Ray Winstone baffled by West Ham board after ‘marvellous’ development
Graham Potter’s immediate impact at West Ham United has led Ray Winstone to question why he wasn’t hired sooner.
Potter has overseen three wins from seven Premier League fixtures since replacing Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium in January, including in each of West Ham’s last two against Arsenal and Leicester.
Inheriting a defence which has still conceded the fourth-most goals of any team in the top-flight this term, Potter has also shored up West Ham’s backline, keeping clean sheets in both of those victories.
Having fallen to 16th in the Premier League table amid a four-game winless streak, Potter’s side now have a 16-point cushion to the bottom three, allowing them to finish strong and look to the future.
Ray Winstone backs Potter to continue West Ham rebuild
Finishing 15th in the Premier League and putting up zero competition for the European places isn’t how any West Ham fan wants the season to finish, but Potter has been backed to succeed in the long-term.
| Manager | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded |
| Julen Lopetegui | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 44 |
| Graham Potter | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 10 |
Speaking on talkSPORT (5 March, 9:40am), actor and West Ham supporter Ray Winstone argued the Irons should have hired Potter instead of Lopetegui last summer given the turnaround he’s enacted.
Winstone said: “For me, Graham Potter… I don’t know why we didn’t go for him in the first place.
“I just like what he’s doing there – it’s going to take time with West Ham. It’s not going to happen overnight, but there were great signs against Arsenal.
“The defence, he’s sorted the defence out marvellously. He’s got a plan B – I think we’re in really good hands.”
West Ham made to regret delaying Graham Potter appointment
There are few West Ham fans who wouldn’t agree that the hiring of Julen Lopetegui – and the hit-and-miss summer spending spree he led alongside Tim Stiedten – was a massive misstep by the board.
The Hammers hierarchy stuck by Lopetegui until 8 January before finally pulling the plug; the Spaniard having won just seven of his 22 matches and seen his side ship 39 of their 47 league goals so far.
Potter’s tenure, by comparison, is only eight games old in all competitions, but having tightened up the Irons’ defence and started to get the best out of the likes of Lucas Paqueta, the signs are all positive.
Lopetegui signing off on Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme’s transfer, as well as actively pursuing free agent Guido Rodriguez, have all been bad bargains – if two £25million outlays can be classed as such.
West Ham’s transfer business this summer, with Lopetegui and Steidten long gone, is expected to be much more measured, as Potter’s significant rebuilding job at the London Stadium begins to take shape.