"The timing of the news left a sour taste in the mouth. Graham Potter has been in trouble for more than a month. There was no decision after West Ham continued their dreadful start to the season last Saturday, losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace at a deflated London Stadium, and it seemed Potter had been given one last chance to save his job given that he conducted his usual media duties before facing Everton on Monday night."
"There was defiance from the 50-year-old on Friday night. Blame the coach all you like, Potter said, but it is worth looking at the wider context. You have to look at where the club was at, he said. Because then you can make an assessment of how long it needs to turn results around. What was the environment like? What was the culture like? What was the team like? Answer: toxic, dysfunctional, slow."
"Tim Steidten, the outgoing technical director, had wasted so much money. Those who worked around Steidten believe not enough is made of how much damage was left by the German's recruitment. They accept Potter did not do well enough before his time was up on Saturday morning, but one club source says the task of reviving West Ham could not have been harder for the former Chelsea manager."
Graham Potter had been under pressure for more than a month following West Ham's dreadful start to the season, including a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. Potter argued that wider club problems — a toxic, dysfunctional and slow environment — hindered rebuilding and required time to fix. West Ham were already in a poor position when Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui in January, and outgoing technical director Tim Steidten is blamed for costly recruitment mistakes. Club sources accept Potter did not achieve enough, but they say the task of revival was unusually difficult, prompting David Sullivan to sack him amid relegation fears.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]