Syd King
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1873 | ||
| Place of birth | Chatham, Kent, England | ||
| Date of death | 1933 (aged 59–60) | ||
| Place of death | England | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1897 | Northfleet | ||
| 1897–1899 | New Brompton | ||
| 1899–1900 | Thames Ironworks | 16 | (0) |
| 1900–1903 | West Ham United | 59 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1902–1932 | West Ham United | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Ernest Sydney "Syd" King (1873–1933) was a footballer and manager, and one of the most important figures in the early history of West Ham United.
Born Chatham, Kent and educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys he started his career as a full back with Northfleet and once scored three own-goals when playing against Swindon Town.
He transferred to New Brompton in 1897 and spent two seasons there before joining Thames Ironworks in 1899. He was considered one of the best full backs in the Southern League and "The Irons" had to immediately turn down Derby County's offer for the player.
Syd' King recorded 16 appearances in their first season in the Southern League Division One, also making seven appearances in the FA Cup that year, an impressive run that ended in a 1-2 home defeat against arch-rivals Millwall Athletic.
In 1900 he was retained as a member of the squad after the club's transition to West Ham United, and continued to play for them until 1903, recording 59 league and 7 FA Cup appearances in total.
The boss at West Ham was Syd King, an outsize, larger-than-life character with close-cropped grey hair and a flowing moustache. He was a personality plus man, a man with flair. Awe struck, I would tip-toe past his office but invariably he would spot me. "Boy," he would shout. "Get me two bottles of Bass." Down to the Boleyn pub on the corner I would go on my errand and when I got back to the office Syd King would flip me a two-shilling piece for my trouble."
At the start of his last season as a player he had been appointed club secretary, although he was already considered to be a 'manager' of the club.
On the eve of the 1904-05 season a small postcard of the team photograph was issued and featured the following text from King on its reverse endorsing Oxo:
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