Alan Irvine has been relieved as West Brom manager after a dismal showing which saw him leading the team to only 4 wins out of 19 games. Irvine was appointed last June after the departure of Papa Mel.

For the time being, Rob Kelly and Keith Downing will be taking over from Irvine as West Brom travels to West Ham on New Year's Day. A replacement for Irvine will reportedly be announced over the weekend.

There is no word on who would succeed Irvine but there have been a lot of name in mention.

The names of former San Antonio Spurs manager Tim Sherwood and Tony Pulis of Stoke Palace were among those mentioned as of this writing. Sherwood was actually interviewed for the position last June after parting ways with White Hart Lane. No agreement eventually came out of that after Sherwood insisted on brining his own staff.

Pulis' availability on the other hand would depend on whether the switch to Crystal Palace materializes.

On the decision to fire Irvine, technical director Terry Burton says: "We appointed Alan in the summer convinced that we had taken on one of the foremost coaches in the UK and nothing that has happened since then has altered our view."

Apparently, Irvine failed to live up to expectations and moving forward, it seems highly unlikely that the team would be able to achieve its goals and vision if he had stayed on.

"Alan has impressed everyone with his manner, dedication and diligence but he knows that results have simply not been good enough" adds Burton.

After spending three seasons at Everton, Irvine was a surprise pick the handle the reigns of West Brom but apparently team officials were hoping that his appointment could help their fortunes. Apparently it did not and now they find themselves in search of a suitable successor.