If we got beaten it was because we weren’t fit enough. He never took the blame.

“After we lost, he wanted us to run more. It was never to do with his tactics being wrong or anything.

“He always wanted you to get the ball up the pitch as quick as possible, but we liked to play it out from the back.

“He didn’t want us to play the football I wanted to play and he was a poor manager for me.”

Despite McAvennie’s criticism of Macari, the former Celtic, Manchester United and Swindon Town midfielder did enjoy success elsewhere during his managerial career.

Macari, who is now 68, led Swindon Town to the Fourth Division title, before winning the Third Division play-off final a year later.

Birmingham City were Football League Trophy winners under Macari in 1991, while he won the same championship a year later at Stoke City, where he also won the Second Division championship.

Former home - West Ham United left Upton Park in 2016

Frank: The London Stadium cannot match Upton Park

FORMER West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie believes the London Stadium will never be able to match the atmosphere created at Upton Park.

The Hammers moved to their new home in the summer of 2016 after 112 years at the Boleyn Ground.

A large section of fans and former players wish they had never left their former home, and McAvennie shares their feelings.

McAvennie, who enjoyed two goal-laden spells with the east London club, said: “The new stadium is not the same because I loved Upton Park.

“I still love the club and the fans but you can’t recreate the atmospheres we had at Upton Park.”

Current West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has come under intense scrutiny due to poor form over the course of last season and at the start of the current campaign.

Last Friday’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion resulted in more calls for Bilic to be sacked, but McAvennie sympathises with the Hammers chief.

McAvennie added: “West Ham are a bit disillusioned at the moment but it is what it is.

“The owners need to spend money and buy world class players because that was the whole point in moving.

“They can’t keep breaking promises and they need to spend the money they said they would to get the players to take the club to the next level, which they said would happen after the move.”

London Stadium - West Ham United have struggled this term

Living a dream

FRANK McAvennie admits it was a dream come true to play alongside Kenny Dalglish.

As a young boy growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, McAvennie looked up to Dalglish.

And the former West Ham United striker went on to play alongside his idol for Scotland.

McAvennie won five international caps for his country, with his only goal for Scotland coming in a 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off win over Australia.

McAvennie, who featured at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, said: “I made my debut for Scotland with Kenny so I did what any boy could dream of.

“I’m pals with Kenny now, so it’s good.

“Sometimes it isn’t right to meet your idols but to become friends with Kenny is great.”