Graham Potter

[stubbo]

https://www.whufc.com/news/graham-potte ... head-coach

​​​​​​In the past he's favoured a 3-4-3 formation...hard to see how we can do that currently with only 3 senior CBs, one of whom is injured. He's also played wingers (Solly March as an example) in the wing back roles.

Typically when a 3-4-3 gets announced on a match day the manager is immediately described as being too negative, too cautious etc. I guess it depends on the composition of the 4.

He's given young players chances...hopefully that continues at West Ham.

Welcome Graham.

 

[Manuel]

When he talks about the fanbase and the area you def get the impression that he understands that we're not the same breed as a load of soppy cunts down in Brighton, and that he feels privileged and excited to be in that circle and responsible for the fans being happy, or not, etc.

[nychammer]

Something feels right about this in a way it did not about Lopategui. Young, experienced in the PL, seen some success, seen some not so good times, will have learned from his past appointments and we will benefit. I’m excited for this! Welcome Graham and Best of luck!

[El Scorchio]

Yup, he talks a good game and he talks about it eloquently and is pretty open. I'm encouraged thus far. Mentions unity and what the fans would like. I think he will be a lot more tactically astute and tactically flexible than the last few managers.

Good luck Graham.

[Alwaysaniron]

Well as a West Ham fan for more years than I care to admit to, that was a refreshing, educated and thoroughly enjoyable press conference.  Firstly I could actually understand the bloke (not racist, Just never understood 80% of what Loppy said).  

He came across as honest and genuinely pleased to be at West Ham.  

That's good enough for me just now.  

Welcome Mr. Potter; given time I'm sure you'll be able to do some real magic.

[stubbo-admin]

Analytics United assessment on what Potter to West Ham could mean:

[Manuel]

Club interview. He does seem to get what we're about I feel.

[LJC]

Got to admit that was quite a refreshing meeting with the press. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, absolutely nothing to back this up but just feels like a right fit.

[simons]

We’ve got a manager I (and more importantly, hopefully) the players can understand. It’s a start. Certainly will be a baptism of fire tomorrow night, but it’s a free hit, so a win would have everyone buzzing before a premier league ball is kicked. All the best Potter, son.

[stubbo-admin]

First press conference...starts at 12 mins in.

[ray winstone]

A massive welcome to Harry, wishing him all the best, onwards and upwards...⚒

[Manuel]

He does speak very well and always very respectful when questioned and never ducks a difficult question or hides behind plenty of excuses. I do like that a lot about him.

Yep, I said before I noticed that during his pressers towards the end of his Chelsea reign. Ask me a question and I'll answer it. That aside, just the usual soundbites that you'd expect from this type of presser, everyone is happy and loves each other, slaps on the back etc. Seems a bit of a pity now that it's Villa away tomorrow. 

[onsideman]

Stop cutting corners, you.. Left them in 4th after just 6 games and De Zerbi over the course of the majority of the same season got them 6th. The previous season Potter also got off to a flying start in 4th spot in the League after a few games, only for them to finish in 9th place. Brighton also narrowly got knocked out on pens in the FA Cup Semi Final to Man Utd under De Zerbi where they got knocked out in early rounds of both Cups the season before under Potter. 

You seriously also suggesting he did a better job at Chelsea having left them in 11th after being sacked than where they ended up finishing in 6th the following season under Pochettino? 

 

All due respect mate. I am struggling to see what your argument is and why you won't let it go. Let's boil it down. Are you saying that after the least six months you think Lope should have been kept on? If your answer is no then what's your point.?

 

100% kept on to finish the season before taking stock and have said so in the past. Unlike others I was never impatient to chuck the baby out with the bath water because we lost to Liverpool and Man City having suffered injuries to key players, whilst trying to change an entire philosophy around how we used to play. 

As for Potter, I've said it how it is with him and stand by it. Doesn't mean he won't get backing just I don't think he's a decent manager at this level having seen how he operated before. If others are more excited by his playing style and results then good for them but I haven't liked much of what I've seen of his Teams so far. 

