Former West Ham United midfielder Jack Collison has warned the club's current crop that they are not too good to go down this season.
Wednesday night's 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool means that West Ham have now lost 12 of their last 17 Premier League matches, leaving them only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
The team's form has already cost Manuel Pellegrini his job, while new boss David Moyes has also so far struggled to get the most out of the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson and club-record signing Sebastien Haller.
Collison was a West Ham player the last time they suffered relegation in 2010-11 and, while he is backing his former club to avoid the drop, he admits that performances on the pitch must improve.
"It's such a dangerous statement, 'too good to go down'. I was involved in a squad that was 'too good to go down' you could say. On paper we had a fantastic squad under Avram [Grant] and ended up getting relegated. A few years before the likes of Joe Cole were in a fantastic squad as well," Collison told Sports Mole.
"But I think we'll find a way to get through it and find a bit of form. You look at the squad and there is a lot of ability in there, it's just up to David Moyes now to find a formation he's happy with as quickly as possible, find the players who are on form, producing and gelling and then obviously working hard and getting a little bit of momentum and getting a run of points.
"It's been a difficult season. I think if you look at the start of the season and the way the squad was shaping up, [Manuel] Pellegrini had been in there a bit of time, there was a lot of optimism about the place but for one reason or another it just hasn't seemed to have clicked or gelled.
"They've really struggled in recent games and the league position is a representation of that. It's going to be difficult, but the boys really like David Moyes, they trust David Moyes and they're going to have to lean very heavily on his experience. It's vital that a club like West Ham, with their stature, find a way to stay in the league this year."
West Ham's next match sees them host Brighton & Hove Albion, who currently sit just two places and two points above the Hammers.
Click here to read our full wide-ranging interview with Jack Collison.
Barney Corkhill
