OPINION
West Ham’s woeful start to the season has meant that criticism of the management and playing squad was inevitable.
Rather than ignoring it, however, the Hammers players should use the backlash to galvanise them into producing improved performances.
One critic that the squad were probably not expecting, though, was former player James Collins, who had been training with the team in the hopes of earning a new contract after being released at the end of last season.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I worry about the characters. If it’s going really bad, who’s in that dressing room to really grab it by the scruff of the neck and pull the team together?
“You’ve got your core of your British lads, but really, if the going does get really tough, who’s actually there to bring them together?”
"I fear for @WestHamUtd"
After 4? defeats in a row…
Former #WHUFC defender James Collins thinks their bad moment is not over
??? – https://t.co/QyEtthokcZ pic.twitter.com/VD9bAWSFOk
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) September 15, 2018
Collins’s words were surprising, coming as they were from a player who was so recently involved with the Hammers squad. That familiarity gives his harsh words weight, however, and they’ll surely hit home with certain members of the team.
Those players need to step up now, and prove to the Welshman that they have enough character to pull themselves out of trouble.
There are big personalities in this Hammers squad, the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Mark Noble, Jack Wilshere and Robert Snodgrass. These players need to do what Collins thinks they can’t and pull this squad up by the bootstraps.
Sunday’s game away at Everton is an ideal opportunity for them to do just that. Marco Silva’s side have made a decent start to the season, but they haven’t blown anyone’s socks off.
This is a winnable game for West Ham, but only if important elements in the dressing room step up to the plate. If stern words are needed then they need to be issued, and leadership is vitally important to the Hammers cause at this moment in time.
Collins knows the inside of the London Stadium dressing room, so his words will surely have an impact on his former team mates.
The players need to listen to what he said and use it as motivation to go and secure victory at Goodison Park on Sunday. If they can do that, then they have a good chance of winning, if not, it’ll be five straight defeats for the East London outfit.