During a radio interview before West Ham’s 4-0 win over Wolves, I was asked to describe former manager Graham Potter in one word.
The word I chose was simple: passive.
Why Potter question resurfaced
The topic came up after Potter helped Sweden qualify for the World Cup, prompting the question — were West Ham the problem rather than the manager?
There’s no denying the club operates under poor ownership, with a lack of clarity around recruitment structure from season to season. That does offer some mitigation.
But the idea that no manager could succeed under these conditions doesn’t hold up.
Potter’s muddled tactics were never clear at West Ham
Others have shown it can be done
It takes a certain personality to work under the dated stewardship of David Sullivan and Karren Brady, but David Moyes managed it.
And now, despite a slow start, Nuno Espirito Santo is beginning to show the same.
A clear view on Potter’s time
Statistically, Potter remains the worst full-time manager in West Ham’s history.
That aligns with what was seen on the pitch and I won’t shift from my position that he was useless.
When I described him as passive, it was because the team lacked energy, fight and any clear pattern of play. Even after 25 games, it was hard to identify what his tactical approach actually was.
Contrast clear in Wolves performance
That contrast was evident again against Wolves.
Taty Castellanos’ two goals both came from West Ham pressing high and winning the ball in dangerous areas — something that has become a clear feature under Nuno.
The key point is that the players involved were already at the club during Potter’s tenure.
Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen both won possession high up the pitch, with Castellanos finishing and Pablo Felipe heavily involved in the build-up.
A shift in identity
This wasn’t passive football.
It was a team pressing, forcing mistakes and playing on the front foot — clear instructions from a manager who knows exactly what he wants.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Games | 25 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 14 |
| Win Percentage | 24% |
Looks like Nuno is invest-able. Shame that the two expert tacticians who came before him were given the time and backing to take our club on a downward trajectory.
Good times are ahead. Stability will do for starters before we dream of dizzy heights.
COYI
Yet Potter was handed an old and aging squad of players and had to undo all the damage done by Lopetegui and Steidten.
When West Ham appointed Graham Potter, the intention was for him to implement the style of play he had successfully used at Swansea and Brighton. I personally think this is similar to the system Unai Emery uses at Aston Villa. In my view, it’s an entertaining and attractive style of football for the fans, when it works.
With hindsight, however, the somewhat aging squad, as well as some of the younger players at West Ham, were not suited to this type of system. In addition, team spirit suffered when the older, long-serving players in the squad were replaced, which seemed to have a fairly noticeable impact on the atmosphere within the team.
Looking back, it might have been better to play a more Catenaccio-style of football. Nuno has done a good job at West Ham, but you can’t really say that his system is particularly entertaining compared to Graham Potter’s football. On the other hand, it’s fair to say that Graham Potter’s style didn’t exactly look very enjoyable with the squad he had at his disposal.
Nuno’s system is better suited to the quality of West Ham’s squad, although I now believe that the current team, with all the new signings, could be capable of playing something closer to Potter’s style.