John Lyall was manager of West Ham United for 15 years (1974-1989). In 1975, at the end of his first season as manager, West Ham won the F.A Cup. They slipped down to the Second Division in 1978 and did not return to the First Division until 1981, but during that exile (in 1980) West Ham beat Arsenal in the F.A Cup final and no other team outside the top division has won the F.A Cup since. Lyall also took West Ham to their highest ever league finish in the 1985-86 First Division campaign when they finished third behind champions Liverpool and runners-up Everton, but they were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup because of the ban on English teams from European competition arising from the previous year's Heysel Disaster in which 39 Juventus fans were killed in chaos relating to hooliganism by Liverpool supporters.

John Lyall was sacked in June 1989 after West Ham United were relegated to the Second Division, but he made his return to football management the following summer with Ipswich Town.

At the end of the 1991-92, John Lyall guided Ipswich Town to the Second Division championship and promotion to the first-ever Premier League. In January 1993, Ipswich were fourth in the Premiership and fans were hoping for at least a UEFA Cup place, maybe even the Premiership title. But a dip in form during the final weeks of the season saw Ipswich finish 16th. 1993-94 brought a similar pattern, a good start following by a slump - Ipswich finished 19th in the final table and were only saved from relegation by Sheffield United's last gasp 3-2 defeat at Chelsea.

John Lyall lost the job as Ipswich Town manager in December 1994, with the club bottom of the Premiership, and never returned to football management.