Journalists present at Graham Potter’s post match press conference couldn’t help but remark upon the changed demeanour of West Ham’s under-fire manager. Having run out of management platitudes, understandably Potter pointed the finger at his players who caved in again – the fifth time late goals have undone a good second half performance – and suggested they had their own “baggage” to deal with from the repeated failures.
“Why Graham Potter should be having second thoughts about the West Ham job -The West Ham manager is starting to show signs he is cracking under the pressure” proclaims Daniel Storey in his article in inews.co.uk.
Not because the job is impossible – although the thought of a transfer window with no Director of Football to handle the negotiations makes it a pretty daunting prospect for Potter. The pressure comes from maintaining the external appearance that everything is going to be fixed in the summer:
“Every area of West Ham – players, supporters, manager – have a demeanour which suggests that they cannot wait to get to the end of the season and forget that 2024-25 ever happened.
But here’s the thing: it did happen. The notion that a manager comes in and spends four months working out what doesn’t work before starting his first full season with a blank canvas is a fallacy. We already know that Potter is struggling because the pitiful results tell us as much. That leaves him under pressure to start next season quickly.”
And with a mountain to climb before then in the summer transfer window and with no experience in negotiating for, or buying players. It is not surprising Potter is looking like a man under pressure. The red flag warnings are waving frantically with danger ahead for West Ham.
I bet he’d welcome Tim Steidten back with open arms just now.
Bloody he’ll give him a break Martin we all know the same players have managed to move on 2 managers . It’s the players mentality , effort and l lack of team work . Let’s all be honest some players need moving on we need players who want to play for the badge and show it on the pitch .
Well said Mark, this supposed ‘pressure’ is ridiculous. The fact is that our recruitment over the last few years has been terrible. Various studies show that teams with the best players win more games. How many of our team would get unto the Brighton side? You can’t perform miracles.
The fact is that we are better under Potter than under the previous bloke. But he can’t work miracles. As it has been said many times, until he is allowed free reign to sign the players he wants (within reason) and given time and space to implement his ideas then we will remain poor. We haven’t had a striker since Christmas! Oh wait sorry we do, two old blokes, one who ia injured all the time and another who isn’t good enough amd wasn’t when he was signed. What did I say about our signings again?
Getting the Manager/Coach’s job at West Ham really is a poisoned chalice, isn’t it!
Spurs are nearly as bad as us in the results columns but I still think we’ll struggle to beat them, especially at London Stadium. I know Spurs are playing in the Europa on Thursday evening but they are at home so no travelling. I hope we can beat them because it would be a real feel good factor but I don’t think we can overcome our demons any time soon.
Everyone needs to calm the f*** down!
We are playing better. Not great – but better.
Potter’s fixed the setup to stop us conceding early and regularly shipping 3+ goals.
Now he needs to get us to see games out.
It’s about incremental improvements.
If we had managed to not concede all those last minute goals in the last 6 matches we’d be 12th and 3 points off 9th.
Once he fixes that problem we’re comfortably a mid table team and if we can sustain that over a season then we can think about challenging for the European places again.
B is right to highlight Forest. Nuno was second favourite to be the first manager sacked at the start of the season, but he had a summer to bring in a few of his picks and to work on the training ground and it soon improved. And then, with their tails up, they got on an unbelievable run.
The gap between finishing 17th and 8th in this league is really marginal. We’re a few players and an improvement in resilience and organisation away from being able to think positively.
Well said Dev. I hope Potter knows more rational fans are out there.
IMHO the problem with Steiden was not the players that he bought but his seeming inability to work in harmony with whichever head coach was there
Potter has been criticized for bringing on Coufal on Saturday – perhaps he could have brought on Cresswell but he has been injured. The question is whether Emerson had picked up a knock – at least give Potter the benefit of the doubt
Also switching Wan Bissaka and Coufal would have exposed Coufal to Mitoma – I still remember how he destroyed Ben Johnson a few seasons back
There are 4 games left this season – let us get behind the team and the manager for these four games – which includes avoiding excessively negative posts – once the season has ended would be an appropriate time to comment
COYI
Purely on a footballing front the problem i see is Potter is making the same mistakes every match.There has been a distinct pattern over the last 4 or 5 games the most annoying being his late substitutions when we have been winning or heading for a good point as at Liverpool and suddenly making late late changes and sitting back inviting attack after attack instead of continuing to play the way we have been earlier.Shutting up shop is not working and we just cannot close a match out and its also become a psychological thing with the players but comes back surely to the manager and his tactics or lack of.Most worrying is his press conference suggests he is losing the plot and a rabbit in the headlights.
Precisely what Moyes fell into the trap of doing.
Unsurprisingly, that ended with the same results too.
Never have I understood the philosophy of defending by inviting the opposition to attack you.
As for the off-season, that’s precisely what it’ll be for me; avoiding the pointless online nonsense of links, rumours, agent talk, click bait, column inches for the sake.
What’ll be, will be. I’m saving myself from the purgatory of a Sullivan/ Brady comedy double act. It will age me more gracefully.
Everyone knows to get a good start next season, you need a half decent finish the season before…Unless you have been relegated, then that will be a clean slate.
We need an unbeaten finish to the end of this season to steady a very unstable ship.
Its possible…The players and manager know what is going wrong..The worrying thing is the finger pointing has started…Fullgrug…Potter post match on Saturday telling everyone there are eleven players out there not doing their jobs…Then Bowen behind closed doors telling Potter certain players should go next summer….Its not me its him!!!…..School boy stuff!!…It has to stop….Spurs at home on Saturday….Its the perfect fixture to bring everyone together…Lose this one and the wheels will be off for a long time….Win it and the motivation will return in leaps and bounds..COYI
“Everyone knows to get a good start next season, you need a half decent finish the season before”
Do they really?
Example: Nottingham Forest ended the 23/24 season by losing 5 of their final 10 games, 3 draws and beating relegated 10-man Sheff Utd.
9 points out of a possible 30.
With the uncoordinated mess that West Ham can be it’s hard to know why we decide we needed a Steiden and now we don’t.
Strong logic we do and despite not being left to do his job Steiden got some difficult targets into the club. I don’t think it’s clear at all he was the problem when Sullivan and Lopetegui were deciding too.
Potter hasn’t done this on without a Steiden and it’s a big ask with such a big overhaul required. The spectacle of Sullivan being heavily involved again surely has to be avoided.
Looks like Sully / Brady / Sully / Brady etc etc.
Class acts but not in football.
What does the future hold if only we had a crystal ball?
Bring in a DoF named Gilbert, to work with Sullivan?
West Ham could all do with a bit of humour this year!
More failures as those 2 idiots will not sign who is required.
More talk about our financial difficulties as they continue to sick money out of the club while signing expensive and rubbish players.
That’s the future.