Martin O’Neill and Simon Jordan clash live on air after what West Ham did to Graham Potter
West Ham United are receiving plenty of backlash after Graham Potter’s departure.
Potter was sacked by West Ham on Saturday after a poor start to the new season, with Nuno Espirito Santo arriving as his replacement at the London Stadium.
Potter had been under pressure since the end of last season, with notable criticism over his set-piece tactics after conceding seven goals from corners in their first five Premier League games.
Simon Jordan and Martin O’Neill have discussed Potter’s departure on talkSPORT, and the pair have disagreed over how West Ham have gone about business.
Simon Jordan believes West Ham did not disrespect Graham Potter
West Ham have been criticised for the way they sacked Potter, having done so at the start of the weekend.
Potter was allowed to complete West Ham media duties ahead of the trip to Everton on Monday, with the press conference coming off as very cringe-inducing, as the former Chelsea boss was forced to answer questions unrelated to the match.
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have led this criticism, but Jordan and O’Neill had alternative views on the situation.
| Graham Potter record at West Ham | Total |
| Wins | 6 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 14 |
| Win rate | 24% |
Talking on talkSPORT, Jim White asked O’Neill: “Was it disrespectful of West Ham and the hierarchy to let it go this far?”
O’Neill replied: “Yes, absolutely. I definitely agree with that. It’s absolutely right. If they know that he’s going to go on Saturday morning, why do the press conference on Friday?”
Jordan, laughing in the background, replied: “What was this human rights transgression, were they? Should we take ourselves out of the ECHR because Graham Potter had to do a press conference? It doesn’t matter.”
He later said: “He went and did a bloody press conference, he wasn’t put in front of the stocks and thrown tomatoes at.”
Graham Potter didn’t deserve to be sacked the way that he has
The decision to sack Potter has arguably saved West Ham’s season, as the Hammers were going nowhere this season other than to the Championship with him in charge.
However, the East London side have made two massive errors, with one being that they should’ve sacked him in the summer to give the new manager time to implement his play style.
The second is humiliating their now former boss in the cruellest way imaginable, having to embarrass himself in front of the media for a game the owners knew he wasn’t going to manage anyway.
Jordan’s viewpoint is from a business standpoint, and ultimately, football is a business, but morally, this sort of behaviour shouldn’t be tolerated in any establishment.
It’s a sad way to go out for Potter, and he now needs to start the journey of recovering his now tarnished reputation.
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