West Ham appoint Sam Allardyce as manager

West Ham United appointed Sam Allardyce as their new manager on Wednesday, the Briton succeeding Avram Grant, who was sacked following the London club's relegation from the Premier League.

The 56-year-old, whose last managerial post was at Blackburn Rovers before he was sacked last December, pledged to instil "a winning mentality" at the team who finished bottom of the table this season.

"I wouldn't have taken this job if I didn't think we could bounce straight back into the Premier League," Allardyce said on the club's website.

"More than that, I wouldn't have contemplated the job if I didn't think there was the opportunity to build something substantial at West Ham," he added.

West Ham's move to London's Olympic Stadium for the 2014-15 season is a major incentive for promotion back to England's top flight and in Allardyce they have gone for one of the domestic game's most established names to mastermind that task.

A no-nonsense centre back in his playing days, Allardyce managed Blackpool and Notts County before spending eight successful years at Bolton Wanderers from 1999, getting them promoted and establishing them as a Premier League side.

He moved to Newcastle United in 2007 but lasted less than a season and joined Blackburn in December 2008 before he was sacked last December following the arrival of new Indian owners.

Often criticised for his long-ball style, Allardyce said he would not sacrifice West Ham's traditions but it would be "a tale of home and away."

"At Upton Park, we'll attempt to play the kind of passing game the fans want," he said. "We will aim to continue in the same way on our travels but we'll also be tough, hard to beat and utterly resilient."