We’ll never truly know what was said in today’s meeting between West Ham bosses and manager Graham Potter. But it’s fair to say he was at least given a stark warning—if not an ultimatum—that results must improve immediately.
Which brings us to the pressing question: what team will the Hammers boss turn to in order to drag himself out of this sticky situation?
Like many, I was concerned by Potter’s inability to fix West Ham’s fragility from set pieces and his reluctance to select a striker until the team were already behind and down to ten men. But most worrying of all is his stubborn insistence on relying on James Ward-Prowse to anchor the midfield under all circumstances.
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James Ward Prowse
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I’m still baffled as to why Potter decided to substitute his favourite player in the 92nd minute last time out. I can only assume it was an attempt to show he could remove Ward-Prowse, but nobody was fooled by the gesture.
Potter giving Brady & Sullivan a tap-in sacking
It’s plain for all to see that Potter has a blind spot when it comes to JWP, who offers next to nothing in the midfield. What will be most revealing is whether the manager can bring himself to drop his vice-captain for what could be his final game in charge of West Ham.
A midfield trio of Fernandes, Magassa, and Paquetá surely has to be the selection if Potter wants to go out fighting. I’ve long since given up believing the Hammers head coach will admit his engine room is handicapped by the inclusion of Ward-Prowse. But perhaps desperation—and the desire to keep his job—might persuade him to roll the dice one last time.
They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting different results. That perfectly sums up West Ham’s midfield and set-piece defending under Potter. His refusal to change leaves you wondering how much he actually wants to keep his current employment.
With fan protests highly likely to attract TV coverage next weekend, the West Ham board will be looking for any reason to deflect bad press away from themselves. If Potter persists with the same selections and tactics that have made him one of the worst managers in Irons history, he’ll be making Sullivan and Brady’s job easy for them.