This has been a season of misery for West Ham so far. The club thought they were beyond simply reaching the semi-finals of European competitions under David Moyes – winning the Conference League, and constantly being in the hunt for European places domestically.
They believed they deserved better and wanted champagne football. So, they made a change in the summer, opting to bring in Julen Lopetegui, who, to his credit, boasts a brilliant CV.
Having managed FC Porto, the Spanish national team, Sevilla, and Real Madrid, Lopetegui’s resume is impressive. However, as is often the case, the devil is in the details. He lasted just 16 games at Madrid and was sacked on the eve of the 2018 World Cup as Spain’s boss.
It might get worse before It gets better
After only six months and six Premier League wins, West Ham found themselves searching for a new manager, leading to the appointment of former Chelsea manager Graham Potter. Potter, ranked at no.37 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, is regarded as one of the brightest English managers of recent times, and helped Brighton establish themselves as a top-half Premier League side.
However, his reputation took a hit during his brief stint at Chelsea, where he was never given the time to implement his ideas and see them through. After his side’s 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, Potter made it clear how he felt about his time at Chelsea: “I don't miss being here.” At Stamford Bridge, he never received the time he desperately needed to build a team that played to his philosophy.
If ever there was a club in need of an English manager with the patience to build, it is West Ham. The club’s culture and pride are deeply rooted in east London, and they thrive on a solid foundation as a historic English club. The club and Potter meet at a time when they both need each other.
The issue, however, is that Potter is not a “firefighter” type of manager. He is a builder – he needs time to get going. Unlike managers who burn brightly but briefly, Potter’s track record at Brighton, Swansea, and even Östersund (where he took the club from the fourth division in Sweden to Europe) speaks to his ability to build something lasting. But the question remains: will West Ham give him the time he needs to build?
The 1-0 defeat to Brentford this weekend was deflating. Under Potter, West Ham have played six games, won only once, and lost four times. “The good thing for us is that at least I’m no longer falling asleep during games, so that’s a positive,” West Ham fan David Straford told FourFourTwo after the game.
He continued, “I mean, it's not his fault we are where we are, so I can't really blame him. But I hope he does well for us.”
Potter himself admitted that his start at West Ham has not gone according to plan. He has demanded more from himself before asking more from the players he inherited.
Addressing a room full of journalists at the London Stadium, he said: “Of course, you want to get results. You want to win football matches. That’s just the Premier League for you, and you have to understand that. But yeah, results-wise, we all want to win, we all want to have success.”
Optimism despite the gloom
There are glimmers of hope. The second half against Brentford showed improvement, and Mohammed Kudus should have scored. There are still reasons to believe that, like Eddie Howe, Unai Emery, and Nuno Espírito Santo, Potter could turn things around. All three have proven that with a second chance in the Premier League, they can succeed.
At Brighton, Potter was a slow starter. The early days were up and down, but by his third season, he had proven himself to be an excellent manager. At Swansea, his team finished 10th in his only season there, and fans were disappointed when he left for the Premier League. They had seen the potential of what he wanted to build.
West Ham’s situation is similar. The problems run deep and will take more than just a few months to fix. But to be fair, West Ham’s owners are known for giving managers time. They stuck by Manuel Pellegrini even when it was clear his tenure was not working, and they kept Julen Lopetegui much longer than they should have, despite his record of 10 defeats in 22 matches.
So, Potter will likely get time. The road will be bumpy, but the former Chelsea manager understands this could be his last opportunity at a Premier League club. Therefore, he must first build a culture before he can construct a winning team that will delight the almost 60,000 fans who pack the London Stadium every other Saturday.
This will not be a walk in the park, but these defeats will reveal the herculean nature of the job at hand. Sometimes, you have to lose to win, and that’s where Potter is now. These defeats will tell him what his players are capable of, who he can depend on, and when he can’t.
