It’s no real secret that Graham Potter’s position is under significant internal scrutiny with managerial alternatives now being considered. He is under growing pressure to keep his job following a massively disappointing start to the season that plunged to new depths following last Saturday’s home defeat by Crystal Palace. Even prior to Saturday’s loss – our fourth from five Premier League games – it was widely reported that we had started the process of identifying potential replacements for Potter. He is the odds on next Premier Manager to leave his post at 3/10. Ruben Amorin is next on the list at 15/2.
Nuno Espirito Santo, recently sacked by Nottingham Forest, is understood to be among the options we have identified and is currently the favourite to be our next permanent manager. All sorts of stories exist about him being interviewed by Karren Brady and being spotted in Theydon Bois, close to the home of David Sullivan, Birch Hall, his palatial mansion nearby. The prospect of Slaven Bilic who has previously played and managed us returning on a short-term basis has apparently also been discussed internally. According to the betting odds these appear to be the two standout candidates.
We have not won a Premier League game in front of our own supporters since 27 February and have lost all three home matches this season to London rivals Chelsea, Tottenham and Crystal Palace. We have now lost our opening three home league games for the second consecutive season. Despite defeat, Potter described the performance against Palace as “spirited”. Asked if he still felt he had the support of the club’s board, Potter said: “Yeah, I’ve no reason to think not.”
Before Saturday’s game, thousands of West Ham fans protested against how the club is run and called for chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to step down. But it seems very unlikely that it will happen in the foreseeable future.
So what next? With no change at the very top of the club a new manager will surely be appointed sometime soon, perhaps at the beginning of the international break? But what will happen if (in the extremely unlikely event) we manage to win at Everton and (even more unlikely) at Arsenal too? Will the manager be kept on? I seem to remember a similar situation when Lopetegui was manager.
So what are the odds on who will be West Ham’s next permanent manager? These change regularly according to who has been spotted where and other rumours that circulate. But the latest list that I saw read as follows:
Nuno Espirito Santo 4/7, Slaven Bilic 5/4, Gary O’Neil 5/1, Sean Dyche 12/1, Michael Carrick 14/1, Scott Parker 16/1, Liam Rosenior 20/1, Eden Terzic 25/1, Kieran McKenna 25/1, Gareth Southgate 25/1, Michael Beale 25/1, and then a whole host of others at 33/1 including Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rogers, Damien Duff, Frank Lampard, Danny Rohl, Lee Carsley, Chris Hughton, John O’Shea, Marco Rose, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robbie Keane, Ralph Hasenhutl.
Who do you think it might be? Do you fancy a flutter?
Under The Hammers 
Marco Silva…. Just entered the race… However my problem is with our recruitment…If you employ serial losers …Then when the going gets tough the serial losers hide….Time for a name check…Walker Peters…..Hermansen…Fernandez…JWP….These are all current first teamers…
Somebody at the club has sanctioned these players….As a group they are used to losing…So much in fact..That to go a goal down is the norm for them…They have no idea about fight or respect for the fans who are passively now just scrolling on their phones as the team rolls over yet again…
If you could clone the exact opposite of Roy Keane…Then you have the West Ham team…
If it is to be Silva …Then I hope he manages to create a feeling within the dressing room that instills some sense of passion for the club… Because at the moment it’s zero…And going backwards.
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You are right Jb. Thanks for your comments. I really don’t know which way this is going to go. Nuno still seems to be favourite, but whoever it is has a big job on their hands. I like a lot of those in contention and believe most would do a better job than the current manager, but the prospect of working with Sullivan and Brady ………..
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I don’t think it matters. It’s too late (hope I am wrong) but with the current owners/board we will always go for cheapest manager/players, and that eventually spells relegation.
