Did West Ham sack Sam Allardyce at half-time? Article on website appears to suggest they did

Within minutes of their game finishing at St James's Park, West Ham announced that manager Sam Allardyce would not be having his contract renewed.

A statement tweeted by the club's official account at full-time also appeared to have been published on their website at 15:52 - at half-time in the game. A spokesperson from the club told the Independent, however, that there was an "issue with the clock" on their website.

Although it had long been rumoured that Allardyce would be leaving, the manner in which the club has handled his departure has been criticised by many.

The 60-year-old had been in charge of the club for four seasons - leading the club back to promotion from the Championship as well as respectable finishes of 10th, 13th and 12th in the Premier League.

Speaking at a press conference after the game, Allardyce was quoted as saying: "I didn't want to stay. And I guess they could say they didn't want me to stay anyway... It's done and dusted and we move on."

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