Arnie is NOT the answer... a reboot IS

COLLY

WEST HAM UNITED have a very good manager in Manuel Pellegrini. And if he’d arrived at the club in four or five years’ time, he could have been a very good fit. The whole structure of the place could have been sorted out by then, the stadium issues resolved, the academy rebooted and the philosophy of the place, top to bottom, could have been set in stone. Instead, West Ham have gone about everything the wrong way round and Pellegrini has arrived at a house that is built on sand.

I’d still like to see him given the benefit of the doubt and the club say they will.

But there can be no denying that, if their four-game losing streak stretches to seven, eight, nine or 10, then the Chilean will have to go.

The trouble is, who would they turn to then?

Because Rafa Benitez is the only man you’d say is the perfect fit and he’s contracted to Newcastle until the end of the season. The real problem for West Ham is that worldies because Liverpool everything at the club is in aren’t relying on him, he’s bits. The fans still don’t like not the man. the stadium and we’re still But Arnautovic is West hearing tit-for-tat nonsense Ham’s top man and if I was in with the landlords. the dressing room and a

On top of that, food and player like that was the focus, drink there costs a fortune, I’d be like, “That’s the kind of which doesn’t help fans’ club I’m at?” frustrations and the What Pellegrini needs to communication from David do is tear the whole place Sullivan, David Gold and apart, get grafters in the side Karren Brady has been who are going to give you a awful. minimum 8/10 week-in,

Everything about the club week-out in terms of work is disjointed... and we haven’t rate, rather than fancy dans. even got to the players yet. A fit Jack Wilshere would

Ten new ones arrived over be one of them, even though the summer for around he has come in for some stick, £100million but there seems and so, too, Mark Noble. to have been a lack of thought It may not be pretty and in the spending. fans will probably watch the

A hope that, if they go and next three or four games – buy players that the big boys starting at Everton today – don’t want, give them loads through their fingers. of money and pitch them up in London, they are going to be successful.

But it just doesn’t work like that.

I still don’t know what West Ham are as a team, either.

Are they aggressive? No. Do they play high? No. Are they a good counter-attacking team? Not really.

Then there’s the fact Marko Arnautovic (left) is the poster boy for the club and Hammers fans need to ask themselves if he is the kind of player the rest of the dressing room is going to follow. I can tell you now the answer is no – because he sets the worst possible example as a player.

His old Stoke team-mate Xherdan Shaqiri can afford to have 20 out of 21 erratic games if he pitches up in that last one and scores two

Streak

But at least going back to basics should break this losing streak.

The aim for Pellegrini is to get the win – and wins – that keep him in the job and then steer West Ham to safety.

Then he needs to get rid of players like Arnautovic and build a proper spine before adding the players around the periphery.

He needs to look at the academy too and ask if they are producing a couple of first-team-ready players a year because, given the talent pool in London and Essex, they really should be. Players like Noble.

Because the strategy at the club isn’t working right now.

And that’s far more worrying than losing four Premier League games in a row.