I just feel this will be a very expensive wasted exercise and we'll be back to square one again soon, but this time when we go talking to decent managers, they'll think twice about joining after seeing how badly it all played out publicly through the media recently. 

 

 

 

 

Lopetegui wasn't sacked because we lost to Liverpool and Man City you obtuse berk. He was sacked because we conceded 3 goals or more in 9 out of 22 games and have a  net goal difference of  -0.74 goals per game with no sign of that improving and despite spending £80m+ on the defence. I reckon that's the very definition of an expensive wasted exercise.

I'll just watch and see how, in your words, the classless prick gets on 

[Takashi Miike]

Right. I think we’ll be relegated

given that you know fuck all about football, I'm pretty confident we'll be fine

[twoleftfeet]

Narcis Pelach is an interesting choice as first team coach, just got sacked by Stoke but had a good reputation before that and still in his 30s.

Reid and Saltor no shock, his trusty lieutenants.

It was great hearing a press conference from a manager I could understand.

Now onto the hard work Mr Potter.

[stubbo-admin]

In the whole JLo Vs Potter debate. I think we've all seen the evidence of what happened at Brighton and on the pitch there are parallels to use in terms of change of style from Hughton (a la Moyes) to Potter.

And whilst I respect Lopetegui got some results, the simple fact is the team NEVER looked coherent defensively, gave up way too many huge chances in every game and was continuously reliant on profligate finishing and goalkeeping heroics to stay in games....and when that didn't happen, we got pumped.

I'd argue we were beginning to look better going forwards with Fullkrug fit and providing a focal point...but you can't concede two goals per game over more than half a season and be expected to keep being given time.  That, plus relentless bust ups behind the scenes, a squad that lacked unity and hadn't had a team feel fostered amongst them....and a fan base that had already turned.   He was done and it was right he move on. 

He simply didn't build the bedrock he needed of team unity and work ethic, or connection with the fanbase, to see him through a rough period of time.

Let's hope the new guy can get that aspect in early, and that the football will then follow.

​​​​​

[Massive Attack]

He does speak very well and always very respectful when questioned and never ducks a difficult question or hides behind plenty of excuses. I do like that a lot about him.

[stubbo-admin]

First interview: https://www.whufc.com/news/graham-potte ... -interview

Nice to be able to understand what's being said. And he's done well to get rid of that beard IMO.

Also that he has some foreign language speakers in his coaching setup is good to see, given our squad makeup.

Always worried he'd take time to get a team playing his way, but think Lopetegui will actually have done some ground work conceptually with the 3-BOX-3 model in possession...just different players likely to end up in the positions.

He's typically played wingers as the wingbacks in a 3-4-3 (think Solly March and Trossard) so be interesting to see what happens there....could be different roles for Summerville, Bowen or Kudus.

[goose]

Lets be clear - JL was not sacked off the back of two defeats, that was the tip of the iceberg.
I don't wanna go over old ground, but this first half of the season simply hasn't been good enough (by any metric).

I've said it about 100 times on here, but there was no difference from game #1 vs game #20. We just were not showing any signs of progress.

After the Jan window closes they need to have a long hard look at the recruitment process (players & managers). I reckon Steidten will go.

For now, lets find a childish nickname for Potter so we can all say "i told you so" if he doesn't qualify for the champions league.

[Massive Attack]

 

It's not that simple.

In the 12 months after he left Chelsea they had actually got worse, with a win rate of just 30% (12 wins in 39 league games).

As for Brighton, he left them 6 games into the season, in 4th place with 13 points. If he hadn't made that strong start to the season would they have finished in 6th? Highly doubtful, especially as they finished only 3 points higher than 9th. The following season they finished 11th, which was worse than Potter had achieved the season before he left. Currently they're 10th. In terms of results they haven't changed really. They have scored more but they've also conceded more. 

Stop cutting corners, you.. Left them in 4th after just 6 games and De Zerbi over the course of the majority of the same season got them 6th. The previous season Potter also got off to a flying start in 4th spot in the League after a few games, only for them to finish in 9th place. Brighton also narrowly got knocked out on pens in the FA Cup Semi Final to Man Utd under De Zerbi where they got knocked out in early rounds of both Cups the season before under Potter. 

