West Bromwich Albion caretaker boss Rob Kelly has revealed that he and the players are "disappointed" by the decision to sack Alan Irvine as manager of the club.

Irvine was relieved of his duties last night after Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Stoke City left the Baggies without a win in three and just one point clear of the relegation zone.

Kelly will take charge of the first team for the trip to face West Ham United on New Year's Day, and he insists that the players will continue to prepare properly despite their disappointment.

"We're preparing for the West Ham game so we're focusing on that. The players are obviously disappointed Alan has gone, not only as a coach but as a person," he told reporters.

"He would want them to train and prepare properly. That's all we've reiterated. It's happened. We draw a line and move on. The players are professional. All will know how to cope with it. I'm obviously disappointed but I know he'd want us to carry on and prepare as best as we can. It's what he would want. We are professional people.

"[The players] had a lot of respect for Alan. He's a terrific person, a terrific man, and an excellent coach but they're professional people so we get on with our jobs, which is exactly what Alan would want us to do. We will do that at West Ham."

Tim Sherwood and Tony Pulis are the two names most strongly linked with the vacant post at the moment.