Exclusive - Keen: 'I want West Ham job'

Kevin Keen has told talkSPORT he would love to take over the West Ham manager’s role on a full-time basis.

The former Hammers player is currently caretaker manager at Upton Park and has spent the last nine years building his profile within the club.

Now Keen has told the West Ham hierarchy that he feels he’s ready to step up and replace outgoing manager Avram Grant.

Speaking to Keys and Gray, he said: “I’d love to be given the job.

“I’d love to be given that sort of opportunity. At the same time the owners are experienced and they know what they want for next season.

“They’ve been chairmen in the Championship before with Birmingham and they’ll have a vision of how they want to take the club forward.

“I’m claret and blue through and through, I played for the club for nine years and I’ve coached for nine years so I’d love to be given the opportunity.”

When asked whether Keen has informed the club’s owners of his desire for the manager’s role, he said: “I’ve told them that, Karen is very aware of that and I keep on at her.

“I feel I’ve served my apprenticeship.

“I’ve worked with Tony Carr at the Academy, I spent four years with the young lads and then I spent a couple of years in the reserves until Alan Pardew made me first-team coach.

“I’ve worked with Alan Pardew, Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola and obviously Avram Grant this year.

“I look at what Brian McDermott has done with Reading this year, someone who’s very loyal, very hard working, very humble and maybe it’s time for West Ham to go for someone like that.”