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West Ham fight to keep Martin O'Neill in their plans

احدث اجدد واروع واجمل واشيك West Ham fight to keep Martin O'Neill in their plans

West Ham United were tonight trying to keep alive their hopes of landing Martin O'Neill as their new manager after it emerged the Northern Irishman is understood to have been unimpressed with reports yesterday morning claiming he would be named as Avram Grant's successor later that evening.

The West Ham board have been involved in discussions with O'Neill's representatives since the start of last week and he was warming to the idea of taking over at Upton Park on a short-term contract until the end of the season.

A potential agreement has, however, been thrown into doubt after it was reported on the morning of the game against Arsenal, when Grant was tasked with taking charge of the team, that O'Neill would be appointed immediately after the match.

O'Neill is believed to be disappointed with the way the story has been leaked and in particular the idea that he has accepted a position before the manager in post has been dismissed. There is an unwritten rule among managers that they should not pursue a job while someone else is still in place, and although it is fact of life that clubs will nearly always make soundings before sacking the man in charge, those discussions are generally kept private. West Ham's failure to do so has made the whole episode look undignified.

It remains to be seen whether the damage is irreparable or if David Sullivan and David Gold, West Ham's co-owners, can talk O'Neill around and convince him to take over a club anchored to the foot of the table. The former Aston Villa manager has been their first choice to resurrect West Ham's season ever since they gave serious consideration to replacing Grant and it would be a blow if a deal fell through.

Sam Allardyce, the former Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers manager, was the only other contender on West Ham's original short-list, but O'Neill, who has been out of work since he walked out on Villa on the eve of the season, would be a much more popular choice with the club's fans. He is a charismatic figure, is renowned for being an excellent motivator of players and has an impressive track record.

Although there has been a feeling of surprise within football that O'Neill is interested in becoming the West Ham manager and is not targeting a higher-profile position, he is understood to be eager to return to the game after a five-month break. He has missed the day-to-day involvement and would welcome the chance to manage at a traditional club again and embrace the challenge of trying to keep West Ham up.

Should O'Neill choose to take over at West Ham, his appointment would almost certainly be until the end of the season, with the aim of dragging the club clear of the relegation zone before reviewing his position in the summer. West Ham had been considering brokering a similar agreement with Allardyce after the club's owners decided to shelve talk of a long-term strategy and focus on the short-term priority that is survival.

All the while Grant continues to resemble a dead man walking as he clings on to his job. "I prefer to talk about football rather than answer questions about other things around, especially when I am not the man you need to be asking," the Israeli said after the 3-0 defeat at home against Arsenal.

"I had two choices and chose to focus on football. I want to focus on the thing I can control and this is the team."

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