WHZ View: John Hartson – One season wonder, or West Ham cult hero?
Today is the 46th birthday of West Ham fan favourite John Hartson, the big Welshman who knew exactly where the goal was.
Despite spending just two seasons in East London, Hartson won the hearts of many Hammers supporters. He was an old fashioned frontman who was lethal when given time and space in the box.
Hartson became our club-record signing in February 1997. Harry Redknapp paid £3.2million to Arsenal for his services – he’d fallen down the pecking order behind Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp at Highbury.
It didn’t take long for the big man to win over the fans. He bagged his first goal for the club in a 4-3 victory over Tottenham, in what was his second match since signing. His powerful header put us 3-2 up before half time.
This was a significant victory for Redknapp’s side. We’d gone eight games without a win in all competitions – this result prevented us losing six in a row. Hartson scored five in the remaining 11 games and got us up to 14th in the table to end the campaign.
The fans warmed to him instantly, and the relationship blossomed from there. He’s fondly remembered for his 1997/98 campaign with us, in which he scored week in week out.
The number 10 scored 15 goals in 32 matches and was second in the scoring charts only to Andy Cole and Manchester United. Overall, he bagged 24 times in 42 matches that season, but things did take a turn in September 1998.
Hartson was recorded lashing out at Eyal Berkovic whilst training with the Hammers. Speaking to talkSPORT in November 2020, the Welshman labelled this the biggest regret of his career.
“I don’t know why I did that reaction and it’s the biggest regret of my life – I should never have done that,” Hartson said.
Needless to say, it hampered his form. Hartson managed just four goals from 17 appearances that season. Overall, he scored 33 times in 73 West Ham appearances, and despite the controversy, is greatly admired by supporters.
It’s not just at West Ham he’s loved, either. Hartson won six titles with Celtic in a five-year spell. He was also named Welsh Footballer of the Year on three separate occasions.
It’s a shame that his stint at the Boleyn Ground was short-lived. But that said, not many players spend such a small amount of time with West Ham but are remembered as fondly as Hartson is. That’s something in itself.
In other West Ham news, much like Jesse Lingard, can this ex-England international kick-start his career in east London?