Sullivan: Hammers board backs Grant 100%

18 January 2011 17:30
Co-owner David Sullivan has insisted the entire West Ham board were "100%" behind Avram Grant, despite the club having actively tried to replace him as manager. The Hammers were forced into an embarrassing climbdown on Tuesday morning as they finally decided to give Grant a formal vote of confidence after reportedly being snubbed in their efforts to lure Martin O'Neill to Upton Park. Grant had appeared on the brink of the sack at the weekend, amid claims former Aston Villa and Celtic boss O'Neill had been lined up to succeed him. But the Israeli now finds himself in an extraordinary position of strength, having been publicly endorsed as the man to save the Hammers from Barclays Premier League relegation. Sullivan told ESPNsoccernet: "The entire board is 100% behind Avram. He is a really decent person who deserves our support. West Ham United is a club that does the right thing and the right thing at this time is to support the manager. "We will do all we can to bring in players over the next 12 days and, once we have achieved that, we hope it will keep us up. I urge all supporters to rally behind the club at this difficult time."

Source: PA