West Brom sack Megson

West Brom announced tonight they have relieved boss Gary Megson of his duties with immediate effect.

Megson had sent a letter to the Albion board informing them he would not be signing an extension to his current contract which expires next summer.

Albion's board decided to accept Megson's letter as his resignation and have installed his assistant Frank Burrows in caretaker-charge for Saturday's visit of Chelsea.

Megson had performed wonders in his four-and-a-half years at The Hawthorns, helping them up from 21st in the old First Division to twice gain promotion to the Premiership.

But his position has come under scrutiny with one top-flight win so far this season, and he was concerned by the lack of effort shown by his players in training in the build-up to Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Megson has also experienced a stormy relationship with chairman Jeremy Peace, who has so far declined to offer a new contract to the 45-year-old whose current deal expires at the end of this season.