#davidsullivan – Under The Hammers

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss: And Why Nuno Faces A Herculean Task at the London Stadium

A West Ham manager’s lot is not a happy one. Can Nuno find an answer to the long running conundrum of producing a sustainable, professional team at a broken and dysfunctional club?

Supporting West Ham has never been a pursuit for the glory hunter or the faint of heart. For most it is an act of faith founded on community, shared identity, loyalty, passion, a sense of belonging, and wherever possible, entertainment. It is not, sadly, a vision shared by the owners.

There can be no argument that English topflight football has changed over the years – some good, some bad – with its global appeal. TV deals, influx of money, overseas players and financial regulations. Where well-run clubs have innovated and adapted to these new realities, the leadership at West Ham has refused to shift, preferring to the celebrate their amateurism and defy progress. Compounding the unpopular handling of the stadium move with an approach to football that rarely looks beyond the next fixture. The added irony being that the cost cutting London Stadium agreement – feted by pundits as the ‘deal of the century’ at the time – now sits like a millstone around the club’s neck to limit the much needed matchday and commercial revenues that are growing rapidly at rival clubs.

There is a concept known (appropriately) as Maslow’s Hammer which states that “if the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem will look like a nail.” In a West Ham context, this translates to a belief that all performance issues can be addressed by the mirage of a new managerial appointment. Nothing else in the slipshop way the club is run ever needs to change!

The result for supporters is a cycle of chronic anxiety. A Groundhog Day where each new manager enjoys a honeymoon period of variable length, inevitably followed by a steady decline of fluctuating velocity. A decline characterised by a campaign of undermining, leaks and sabotage from the Boardroom. The best-case scenario (for the club) is a manager who makes it through to the end of their contract before being terminated (Allardyce, Moyes). But more usually, they will be fired whenever the spectre of relegation (and financial Armageddon) appears on the horizon.

If you toss a box of assorted West Ham Premier League statistics into the air, what you get when they land is a picture of prolonged mediocrity. Averaged across 29 seasons, the return from 38 matches is 12½ wins, 9½ draws, and 16 defeats: a total of 47 points, negative 8 goal difference, with an expected 11^th or 12^th place finish. An optimist might interpret this as prudence and stability but really, what is the point of a survival only strategy when it is at the expense of entertainment, ambition and a raucous matchday experience.

In truth, the stats show little difference between the pre and post GSB eras. The only significant distinction being that the current owners have spent a lot more money and made a much bigger song and dance of how incompetent they are.

It would be unfair not to recognise that above average seasons do ocasionally arise: 2015/16 and 2020/21 are notable examples. But where these have occurred, they are the result of temporary good fortune rather than years of good stewardship, squad building and team planning. In 2015/16, Slaven Bilic was able to overlay the mercurial talents of Dimitri Payet onto the organisation inherited from BFS. In 2020/21, David Moyes had the emergence of Declan Rice and the inspiration of Jesse Lingard to turn trademark defensive caution into surprising attacking threat. Both false dawns which failed to survive the loss of key players.

So, what does all this mean for Nuno Espirito Santo as the latest occupant of the West Ham hot seat? Can he break the spell of mediocrity? Implement a style of play that supporters desire and are happy to pay to watch – entertaining, fast paced, front foot, quick transition football? I’d like to think he can but ask me again at the end of November for confirmation. He has been saying many of the right things, has been prepared to take a serious look at the younger players, and is much easier to listen to than his immediate predecessors.

But sorting out West Ham from where they are now is a Herculean task. In fact, Hercules himself would have to think twice before choosing whether to accept the mission or not. How to stabilise a careless defence, inject creativity into midfield, solve the age-old striker conundrum alongside other heroic labours such as pacifying the two-faced bull of Theydon, appeasing the multi-headed serpent of Knightsbridge – and complying with PSR regulations?

Following the hard-fought and well-deserved draw at Everton, a trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal was always going to be a tough ask. Several online commentators saw it as the typical West Ham capitulation against one of the rich six clubs. That Nuno’s approach had been as negative as those who had gone before. This was rather harsh in the context of facing (probably) the best team in the league at the moment, with only a week in post to prepare. But it is difficult to counter claims that West Ham had surrendered the game without putting up much in the way of a fight. Yet for once caution made sense. A gung-ho approach and a five or six goal hammering would have been in no-one’s interest at this stage of proceedings.

Defensively, West Ham managed to maintain good shape and discipline for much of the first half. But it requires an extreme level of luck to keep your goal intact for extended periods without an out-ball to relieve the pressure. Curiously, Max Kilman and Dinos Mavropanos may have put in their most assured performances of the season in helping to counter the host’s legendary set piece threat.

But going forward, West Ham were impotent. The full backs were unable to get out of their own half or support attacks in the way they had at Everton. But it was in midfield where the Hammers were most ineffective in transition. No-one capable of finding space, assuming control and picking the right pass.

