6) Avram Grant
I don’t believe anyone will be surprised to see Grant’s name in the last place. His season-long reign at West Ham saw the club relegated to the Championship after finishing bottom of the Premier League table in 2010/2011.
It was always going to be a risky appointment hiring the Israeli manager, with his prior stint at Portsmouth in the previous season also culminating in relegation, albeit in extremely difficult circumstances. His cup record was something to be excited about, however, as he guided Pompey to an FA Cup final in which they narrowly lost to Chelsea.
And this is what proved similarly to be the case at the Hammers, too, as an enthralling run in the League Cup saw his side beat Manchester United 4-0 under the Boleyn lights to reach the semi-final. Sadly, after winning the first leg and extending it further in the second, West Ham eventually lost out to a Birmingham side who then proved to beat Arsenal to lift the trophy.
After this, a few false dawns occurred with big wins over Liverpool and Stoke City at the Boleyn Ground, but ultimately the Premier League once again proved too much for Grant as another two-goal lead was lost, this time by Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium, which confirmed relegation. Grant was immediately sacked after the game, which left a sour taste in the mouths of everybody, including West Ham fans.
5) Gianfranco Zola
While Zola wasn’t hired by Gold and Sullivan, the Italian was the man in charge when they first took over the club in January 2010.
After an exciting debut season, where he guided the Hammers to 9th place while playing some cultured football along the way, his second season at the helm proved to be a lot more difficult. His Hammers side finished just one place above the relegation zone, and just two points higher than Grant could achieve in the subsequent season.
Zola mainly had Scott Parker to thank, as if it were not for his performances and vital goals, he may well have found his name rock bottom of this list. No hard feelings are dished out to Gianfranco, however, as he always remained upbeat and dignified in the face of adversity.