Finally the end of term beckons. Hammers fans will breathe a sigh of relief as no more ritual agony to be witnessed every week: It has been a season to consign to the bin as soon as possible. However the small matter of an away trip to already down and out 19th placed Ipswich Town beckons on the last day with no jeopardy for the Hammers- let’s be grateful for small mercies.
These three points matter. Ipswich, without a home win in their last eight, will be keen to sign off in the Premier League in front of their home fans with a decent attempt at a win. For West Ham, a loss could easily drop them down to seventeenth if Spurs and Manchester United win: Three points could elevate them above Wolves into fourteenth.
Much easier to recruit from ‘almost mid-table’ fourteenth than ‘just survived’ seventeenth spot this summer. Potter will take whatever comfort he can get from improving his poor four wins in eighteen record as West Ham manager. In their article ‘Graham Potter urges West Ham to find another level‘, Beinports.com omit to suggest that Potter himself needs to find ‘another attacker’ as well as just fine words.
As usual, Potter can talk the talk, claiming he knows what is needed:
“We have to lift the level because you can’t sit around waiting for the margins to turn. You’ve got to make them turn. But that’s fine. That’s what we know. We feel like we’ve made the team more competitive [since he arrived], and every game we’ve been competitive..But nevertheless, the points tally, what we want to do, isn’t as big as we’d like. Having said that, attack-wise, we’ve made some steps, but not enough.”
It will be good if – just for once – he can match words with actions and show more attacking ambition against the nineteenth – placed side.
And also just for once it would be nice to write about a Hammers victory next week and sign off with some optimism and – as many C and H readers have written – some positivity. If Potter can give us glimpses of next seasons’ shape and show more attacking intent then we may go away in a more upbeat frame of mind. But I’m not holding my breath come Sunday when the team is announced. Rumours from comments by his national coach suggest Michail Antonio might even be on the Hammers’ bench: Forget the longer term that would just be an upbeat ending to a terrible season.
Dreaming of 14th ? The last time we finished that low we had a trophy to compensate us
I get the gripes about Potter but, end of the day, when Loopy was being sacked everyone was saying with our side (especially the midfield) we had no chance of doing anything regardless of who came in.
While Potter’s results haven’t been outstanding, it’s a fact we’ve only lost a single game by more than 1 goal. And that was his 3rd game in charge. And the ones we have lost/drawn tends to be from stupidly letting the game slip away. The final half season under Moyes and the whole time under Loopy if we lost by 3-5 goals it’d be no surprise.
Once he gets to bring in some players over the summer, then come August we can see how the team and football is looking. If it’s crap by Christmas then sure, punt him.
But judging him on the team he inherited then although he’s not winning as much as we’d obviously like, he’s at least got us competing more with the opposition.
Oi! Stop talking all facts and sensible rational logic!
This comment board is for angry rants about ownership/articles/price of beer and ill-considered thoughts.
We don’t want to recall how bad it was under Moyes (Post Xmas when in 6th) or under Loptegui, when players looked lost & confused, as team ran straight through the middle to score at will.
WE WANT TO RANT AND THROW AROUND HOT TAKE’S ON THINGS WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT!!!
😉
We have been languishing towards the bottom of the table all season. If you think winning dead rubber games against a poor and distracted Utd side and a poor and relegated Ipswich side, to climb a few places in the league table, will improve our chances of attracting top talent, then you are living in cloud cuckoo land.
You really think getting three points this weekend makes any difference when it comes to hiring recruits for next year? Players and agents look at other things. Where else can players get the wages offered in the PL for a start?
Probably agree with most of your article ( not quite as negative as usual ). My one increasing complaint about the Potter style is that we seem to be able to put umpteen passes together . Usually sideways , backwards , sideways , sometimes forwards . However the fast attacking break seems quite rare . Possession is pointless without the end product !!!!!! COYI
Indeed. Possession is great, but you have to eventually do something with it!
I’ve never been so downbeat. We’re among the relegation favourites as things stand and unless we call the close season right we have problems.
Issue is it’s been a while since we’ve called anything right. I’ve had more than enough of this season so for a second week running I’m off to a car show. This ones at a railway museum so it will be the trains that are taking me for a ride…