Although Alan Pardew attempted to galvanise a collection of talented Premiership players to provide what should have been a routine win over Chesterfield, his failure epitomised the fortunes of a manager being sold desperately short by key men.
Pardew's West Ham were knocked out of the Carling Cup at Saltergate and the odds on him becoming the Premiership's first managerial casualty of the season were slashed once more. It was West Ham's eighth successive defeat and they took only the scant consolation of ending their 672-minute goal drought in all competitions. But it is more than 11 hours since they last scored in the league.
Several players have dismally failed to recapture their best form as West Ham have fallen to bottom but one. Anton Ferdinand, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood, instrumental in West Ham's ninth-place Premiership finish, FA Cup final appearance and Uefa Cup qualification last season, remain the spine of a team that has not won since the opening day of the season.
"Possibly the players came into this season thinking 'well, do I have to work as hard?'" said the former West Ham and England centre-half, Alvin Martin. "Some players come into the Premiership and chase every ball and don't give you a moment of rest but two years later they've got a bit lazy. I think there is an element of that."
Tony Cottee, the club's former striker, said: "To put West Ham's problems simply - there are players who are just not playing to their true potential. Those guys need to pick up their games because they were important players in what was achieved last year. The manager, the club and the supporters need them to pick up."
The form of Reo-Coker, the captain, has declined steeply. Pardew concedes the midfielder was affected by an offer on transfer-deadline day by one of Arsenal or Manchester United and his displeasure at West Ham's failure to inform him of the offer has been reflected in a series of lacklustre performances.
"It appears that the news has affected his game because he's not been the same player," said Cottee. "If he wasn't told about a potential move to a big club then I'm sure he would have been very disappointed about that."
Reo-Coker was the fulcrum around which Pardew built his side last season and was placed on standby by England for the World Cup but on Tuesday night, when West Ham most needed a dominant display, he was isolated on the right wing.
"I feel sympathy for Reo-Coker because he is playing wide on the right, which isn't his best position," Martin added. "He is trying to do a captain's job but he's obviously a player lacking in confidence and playing him wide on the right is not playing to his strengths."
Ferdinand had been building a reputation as a potential successor, or partner, to his brother Rio in England's defence but complacency appears to have crept into his game. His previously solid partnership with Danny Gabbidon now looks shaky.
"While I don't believe Anton is playing poorly, he's not playing particularly well," said Cottee. "The big problem with West Ham seems to be a lack of confidence but with Anton it's almost a case of over-confidence really."
A major reason for West Ham's slump is their shortcomings in attack, as six goals in nine league games demonstrates. Pardew has no shortage of talent but Harewood, his leading scorer in two of the past three seasons, has failed to perform. After scoring 52 goals since joining the club in 2003, his opener against Chesterfield - more than two months into the season - was his first of this campaign.
"In Marlon's case you have to just get out on the training ground and practise your shooting, practise your runs, practise whatever you need to do to get sharp and fit," explained Cottee, who scored 147 goals during two spells at Upton Park.
"West Ham are lacking confidence. Too many players are saying: 'Do I want the ball in tight situations?'" said Martin. "Unfortunately when that starts to happen, you start to struggle as a team and that's what is happening at the moment. It's the job of Alan Pardew and his coaching staff to turn a negative-thinking side into a team that believes they can win all of their next six games - it's a mental problem that's got to be removed."
