Grant to miss Hammers trip

West Ham have confirmed manager Avram Grant will not take charge of the team for Saturday’s Barclays Premier League match at Stoke so he can observe the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

The Israeli will pick and prepare the side as usual, but will not be on the bench at the Britannia Stadium as he is required to participate in 25 hours of fasting and prayer over the course of Friday and Saturday.