West Ham fans have been so underwhelmed by what they’ve seen from Graham Potter so far he felt he had to apologise.
There have been glimpses of a brighter future under Graham Potter at West Ham.
But that’s all there have been.
It is probably fair to say that West Ham were never going to be a quick or easy fix, whoever replaced Julen Lopetegui.
Expectations were heightened when Potter got an instant response from the team in an unfortunate FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa.
That came just 24 hours after his first training session with the team.
Potter apologises for underwhelming Hammers start
So fans rationalised that West Ham could be set for the kind of burst in form Everton had experienced under their former manager David Moyes.
Five defeats, three wins and a draw from Potter’s first nine games shows that was something of a false dawn, though.
Hope that there could be some miraculous turnaround and surge up the Premier League table has been replaced with a more sobering and far less exciting reality.
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That West Ham are very much a work in progress under Potter and that everything is now about the summer and next season.
Lopetegui and Tim Steidten did such a painfully bad job this season that West Ham’s campaign has lacked jeopardy throughout.
Hammers fans are desperately searching for some hope in the style of football and approach.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
West Ham fans critical of dull performances
But at times so far under Potter some fans feel it has been more Moyes than Moyes himself.
West Ham have not been great, particularly at home, under their new manager.
Against Brentford, Leicester and Newcastle, supporters have bemoaned sideways and backwards passing ad nauseum.
There have been jeers already during some of the matches, including at full-time of the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.
West Ham have managed the fewest shots on goal in the Premier League since Potter’s arrival.
That statistic doesn’t benefit from context – such as opposition, injuries and the like.
But it tallies with a sense of boredom from many fans when watching the Hammers right now.
Potter has blamed Lopetegui for West Ham’s dull play.
Former Chelsea boss Potter has also apologised to Hammers fans for not revolutionising it more quickly.
Now a ex-Premier League boss has told West Ham that Potter’s boring football won’t last.
When West Ham were being linked with Potter, opinion was divided across football as a result of his time at, and sacking by, Chelsea.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Then Southampton boss Russell Martin is known for having strident views on the game and an obsession with tactics.
Martin went on a brilliant rant about Potter before he was appointed by the Hammers.
He defended his fellow Englishman and his approach.
Now he has doubled down, telling West Ham what they are seeing now is nothing compared to how Potter will have them playing next season.
“When you watch Graham’s Swansea team, his Brighton team, even moments at Chelsea when they had some brilliant games when he was there, he wants to see fast football, attacking football, flowing football,” Martin said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“Quite expansive as a team and the concept of the game.
“Formation he’s really flexible, he has been at all of his teams.
“So I think he will find a way of doing that. But he has gone in and prioritised what he needs to do right now.”
Ex Premier League boss makes bold West Ham prediction
Martin also believes West Ham’s owners will be under no illusions of the work Potter is undertaking.
In fact he says the Hammers’ hierarchy would have told Potter to use the rest of the season to figure out who he wants to keep and what he needs in the summer.
And Martin states that Potter will make West Ham ‘really strong’ for next season.
“He’ll be learning so much about the players now,” Martin added.
“What he can get out of them longer term and maybe what he needs in the summer in terms of recruitment.
“So this part of the season, because they’re safe, they haven’t got much to play for, apart from the players are playing to be part of the club’s future and Graham’s future.
“And he’s working out what he needs and I think next season they’ll be really strong.”
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Martin makes some salient points.
Even if some of them might be contradicted by his own failings in the top flight with the Saints.
Effectively, this is Martin telling West Ham to give Potter a chance.
They will of course. But having had the rare luxury of what is essentially a six-month pre-season, expectations will be high next season.