McClaren leads Hammers betting

Published May. 16, 2011 1:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

McClaren, who had a five-year spell at Middlesbrough before taking the England job in 2006, saw his odds tumble on Monday to 1/3 with Sky Bet to take over at Upton Park. McClaren has been out of work since losing his job at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg earlier in the season. He won the Dutch Eredivisie with FC Twente in 2010 after being sacked by the FA in 2007, having failed to qualify for Euro 2008. The Hammers went down to the Championship after squandering a 2-0 lead at fellow strugglers Wigan on Sunday to lose 3-2. Just over an hour after the final whistle at the DW Stadium, a statement from the club confirmed Grant's time in charge of the east London outfit had come to an end. The decision was made before the team departed for their journey home to the capital, with the owners deciding Grant, who was appointed on a four-year contract last summer, was no longer the right man to lead the club forward. The club are now in the hunt for a new manager with 50-year-old McClaren making the early running in the betting. Sky Bet initially installed Upton Park legend Paulo Di Canio as their 4/1 favourite with McClaren out at 8/1, but significant backing for the former England boss has seen him cut to the odds-on favourite. Whoever takes over from Grant will be charged with the task of bringing them straight back up to the top tier with the Hammers preparing to move in to the Olympic Stadium. Sky Bet offer 2/1 for them to be promoted next season and 7/1 to be crowned Championship champions. Sky Bet football trader Mike Triffitt said: "We've been cutting the price all morning but punters have continued to back McClaren to be Grant's successor. "However, there seems to be little movement out there from West Ham and it might just be the perfect time to back one of the other candidates with the market so distorted amid the McClaren speculation."