Oh, how quickly the fortunes of West Ham United have changed: two months ago, manager Alan Pardew and his Hammers had started the season with a respectable 4 points from 3 games. It didn't help that record-signing Dean Ashton managed to break his leg while training with England for a friendly against Greece, but then came the mysterious arrival of Argentine World Cup pair Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez on transfer deadline day. Since then, things have just gone downhill: the Hammers have earned just one point in its last nine games. Last night, West Ham lost its eighth in a row in all competitions, 2-1 to English League One's Chesterfield United in the Carling Cup. Perhaps even more worrying for fans is the fact that last night's goal is the club's first since Sept. 10, a run of seven games. Hard times, indeed. BBC Sports writes that the season for West Ham can has thus far be characterized by "poor performances on the pitch and confusion off it," as takeover speculation continues to swirl over the club almost daily. The arrival of Tevez and Mascherano proved to be a bad omen, because it brought into the mix the business interests of the mysterious Iranian Kia Joorabchian, who has been trying to organize a takeover of the club with his investor cronies ever since the Argentine's arrival. West Ham delivered as promised last season, finishing a surprising 10th in England's top flight, while Pardew promised bigger and better things to come. That has not happened, and should West Ham lose at home to Blackburn this weekend, expect Pardew to be this season's first coaching casualty. Read the original story...