Apart from when the actual games are being played, there is never a dull moment at the London Stadium these days. Fan protests, emergency board meetings (where even the elusive Czech sphinx put in an appearance), alleged resignations, share sales and manager speculation have all resurfaced in the wake of the Hammer’s abysmal start to the 2025/26 Premier League season.
On the sidelines, smug commentators have also returned to reprise their refrains of ‘Careful what you wish for.’; ‘The supporters are delusional.’ ‘There never was a West Ham way.’ As if expecting your team to entertain, to play on the front foot, to play with passion, to show determination, to hurt for the badge, to cause occasional upsets, to start each game with belief should be considered delusional.
Dashed expectations have been the norm at the club for most of my supporting life. The highs (and trophies) have been few and far between. Sure, success was great on the rare occasions that it turned up, but following West Ham has always been about pride, belonging, commitment and community – not adding entries to the roll of honours. Ignore those connections and the club loses the last remnants of its soul. A business run by accountants – no longer a sport – where supporters are customers and spreadsheets calculate average revenue per ticket sale.
The game has changed tremendously since the founding of the Premier League. Finances play an increasingly pivotal role on the decisions clubs must make in building squads and planning for the future. Not a problem for the rich clubs whose revenues and sponsorship deals leave room to spare, but a major headache for all the others needing to balance the book. But where we have seen clubs like Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford successfully adapt to the economic realities through forward looking recruitment practices, the West Ham approach has been to carry on regardless. Paying inflated fees and wages for the supposed razzle dazzle signing of established players while penny pinching on the infrastructure required for scouting, data analytics, training facilities and youth development. Apart from the unexpected gift of Declan Rice from Chelsea, the academy’s output has been shocking over the last decade or so.
There is no short-term answer to this malaise under the current leadership of David Sullivan and Karen Brady. There is little chance that Sullivan will voluntarily step down and any hoped for embarrassment directed towards him from fan groups will merely bounce of his thick skin. These people have no shame. Unless the remaining shareholders group together to vote him out, he will leave only in his own time.
In the meantime, the only plausible change posible at the club is replacing the manager/ coach – the fourth in just over a year – as the short rein of the hapless Graham Potter splutters towards an inevitable conclusion. It will be farewell to the tetchy press conferences with banal answers to inaudible questions, the head scratching team selections, the misplaced loyalty to underperforming players, the baffling substitutions, and the bewildered touchline demeanour witnessed on Saturday. He will be a disappointing footnote in West Ham’s history alongside Avram Grant.
As a typical West Ham fan, I have experienced West Ham defeats many more times than victories. After all, they have now regained leadership of the most ever Premier League defeats (462 to Everton’s 461) with a goal difference of -243. Ordinarily, I take a philosophical view to such events and they are consigned to history well before the first pint is finished or the second reading of the football results on Sports Report has aired. On Saturday, though, there was a lingering anger which simmered the entire weekend. How could such a tame surrender to an arch-rival ever be allowed to happen?
The trouble with Potter is that he thinks he is far smarter than everyone else in the room. And far smarter than he really is. He would no doubt have pasted media coverage of his brave decision to change formation and his inspired game-changing substitutions at Forest in his matchday journal. Never mind that it had been blindingly obvious to every fan that three at the back was an unmitigated disaster or that Crysencio Summerville had only been brought on to give him some minutes following a lengthy lay-off.
Nevertheless, he would see it as confirmation of his genius which would be followed up – in a home game against Spurs – by playing with no striker, putting two keepers on the bench, and expecting the slow but nice guys (Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse) to dominate the midfield battleground.
Saturday’s game was relatively even in the opening exchanges. Lucas Paqueta should have done better to round off a smart West Ham move while Summerville and Malick Diouf were combining well on the left-hand side. Diouf putting several teasing crosses into the areas where lesser coaches teams might have played a striker.
As the first half progressed though, the visitors started to boss the game. Although unable to create much from open play it became apparent that set pieces were causing alarm in the Hammer’s defence. Thomas Frank had used similar tactics at Brentford on numerous occasions to unsettle previous West Ham sides.
