Neil McDonald leaves West Ham United to become Blackpool boss

League One outfit Blackpool have named Neil McDonald as their new manager on a one-year rolling contract.

The 49-year-old leaves West Ham United, where he had been assistant to recently-departed Sam Allardyce, for the job at Bloomfield Road.

He will return to management almost eight years after his last job at the top - a brief stint in charge of Ostersunds FK in which he saved the Swedish club from relegation.

"It's a challenge that's going to be difficult - wherever you go it's always difficult - but it's a challenge that I'm really up for and really excited about," McDonald told the club website.

"I've got to try and put my stamp on the football club and get it back to where it was. I've got to try and stabilise it first of all after what happened last year with relegation and change people's minds to try and get the confidence back and push the club on to pastures new."

McDonald succeeds Lee Clark, who resigned last month after failing to keep Blackpool in the Championship.