Let’s be fair: Graham Potter hasn’t been given the resources he was promised by those in charge at **West Ham**.
But having said that, did he really need to pick a midfield of James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodríguez, and Tomáš Souček in The Carabao Cup?
Yes, the squad still needs a striker, at least two midfielders, and a central defender. But it was very much the manager’s choice to park the bus and try to see out a result.
Then there’s his insistence on using [Jarrod Bowen](https://www.claretandhugh.info/jarrod-bowen-bio/) almost anywhere but his best position in order to accommodate a 3-5-2 system that simply isn’t working. It’s strangling the life out of West Ham’s attacking play.
In short, while Potter isn’t being backed properly from above, his decision-making has been abysmal. Sitting deep and trying to soak up pressure defies belief given how porous our defence has been recently. Against Wolves, you’d think he’d do almost anything to keep the ball as far away from Alphonse Areola’s goal as possible — but Potter doesn’t seem to know how to set up an attacking side.
The capitulation at Molineux felt horribly familiar, reminiscent of David Moyes’ final season when West Ham shipped a record number of Premier League goals. Right now, this team looks paralysed — and worryingly, Potter doesn’t look capable of reversing it.