GRAHAM POTTER may have already lost the support of many West Ham fans after the Hammers’ dismal opening day defeat to Sunderland.
Potter’s team were beaten 3-0 by the newly promoted Black Cats, who had a dream return to the top flight.
ReutersWest Ham fans have called for Graham Potter to be sacked[/caption]
ReutersWest Ham fell to an embarrassing opening day defeat[/caption]
GettyNewly promoted side Sunderland beat the Hammers 3-0[/caption]
Second half goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Daniel Ballard and Wilson Isidor sent the Stadium of Light into bedlam and the underdogs top of the table.
But for West Ham, it was a frustrating reminder that they are miles away from where they would like to be under Potter.
That frustration spilled out onto social media as plenty of Hammers fans vented their anger online.
One wrote: “Potter has to go tonight, that’s a dreadful start”.
While another added: “Can’t see Graham Potter making it to mid-season.”
A third fumed: “Sack Graham Potter today. He has no idea how to fix the same issues West Ham have had for the past couple of seasons. Embarrassment to lose this”.
And a fourth posted: “This man is not a Premier League quality manager. He should stand down.”
One other fan even claimed: “Potter will be fired before December”.
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Since Potter was appointed as West Ham manager he has taken charge of 19 Premier League games, winning just five of them.
Two of those five wins have come against relegated opposition in Ipswich and Leicester.
Potter’s win percentage is just 25 per cent across all competitions – the lowest of any West Ham manager in history with a minimum of 20 games in charge as per Transfermarkt.
Things don’t get any easier for Potter this season either, with clashes against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham on the horizon.
Potter speaks out
Speaking after the game the manager said: “I was happy with our performance in the first half. I think we did a lot of things well.
“We were unlucky not to score. We quietened the crowd and felt in control of large parts of the game.”
Adding: “The second half wasn’t good enough. We need to get better, we need to improve, we need to understand what happened.”
In his press conference he was more damning: “I’d rather focus on what we need to do today. If we don’t do the basics right in football, you can bring player and player and player and player in and it’s not going to solve the problems.
“The problems are we didn’t defend well enough at some actions and then we paid a heavy, heavy price, which you can do in this league. So that’s what we have to focus on.”
Potter was tearing his hair out as Mayenda and Ballard were both allowed to head home before Isidor sealed it at the death on the counter.
He added: “With the greatest respect, it’s not Niall Quinn playing. We’re disappointed with that.
“We have to deal with those situations. It’s not like we were cut open and pushed back for periods of time. It wasn’t like that. It was just balls in the box that we didn’t do well enough.
“The lads are angry, they’re disappointed, they’re frustrated.”
