Former Coventry City defender Sam Allardyce has had his time as manager of West Ham United ended.
The Hammers have issued a statement following their 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United about Allardyce who was out of contract next month at Upton Park.
The statement reads: "We would like to start by thanking Sam Allardyce for his valuable work since arriving at the Boleyn Ground four years ago.
“He leaves the Club in a considerably better state then when he arrived and, for that, the Board are truly grateful.
“However, we have made the decision not to renew his contract, so we now have the chance to appoint a new manager with a new philosophy to lead us into two of the most exciting years in our great Club’s history.
“Our target is to recruit a manager that will build a team capable of saying a fitting farewell to the Boleyn Ground next year and do justice to the outstanding surrounds we will call home from August 2016.
“We have already been impressed with the quality of candidates that have expressed an interest in the role and fully expect to appoint a manager with the credentials to take this Club on to new heights.
“From our point of view there isn’t a more exciting job in the Premier League at present.”