[West Ham](https://www.claretandhugh.info/exclusive-were-on-the-floor-west-ham-board-admit-crisis-of-their-own-making/) travel to Wolves on Tuesday for what, on paper before the season started, looked a mildly interesting Carabao Cup tie. In just two days time, the flat-lining Hammers, described even before the Chelsea thrashing as being [‘on the floor’](https://www.claretandhugh.info/exclusive-were-on-the-floor-west-ham-board-admit-crisis-of-their-own-making/) , will try and dust themselves down to compete and at least show some spine in _what has become one of two games pivotal to manager Graham Potter’s whole career_.
Another failure after Potter’s Chelsea sacking would surely finish his reputation as being a top-tier Manager.
The under-fire Hammers manager’s obvious selection ‘no brainer’ involves removing Mads Hermansen from the firing line for the ‘cup keeper’ Alphonse Areola: The Dane had played once since April – and it showed- and needs an arm around his shoulders and a chance to rebuild his shattered confidence. He’s got far more to offer and will have better times ahead.
Graham Potter’s dilemma is whether to give in to the calls to play some of his youngsters. Freddie Potts is a must-start anyway, but Callum Marshall , Ollie Scarles and Lewis Orford along with possibly fit-again George Earthy can prove inspired selections or calamitous gambles.
Easy for us to shout ‘play the youngsters’ – we don’t have to live with the consequences of destroying young careers ( as per Hermansen) or another thrashing being the result, which would surely finish Potter’s career. Sadly without Guilherme and Summerville, wholesale change won’t be possible. However bad the crisis, Maxi Cornet is never the answer.
Potter’s £40 million man Maximilian Kilman surely needs to be benched, too, in favour of error-prone defender Konstantinos Mavropanous who will, at least, stick his head into the firing line. Which is ironic of course as it would be a return for Max Kilman to his former club. No matter, the centre back is in atrocious form and deserves to be dropped after the eight goal deluge.
The Hammers need some backbone from somewhere. Thanks to the calamitous transfer window, there are few options to giving some of the young talent a chance to play for the shirt.