O'Neill unwilling to knife Grant while he remains in the job
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Martin O'Neill favourite to replace Avram Grant at West Ham as bookies slash odds
Back in the game: Martin O'Neill has gone from rank outsider to the bookies' favourite for the West Ham job
Martin O'Neill last night moved dramatically closer to a return to football as the next manager of West Ham.
Bookies’ odds on the 58-year-old replacing Avram Grant at the relegation-threatened east London club were slashed.
O’Neill, who had been a 20-1 shot on Thursday night to be the next Upton Park boss, was backed down to 2-1 on with Paddy Power and 9-4 on with Star Sports.
The Ulsterman has been out of work since leaving Aston Villa a few days before the start of the season following a row over transfer policy with owner Randy Lerner.
The Hammers are bottom of the Barclays Premier League, leaving Grant under pressure despite being on the verge of the Carling Cup final.
Dead man walking: Despite a recent upturn in form, specualtion surrounding Avram Grant will not go away
Grant, who finished bottom with Portsmouth last season, insists he can rescue West Ham, saying: ‘If I thought we’d be in the bottom three at the end of the season I wouldn’t be here.’
Frederic Piquionne misses today’s game against Arsenal with toothache.
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please do it quick as time is running out.
what is west ham waiting for? 23 games is enough proof grant cant motivate his players.
i dont want to see west ham relegated.
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O'Neill does not want to boss West Ham as he could not be seen to be kicking another manager out of a job.
O'Neill told the Premier League's basement club he could not be seen to be kicking another manager out of a job.
MARTIN O'NEILL last night KO'd West Ham's bid to make him their new manager. The ex-Aston Villa boss made it clear he was unwilling to knife current chief Avram Grant while he remains in the job. And Grant showed he has no intention of quitting by preparing an audacious loan swoop for Liverpool's Hammers old boy Joe Cole.
The pair are close after Grant spent a year in charge of Cole at Chelsea. Troubled Grant believes Cole does not fit into new Kop boss Kenny Dalglish's plans.
An Upton Park insider said: "It's a long shot but Avram is determined to continue working normally.
"Joe did not play for Liverpool against Everton on Sunday. "When Avram was sacked by Chelsea, Joe left him a very touching message about how much he had enjoyed working for him."
O'Neill's decision has thrown the club's board into turmoil. The Hammers were poised to sack Grant in the wake of the 3-0 humbling by Arsenal at the weekend, believing the Ulsterman would willingly step in to take command.
But O'Neill yesterday told the Premier League's basement club he could not be seen to be kicking another manager out of a job.
O'Neill has been appalled at the treatment of the Israeli, who has regularly had to deal with questions about his future.
West Ham have also been linked with axed Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce. But managers may now be reluctant to tread where O'Neill would not, knowing how bad it would make them look.
A source close to O'Neill told SunSport: "Martin couldn't take over in such circumstances. "He has a lot of affection for West Ham and wanted the job but not like this."
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has condemned the way West Ham have treated Grant. He said: "It can't be fair on him, the players or anyone else.
"It doesn't help you do your job any better, that's for sure, having to answer questions on whether you're losing your job.
"It is not a position I would like to have. If they don't want you, and they want you to go, then fine, do it. Be straight with people, that's all I ask."
Grant knows from bitter experience that any departure from West Ham will not be straightforward. It took him almost two years of haggling to come to a financial agreement with Chelsea after he was sacked by Roman Abramovich in 2008.
Yet McCarthy is convinced that however distasteful the Hammers situation gets, in the end someone will be prepared to fill the breach if Grant goes.
He added: "When any job comes up, there will be a queue from here to Aberdeen to get it. "Don't think people won't want it because it seems something is not right with it at the minute."
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sack him first then offer o neil the job.
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I love O'Neill as a manager......he show so much emotions during the game......