‘Graham Potter faces serious scrutiny after West Ham capitulation vs Brighton’
West Ham’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton raises serious question marks over the Hammers’ hierarchy’s continued support of Graham Potter.
Following the Irons’ 4-1 defeat at the hands of Man City, Julen Lopetegui was sacked by the club in January and replaced by the ex-Chelsea boss.
At the time, West Ham were sitting 14th, having won six, drawn five, and lost nine, accruing 23 points from 20 games.
Since then, there has been no improvement in performances and in fact, the Hammers have regressed and slid down the Premier League table.
Now finding themselves 17th, saved from relegation danger only by three extremely weak promoted sides, most managers would find their jobs under immense pressure in similar circumstances, so why is Potter’s job not under more pressure?
West Ham mortgage future on Graham Potter and Co.
Having hired Potter in January, West Ham then let go of technical director Tim Steidten.
Whilst not a direct replacement for the German, the Hammers then brought in Kyle Macaulay to work in tandem with David Sullivan on recruitment.
The Englishman had been with Potter all the way from Sweden to England, accompanying him in every managerial job he held in various roles.
Macaulay remained at Chelsea even after the manager’s departure, and reuniting him with the ex-Brighton boss in East London was not a cheap endeavour.
According to The Guardian, the Blues wanted at least £1.5million for the recruitment guru, and whilst an incentivised agreement was worked out, the push West Ham made to bring in Potter’s man showed an intent to buy into the manager’s vision long-term.
The ex-Brighton boss is seen as a project manager, someone you bring in to improve a team long-term, rather than a quick-fixer for short-term issues.
Results have worsened, but there is clearly hope that things will get better and the Hammers look ready to put their money where their mouth is, again.
West Ham set to back Graham Potter in make-or-break summer
The Irons spent over £120million last summer [transfermarkt] and, Aaron Wan-Bissaka aside, have little to show for it on the pitch.
The solution? West Ham are prepared to let 15 players leave this summer and look to completely overhaul their squad.
It is a stunning show of faith in a manager who has achieved three wins from 15 games since taking over.
West Ham will not be relegated this season, but their 3-2 loss to Brighton showed that many players are going through the motions and the win over Arsenal in February was arguably their only impressive performance as a team this calendar year.
It seems the Irons believe that results are squarely attributable to those on the pitch and the senior figures who have already departed, rather than the man in the dugout in any way.
David Moyes exit from West Ham factored into decision making
The attempts to replace David Moyes (twice) in recent years may also be having an impact on the hierarchy’s decision-making when it comes to Potter.
Both times the current Everton manager left, West Ham somewhat impulsively looked to hire a manager whose playing style did not align with the players available.
Manuel Pellegrini, then Lopetegui, both contrasted heavily with Moyes’ more pragmatic style and results fell off a cliff each time.
Perhaps this is Sullivan learning from the mistakes of old, and by backing Potter so completely despite next to no signs of life, the chairman believes the ex-Brighton boss can bring European football back to the London Stadium.
However, if results and performances continue as they have been this year into next season, the decision to back Potter will undoubtedly lead back into the same mess, and potentially a battle against the drop, putting the highs of European football in the distant past and leave many West Ham fans wondering how the ex-Swansea boss escaped scrutiny for so long, with the team clearly trending downwards under his stewardship.