Where Tottenham had clearly rehearsed these routines, the hosts reaction was one of panic. Mads Hermansen is too short and slight to be a dominant presence in the box and chose to stay rooted on his line. Did he know he can use his hands? The remaining defenders adopted a loose zonal marking system incapable of tracking the runs of the visitor’s. Tottenham would have taken the lead on 20 minutes had it not been for the intervention of the officials, but it felt only a matter of time before they managed to force one home.
Having survived to half-time, it was the ideal to make changes to shape and tactics. But none were forthcoming. Within 10 minutes, the game was lost. The threatened goal from a corner materialised minutes after the break, Soucek was sent off for a needless lunge, and that was it. West Ham heads dropped, Tottenham were allowed to score two more straightforward goals and the crowd went home. Thankfully, the visitors eased off after the third goal went in. The one bright spot was the introduction of Soungoutou Magassa which surely marks the end of the Soucek/ JWP axis.
The Premier League is just four games old. Three clubs (Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace) remain in contention as Invincibles and two (Aston Villa and Wolves) are potential Vincibles. Although West Ham may have escaped that ignominy by winning at Forest, the chances if a win at the London Stadium look some way off.
Potter has managed just two home wins from 11 attempts. A fortunate victory over Fulham in his first game at home and a routine win over a doomed Leicester side. In those 11 games, we have celebrated just 11 goals and endured six defeats. Time for change! Now would be perfect but a ‘three games to save your job‘ ultimatum is my predicted outcome.
Getting rid of Potter is, of course, only part of the problem. Who comes next, who is available and who is prepared to work at such a dysfunctional club are the next issues. Several hats have been thrown into the ring online with Nuno and Mourinho, as two recently unemployed managers, mentioned most often. Imagining Sullivan and Jose working together is mind-boggling and so can probably be ruled out.
The unfortunate trend, however – as with Prime Ministers – is to find someone who is even worse than what came before. Meet the new boss, worse than the old boss. In that spirit, please step forward Mr Dyche. COYI!
Under The Hammers 
Excellent article. Well made points.
Actually I do think the be careful for what you wish for is relevant. Not in a sense that we as fans should wish for or even demand attacking and positive football. More like that change is not necessarily always better. When we let Moyes go, we chose the wrong successor. JLo destroyed much of what Moyes had built. And he didn’t build anything new. We had a chance for plenty of great managers. We were in a situation where we had a solid foundation to build from. JLo destroyed that. And that was down to Sullivan. He chose the spaniard even though JLo had a reputation for creating trouble.
The worst thing about it was that players like Kudus and Paqueta were clearly effected by JLos style of managing.
Changing again was right to do. Unfortunately Potter has not worked out. He seems a great man, someone you want to have e beer and a deep talk with. He is clearly liked by the players. He has build relations in the squad.
But he is in a job where he needs to be judged by what his team produces on the field. And in my more than 30 years of being a West Ham fan, I have never seen us with so little fight as right now. We simply give up again and again.
I know that there is a lot of hate towards the board. But this is on the manager. No matter how much I like his ways, he has to make our team fight and play in a way we want. And he is failing.
The record says a lot. It does not say it all. Because the most worrying thing is, that we are even worse in true life. Some of our few wins have been lucky. None of our defeats have been undeserved.
It is easy for us fans to lament every decision a manager makes. Our comments almost always have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight vision. That said. Potter has made some horrendous decisions.
The insistence that we need pace in midfield and then keeping on selecting a retirement home ready central duo.
Playing Potts all summer and then dropping him when the season started.
Allowing Kudus to be sold
His reliance of zonal marking that even though we are clearly the worst in the league to defend set pieces
The choice of leader in the central defence.
Playing without a striker. Ooh. And add the “I do not need a striker” in the transfer window to that.
And there are many more.
Is everything then bad. No. Potter has to get credit where credit is due. The incomings this summer has been much better selected than last year. Diouf, Fernandes, KWP, Magassa all make us stronger. Hermansen is the odd one out here.
It just does not feel like enough. I am willing to suffer. And suffer hard. Just as long as I believe that the work will end up in something positive. But with Potter I do not have that feeling.