You seriously also suggesting he did a better job at Chelsea having left them in 11th after being sacked than where they ended up finishing in 6th the following season under Pochettino? 

 

All due respect mate. I am struggling to see what your argument is and why you won't let it go. Let's boil it down. Are you saying that after the least six months you think Lope should have been kept on? If your answer is no then what's your point.?

 

 

100% kept on to finish the season before taking stock and have said so in the past. Unlike others I was never impatient to chuck the baby out with the bath water because we lost to Liverpool and Man City having suffered injuries to key players, whilst trying to change an entire philosophy around how we used to play. 

As for Potter, I've said it how it is with him and stand by it. Doesn't mean he won't get backing just I don't think he's a decent manager at this level having seen how he operated before. If others are more excited by his playing style and results then good for them but I haven't liked much of what I've seen of his Teams so far. 

I just feel this will be a very expensive wasted exercise and we'll be back to square one again soon, but this time when we go talking to decent managers, they'll think twice about joining after seeing how badly it all played out publicly through the media recently. 

[arigurrin]

"Thank god for that. No more bloody Spanish managers. They cause mayhem!" Said someone in the boardroom. Probably scarf........

[Russ of the BML]

Fuck me! People on his case already

Can we at least give him a few games before letting our heads explode?

Mind you no matter who replaced Lopi, this would have happened, either attention seeking, fishing or just trying to be edgy and somehow in the know as to the new managers ability and if he will succeed

Silly cunts!

Not people. Only Massive. Not sure what his point is tho?

[Russ of the BML]

When he leaves Clubs in the English Leagues, they usually go on to perform better once he's left them, not the other way around. 

 

It's not that simple.

In the 12 months after he left Chelsea they had actually got worse, with a win rate of just 30% (12 wins in 39 league games).

As for Brighton, he left them 6 games into the season, in 4th place with 13 points. If he hadn't made that strong start to the season would they have finished in 6th? Highly doubtful, especially as they finished only 3 points higher than 9th. The following season they finished 11th, which was worse than Potter had achieved the season before he left. Currently they're 10th. In terms of results they haven't changed really. They have scored more but they've also conceded more. 

Stop cutting corners, you.. Left them in 4th after just 6 games and De Zerbi over the course of the majority of the same season got them 6th. The previous season Potter also got off to a flying start in 4th spot in the League after a few games, only for them to finish in 9th place. Brighton also narrowly got knocked out on pens in the FA Cup Semi Final to Man Utd under De Zerbi where they got knocked out in early rounds of both Cups the season before under Potter. 

You seriously also suggesting he did a better job at Chelsea having left them in 11th after being sacked than where they ended up finishing in 6th the following season under Pochettino? 

 

 

All due respect mate. I am struggling to see what your argument is and why you won't let it go. Let's boil it down. Are you saying that after the least six months you think Lope should have been kept on? If your answer is no then what's your point.?

[Sydney_Iron]

Fuck me! People on his case already

Can we at least give him a few games before letting our heads explode?

Mind you no matter who replaced Lopi, this would have happened, either attention seeking, fishing or just trying to be edgy and somehow in the know as to the new managers ability and if he will succeed

Silly cunts!

[Jean-Luc Paul Goddard]

Get you getting your knickers in a twist when I too put the facts in front of you to counter your spinned nonsense regarding Potter.

Yeah, right. If a fact doesn't fit your agenda then it's spin. Par for the course.

Personally I don't really rate Potter and I don't expect to enjoy his brand of football, but I don't see the point in making out that his managerial record is worse than it is. 

[Ron Eff]

It’s a shame Massive appears to be assuming the role he criticised others for doing with being negative about Lope from the start, by doing the same with Potter. 

Let’s just give the bloke a chance and our support.

One thing I will say is his first interview on the OS is very good. Clear, concise, appears to recognise what the supporters want. So let’s see.

Much better than pigeon English “we want to make a big noise” gibberish.