Tony Cottee explains the ‘only difference’ which stopped West Ham doing a Leicester City

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Tony Cottee feels there are a few striking comparisons to be drawn with Leicester City’s Premier League-winning campaign in 2015/16 and West Ham United’s 1985/86 challenge under John Lyall.

With one obvious difference, of course.

While Leicester would eventually storm over the line, one of the greatest achievements in all of sport forever soundtracked by the angelic voice of Andrea Bocelli, Tony Cottee and co would fall just short some three decades prior.

The Foxes’ most remarkable of title triumphs would owe much to the consistency of both their players and their team selection. Claudio Ranieri emphatically dispelled his ‘Tinkerman’ nickname, no fewer than ten Leicester players starting at least 30 Premier League matches that season.

Cottee recalls that outstanding West Ham United outfit benefitting from similar levels of stability. Furthermore, the Hammers’ tally of 26 wins remains a club record to this day. One of a handful of records that seem destined to stay immortalised in the history books.

Even still, Cottee’s prolific goalscoring, the consistency of Lyall’s XI and a record number of wins were not enough.

Tony Cottee rues the slow start which cost West Ham United dear in 1985/86

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez in 2016, meet Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie in 1986.

Cottee and McAvennie formed a ‘phenomenal partnership’ at Upton Park, to quote the former. With the talismanic Alan Devonshire back from a 19-month injury absence too, and Mark Ward joining from Oldham Athletic, Lyall’s so-called ‘Boys of 86’ were a force to be reckoned with.

Not quite a title-winning force, though, much to Cottee’s despair.

“Going into the 85/86 season, we had Alan Dev coming back. He was our best player by miles, so that was a great bonus. We signed Frank McAvennie, we signed Wardy,” Cottee says.

“We only won one of our first seven games. You look back, if we had won two of our first seven games, we would have won the league!”

Hammers icon highlights the big difference between Leicester City and Lyall’s side

That ‘shaky start’ turned into a run of 11 wins in 12 top-flight games, with homegrown hero Cottee finding his feet.

“It was just a slow start. I was slow starting to get my goals,” he recalls. “I scored in my seventh game, then scored six games on the trot.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	LeedsLeeds	11	3	2	6	10	20	-10	11
17	BurnleyBurnley	11	3	1	7	14	22	-8	10
18	West HamWest Ham	11	3	1	7	13	23	-10	10
19	Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest	11	2	3	6	10	20	-10	9
20	WolvesWolves	11	0	2	9	7	25	-18	2

“Me and Frank were buzzing. We were 18 league games unbeaten. I think there are still 17 club records that exist from that season. 

“We were fortunate from one point of view because we didn’t have injuries, we didn’t have suspensions. We pretty much had the same nine players [in the team every week, although] the left back and centre-midfield swapped a bit. All the other players played 40 odd league games.”

“I liken it to the Leicester season, when they won the league. The only difference is, Leicester won the league.”

Liverpool fought off Everton as well as West Ham to claim the First Division crown

A rampant Hammers outfit would emerge victorious from 11 of their final 14 matches that term. This still was not enough to match a Liverpool side chock-full of Anfield icons, though.

In the end, West Ham’s tally of 84 points was enough only for bronze as Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool finished second and first on 86 and 88 respectively.

Cottee can only look back now and wish West Ham were left with the sort of open goal which came the way of a heroic yet somewhat-fortunate Leicester during a season in which Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool performed well below expectations.

“The reason Leicester won the league was because everybody fell by the wayside,” he argues.

“In our year, Everton were a really top side. Liverpool were a really top side. Liverpool won their last 10 league games. Try catching a team [who does that].

“It was just a little bit too much. In typical West Ham fashion, we always talk about the highest points tally to go down with [42 in 2002/03], we also got the highest points tally for a third place team, not to win the league.

“So that just shows what West Ham is all about.”