Blackburn Rovers have released an apology to West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce for former boss Steve Kean's controversial comments.

The Scotsman, who was sacked by the Championship club in the early stages of this season, sparked controversy last year after a video emerged of Kean speaking to fans in a bar claiming that Allardyce was dismissed from Ewood Park in 2010 for being a "crook".

A statement on the club's official website said: "During the summer of 2011, Mr Steve Kean was this club's manager and accompanied the players of Blackburn Rovers on a pre-season tour of the Far East.

"Whilst in Hong Kong, Mr Kean was in a bar and falsely alleged that Sam Allardyce, our previous manager, was sacked by us because he was a crook. This is completely false and we apologise to Mr Allardyce for the embarrassment and distress caused to him by Mr Kean."

Meanwhile, the former Premier League outfit remain in the hunt for a permanent manager after sacking Henning Berg after just 57 days in charge.