West Ham suffered relegation at the end of a thoroughly dreadful season when the mismanagement of the club on all levels resulted in a costly drop to the Championship. Israeli Avram Grant was rewarded for relegation at Portsmouth by being given the job at Upton Park at the start of the season and it became clear within a couple of weeks how poor that decision was. The manager was unable to inspire the team in any manner in the early weeks of the season and they looked like a crop of players feeling sorry for themselves and playing without any purpose. They won just a point from their first five games and right from the start of the season were tucked in the bottom three. They failed to get out of it despite a flicker in October and remained a team that is playing dire football with the manager changing and chopping every week. The high of the season was a resounding 4:0 win over Manchester United reserves in the Carling Cup in December and wins over relegation rivals Wigan and Wolverhampton gave the fans hope that West Ham might well just stay up. A horrendous start of 2011 looked to have ended Grant's tenure though but embarrassingly the chiefs kept him in the job after failing to get top target Martin O'Neill. That reprieve seemed to have spurred the Hammers on and they went on a good run in February and March, coming from behind to get a 3:3 draw at West Brom and looking excellent at home to Liverpool and Stoke. Finally, it seemed, the Hammers have turned a corner and looked a proper team again on their way to safety. However, a fateful 4:2 loss at home to Manchester United in the first day of April, after being 2:0 up at half-time, would prove to be the game that sent them spiralling down to the Championship. The confidence of the side was completely shattered after that and the players won just a point for the remainder of the season. A 3:2 loss at Wigan, again after being two goals up at the break, sealed their fate with one game to spare and Grant was immediately sacked. It was a sorry end to a lamentable season at Upton Park and the future does not look bright for the East London club.
