Debate has been raging at West Ham about Graham Potter for months now and was reignited by a shock jock this weekend but there is a shocking truth behind the situation.
When Graham Potter was booed off by both West Ham and Brighton fans after watching his side throw away a late 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 his reaction was telling.
After 20 months out of football after being chewed up and spat out by Chelsea, Potter was feeling pressure for the first time since that ill-fated spell.
And the Hammers didn’t even have anything to play for.
So imagine the level of scrutiny that will be on the Englishman when West Ham go into a new season with his period of grace well and truly over.
Potter can have no qualms about the fact the jury is still well and truly out on him as the Hammers’ head coach.
Potter hasn’t even felt real pressure yet at West Ham
A dismal five wins from 19 games will do that to any manager at any club, let alone one of West Ham’s size.
Potter flipped after that collapse at Brighton and it does not bode well for when the real pressure arrives next term.
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The 50-year-old has signed up to work under David Sullivan and the virtually anonymous Daniel Kretinsky.
So Potter knows the price on the ticket.
He rather naively promised an ‘exciting and interesting’ summer transfer window.
It will certainly be interesting.
West Ham face the most important rebuild of recent years.
West Ham United FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC - Premier League
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Paul Merson has predicted West Ham could be relegated.
He even stated that newly-promoted Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley will be ‘licking their lips’ at the Hammers being so bad.
Club legend Tony Cottee says Potter will be in trouble if West Ham don’t start well in the first six games.
Now Rory Jennings – a YouTube fan pundit who has managed to find some relevance working on the likes of Sky Sports and talkSPORT – has gone all in on the situation at the London Stadium.
The shock jock is probably right about Potter but the shocking truth means West Ham are stuck.
In the last two seasons all three promoted clubs have gone straight back down.
But Jennings, a Chelsea fan, believes West Ham will break the mould under Potter, who he states is one of the most ill-fitting managers for a football club he has ever seen.
Shock jock probably right about Potter
“I have never known a manager who is so not befitting of the club,” Jennings said on talkSPORT.
“West Ham are a proud club with a rich history, with a chip on their shoulder and a very vocal and passionate fanbase. None of that chimes with the man that Graham Potter is.
“Nothing about West Ham United sits comfortably with Graham Potter at the helm. Whilst he is there, West Ham are relegation candidates.”
Jennings has been panned for his views by many West Ham fans on social media.
But, quite frankly, he is only conveying what many Hammers supporters have been saying themselves for some time now.
Especially as we go deeper into the summer window with no new arrivals on the horizon as things stand.
Potter has already shown worrying signs he will struggle to cope when the pressure is on.
He has also proved he is incapable of getting a tune out of the current squad.
Graham Potter reacts during Manchester United FC v West Ham United FC in the Premier League
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Shocking truth means West Ham are stuck
Towards the end of his first six months in charge, Potter himself admitted West Ham were nowhere near where he wants them to be in terms of how the team plays – especially in attack.
If he isn’t able to go out and get the players he wants then that isn’t going to change. And that won’t be his fault.
Some Hammers supporters have also accused Potter of being meek and a ‘yes man’ for the board who won’t kick up a fuss if he isn’t backed.
When West Ham were replacing David Moyes, fans were completely underwhelmed by the appointment of Julen Lopetegui.
Far better candidates were out there – but the key element was Lopetegui was a free agent, meaning the Hammers did not have to pay out any compensation.
Ruben Amorim was a complete non-starter with his £30m plus overall package.
Thomas Frank, the man many Hammers fans wanted, would have cost the £10m Spurs have just paid to get him to north London.
Hammers can’t afford to sack Potter if things go horribly wrong
Sullivan has never liked paying out a fee to bring a manager in.
That in itself will always limit a club’s options to managers who are out of work. And most managers are usually out of work because they have been sacked.
The fact Potter was a free agent was key to him being chosen to succeed Lopetegui.
So even if, as Jennings states, he is the wrong fit for the club, the shocking truth is West Ham can’t afford to sack Potter.
Sullivan has already paid out close to £5m to pay up Lopetegui.
That money counts towards West Ham’s PSR accounting – as would paying up the remaining two years on Potter’s deal if he were to be shown the door early into the new campaign.
And that’s why West Ham and Potter, unless he walks, are now likely stuck with one another for the foreseeable future – regardless of what happens on the pitch next season.