Moyes and Allardyce through the exit door

WEST Ham are back on the hunt for a “high-calibre” manager after opting not to extend the contract of David Moyes.

Former Everton, Manchester United and Sunderland boss Moyes lifted the Hammers out of the relegation zone after replacing Slaven Bilic on a short-term contract in November.

But an eventual 13th-placed finish, thanks to seven points from their final three matches, was apparently not enough to earn the 55-year-old Scot a new deal.

In announcing the departure of Moyes on the club website, jointchairman David Sullivan said: “We are already taking steps to identify and recruit the manager we believe can take West Ham United forward in line with our ambitions.

“We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next 10 days.”

Earlier, Everton sacked Sam Allardyce less than six months after appointing him to get them out of trouble. While the 63-year-old achieved his initial target of steering the club away from the threat of a relegation fight quite early in his reign, the rest of the season has not gone so well.

He was an unpopular choice with supporters at the time and a growing section of the fanbase became increasingly opposed to him continuing in the role, leading to a toxic atmosphere at Goodison Park in the latter stages of the campaign.