Graham Potter Fighting For His Job as West Ham Consider Replacements

Graham Potter’s future at West Ham is hanging in the balance after yet another disappointing home defeat.

The 50-year-old manager is now under intense scrutiny following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace at the London Stadium, where his future is in the balance, with serious pressure piling on him.

That defeat left the Hammers with four losses from their first five Premier League games this season and dangerously close to the relegation zone, all of which have contributed to calls for Potter to be shown the door.

During the match, fans made their feelings quite clear by chanting ”sacked in the morning” at the coach under-fire.

BBC Sport reported that before Saturday’s loss the Hammers had initiated the process of identifying possible alternatives should Potter be dismissed”.

This implies that even before the loss to Palace, Hammers had begun doubting his future at the club.

The timing couldn’t be more unfortunate for Potter in the sense that he was building on what he had done with the team last season.

Julen Lopetegui was replaced in January and then led the team to 14th in the table. After an impressive pre-season and positive transfer activities, expectations were high for him to start the season off strongly.

Names Already Being Discussed

West Ham’s hierarchy wasted no time munching away at options. Reports suggest that the club has already begun to scan the horizon for possible replacements.

As per reports, Nuno Espirito Santo is most probably the next manager of the Hammers.

The Portuguese manager has recently left Nottingham Forest and has proved his worth at City Ground.

Sources close to the Hammers indicate that he would be keen to move to London and take over at the stadium.

There are other names, including Slaven Bilic and Gary O’Neil. Bilic has a past history with West Ham, both as a player and manager to the club.

Thus for the Croatian, it would not be the first time he becomes manager for the Hammers, as he took charge of the club between 2015 and 2017.

Also on the cards is Gary O’Neil after his sterling performances at Bournemouth and Wolves.

The former midfielder has proven capable of working well with limited resources and organizing teams defensively.

He remains available after being released from his contract at Wolves at the end of last season.

Poor Record Since His Appointment

Reading Potter’s statistics makes it difficult for West Ham supporters. Since his appointment as Hammers coach in January, he has recorded only six wins from 25 matches in all competitions.

That will translate to a success rate of only 24%, and this is well short of what is expected from a club with ambitions to grow like West Ham.

His predecessor Lopetegui in fact had a better percentage having won seven games from among 22 before his dismissal.

So, besides the general feeling, the fact that Potter’s record is worse than that of the manager he replaced puts additional pressure on his position.

Home form has been particularly worrying for West Ham supporters. This poor home form particularly stands to lose because of the passionate support West Ham usually enjoy at the London Stadium.

The fans expect their team to be competitive on their own ground, but Potter has let them down with the results they crave.

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Reactions from Players and Fans

Despite the pressure, Potter stands firm on his ability to make things right.

In a reaction to the Palace defeat when speaking to Match of the Day, he said: “It’s tough, the results are not what we want at all. I feel for the players, supporters, everybody connected with the club. We have to stick together and find a solution.”

Potter reacted to the fans protesting for his removal by showing understanding of their frustration, saying, “I didn’t hear any but I understand their frustrations.

People are entitled to their opinion; I have no complaints at all about the club or the support we’ve had; but I understand the results are not positive.”

Potter is on record saying he still has the backing of the board when directly questioned about his future. “Yeah, I’ve no reason to think not,” he replied when asked if he felt supported by the club’s hierarchy.

But former England striker Wayne Rooney believes that the pressure is really piling on.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Rooney said: “It feels like, with the protests this week, that the fans want him out. It’s going to be an interesting 48 hours to see whether the board comes out and backs him or makes a decision.”

Crucial Period Ahead

West Ham are engaging into a very pivotal period as far as Potter’s future is concerned, with more very important fixtures lined up.

Next week, they have an away game at Everton, hosting Arsenal the weekend before the international break.

These fixtures may determine whether Potter indeed keeps his job or becomes the latest victim of Premier League managerial turnover.

The board must consider this before deciding on whether to stick with Potter or change him.

As per Sky Sports, “There is a notable realisation behind the scenes that it is not great to sack Potter so early in the new Premier League season, five games in.”

However, the identification of replacements is already pretty telling about their thinning patience.

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy, for instance, thinks the writing may be on the wall. Speaking after the defeat to Palace, he said: “The confidence is depleting as the games go by. It’s not looking good for him.”

Signs keep on building that the West Ham board, sooner rather than later, would be facing a decision about their manager.

Under tremendous pressure, Potter’s job has continued to look very uncertain after such a poor start to the season.

Fan protests before the Palace match clearly depict the extent of disenchantment among fans.

Thousands gathered to voice their ire with regard to how the club is being run, with chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady facing calls to step down alongside Potter.

The next few days will be decisive for Potter’s future at West Ham.

With all the pressure from the fans and replacements already being considered, he will be required to deliver results quickly if he wants to retain his job.

The trip up to Everton could just be the defining game of his career at the London Stadium.