Stan Collymore Slams West Ham Star for Setting a Bad Example for His Teammates During Losing Streak
Former Liverpool star Stan Collymore has criticised West Ham talisman Marko Arnautovic, claiming that the Austrian does not set an example that his teammates would want to follow.
The 29-year-old has emerged as the Hammers' main man since his £24m arrival from Stoke last summer. The Austria international scored 13 goals and recorded eight assists last season to help preserve the Irons' Premier League status, but Collymore still isn't happy with his attitude.
In a column for the Mirror, Collymore wrote: "Then there’s the fact Marko Arnautovic 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 worldies because Liverpool aren’t relying on him, he’s not the man.
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"But Arnautovic is West Ham’s top man and if I was in the dressing room and a player like that was the focus, I’d be like, “That’s the kind of club I’m at?”
“What Pellegrini needs to do is tear the whole place apart, get grafters in the side who are going to give you a minimum 8/10 week-in, week-out in terms of work rate, rather than fancy dans.”
Strangely, Pellegrini has decided to give Arnautovic the captain's armband when Mark Noble is not present out on the pitch, which seems fairly baffling.
The Austrian has never been a leader at any club throughout his career, and is better known for throwing his toys out of the pram and jumping ship when things get tough.
He is undoubtedly the Hammers' best player and perhaps the difference between them being a Premier League side or a Championship side, but one questions whether he is deserving of a club captaincy.