As much as I like the soft-spoken way acts. As much as I understand the enormous task he has given himself. I just do not feel convinced. Yet.
Maybe it is his demeanour on the sidelines. He looks more like a middle management dude who made a wrong turn that the leader who will get us going.
Maybe it is the broken promises of playing our youth. I just hate that. We can only be the academy of football if we actually start believing in our youth. And I hate that more or less ALL other Premier League clubs are better Cat giving youth a chance than us.
Or maybe it is just the painful watching of our play (second half Forest and First 20 Tottenham excluded).
I just know that when the whole stadium knows that we lose the game as soon as the other team goes in front. Including players and manager. Then we are not the right place.
But now comes the be careful what you wish for. Because right now the anger has taken hold in so many fans. It is directed towards Sullivan. Everything is his fault. Even the weather. And that is not fair.
Sullivan and Brady has to take blame for JLo & Potter. And they have to take blame for West Ham still having to get loans from banks to run. We really should be richer with the income we have.
And now comes a propably unpopular opinion. We fans have to share the blame here.
Because I can’t think of any other club where the fan pressure leads to overspending in the degree we see at West Ham. With fan boards being full of statements of Sullivan being greedy or tight. The endless making fun of offers that do not meet valuation. And the just pay statements.
But reality is. We have ended up overpaying. And we have ruined our finances doing it.
Every club has known that West Hams leadership will be bullied by their own fans and end up spending way too much.
Paying 30 mill for a 28 year old JWP. 40 mill for Kilman. Both in a period where fans demanded more british players, because they apparently should be better. Both where the fans of their clubs even warned us.. Plus adding high wages when they signed.
And this is not to blame those players. It can never be their fault. And there are so many more on the list.
It is just to say. We can’t both be the Academy of Football and buy two 30 year olds for each position. We fans need to respect that.
Other clubs changed their strategies. Bringing in cheaper young players. Developing and then selling them. Brighton and Bournemouth are class examples. We need to learn from them.
But that does not have to be something we need to learn without Sullivan.
I for one do not support the “BS out”.
I like that we are a club that is british owned. I like that we have an owner who is actually at the games. Who does not see this as another investment or even a toy.
I like that we have an owner who identifies with West Ham.
Yes he might be tacky. And yes he has clearly made som weird decisions at times. But I do not believe in the slightest that those decisions haven’t been what he felt was best for West Ham.
And right here I am very much in the “be careful what you wish for” category.
On a West Ham board on Facebook the other day, a fan was speculating that the board wanted to get us relegated because that would make them more money.
Just the idea of that being the logic for some for going against Sullivan gives me the creeps. It is just anger and hate.
The truth is that West Ham has evolved under Sullivans leadership. We won a cup. We are steady in the Premiership. And we have a good squad.
Could it be better. Absolutely.
No matter who will be manager and no matter who will be chairman we need to improve. On and off the pitch.
On the pitch we need a clear playing style where we play attacking fast fluid football. The West Ham way. Moyes actually had that for some months but then reverted. We need to know that this is our DNA
Off the pitch we need a clear transfer strategy where we have an age limit for buys. And where any manager has to accept playing our own youth so we again can become the academy of football
And then we all need to make London Stadium a fort. The club needs to invest in atmosphere. And no. That is not just some claret signs here and there. We need capos like the ones that has transformed the atmosphere at stadiums in other countries. We need to look at how they have done it. And invest heavily in that so that we can make our stadium a place to fear. I want the opposition to be afraid when they come to us.
We need standing sections. We need faninvolvement. We need a new function in West Ham with power and mandate to create a fort. We need to stop catering the experience for the tourists. We need to only have one objective. And that is to create a stadium feel where you can hear us in the centre of London.
If we get those points right, we will get the club right. And if Potter is the one on the sidelines and Sullivan the one heading the club, then that is fine with me. I am more for the results than just change. But both need to deliver. And for Potter the time is ticking. Fast.
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Thanks for the great comments, Søren.
