West Ham have hosted some inane press conferences this season. The linguistically – challenged Lopetegui caused us all to scratch our heads trying to fathom out what he meant – even after two or three video re-runs. [Graham Potter](https://www.claretandhugh.info/graham-potter-wheeling-and-dealing-all-set-for-june-12th/) is a breath of fresh air in as much as he speaks eloquently and confidently and clearly doesn’t fear the occasion as his predecessor did.
Still I find myself shouting at the screen sometimes, with the limited array of questions asked both through time constraints and no doubt ‘press conference etiquette’ which prevents anyone asking too-searching a question for fear of being cold shouldered next time.
However, there is a serious issue here.
_Nobody asks Graham Potter why he is persisting with this dull, defensive set up with eight players often spending the first half behind the ball._ 3-5-2 is fine against a top six side if you need a point away from home.
But, competitively speaking, West Ham’s season is over. Safe from relegation, and taking on Wolves who sit below West Ham and have not been exactly rampant this season, _why persist with the ‘parking the bus’ routine which actually invites opponents to attack._
Wouldn’t carrying a goal threat by, at least, starting Ferguson or Fullkrug in between Kudus and Bowen be the best way to frustrate an opponent’s attacking options – attack being the best means of defence and all that.
_Ferguson has shown he’s fit with a start and a goal for Ireland. So why persist with the negative two up-front set up – it must be driving Kudus and Bowen to distraction._
_And why doesn’t Luis Guilherme get more than two minutes at the end of a game?_ Potter kept him at the club when he could have been sold in the winter – what was the point. How can West Ham’s coaching team ever assess him if they never get a glimpse.
Pace in the last half an hour of a game can be a huge threat. _Or don’t West Ham want to create a goal threat?_
I’m not holding out much hope that someone will pick up on these points when Potter hits the cameras. But I’ll be watching all the same.