West Ham unlikely to Grant more time to manager

Avram Grant has been summoned to a meeting with the West Ham United board at which he will be told that the next few games are "make or break" for his time as manager.

Although there is little real appetite among the club's owners to sack the 55-year-old manager, there is a realisation that West Ham are in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League.

Grant will be asked to explain how he hopes to improve results after West Ham collected just 12 points from 17 league matches. It is understood that he wants three signings in the January window but the club are reluctant to spend heavily if he fails to pick up points in forthcoming games.

"We very much want to stick by him, but it will be make-or-break time over the next few weeks," one senior club insider said last night.

The next few games are crucial. West Ham face Blackburn away on Saturday, hoping to capitalise on the club's turmoil following the sacking of manager Sam Allardyce, then Fulham away on Boxing Day before their next home match against Everton on December 28.

If Grant fails to collect points from those games — and it is believed no specific target has been set — then he is likely to be removed before West Ham face Wolves at home on New Year's Day.

Confident approach

They then play at Newcastle, now led by their former manager Alan Pardew, four days later. Grant was in a precarious position before the recent home win over Wigan, which was followed by a Carling Cup quarter-final victory over Manchester United. But losses against Sunderland and Manchester City have increased the pressure.

According to sources, Grant remains "supremely confident" that he can turn the team's fortunes around and has argued that they are playing better than their position suggests.

But the sudden availability of managers such as Chris Hughton, ousted recently by Newcastle, and, in particular, Sam Allardyce, may sway the West Ham board into making a change even though they are loath to do so.

The club would also consider other candidates should they decide to make a change. Martin O'Neill is available. Cardiff's David Jones has been considered in the past as has Blackpool's Ian Holloway, but both are believed to be happy at their clubs.