James Collins released by West Ham in the cruelest way possible

After 11 years.

Imagine being dumped by text after an 11-year relationship. That might have happened to you, and if it has, I'm sorry. Not nice, is it? Nobody deserves that. Even in the professional world, no employee should be dumped by their employer by one short email if they've given their services to that company for over a decade. Well, that's what happened to James Collins, as he was informed by West Ham United that the club would not be renewing his contract. No testimonial, not even a face to face meeting, explaining that the club must look further afield for younger, more technical central defenders. The Welshman has given the most part of his career to West Ham over two separate spells, having gone to Aston Villa in the middle. David Moyes could not give the defender any assurances over his future as the manager did not know his own fate. As it turned out, the club took the decision to let them both go. https://twitter.com/georgiebingham/status/997727100923674624 https://twitter.com/JacobSteinberg/status/997790281985613826 Collins is understood to be devastated by the news and the manner in which it was communicated, while West Ham insist that he was aware of his situation and that the email was simply written confirmation. West Ham are now looking for a new manager, having let go of David Moyes, who fulfilled his duty of keeping the Hammers in the Premier League and only signed a short-term contract. The club were linked with Paolo Fonseca of Shakhtar Donetsk, but he has signed a new contract with the Ukrainian club. Other candidates include Manuel Pellegrini, who led Manchester City to the Premier League title in 2013/14.