Graham Potter final straw revealed as West Ham board verdict drops after sack
Graham Potter has been sacked as West Ham United manager.
Potter had been under pressure since the start of the season, with the Hammers languishing in the bottom three after conceding 13 goals in their first five Premier League games.
Potter had suggested positive talks with the West Ham hierarchy in his press conference ahead of the Hammers’ trip to Everton on Monday night.
West Ham are now looking for a replacement manager, with Nuno Espirito Santo now favourite to succeed Potter after talks reportedly took place over the last few weeks.
Potter has been on the brink for weeks at the London Stadium, and the final straw has been revealed.
Crystal Palace defeat was the final straw for Graham Potter
Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol has confirmed that West Ham’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at the London Stadium was the final straw for the Hammers board.
Jean Philippe-Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell did the damage to give Palace the points against a beleaguered Hammers outfit, with fans protesting outside the London Stadium before the game.
Despite completing media duties and training in the week following the defeat to the Eagles, Potter was informed on Friday evening that he had lost his job.
Solhekol has sympathy for the former Chelsea boss, but said the writing was on the wall after the Palace defeat, due to the poor start to the season.
Solhekol said on Sky Sports News: “I think West Ham‘s thinking is that the final straw was the defeat by Crystal Palace.
“The performance against Crystal Palace was an improved performance, even though they still lost.
“But I think the writing was really on the wall for him after that performance. We were reporting on Monday that the West ham board were considering all their options.
“It was a question of West Ham trying to find a replacement.”
Graham Potter needed to go but the timing is strange
Potter was never going to survive the season, having lost faith from the fans and conceding goals at a frightening rate.
The decision to sack him was the obvious and correct one, as the Hammers were going down with him in charge for the whole season.
| Graham Potter record at West Ham United | Total |
| Wins | 6 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 14 |
| Win ratio | 24% |
However, the timing of the sacking is extremely bizarre, as West Ham travel to Everton on Monday night with no permanent manager in charge, even though they could have had a new boss in place had Potter been sacked earlier in the week.
It’s another damning indictment of David Sullivan, who now has to deal with both pressure from the fans and the pressure of getting the correct replacement this time around, after two failed appointments since David Moyes’ departure.
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