Charlie Paynter (28 July 1879 in

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

– 1 December 1971) was the manager of

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

from 1932 to 1950. He moved to Plaistow with his family as a child. He played for the local teams Victoria Swifts and South West Ham, but while still a teenager he also developed an interest in

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

. Paynter first became involved with West Ham United in 1897 as unpaid help. In the 1900–01 season Paynter joined the club as a player although he never played for the first-team. He sustained a knee injury in a match against Woolwich Arsenal which ended his career and the club appointed him reserve-team trainer in 1902. He was then promoted to first-team trainer, replacing

Syd King Ernest Sydney "Syd" King (1 August 1873 – 14 February 1933) was a footballer and manager, and one of the most important figures in the early history of West Ham United. Playing career Born Chatham, Kent and educated at Watford Grammar School ...

, who was appointed first team manager. When King was sacked in 1933, Paynter replaced him. At the time of his appointment the club were near the foot of the Second Division table and in serious danger of a second successive relegation, which was avoided by just one point at the end of the season, with the club finishing 20th, which remains their lowest-ever finish in the league. Their form improved over the seasons that followed, resulting in them finishing third in 1934-35 and only missing out on promotion due to goal average, and finishing fourth the following year. The team's form tailed off in the years ahead, though they still generally finished safely in mid-table. However, his final season in charge, 1949-50 saw another relegation struggle, after which Paynter decided to retire and allow his assistant manager,

Ted Fenton TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

to take over.

Managerial statistics

References

1879 births 1971 deaths Sportspeople from Swindon English footballers West Ham United F.C. players West Ham United F.C. non-playing staff West Ham United F.C. managers English Football League managers English football managers Association football coaches Association footballers not categorized by position {{england-footy-manager-stub