Alan Shearer and Graham Potter
(Credit: Imago)
Henry Green
Mon 18 August 2025 9:40, UK
Graham Potter has again come under fire for his tactics after West Ham crashed to a 3-0 loss to newly promoted Sunderland on Saturday.
Hammers supporters had been hoping that after a full pre-season for Potter, he would be able to put last season behind him and get off to the perfect start.
However, things didn’t play out as planned as Sunderland dominated West Ham in the second half, and the Irons looked worryingly flat at the Stadium of Light.
Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer wasn’t happy that his rivals won the game, but he was also left scratching his head about other aspects of West Ham’s game.
Graham Potter sitting West Ham
Potter will be disappointed with the performance (Credit: Imago)
West Ham ‘folded’ after conceding
Potter has faced plenty of issues off the pitch this summer, as they continue their search for more depth in midfield.
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West Ham have had bids rejected for Mateus Fernandes, and also now look to have missed out on Douglas Luiz, who is set to join Nottingham Forest.
The Irons’ transfer business will disappoint supporters, but what will disappoint them most is the way the West Ham players’ heads dropped in the defeat to Sunderland.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: “But the worrying thing for me was how they folded when they conceded one goal.
“I mean, the atmosphere and everything seemed to get to them and worry them. And there was a complete lack of energy and all of those things that you think, come on, lads, what we got.
“So that would be very worrying from a West Ham point of view, definitely.”
Potter has a mentality problem to fix in East London, and things look set to get worse before they get better.
Things aren’t getting easier for Potter
News has emerged that Lucas Paqueta wants to leave the Hammers this summer, which will make Potter’s life even harder.
Team Points won from losing positions
Leicester 12
West Ham 6
Ipswich 6
Southampton 4
West Ham were down there with the bottom three for points gained from losing positions
The Hammers boss is already facing a crisis in midfield, with Edson Alvarez also wanting to leave, and James Ward-Prowse not meeting the standards expected of him.
On top of this, Guido Rodriguez had yet another shocking performance against the Mackems, and it is clear to see where the problems are.
Things are unlikely to improve in the transfer window in the coming weeks for Potter, and in fairness to him, he isn’t getting the backing he needs.
Up front, he is left with an ageing flop of a striker in Niclas Fullkrug after losing a key player in Mohammed Kudus.
Things are looking really bleak.
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