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Thanks for your thoughts Mark – I hope you are wrong but it should matter. Even allowing for the inadequacy of the owners / board I believe that a few of the managers that are allegedly in the frame would be an improvement on what we have now. But you are right in that we always seem to go for the least cost when it comes to selecting managers. Surely something will be decided after the Everton game! Richard
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I agree that Nuno or Silva would be a marked improvement on Potterland but I fear that even those will struggle with the current squad, though I expect that a couple of regulars will see a much reduced role.
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Other than Nuno, thought was reading list of candidates for Leyton Orient job ! Sullivan thinks he’s being clever, appointing out of work second raters which in turn has led to awful recruitment paying stupid prices for average / over the hill players on ridiculous contracts, instead of buying a good manager out of contract . I think we’re at the point of no return to be honest, as I see some other Sullivan Lap Dog walking through the door and condemning us to the Championship. Fan pressure will go through the roof and I see some unsavoury days ahead. Unless Sullivan and Brady step aside from all footballing matters ( something they know nothing about) we are doomed !
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Hi Ken – yes if only they would step aside from all footballing matters ….., but as we know that just won’t happen! It’s not looking good but I have hopes that there are candidates out there who would do a better job than the current incumbent and do enough to keep us away from relegation. But I always was an optimist! Richard
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Hi Richard, what a mess, even by WH standards. Having only 1 of ‘the Dildo boys’ left seems to make things worse than they have ever been. So far as Potter is concerned surely he is OUT whatever transpires in the next two games. His whole tenure has been a disaster which was blamed understandably on his ‘inheritance’ but since having his own choices his decisions and selections have been sickening. I was totally ‘pro’ when he was appointed but boy has he failed us. I think he has shown he is not fit for purpose. So far as replacement is concerned I guess Santo is possibly the best ‘freebie’ but could see Bilic giving a boost for a few months and ten decide which in theory suits us better. Odds on JWP playing Monday???????. Why are our 21 year olds “not ready and yet” and other top clubs are playing teenagers regularly. Regards Michael (or Confused.com!!!!)
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Hi Michael – always good to hear your views. Yes, it seems an absolute mess, but surely the manager must go soon and be replaced by one of the candidates, several of whom I am confident can do a better job despite having to work with the current owners / board. I doubt that we would be bold enough to go for someone who we have to pay for – they don’t seem to work like that do they. Nuno, Silva, McKenna, Parker, Carrick (not necessarily in that order) would be my choices of those who are supposedly in the frame – but who I might like will have no bearing. Who has been spotted in the Theydon Bois area recently? All the best – Richard
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What a coward!!!!!! “n0 particular order” ? Mine would be Silva, Parker, Nuno, Carrick, not McKenna. Regards Michael
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Hi Michael
I’ll give you a new list in order this time: Frank, Iraola, Silva, Hurzeler. These are probably the managers I like the most in the Premier League. But realistically none are really in the running are they? Regards Richard
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Or Glasner perhaps?
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Richard,I’m not going to have a go at naming our next manager. The tragedy is that I don’t think there is one person on your extensive list that I would want to see managing our great club, or who I believe could turn things round in the long term. Klopp is the man we need, but he would never come. Silva could do it, but would we be prepared to buy up his contract elsewhere. I know this sounds, and is, massively defeatist, but that’s honestly where I think we are now. Leaderless and rudderless in choppy seas. All the best. Mike.
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Mike – you may be right but the very top guys are out of our league – certainly with the current owners / board. The list was based on the latest betting I had at the time – I don’t think Silva was on it but I agree he would be one of the better choices – no, I can’t see us paying for him when there are cheaper options! Regards – Richard
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I would like to see Terzic come in, he was my choice before sloppy loppy, but Nuno probably the best pick of a bad bunch, as it stands.
As everyone has stated, here, around our club, and throughout the football world, we need quality, but our board are dreadful, not going to happen.
Heard a rumour Quataris were interested in buying into the club, if true, maybe might invest in the team.
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We’ll never compete with the current owners at the helm – that’s for sure! Richard
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