West Ham’s manager was given the nickname ‘Graham Lopetegui’ following the Wolves as critical fans who took to social media could not see any difference in the new head coaches’ style compared with the chaos of predecessor Julen Lopetegui.
Today that nickname earned more traction thanks to Potter’s zero-ambition substitutions, removing any attacking threat for the last few minutes and inviting the division’s worst team to ‘come and attack us’.
With predictable consequences.
Off went Kudus, Bowen and Fullkrug for the last ten minutes. On came Ferguson – a statue – Guilherme – who at least had a shot – and Soucek as a defensive midfielder to try and hold onto the 1-0 win.The Hammers’ just invited Southampton onto them for the last ten minutes with a line of eight defending on their own penalty box as if it were backs to the wall time against Arsenal or Liverpool.
No centre forward, no ambition, just all hands on deck for out and out defence. Against Southampton.
There was a real danger of West Ham losing that game, and had Southampton’s ‘wonderkid’ Tyler Dibling not blazed over from six yards, the Hammers would have been deservedly beaten. It was embarrassing.
Make no bones about it, Potter decided to hang on for a one-zero in the last five minutes and failed miserably. Taking off Fullkrug and putting Soucek on failed miserably. Potter the tactician looked pretty undone this afternoon.
Southampton’s equaliser in the 93rd minute was less of a sucker punch, more of just desserts.
The first half with West Ham’s most attacking line-up against the worst team was pedestrian, lethargic and lacking ideas. One bright moment in the second half gave Bowen the space he needed to shift the ball and fire in his trademark goal. Apart from that – Niclas Fullkrug at half-pace almost turned provider for Guilherme near the end to fire straight at Ramsdale. A couple of shots blazed over. And that was it.
Hardly an incentive for the any of the 60,000 present to renew their season tickets.
Graham Lopetegui. You mischievous bastard.
If Lopetegui was Mr. Trouble, Potter arrived as Mr. Nice.
At this point of the first season half, Lopetegui had plenty more goals against, but had one more win, 4 against 3, and totaled 16 points against 13 points collected now under Potter.
Is being nice only part of the equation? At their best these are individually good players, but it seems that more often than not we see them lacking spirit / fight / confidence and Potter has not been able to change that.
Thanks for this result fellas.
An hour journey home knowing that the missus was going to go through her usual diatribe of “I don’t know why you bother, a waste of money that we could have spent on something else, then there’s the train fare, food and drink”. She’s not wrong though!
Every f@@king home game I get this. After the next home game I’m going to kidnap a player, bring him home so that he can cop a load of verbal from her instead of me!
I think you should kidnap the whole team and the coach. Perhaps your missus can at least force them to make themselves useful around your house vacuuming, washing up and so on. 🙂
If I really kidnapped them I would have to pay the club to take them back.😆
Today was the 60th anniversary of my first game (a 6-1 win against West Brom ) in all those years one of the most frustrating things about the club is that they often play their best against the very top teams and lose or occasionally draw, yet can’t repeat the performance against lesser teams. The last week has shown that nothing changes!
So I wonder what Lopetegui’s critics are saying now.
We have a second division squad and coach pretending we are a team ready to play in Europe. When you add owners who don’t know anything about football, this is what you get.
In some countries the stadium would be empty for the next couple of home games and the owners would get the message.
Thanks Potter you made me a tidy profit. We are a second half team, as it was 0-0 at half time, I backed the team to win
great timing as we went 1-0 up. Taking Bowen , Fulkrug off, I got a tidy price for a draw. I’ve supported the Hammers for many years, when are the teams managers ever going to realise that we cannot see games out trying to defend letting
teams attack
Martin yes it was bad, but you have to say the mistakes in player purchases or lack of them are still the problem which comes down to the last 2 mangers , Sulivan and the poor additions made by his head of recruitment. Yes he was Sulivans choice! If by Christmas next season things haven’t changed and Potter has got some of the players he wants in then point the finger at him. Until then he is stuck with many slow, old injury prone players
Sorry Rob, Potter stated that he was solely responsible for transfer decisions, not the board and had made Ferguson his number 1 target and he was ready to play now. This was despite the widely reported injury concerns. Fast forward to today and Ferguson has had less than 90 minutes game time and was finally brought on today for the last few minutes despite being fit and available. 3 wins in his first 13 games and failing to beat the worst team in PL history with his dreadful tactical decision today to bring off our 3 attackers and revert to a back 5 against a team who haven’t won since 1st February was incompetent. Why on earth should we risk waiting until Christmas next season before deciding if he is up to the job? One goal a game and some of the most boring football I have ever seen will not save us for a 2nd season.
Ferguson was only ever a cheaper stop-gap until season’s end. Bit like Davey Moyes getting in Danny Ings to fill in at PL and EUFA level. Neither were ever intended as long term solutions. Perhaps we may have made wholesale changes in January but at a cost of having nothing left for the summer. And if things had gone well with our total revamp me might have been looking at 11th place in PL.
Much better to keep the powder dry, the investment in reserve and follow a considered plan for the next season.
I really hope so. We have just managed to draw the fixture we should have won by a hat full. Nothing else to look forward to in this season. I’m off to join the players on holiday now.
Awful fare yet again.Dismal first half as always with a slight improvement 2nd half but to only draw at home against what will be historically one of the worst premier teams ever says it all.Something needs to change and fast but i will be damned if i can fathom out what that will be.Been watching the Hammers since the 70s and yes we have always been inconsistent but i cannot remember watching a duller less entertaining team than this one.Potter has tightened the defence but at the sacrifice of everything else that makes us watch football in the first place.
Dull and uninterested. The new WHU Way.
100% Gaz. Been watching and supporting West Ham for 60 years and can’t remember such a boring and negative team to watch. As for renewing my ST no chance while Sullivan and Potter remain. Shame there is only one team wearing claret and blue that’s worth watching this season who gave PSG a scare in the Champions League and beat Newcastle 4-1 today.
Hopefully there is a break clause in June so we can walk away from this clown
Lets be honest… We’re relegation candidates for next season aren’t we. There’s no way that that all three promoted teams will be as bad as they have been this season.
He got found out at Chelsea and has been found out again. We were lucky to get a draw against one of the worst PL teams ever. We are in a worst position now then when JLO was in charge and that what was bad enough for us all
100% agree. So bloody angry watching those Southampton celebrations at gaining their 11th point of the season equalling Derby’s record which dated back to the 2007/08 season for the lowest number of points. Just watched the Potter interview for tonight’s MOTD and more of the same “We have to do better” . I can just imagine hundreds of thousands of West Ham fans screaming back at the TV “Well get on and bloody well do it” instead of the same excuses every week, He’s been found out at not being the right choice and as John says above there is no way that all 3 of next seasons promoted teams will be as bad as they have this season. Even so Potter still managed to get his tactics completely wrong and he must take responsibility for his mistakes instead of repeating the same old cliches. We don’t want excuses and side to side back to the keeper football Graham we want results!