A top BBC Sport pundit has slammed the job Graham Potter is doing at West Ham, saying the manager’s hero Diego Maradona would turn in his grave at his tactics.
Graham Potter is still struggling to convince West Ham fans and many of them want him out.
That’s the verdict of leading French journalist and BBC Five Live Sport pundit Julien Laurens.
West Ham played out their final home game of a miserable season at the London Stadium on Sunday, losing 2-1 to Nottingham Forest.
Bar the one or two typically dependable stars, the Hammers were their usual lethargic, lacklustre selves for the most part.
It means West Ham ended the season with just five wins at home, signing off with a defeat on home turf for the first time in eight years.
West Ham officially worse under Potter than Lopetegui
The malaise at West Ham dates back long before Potter’s arrival – to the start of January 2024 to be precise.
Standards started to slip when it became clear David Moyes was leaving – by former assistant Kevin Nolan’s own honest West Ham admission since.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Julen Lopetegui was an underwhelming replacement as far as Hammers fans were concerned.
The Spaniard became West Ham’s shortest serving permanent manager ever when he was dismissed in January.
His successor Potter has been even worse, though.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
West Ham have won just four of Potter’s 18 games in charge.
Even if Potter gets a win at Ipswich on the final day next weekend, he can’t match the win ratio which saw Lopetegui sacked.
In fact Potter’s record thus far is the worst it has been in east London since Avram Grant.
The 49-year-old is being given grace by many West Ham fans until he puts his own team together in the summer.
But most have already seen enough and Potter’s tactics and team selection are totally unacceptable.
BBC man says Potter’s hero Maradona would turn in his grave at his West Ham tactics
That’s according to BBC Sport pundit Laurens during an explosive rant that will strike a chord with the many disgruntled fans who jeered the team off once again.
Earlier this month Potter revealed his childhood hero and the man who made him fall in love with the beautiful game was the great Diego Maradona.
Potter has stated several times he wants to deliver the exciting attacking football West Ham fans demand.
But there has been no evidence of that with the Hammers among the worst teams in the league since he took over, particularly when it comes to shots and goals.
Laurens slammed Potter’s style of play – highlighting that the manager selected NINE defensive players against Forest despite West Ham being at home with nothing to play for or lose.
Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Laurens says Potter’s hero Maradona would be ‘turning in his grave’ at his West Ham tactics and claims Hammers fans he knows already want him sacked.
“Nine defensive players, when you play at home, in your last game of the season? When you’ve won one in nine,” Laurens said on BBC Five Live Sport.
“And you have on the bench the likes of (Lucas) Paqueta and (Evan) Ferguson and (Niclas) Fullkrug – even Carlos Soler!
“And you play me nine defensive players?! I don’t understand it, it’s not for me.
“The question is, how many of those West Ham fans want Graham Potter there next season? Because really, let’s be honest here, it’s been so underwhelming since he took over…
Potter slammed for fielding nine defensive players
“This whole thing about ‘he needs a summer, he needs a full pre-season, he needs a transfer window’, I’m not really sure I buy that.
“(Tomas) Soucek as a number 10? Diego Maradona would turn in his grave. Soucek in your position, giving him the number 10 and ask him to do all the creative, fancy stuff? This is not for me, really not for me.”
There is a strong argument to say Potter would not have been retained this summer had David Sullivan got his way and appointed him on a six-month deal as originally planned.
Interest from Everton forced Sullivan’s hand to give Potter a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Now the pressure will pile on the summer window and start of next season.