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Lopetegui And Potter Comparisons Miss One Crucial Point

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The reaction from losing to Crystal Palace was predictable, the ‘boos’ were evident again at London Stadium after Graham Potter’s second Premier League game. Hardly fair.

Lopetegui’s West Ham produced week in, week out toothless performances with disorganised chaos at the back that were far worse. I need hardly run through the massive scores racked up against us by Liverpool, Arsenal Manchester City and Spurs.

Lopetegui looks stressed in West Ham presser

Graham Potter was working with the thinnest of squads today, None of it his own choosing, assembled by Steidten, Sullivan and Lopetegui and coached, until last week, towards Lopetegui’s chaos-ball.

Look at the names who were missing: Antonio, Bowen, Fullkrug, Todibo, Areola, Summerville – more than half a starting eleven out injured.

So cut him some slack. Unlike Lopetegui where this became the norm, as he stuttered without a plan from game to game, Potter has already integrated young players, evolved the playing style and coaxed decent performances out of some of the ‘want away’ players alienated by Lopetegui and sidelined as a result.

When he has a full squad to choose from, along with a new recruit to carry an attacking threat, results will come. And you won’t have to “wait ’til Christmas” again for any sign of improvement – as we were told we needed to do under Lopetegui.

Bowen, Summerville and co will be back soon enough. So don’t panic just yet. The past doesn’t have to equal the future!

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From the old Bobby Moore Upper to the Billy Bonds' stand these days I've been watching since '03 and a supporter since about 1970.. 'Football is Life' oh yes. Let it raise your spirit but never darken your mood. Life's too short not to enjoy the journey with our Claret and Blue heroes n' villains.

20 comments

  • Terry says:

    Potter’s taken over a **** show & if people are booing it’s a disgrace (I was there yesterday & didn’t notice that). He’s going to need at least 18 months to show progress & we as fans should support him 100%.

  • Q says:

    Don’t know how anyone can compare anything anyway after two or three games.

  • D.f.butcher says:

    I’m not cutting him any slack I didn’t want him, again I think west ham have made the wrong choice

  • Hammeroo says:

    Somebody please tell me I must have been dreaming. Apparently Julen Lopetegui is on a very short list of candidates to be head coach of the Spain national team. And I mean the mens team, not the women.

  • Kevlar says:

    Potter needs Sullivans backing to go and buy quality players in the transfer window.He needs a new goalkeeper a centre half 2 x mobile midfielders and 2 x strikers at the very least.I can’t see sullivan backing him with any real money.It will be loans for ageing players etc.Sullivan and Moyes put us in this position and so Sullivan should stump up and give potter the funds to do his job properly.

    • Kevlar says:

      Why can Bournemouth pay £45m for edmilson with their revenue and tiny attendances? Yet massive west ham can’t pay £45m for Duran or any other decent centre forward? It’s because Sullivan holds the purse strings and he only buys bargain basement players.Our chairman is holding the club back and we will achieve nothing why he is still in charge!!!

  • Hendo says:

    TIME & SPACE

    I agree with Lance’s comment but want to highlight this when we’re being pressed in our own half. Our defenders roll passes to each other rather than playing them firmly.

    That’s probably in the mistaken belief that it will be easier for the recipient to control whereas in reality it ramps up the pressure on the recipient because the pressing opponent has enough time to close down. Then the recipient frequently loses possession or plays a desperate sideways or backwards pass.

    These rolled passes surrender our time & space

  • Dutch Courage says:

    All very depressing. One small correction Martin, Areola was on the bench and not “missing” yesterday. Presumably he’s fit but wasn’t selected.

  • Simon says:

    Good points sir. Noted.
    However, the repeat of poor team selections, and backwards playing style was again painfully evident against Crystal Palace. Max K, alone made 3 back passes in a row to Fab, with all the other midfielders doing exactly the same. Can someone please give me the total back passes against Crystal Palace?
    From the winning team against Fullham, Soler + Ollie were missing, and Paqueta was removed from CF. These were Potter’s decisions. Result= not 1x shot on target. Really not impressive at all.
    Sorry, seeing all this first half, I stopped watching the match, knowing what was coming in the 2nd half.
    Again, some serious hard work to do, small squad and all.

