With a win ratio of something under 25%, every West Ham fan is only too clear about the performance of their club under Graham Potter: The manager is at the bottom of West Ham’s managerial rankings having a worse record even than his predecessor Julen Lopetegui.
Indeed, from looking at his Chelsea history, somewhat alarmingly, Graham Potter’s mirror-image Premier League statistics would have got him the chop by now at Stamford Bridge. As Blues’ fan site thechelseachronicle.com reminded me this morning:
“The Englishman was in charge of just 22 Premier League games, although didn’t impress and won just seven matches before he was sacked.”
His current stats at West Ham are five wins in 20. I’ll just let that sink in.
Now I’ll make my own position clear, I was one of the pro-Potter claret and blue cabal back when the manager was employed back in January. But the signs are not good, with his intransigence over picking long past-it favourites such as James Ward-Prowse on reputation rather than on the evidence of his own eyes. Combined with Potter’s maddening ultra cautious set up, (just two up front) the result is every bit as bad as David Moyes’ ‘parking the bus’ Hammers dour-ball football for a season and a half .
Surely the obviously intelligent and educated English coach can see that his set up and selection is not working and is doomed to grind inexorably to his demise some time between now and December? He arrived with a fanfare and promised youth would have its chance. Belatedly, against Chelsea Potter has another opportunity to keep true to his words. He can select the trio of Potts, Earthy and Marshall and bring them on from the bench at the very least: Fans likely demand that Potts should start instead of Rodriguez or (preferably) Ward-Prowse after last weekends debacle.
Articles like teamtalk’s ‘Graham Potter sack: Axe chances swell..”are suddenly on the rise. A clear red-flag warning.
It isn’t too late yet for Potter, who will have to be deep in the mire for a while longer yet before Sullivan acts.
What kept him in place a while longer at Chelsea was their better Champions League performance which offset the club’s dreadful league form. At West Ham of course he has no such distractions.
The numbers do not lie and without wins and points between now and the international break there’s a bleak winter ahead for the club and its supporters.
If we keep losing with this midfield, and management say they are too young. When will they ever be ready? We lost to a championship outfit last week, so why can’t we play the youngsters who did well in the championship last season?
Doesn’t matter who we pick we are not good enough.
As we all know, the midfield needed major overhaul but we’ve had all Summer and done nothing, also needed a striker without a Bus Pass and a new centre back.
Sullivan and his fellow @@@@@@@@@@ have brought the club to it’s knees.
Hi all what about Preston Fearon, I would try him out again, he seemed great in the game in USA and he would definitely add more energy, I think these U21 players have to be bedded earlier, try for 1/2hr per game it might just show that they are good enough, to be honest a lot of them can’t be any worse.
to be fair, he did look bang average the most recent u21 game I think he needs the ‘Potts/earthy’ route of a couple of seasons on loan.
That’s the point isn’t it. We put them out on loan and they can only do well which both Potts and Earthy did. The next step is that we need to give them game time. Potts seems more ready than Earthy to me so give him a shot while we still have a low energy midfield that he might add to. If we bring in a couple of buys the time will have passed.
I like Potter and would reserve judgement until he has a better midfield. If he is sacked though we should go all out to get Glasner in. Papers are questioning if he and Parrish have had a falling out. Let’s be honest he has lost Olise, Eze and soon likely Guehi, Wharton might go if the manager goes, then they will find things a lot harder.
I tell what will happen…We will be two nil down…Earthy will come on and score..We will all be raving about how Potter didn’t make the subs earlier..2..2…
I’m not normally one to throw youngsters in too hastily but as you point out Rodriguez and Ward Prowse are simply overrun.
Could Freddie Potts and George Earthy really do worse ? They’d have a lot more energy for sure.
I’d start Potts and have Earthy on the bench, they’ve both earned a shot surely.
We really do need a couple of lively midfielders. I’m not really looking forward to tonight and it’s bound to be Rodriguez and Ward Prowse isn’t it, we know it will be.
A yes man for sullivan. GET RID.
Potters’ three centre back ‘system’ clearly isn’t working. Tonight I’d like to see him revert to a back four. Two centre backs (take your pick!), AWB at right back, Scarles at left back. Bowen on the right wing, Diouf on the left wing. Potts and Soucek (or whoever) in midfield. Fullkrug or Marshall up front with Paqueta in behind.
But we all know it ain’t going to happen!
good idea,that is a set up I would like to see
‘ picking long past-it favorites’. You seem to forget that Potter, like all managers, can only pick what he has in the squad. We have some decent young players, and one or two of them may – repeat may – become PL regulars. But you believe blooding the youngsters now is the path to success?
I think we need two proven energetic midfielders as what we’ve got is too pedestrian to play together as a unit. I think putting Potts in who I believe is closest to ready would add to the kilometers run and to the energy. I don’t think it’s ideal but I think it adds for the time being and he has earned a chance with good performances out on loan last season.
Well repeatedly using the old guard certainly isn’t, so do we keep doing the same, knowing what the outcome will be, or try slowly introducing new blood. Can it really be any worse?