Glenn Hoddle destroys ‘Dreadful’ Max Kilman in West Ham United v Tottenham
Glenn Hoddle was far from pleased with what he saw West Ham defender Max Kilman do against Tottenham on Sunday.
Graham Potter handed the former Wolves centre-back a start against Spurs at the London Stadium on 4 May.
The game ended 1-1, with Jarrod Bowen scoring for the hosts and Wilson Odobert finding the back of the net for the visitors.
Kilman destroyed for concession of Odobert’s goal
Kilman was one on one with Mathys Tel in the 15th minute of the contest and Tel overhit the ball which saw it fall to the West Ham defender.
Instead of clearing his lines or calmly passing it back to the goalkeeper, the 27-year-old headed the ball towards the touchline without actually getting it out of play.
| POS | Premier League table | PLD | PTS | GD |
| 15 | Manchester United | 35 | 39 | -9 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 35 | 38 | +6 |
| 17 | WEST HAM | 35 | 38 | -19 |
He then appeared to angle a pass towards Aaron Wan-Bissaka but Tel intercepted it and even after the ball returned to Kilman, he made a mess out of it with a poor left-footed effort to get the ball out of danger.
This completely took him out of the equation and saw Tel playing a simple pass to Odobert to open the scoring at the London Stadium.
Speaking on Premier League Productions’ half-time show, Hoddle said at 2:57 pm on 4 May: “Dreadful defending and Spurs have punished them.”
Potter may ask the West Ham board to sign an upgrade on Kilman
Kilman is running out of time to justify West Ham’s £40million investment, as the centre-back has struggled to adapt to Potter’s possession-based system since his move from Wolves.
Once a standout in a low-block setup, he has been exposed in Potter’s high-line approach, with errors like his shaky display against Tottenham highlighting poor positioning and distribution.
His inconsistent performances have led to him becoming a liability on occasion.
Potter’s preference for ball-playing defenders and the expectations of qualifying for Europe, will be raising doubts about his long-term fit.
With West Ham eyeing defensive upgrades in the summer, Kilman could be sold to recoup funds if a superior option emerges.
At 27, he must quickly prove his worth to avoid being offloaded as the club pursues a defender better suited to Potter’s vision.