Sears top of class after Grant raids academy

AVRAM GRANT has faced nothing but criticism since he took charge of West Ham last summer but he should be applauded for keeping faith with the famous youth system at Upton Park which has finally helped the club move out of the bottom three.

Grant’s position has been on the line for the majority of the campaign with West Ham rooted to the foot of the table and must have been fearing the worst after reports suggested he only had three games to save his job over the Christmas period.

Any manager would have panicked in that situation — but not the reserved Israeli coach who struggles to show any kind of emotion at the best of times and took one of the biggest gambles of his career by pitching young striker Freddie Sears into the thick of the action at a crucial stage of the campaign.