I agree to a point that hating Sullivan has become something of a cult. That everything that goes wrong at the club is down to him, but he does open himself up to that by wanting to be the man in control and refusing to delegate football matters to a proper football person.
It is true the club has spent a lot of money on players but has not done so wisely. An obsession with signing established players and failing to develop young players whether from home or abroad has created the poor financial position the club finds itself in. A strategy that might have worked 10 or 15 years ago but is no longer fit for purpose for a club of West Ham’s size. It can only achieve at its optimum level by recruiting young players, developing them and selling at a profit.
I thought the first full Moyes 2 season was an excellent display of fast counterattacking football. Much of the difference was down to Lingard’s purple patch and the emergence of Rice. What Lingard offered was never replaced and the football slowly regressed. The subsequent departure of Rice left an even larger hole in the midfield. By the time of Moyes departure the squad had been allowed to deteriorate significantly both in age and quality.
It was the right time for change but the appointment of J-Lo and the unstructured recruitment that followed was a disaster that will haunt the club (in a financial sense) for many years. Then came Potter who had ironically been available and overlooked the previous summer.
Have to say I can’t really take to Potter from what I have seen in TV interviews. It may be because he has been under pressure for almost all his time at the club, but he comes across as quite thin skinned when challenged. Personally, I never found his Brighton side particularly interesting to watch as they were far too cautious. I don’t see that possession for the sake of it style as a good fit for West Ham. Yet if was bringing results I’m sure we would tolerate it for a while.
It is of course a valid concern that if he was sacked, who would be brought in to replace him. I guess that is a careful what you wish for moment given Sullivan’s track record of managerial appointments.
I’m not convinced by the argument that the fans have contributed to the current malaise. West Ham fans have been remarkably loyal but like all fans their opinions are hugely volatile. But they have little true power other than voting with their feet. If performances were better or it was obvious something was being built for the future, then I think most fans would be right behind the club even if results were not ideal. But we are a long way from that. And a team with little heart and desire is the antithesis of what the fans want.
As ever it is all a matter of opinion and my sincere thanks for taking the time and effort to share your thoughts.
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Hi Soren, really excellent and well thought comments. I disagree on a couple of points, mainly Sully. The big problem is that SO much is written about WH that sometimes it is difficult to sort out the truth. I do believe that he obstructed Potter from a few early choices with the alleged ‘financial position’ which at least two qualified financial writers have said is blatantly untrue. We lost 2 of Potters choice due to dithering and let Everton in and a couple more to Leeds. It would appear we only finalised Fernandes and Sagassa signings from fan pressure???? and were fortunate to get them (both commented on Potters vision for the future). It is obvious that Sully considers himself better than the professionals at spotting and buying players but then he complains about the prices for ‘oldens’ and low resale value. I understand like your thinking but I would be very happy to see him go. Personally I would be happy to see Kretinsky take the reins but I think he has too much going on elsewhere at the moment. Anyway here’s hoping we all get a small (don’t be greedy!!) lift in the near future. Regards Michael
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Oh dear Geoff, not even a hint of anything good. How can I lift my downbeat mood after that? PLEASE PLEASE do not even think about your last paragraph. I also cannot see Jose there in any circumstances whilst Sully is in control. The thing I cannot understand is we have actually paid money to acquire some of Potters backroom staff so presumably we have to add that to the losses if Potter does go. Is it my imagination or have our golkeeper woes started about the time we sent our long standing goal coach packing?? Something to be cheerful for! Soucek banned for 3 matches so he has to bring in the presumably the new last buy. Being wicked can JWP do the same thing against Palace. Regards Michael
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It’s part of the merry go round that the new manager brings in all his own backroom staff who then have to paid off when he is inevitably sacked. It’s a crazy situation, Michael.
Isn’t the goalkeeper coach an old mate of Hermansen? I may have got that wrong but thought I read it somewhere. Soucek out is a perfect opportunity to bring Rodriguez back in.
Geoff
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Surely it’s time to give Potts a run out?
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Has to be given his chance. Can’t be any worse than we’ve seen from Ward-Prowse, Soucek and Rodriguez. I’ve yet to see the evidence to back up Potter’s claim that he gives youth a chance.
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