West Ham United have parted company with Graham Potter after only eight months in charge, following a miserable run of results that has left the club 19th in the Premier League.Potter oversaw just six...
West Ham United have parted company with Graham Potter after only eight months in charge, following a miserable run of results that has left the club 19th in the Premier League.
Potter oversaw just six wins from 25 matches since replacing Julen Lopetegui in January. His record included only three points from the opening five league fixtures this season, with last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace proving the final straw.
The club released a statement confirming his dismissal alongside the departures of his entire backroom staff, including assistant coach Bruno Saltor and first-team coaches Billy Reid and Narcis Pelach.
West Ham said results and performances “have not matched expectations” and that a change was required “to help improve the team’s position in the Premier League as soon as possible.”
Supporters had grown increasingly restless at London Stadium, with chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” aimed at Potter during the Palace loss.
A fan advisory board had also issued a “vote of no confidence” in the club’s direction, prompting owners to attempt to reassure the fanbase earlier this month.
The 50-year-old admitted after the Palace game that the situation was “tough” but insisted he wanted to turn results around. He will not get the chance.
His tenure began with hope after a two-and-a-half-year contract was agreed in January, but Potter never managed to reverse West Ham’s inconsistency.
They sat 14th when he arrived and ended the campaign in the same position, with only five wins in 18 matches during the second half of last season.
That poor win rate raised alarms when he was first appointed, with critics pointing to his ill-fated spell at Chelsea and suggesting West Ham had taken an unnecessary gamble.
Former Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and ex-West Ham boss Slaven Bilic are among the names already linked with the vacancy. The board has begun the process of identifying a successor but has given no timeline for an appointment.
West Ham have lost three of their opening five matches, conceding 13 goals while scoring only five.
The club now faces a crucial decision with fixtures against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur looming and the pressure of a relegation battle mounting early in the season.
Category: General Sports
