Former West Ham star Danny Gabbidon has claimed Slaven Bilic “looks a shadow of his former self” and had “pretty much thrown the towel in” after the defeat at Newcastle.
And he claimed the Hammers manager's transfer dealings with co-owner David Sullivan are “a recipe for disaster”.
The former Croatia is under mounting pressure after losing the first three Premier League matches of the season.
And Sullivan issued a weekend statement insisting the board had signed “the top four players” on Bilic's summer wishlist and claimed the manager turned down the chance to sign Grzegorz Krychowiak and Renato Sanches on loan.
Former Manchester City boss Mancini, who is now at Zenit St Petersburg, is second favourite for the East End job behind former target Rafa Benitez.
West Ham play their first home game of the season against Huddersfield on Monday.
And ex-Wales defender Gabbidon, who played for six years at Upton Park, told The West Ham Way website: “I look at Slaven at the moment and he looks a shadow of his former self.
"His body language is that of man who looks tired, who doesn’t have the answers anymore, which is sad to see. His personality is his biggest strength but in football management that can also be your biggest weakness.
“Slaven looks to me like he’s lost his way and forgotten some of the things that made him such a good manager in that first season in charge.
"In fairness he’s had a lot to deal with in his short time at the club and it would be understandable if some of the recent off field issues had contributed to him losing a bit of focus and almost taken his mind away from what he’s really there to do - manage the team and get results.
“From what I hear Slaven had pretty much thrown the towel in with the words he spoke in the dressing room to the players after the Newcastle defeat and this might possibly be just a stay of execution but if I was in his shoes right now I would be thinking: 'I need to get back to basics meaning laying down the law in the dressing room and getting things right tactically on the pitch'.
"I hope that Slaven Bilic is given a bit more time to turn things around and I hope he’s used this international break to take a good look at himself and say what am I doing wrong?
"And how can I make things better before it’s too late. He really is on borrowed time now.”
Bilic made the signing of Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho a priority in the final days of the window but the deal was not done.
“It’s fairly obvious that all is not well between the two parties,” Gabbidon added. “Relationships seem to be at breaking point, comments about each other publicly, an obvious lack of trust and support it almost doesn’t feel like the start of a season, much more like the end!
“What you can’t have is owners who are signings players and then the manager who also wants his own players or is refusing players that are offered to him. It’s just a recipe for disaster which has been clear for all to see.”
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