Post by Tangerine Sherlock on May 5, 2011 4:51:42 GMT 1
West Ham have drawn up a shortlist of seven names to replace Avram Grant should they decide to dispense with the manager's services at the end of the season – Neil Warnock, Paul Lambert, Malky Mackay, Chris Hughton, Slaven Bilic, Ian Holloway and Martin O'Neill.
Who could succeed the Israeli will depend, in part, on whether the club are in the Championship or Premier League in August. As West Ham are currently bottom and three points from 17th place with three games left the most likely scenario is that they will be relegated. That would almost certainly result in Grant being sacked.
When appointed last summer Grant was given the remit of maintaining the club's Premier League status during his first term in charge while David Gold and David Sullivan, the co-owners, focused on reducing the £110m debt. That figure is now down to around £80m but during a troubled season West Ham have rarely been out of the relegation zone.
It is understood that Gold and Sullivan never envisaged such a struggle, with the owners hoping West Ham would be 15th or 16th for the majority of the campaign and that Premier League status would be secured in March.
Grant has said that seven points may be enough to avoid the drop but West Ham may need to defeat all of Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland to have any chance of survival. Even then he may not keep the job, as Gold and Sullivan may still decide he has not comprehensively fulfilled his remit.
Relegation would cause the "£40m hole" in the club's finances Sullivan spoke of last week, meaning the owners would have to recruit a manager capable of lifting the club back into the Premier League on reduced finances.
Warnock, who has won the Championship with Queens Park Rangers pending the ongoing FA hearing into the signing of Alejandro Faurlín, has also taken Notts County and Sheffield United into the top division during his career. He was wanted by West Ham to replace Gianfranco Zola when the Italian was in charge last season. The then Crystal Palace manager is thought to have rejected those advances as he had agreed to join QPR.
Karren Brady, the West Ham vice-chairman, has a good relationship with him after her husband, Paul Peschisolido, played for Warnock during his eight years as Sheffield United's manager.
Lambert is an attractive candidate after taking Norwich City into the Premier League, his second consecutive promotion as their manager. He managed this with Norwich in a precarious financial position and Mackay, who played for West Ham in 2004-05, has also impressed this season for similar work in making Watford credible playoff contenders from December until early spring, when a minuscule budget that allowed him to spend only £500,000 on transfers finally caught up with the club.
Hughton, a lifelong West Ham fan, has been in the directors' box for the last three games at the Boleyn Ground and is a candidate after guiding Newcastle United into the Premier League last season. His stock is high after being dismissed from the Tyneside club in December despite the team being 11th.
Bilic has been offered the position previously but failed to become the manager after he asked for a sizable transfer kitty that was beyond the club's means. The Croatia coach was a Hammers defender in 1996-97 and is a fan favourite. His lack of experience of club management in England may count against him.
Holloway is arguably the most intriguing option. His success at winning Blackpool promotion via last season's playoffs, and the club's attractive style this season, both achieved on a limited budget, have won him admirers within the West Ham hierarchy.
O'Neill may appear the least likely candidate due to his reported refusal to take over from Grant in January had the latter been sacked. But if O'Neill were given assurances regarding team matters and budget, he could be tempted back into management.
Who could succeed the Israeli will depend, in part, on whether the club are in the Championship or Premier League in August. As West Ham are currently bottom and three points from 17th place with three games left the most likely scenario is that they will be relegated. That would almost certainly result in Grant being sacked.
When appointed last summer Grant was given the remit of maintaining the club's Premier League status during his first term in charge while David Gold and David Sullivan, the co-owners, focused on reducing the £110m debt. That figure is now down to around £80m but during a troubled season West Ham have rarely been out of the relegation zone.
It is understood that Gold and Sullivan never envisaged such a struggle, with the owners hoping West Ham would be 15th or 16th for the majority of the campaign and that Premier League status would be secured in March.
Grant has said that seven points may be enough to avoid the drop but West Ham may need to defeat all of Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland to have any chance of survival. Even then he may not keep the job, as Gold and Sullivan may still decide he has not comprehensively fulfilled his remit.
Relegation would cause the "£40m hole" in the club's finances Sullivan spoke of last week, meaning the owners would have to recruit a manager capable of lifting the club back into the Premier League on reduced finances.
Warnock, who has won the Championship with Queens Park Rangers pending the ongoing FA hearing into the signing of Alejandro Faurlín, has also taken Notts County and Sheffield United into the top division during his career. He was wanted by West Ham to replace Gianfranco Zola when the Italian was in charge last season. The then Crystal Palace manager is thought to have rejected those advances as he had agreed to join QPR.
Karren Brady, the West Ham vice-chairman, has a good relationship with him after her husband, Paul Peschisolido, played for Warnock during his eight years as Sheffield United's manager.
Lambert is an attractive candidate after taking Norwich City into the Premier League, his second consecutive promotion as their manager. He managed this with Norwich in a precarious financial position and Mackay, who played for West Ham in 2004-05, has also impressed this season for similar work in making Watford credible playoff contenders from December until early spring, when a minuscule budget that allowed him to spend only £500,000 on transfers finally caught up with the club.
Hughton, a lifelong West Ham fan, has been in the directors' box for the last three games at the Boleyn Ground and is a candidate after guiding Newcastle United into the Premier League last season. His stock is high after being dismissed from the Tyneside club in December despite the team being 11th.
Bilic has been offered the position previously but failed to become the manager after he asked for a sizable transfer kitty that was beyond the club's means. The Croatia coach was a Hammers defender in 1996-97 and is a fan favourite. His lack of experience of club management in England may count against him.
Holloway is arguably the most intriguing option. His success at winning Blackpool promotion via last season's playoffs, and the club's attractive style this season, both achieved on a limited budget, have won him admirers within the West Ham hierarchy.
O'Neill may appear the least likely candidate due to his reported refusal to take over from Grant in January had the latter been sacked. But if O'Neill were given assurances regarding team matters and budget, he could be tempted back into management.