‘Erratic’ – Tony Cottee makes strong West Ham ownership claim amid Graham Potter uncertainty
West Ham legend Tony Cottee has slammed the ownership of the club as the pressure continues to grow on manager Graham Potter.
Graham Potter faces the sack having lost his opening three matches of the new campaign, and little investment has been put into his ageing squad.
Heavy defeats against Chelsea and Sunderland highlighted their defensive woes, with new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen already a growing concern in-between the sticks.
Captain Jarrod Bowen clashed with a fan following the conclusion of their League Cup defeat at Wolves, which saw the Hammers lose 3-2 after being 2-1 up with under 10 minutes remaining.
Tony Cottee issues stark West Ham verdict
Former West Ham striker and club legend Tony Cottee has weighed in on the current problems facing the Hammers.
Speaking to The Telegraph [27 August], Cottee issued a damning assessment on the club and insists that there needs to be a change of owners before on-pitch matters can be improved.
“I’ve said nothing will change unless there’s a change of ownership and I stand by that, mainly on the basis of the way the club has been run over the past 18 months,” Cottee stated.
“We had a great manager in David Moyes and they couldn’t wait to get rid of him. There’s nobody with any football knowledge on the board and they’ve spent millions of pounds on players who aren’t good enough.
“They seem to only have a weekly plan. Certainly not a 10-year plan, a five-year plan or even a two-year plan.
“There’s no structure and no business plan for the football side of things at West Ham, that’s obvious.
“They make erratic decisions and appoint the wrong managers. The appointment of Julen Lopetegui was just ridiculous and anybody could have told you that at the time.”
Rifts growing at West Ham
Football Insider Verdict
There seems to be no unity at West Ham, and a lack of investment in the team is causing frustration between supporters.
The ownership is under growing pressure to back Potter in the final few days of the window, or the manager could soon be out of the London Stadium.
Potter has made no impact with on-field results so far and there looks to be no clear identity to their play, and growing concerns already around a serious relegation battle.
| Graham Potter | West Ham Stats |
| Games Managed | 22 |
| Games Won | 5 |
| Games Drew | 5 |
| Games Lots | 12 |
West Ham have failed to kick on since their Europa Conference League victory in 2023, and they have gone backwards since David Moyes left.
A change in ownership currently looks highly unlikely, though a change in the boardroom appears to be one solution to West Ham’s growing list of problems.