ALAMEDA, Calif. — With the Oakland Raiders sinking quickly in the AFC West, it came as no surprise that coach Dennis Allen was fired with an 0-4 record.

The Raiders’ problems go far beyond Allen, of course. However, with an 8-28 record in 2 1/4 seasons and a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season, general manager Reggie McKenzie needed to do something to appease owner Mark Davis.

A day after the Raiders returned from London, McKenzie sat on a stage along with interim coach Tony Sparano and essentially conceded that the man he hired to coach his team in 2012 was a mistake.

“The start of this season was not the way we wanted to go,” McKenzie said. “Regrets? Not at all. Going into this offseason we had a plan. After the first four games, that plan did not materialize.”

McKenzie said the decision to fire Allen was his, agreed upon by Davis. Just as he said it was his decision in 2012 to fire Hue Jackson after an 8-8 season and “bring in my own guy.”

There were semantics at work, however. Davis wanted no part of Jackson as the head coach after Jackson ripped into his team for losing the season finale to San Diego, costing the Raiders a playoff berth. Jackson also promised (without authority) to “get into every corner of this organization.”

Davis was also no fan of Allen. The two seldom spoke, and Davis made it clear McKenzie was his hire and Allen was McKenzie’s hire.

There was more than a little self-preservation at work when McKenzie went to Davis after a 38-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium and said he wanted to make a change.

After two years of ridding the team of bad contracts, the Raiders added a solid 2014 draft class and several veteran free agents who in theory would have a year or two left. Even so, Oakland lost its first four games — two of them in embarrassing fashion.

Allen was shown the door, and McKenzie said he realizes his culpability.

“A lot of it rides on me,” McKenzie said. “I brought Dennis in to win championships here and to win, period. That did not materialize. The way this season began through these first four games, we had to make a change. That falls on me.”

There is a chance McKenzie will follow Allen out the door after the season.

If the Raiders play better throughout the remainder of the season — at this rate, seven wins would be remarkable — then Allen would wind up being viewed as the primary reason for the poor start. However, if the Raiders circle the drain to another 4-12 season or worse, it would be hard to argue anything other than the talent procured by McKenzie being the biggest problem.

“Well, we’ll find out,” Davis said. “Gotta win. I think we’ve got some players. I think we have some. Let’s see what we can do.”

Asked if he is fighting to save his job, McKenzie said, “I always believe that. … I’m going to bust my tail until I get to that championship, period. I work every day like my job is on the line. That’s the way I am. No one has to tell me my job is on the line. No one.”