After the weeks of speculation which had begun well before Christmas, and at least twelve days of rumour and counter rumours, in the end we got just twelve minutes of West Ham United’s new head coach in front of the cameras.
The contrast of a Graham Potter press conference and a Julen Lopetegui session could not have been more marked.
Potter, natural, speaking without hesitation, of course had the advantage of using his first language but that wasn’t it: There was a sense of Graham Potter returning to something he genuinely loved – the smile on the face at re-uniting with old journalist foes was real and not forced: The answers were immediate and considered, but without looking for landmines to be avoided at all cost which might have been hiding within every question.
West Ham’s new head coach used all the buzz words you’d expect – regarding the club he cited “Ambition, professionalism and determination to grow” whilst describing it as:”A massive family club:” 10/10 for sound bites, Mr P.
He had been unable to sleep through excitement last night, “like Christmas for Adults” were his words.
And He was: “Proud, privileged to be here.” Potter set out that his own approach will be: “Collaborative, aligned, all moving forward together” several times, aiming no doubt to start to heal the rifts that have been exposed in the dressing room and within the fan base during his predecessor’s time. When asked whether he has something to prove after Chelsea, his answer was telling and suggests he is better prepared for the never-ending scrutiny of being West Ham’s head coach :” Having something to prove is the reality of professional sport”.
As for the style of football, Potter was very honest:“Balance’ is the key. It is fine to attack and play good football but if you’re conceding loads of goals there’s no success!”
And of ambition? To “Create a team the supporters recognise and identify with, and [re-] build trust and connection between the team and supporters.”
The over riding impression Graham Potter created for me as a fan first and a writer second was of his genuine excitement at being back in the hot seat, and enthusiasm for what lies ahead.
Can’t ask for more than that today.
After watching that interview I am more excited about having a new manager than I have been for a long time. Forgetting the mess at Chelsea he did wonders for Brighton with a lot less resources than we have.!Also not afraid to promote youth. I am looking forward to him putting his stamp on the team and establishing his brand of football. We couldn’t get near his Brighton team. As it stands, very happy but early days.
Well he cant be any worse than Loopy Lope can he?. I wish him all the best and the fact hes a relatively young English manager with a track record of giving youngsters a go is a real bonus. Maybe we will stop taking punts on expensive foreign has-beens and inject some youthful enthusiasm and pace into our team, especially our dire midfield. COYI .
I’m probably more reliefed and excited that Lopetegui has gone than getting Potter as our head coach.
That’s not a slur on Potter it’s just I want to wait and see how our results go first.
Great interview. Sounds brilliant and when he said he hadn’t slept due to excitement is just what we want. It’s more than just a job and he comes across as the perfect fit. He definitely seems like a people person so hopefully he’ll get the best out of our players and we can push on. On paper we have an amazing team so if he can translate this onto the pitch we might all have something to smile about. I feel genuinely excited like the season is about to start (again).
COYI’s ⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️
Really positive words from Graham and genuine excitement about building relationships with players, staff and supporters. Particularly liked the reference to the passion and knowledge of West Ham’s fans and the “balance” between playing attractive football and conceding too many goals. Also the importance of rebuilding the trust between the team and supporters. For the first time in ages with him displaying his pride and excitement for the challenges ahead, I feel we have got the coach we need to bring us together and be successful.
He turned a few opportunities down before accepting this and he could have waited a bit longer too there will be more opportunities this season.
Whatever he says all of that is implicit and says a lot about his motivation.