  • Zahama says:

    Potter talks a lot of sense whereas I never understood what Loppy was trying to say

    I think that Iraola took about 9 matches to get his first win at Bournemouth – so yes Potter needs time

    Let us just remain safe from relegation this season and then see what Potter can do

    COYI

  • Ray says:

    After 12 full months of having nobody steering the ship and the last 6 months with by far the worst manager the Premier League has ever seen, topped off by losing three of our better players in under two weeks, Potter is doing OK. His situation is not even close to what Lopetegui created and given a few weeks and some solid support from the club board he will turn things around. He might not be a Slot, a Guardiola or an Arteta, but he is a hell of a long way from a Lopetegui.

  • Basvegas says:

    Seen the highlights tonight and mate it was bad, but it was utter crap live. No movement from the midfielders at all, Kudos at times looked totally uninterested and we were back to the side to side and back to the keeper stuff from the Moyes days within 10 mins and Dinos is an accident waiting to happen now in every game. I don’t blame GP at all, it all down Moyes, Tim, Sullivan and soppy loppy for this ****show of a team.

  • Kenny Irons says:

    lol, how ridiculous – Potter has only been here five minutes and all this trash has been left on his doorstep. Lopetegui the most clueless manager this club has ever had, and that is saying something !!
    I’m certainly not judging Graham until next season when it’s HIS team, then no excuses provided he is allowed the funds for the major surgery needed.
    Let’s be honest, it’s a disgrace how we’ve been left with a paper thin squad of generally OAP’s and poor quality, when you consider little Bournemouth has NINE players missing at Newcastle, but then they are a very well run football club.
    Surely, Mr.Steidten will be on his way after the shocking recruitment
    of last Summer. Would also be nice if Sullivan decided he needs to spend more time at the Alliotment…

  • Phil Baker says:

    Results will be mixed within the first few games of a mid season coaching change . Potter was tactically outfoxed by Glasner and so we’ll view the Aston Villa game with interest . Villa go to Monaco midweek and so Westham should compete energetically with them .

  • Ted Fenton says:

    Today was one of the worst performances of the season which is saying something. But I am not blaming any of the players as you cannot compete in the premier league without any forwards. We urgently need to bring in two more forwards. I appreciate we haven’t got much money but if that is the case sell anyone except Bowen.

  • AlansDevonshireCream says:

    Martin, I just wanted to say what an absolutely spot on, observant and well written article. You did yourself and the Irons proud with what you wrote – especially considering how easy it would have been to be as negative as Gonzo was in his article. Keep up the good work.

  • Lance Marsh says:

    I watched the game live in the very early hours of Sunday morning here in Australia. The commentators – and I didn’t take any notice prematch who they were – were glowing in their Crystal Palace comments. I found thi barely disguised partizanship unusual. But come half time and no score I really thought West Ham had made a good account of themselves given the injury toll and lack of a recognised centre forward. The defence was reasonably solid and we were knocking the ball around with some confidence but we lost our way in the attacking third. The absences of people like Bowen, Summerville and (to be fair) Antonio were clearly impeding our fluency and shape.
    Apart from their players and management, teams have two key resources when playing – time and space. When under the kind of pressure we find ourselves, the manager needs to manipulate time and space (territory) with the objective of restricting the opposition’s progress and, in this case, obvious advantage ( Palace we’re playing with a full deck). I thought this had been largely achieved until Kilman allowed them too much space and territory for that first goal. The second was an indefensible error.
    So I’m not sure I understand all of those fans walking out on the team when they did. Are we not all in it and around it together? Do we not share common purposes and beliefs and values about our football? I’d have killed to be sat in that stadium live. The manager will need time, as will the players. I think we can all do better.

    • Hammeroo says:

      Lance Marsh, if you were watching on Optus Sport I think the commentator said his name is Garry Chaphouse. His co-commentator was none other than former West Ham and England goalie Robert Green! I am not sure if Rob Green would want to be glowing in his praise of Palace! However the Hammers made them look pretty good, didn’t they?

  • John Ayris says:

    I compare Lopetegui with the worst managers we’ve ever had, not with Potter.

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