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Those West Ham fans who have already expressed their unease about David Moyes' appointment as manager will point to his unhappy 10 months at Sunderland as compelling evidence of their disquiet.
But they may take some comfort from the man who preceded Moyes at the troubled North-East club.
Sam Allardyce, who also has a shrewd idea of the plusses and minuses of being West Ham’s manager, having held the post for four years, believes Moyes could be the perfect man to improve a team that have lost confidence and direction this season.
Moyes earned his reputation as one of the best managers in English football in 11 seasons at Everton and if the speculation is accurate, Allardyce could be seeking some advice of his own from the Scot, if he is installed as the next manager at Goodison.
It was Moyes’s time at Sunderland, though, that the conversation with Allardyce began. The Scot succeeded Allardyce in July 2016 but his season ended in relegation with the club, winning just six Premier League games.
Does he see similarities between the situation at the Stadium of Light and that of West Ham, who dropped into the bottom three of the Premier League this weekend on the back of a 4-1 mauling by Liverpool?
"No disrespect to Sunderland but the quality of players at West Ham across the board is much better," he said. "From what I have seen there are goals in their team.
"For me, David has a good enough base there but just has to get the team working the right way. He will have a lot of players from which to prove. He will work hard with those players to find solutions to the problems.
"David knows exactly what it’s about in the Premier League. He had a bad time at Sunderland but that will be his driving force to go to West Ham and prove to everyone there - and himself - what a good manager he still is.
In Pictures | David Moyes appointed West Ham boss
"I believe it is a great challenge for him and that inner drive and determination that he has always had will ultimately prove to be a success for himself and West Ham.
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"At the end of the day the results will decide what the fans feel about the manager of the club they support. West Ham need an experienced manager in the position they are in. He’s a very good coach, very organised with his staff and he knows what it’s all about.
"I would also think, from what I know of him, he would look around internally to re-structure in his own way.
“It’s not only about the manager though, it’s about the staff also, pulling in the same direction and helping to coax the maximum from the team.
"He’s done that for many years, particularly at Everton and that’s where people should look - at his track record for 11 seasons there."
While at Goodison Park, Moyes was named LMA Manager of the Year on three occasions, a record bettered only by four-time winner Sir Alex Ferguson.
His record at Everton persuaded the Manchester United board to turn to Moyes as Sir Alex’s successor but he was sacked after just 10 months.
The 54-year-old then went to Spain but he lasted only a year at Real Sociedad when he was axed again with the club clear of the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference.
"Managers get sacked, that’s football," insisted Allardyce. "Managers take teams down and still get better jobs, like Marco Silva who was at Hull before Watford and before him, Roberto Martinez whose Wigan side went down but then went to Everton.
"As I’ve said, David’s determination to prove a point will show through and he will demonstrate to everyone there he is a quality manager."
The hammering by Liverpool and the previous home defeat, a 3-0 Friday-night loss to Brighton, showed West Ham at their worst. However, it was only a fortnight ago they rallied from 2-0 down to knock Tottenham out of the Carabao Cup 3-2 at Wembley.
West Ham have been far too open and have conceded 23 goals in the Premier League this term, which is the worst in the top flight and almost half of the 47 goals that the Hammers let in during Allardyce’s final season at the club in 2014-15.
"West Ham have some talented players but they need to be pulled together to make a better team," said Allardyce.
"I would think that his initial thoughts will be on those lines: 'How do we get these players to perform as a successful team, to fight for each other? How do we get them organised first of all and then produce the skills that will be enough to win matches and entertain?'
"West Ham have obviously been conceding too many and it’s always a priority, when a team is struggling, to address that as a priority.
"Yes, he will have to sort out the defensive side of things and he will need to get the players taking collective responsibility when the team is out of possession which is just as big a part of the game as when you have the ball.
"Players taking responsibility is the easier part of the game - stopping the opposition playing, winning the ball back as quickly as you can and not leaving spaces for the opposition to exploit.That, in a nutshell, is what the three promoted teams are doing.
"These clubs are new to the Premier League but it’s what you need to do and the players probably know that but need some guidance from David."