West Ham legend Tony Cottee contradicts himself with dramatic U-turn over Manuel Pellegrini

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West Ham United legend Tony Cottee is tying himself in knots over Manuel Pellegrini.

Doom and gloom has descended on East London yet again.

Four defeats from the opening four Premier League games has left the Hammers bottom of the fledgling table.

But it is the two home defeats to Bournemouth and Wolves that have really set the alarm bells ringing.

It promised to be so different for West Ham this summer.

The owners looked to finally be spending the kind of money promised when leaving Upton Park.

Pellegrini was given £100 million and brought in 10 players, nine for the first team.

But things simply haven’t clicked as yet.

That has seen the knives come out for the Chilean and his players.

Many supporters and pundits feel it is far too soon to write Pellegrini and West Ham off, Jamie Redknapp included.

So many fans have been disappointed by club legend Tony Cottee’s rather kneejerk U-turn over Pellegrini.

Not even three months ago, days after Pellegrini’s unveiling, Cottee was waxing lyrical about the new manager on the club’s official website.

“We need nice, strong leadership now and someone that can really get hold of things and take the club forward,” Cottee told whufc.com.

“Pellegrini can do that.”

But just four games in Cottee has changed his tune completely, saying the club should have stuck with David Moyes (The Mirror).

“We had someone at the club in David Moyes who could have done that but no, the board decide to go and choose someone else,” Cottee said.

“I just don’t understand the appointment (of Pellegrini). I didn’t understand the appointment at the time. We should have kept David Moyes.

“It is alright saying Pellegrini is a great manager but when you are managing Manchester City and have the best players in the world it is a lot easier than coming to West Ham and having to motivate the players. I don’t get that impression that he is going to motivate and inspire the players.”

Everyone at West Ham loves Cottee, a Hammers goalscoring legend.

And fans understand he is one of them and entitled to his opinion.

But as a high profile club icon he must also be more aware just how unhelpful his comments can be.

Particularly after changing his own mind so dramatically in such a short space of time.

This is the time to rally around and bunker down.