West Ham sack Grant

West Ham United have sacked manager Avram Grant after they were relegated from the English Premier League on Sunday.

West Ham led 2-0 away to Wigan Athletic in their penultimate match of the season at the DW Stadium.

But goals from Conor Sammon and two from Charles N’Zogbia – the second a last-minute winner – consigned the east London side to relegation after six seasons in the top flight.

And West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold have moved quickly to remove the Israeli manager, who was dismissed within an hour of the final whistle.

“The club can confirm that Avram Grant is no longer the manager of West Ham United,” the club said in a statement.

“First-team coach Kevin Keen will take charge of the team for the final home match of the season against Sunderland on May 22.”

Grant, 56, was in charge of Portsmouth when they were relegated to the Championship last season.

He did guide them to a losing appearance in the final of the FA Cup, earning a switch to West Ham with a four-year contract at Upton Park.

He replaced Italian Gianfranco Zola, who was dismissed by Sullivan and Gold despite securing West Ham’s top-flight status last season.

Grant’s future had been under scrutiny throughout the season after a poor start to the campaign.

In January he appeared set to be replaced by former Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neil, before a brief improvement in the team’s form between February and March resulted in a stay of execution.