Grant was sacked shortly after Sunday's 3-2 injury-time defeat at Wigan, a result that confirmed the Hammers' relegation from the Premier League. Former England coach Steve McClaren leads the betting to take over at Upton Park, while Chris Hughton, Neil Warnock, Gus Poyet and Sam Allardyce are also in the frame. First-team coach Kevin Keen has been placed in temporary charge and will oversee preparations for the final game of the season against Sunderland. Gold admits selecting the right candidate to steer the club out of the Championship is imperative. "The sooner the better because we have a lot of work to do - an enormous amount of work - but we mustn't be rushed," Gold told Sky Sports News. "This will be a very, very important appointment. "We're choosing a manager good enough to get us out of this division and capable of continuing once we've achieved that. "Now relegation is known this is one of the reasons we moved quickly. It's important we have time for the CVs to come into us. "I'm sure many, many managers will see the job as challenging and exciting and it's important we pick the right person. "We're also prepared for the most exciting venture in the history of the club in the sense that we'll be moving to a new stadium, which is something we've never done. "All these challenges have got to be addressed, so it's important we pick the right person." Gold is scathing in his analysis of Grant, giving credence to the belief the Israeli struggled to inspire his players. "Everything seemed okay to me when I visited the training ground, but my visits are quite short otherwise I get accused of interfering and that's the last thing I'd want to be accused of," he said. "I'd be in the dressing room before a match and the training ground for half a day and what I saw was professionalism - but that's only what I saw." The departure of West Ham's top players is inevitable, yet Gold will not let them leave without a fight. Scott Parker and Rob Green will lead the exodus, while the contracts of Matthew Upson, Kieron Dyer, Danny Gabbidon and Lars Jacobsen expire this season. On-loan Wayne Bridge and Robbie Keane will return to their clubs as a summer of upheaval at Upton Park beckons. "We will do everything in our power to keep our best players," said Gold. "It will be very difficult to ask an international to come and play in the Championship when traditionally England players aren't picked from the Championship. "By the same token I'd hasten to add that we're not in any hurry to sell. "We must receive the proper amount of compensation for any player we sell and if we don't then that player will stay with us in the Championship." Gold insists the "grieving" process over West Ham's relegation must soon give way to a determination to secure an immediate return to the Premier League. "We must prepare a squad of players to get us back into the Premier League," he said. "West Ham is a great club with a great tradition. Our fans are all hurting and feeling sorry for ourselves now and so am I. "We're entitled to grieve and that can go on for a couple of days or maybe a couple of weeks, but sooner or later we have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and start talking about promotion. "We've got to do everything in our power to get back into the Premier League as soon as possible." Former West Ham left-back Julian Dicks has revealed he fancies the challenge of reviving his old club's fortunes. Dicks, now 42, had two long playing spells with West Ham and his hard-man playing style made him a big favourite of the supporters. Now in charge of non-league Grays Athletics, Dicks admitted it is a big jump to Championship level. "Of course it is but that's not saying I can't do the job," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I'd love to have the chance to do the job."
