Last weekend, a late equaliser from Everton – led by former boss David Moyes – ensured that West Ham United came away from their final Goodison Park visit with just one point instead of three.
It’s the latest in a line of frustrating setbacks for the Hammers in a season where, in truth, they’ll feel fortunate that the bottom three are so poor. They’re well clear of the relegation zone and it’s not a threat they have to concern themselves with, but they’re still a million miles away from where they’d hope to be just two years on from their Conference League triumph.
Some would argue that it comes down to sacking David Moyes and bringing in Julen Lopetegui, which is a decision that many still criticise to this day. On the flip side, there’s a debate to be had about whether or not they went a bit too wild on the spending side of things last summer.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, the important thing is that West Ham are set to be playing top flight football again next season. They’ll almost certainly be doing so under the guidance of Graham Potter who, since arriving in the new year, has had mixed results with his first team squad.
The next step for the boss
Following on from a parade of questions about their defensive issues, Potter has helped to steady the ship with just two goals conceded in their last four matches. Sure, the football may not be the prettiest, but that’s something that comes with time.
Of course, the default setting for a lot of football fans is to complain, which is why the focus has now shifted to the final third. West Ham aren’t exactly free-scoring with just four sides scoring fewer than them in the Premier League this season, but they’re just about managing to grind out the results needed to start building some confidence for Potter as manager.
So far, he’s put together a run of three wins, two draws and five defeats, which is probably what you should expect given that he’s only been there for a few months. Alas, if you were going to bet on them finishing close to the top half, you wouldn’t feel convinced just yet.
We understand that some supporters are eager to get back to the glory days of just a few short years ago, because the same is true for most of us. The thing to remember is that Graham Potter is a man who builds projects over time and although that isn’t afforded to a lot of managers in the top flight these days, he looks far more ready to handle this challenge than Lopetegui ever did.
Historians will look back on the numbers and deem this to be a forgettable campaign for United. Thankfully, Potter has the chance to play with some real freedom between now and the end of May, which should open up the door for the kind of experimentation that prepares the club for a really important summer period.
The Hammers’ next outing will see them travel to the Black Country for a date with Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 1st, which should give them a good idea of where they’re at compared to teams of similar overall quality. The current bet365 odds have West Ham as 21/10 underdogs and Wolves as 13/10 favourites, so if you want to back a win on the road, go ahead and use the bet365 bonus code.
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