Simon Jordan has claimed that Karren Brady has left the door open for West Ham to sack Graham Potter, with the club facing a tough upcoming run.
If Graham Potter thinks he was under pressure during his difficult first six months at West Ham last season, he hasn’t seen anything yet.
The Hammers won just five of Potter’s 19 games in the second half of last season, a worse record than his hapless predecessor Julen Lopetegui.
Back in football after nearly two years out following his sacking by Chelsea, West Ham fans gave Potter a period of grace until he had his own players and a full pre-season.
West Ham pressure piles on Potter on day one of new season
A lack of jeopardy in West Ham’s campaign last term allowed for such a rare and lengthy bedding in period.
While West Ham’s summer transfer window has been massively underwhelming so far, Potter has reshaped the squad, shipping eight out and bringing in four new players.
He has also talked up, incessantly, how good West Ham’s pre-season preparations have been.
So now there really are no excuses for the 50-year-old to start getting results.
West Ham United coach Graham Potter during the Sunderland defeat
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
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Even Potter himself has gone on record saying this season is the time to judge him given he did not get a pre-season with the team when appointed in January.
Therefore the disastrous start to the new Premier League campaign has set alarm bells ringing.
Pundits like Paul Merson, Jamie Carragher, Tony Cascarino and Darren Ambrose had all predicted West Ham will be relegated from the Premier League this season before the opener at Sunderland.
Now they have many more like-minded thinkers following West Ham’s dismal 3-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light, their worst result yet under Potter.
Potter’s record last season was so bad, there was talk the Hammers could hold their hands up and pull the plug on his two-and-a-half-year deal early.
Jordan: Brady left door open for West Ham to sack Potter
So the deeply concerning defeat at Sunderland has piled the pressure straightaway ahead of a daunting run of fixtures.
West Ham face world champions Chelsea on Friday night before impressive Forest away, rejuvenated Spurs at home, obdurate Crystal Palace at the London Stadium, David Moyes’ new-look Everton away and Arsenal away leading into the October international break.
Given the way the Hammers started the season, it is hard to see where they pick up any points.
And Simon Jordan claims Karren Brady has left the door open for West Ham to sack Potter.
Graham Potter and Niclas Fullkrug after Sunderland v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Lack of conviction in Brady’s Potter backing says Jordan
The Hammers vice-chair appeared as a guest on talkSPORT the morning after the Sunderland shambles.
Brady gave Potter, a close friend of her husband Paul Peschisolido, a public vote of confidence.
But ex club owner Jordan, who has been there, done that and got the t-shirt, believes he spotted a tell-tale sign from Brady that West Ham could axe Potter.
“The key component of that (Brady backing for Potter) was ‘hope’ (she said) ‘I hope he does well’,” Jordan said on talkSPORT, which you can see in full below.
“Karren talks about all the different attributes – that have got him fired from Chelsea because he didn’t have the stomach to deal with it there – and he hasn’t hit the ground running, and it’s a difficult job West Ham…
Jordan says West Ham’s players don’t respond to Potter
“It’s clear whatever message he is imparting, however much the players “respect” him, they don’t respond to him, because they’re not delivering outcomes. That was an abject performance and Karren coming on and speaking about what kind of mindset he has? I would expect nothing less.
“But the key word was ‘I hope things work out for him’ rather than ‘I expect them to work out for him’. Because right now that’s (use of the word hope) is giving you margins isn’t it, it is giving you an exit strategy for if you do make a decision with Graham Potter.
“If you look at the run of fixtures he’s got coming up, he doesn’t get any respite, because they’re all difficult fixtures.”
Brady insisted West Ham are a club that gives their managers time.
But Jordan says West Ham have proved they will sack managers early after making Lopetegui the club’s shortest-serving permanent manager in their 130-year history.
“The interesting thing about what Karren said, West Ham do react, they sacked their (last) manager, they had Lopetegui in place for five minutes,” Jordan added.
“So they are capable of making decisions if the landscape isn’t right.”