It is a stretch on current performances to look at the pairing of Lucas Paqueta and Mateus Fernandes and be satisfied that you are seeing £100 m of creative talent. Paqueta is either too busy looking to buy a foul or making blind, hopeful passes while Fernandes has shown none of the ball carrying skills or creative passing that were advertised on his CV. Maybe it needs time for them to click but both appear to prefer playing in deeper positions than the team requires. It was only Crysencio Summerville who looked capable of the movement and quick control to create his own space and drive forward. Would he be better deployed as a Number 10 than on the wing?

It is becoming increasingly difficult to pinpoint how Niclas Fullkrug can be integrated into a Premier League side hoping to rely on rapid counter attacking. His inclination is to drop deep during build up play rather than looking to put himself about in the box. More in the style of a Haller or Scamacca than the Michail Antonio/ Chris Wood blunt instrument that is better suited to this style of play.

It was interesting to see Nuno opt for Callum Marshall when Fullkrug was replaced. It would have been a thankless task for anyone, but he showed plenty of energy and it was great that he got his first Premier League minutes under the belt. Marshall doesn’t look lone central striker material to me, so his opportunities may remain limited for now. That he was given the opportunity at all was a positive we can take from Nuno’s involvement.

The six matches following the international break will carry great significance for West Ham’s season. Collecting at least nine or ten points must be a realistic target to aim for if respectability is to be achieved and a relegation battle avoided.

With Premier League clubs looking likely to extend the current PSR regulations into the 2026/27 season – mainly because they can’t agree any alternative – next summer is already looking problematic for West Ham. Nuno will clearly want. need reinforcements but flat or falling revenues will likely require profit from player sales to offset operating losses. Unfortunately, there are few high-ticket assets available for sale. COYI!

West Ham Monday Briefing: Corner Capers, Graham’s Crackers and Board Duplicity

How much longer can West Ham’s worst ever manager hang on at the London Stadium as he masterminds a twelfth defeat in 23 games. And what to do about the Board?

Welcome to West Ham where the misery never ends. Forget about the football. Enjoy the thrills of boardroom chaos, supporter protests, creeping apathy, clueless management and a spineless squad touted as relegation certainties.

Everybody knows it is only a matter of time before Graham Potter is shown the exit door at the London Stadium. Who’s ever heard of a manager ‘turning things around’ where performances have been awful for 20 plus games over eight months, and with no obvious signs of improvement on the horizon. What tactical masterstrokes could he possibly have up his sleeve to combat threats from a physical Everton side and set-piece specialists Arsenal in the two games remaining before the next international break?

West Ham have now beenbeaten in 12 of the 23 league games under Potter’s leadership (14 from 25 when cup games are included). At 52%, his lose percentage is higher than any other of the club’s Premier League managers, including the much derided Avram Grant. Why prolong the agony any longer than necessary?

Needless to say, replacing the coach is one small part of the multiple problems facing West Ham. Akin to putting anti-itch cream on a rash. It might provide welcome temporary relief, but the underlying chronic disorder lingers below the surface. The turmoil the club finds itself in hasn’t materialised overnight. It is a cumulative decline ten or more years in the making. As the business of football has evolved elsewhere to embrace strategic thinking and professionalism, West Ham have been petrified in an amateurish world of short-term thinking and season to season existence.

The club statement issued to supporters in the hope of heading off the planned Hammers United protests is a prime example of how tone deaf those in control are. Most likely penned by Karen Brady (sorry, Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge) – with a little help from ChatGBS – it was nothing more than a vain attempt to convince what a fantastic job they had all done over the years. No acknowledgement of the many mistakes made, the promises broken or an acceptance that change is needed to restore the identity, pride and passion to this great club.

I wonder what advice would be given to any business hopefuls on The Apprentice who had refused to listen to their customers, made promises they never intended to keep, and failed to hit any targets on product or experience. Just where do I find this world-class team and world-class stadium?

The obvious frustration is that in circumstances where the board are also the principal owners it is almost impossible to sack them. A change of ownership would be a complex and long winded process. The only interim hope for change is if the minority shareholders are sufficiently alarmed to band together, sideline David Sullivan and replace Brady with someone who understands the business of football. Over to you, Mr Czech Sphinx.

As far as Saturday’s game was concerned, it was more of the same from the fragile Hammers. Far too slow in possession and increasingly vulnerable at set pieces. Every opposing manager will have a clear idea now how to overcome Potter’s West Ham. Commit players forward, press high (safe in the knowledge they are too slow on the counter), and aim to win as many corners as possible.

It was amusing to hear one pundit’s view (Tony Gale, I think) that Potter would have had a word with his players at half-time about moving the ball forward more quickly. How ironic given that fannying around in the middle third safety zone is the very essence of Potterball. It’s what he dreams of, and why he is so besotted with the sideways passing skills of James Ward-Prowse. Potter was momentarily Wenger-like in his post-match comments by claiming not to have heard 50,000 boos when withdrawing Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes and leaving his favourite firmly in place. Now that JWP’s dead ball mojo has completely deserted him, he has nothing left to offer other than being a nice guy. A montage of his free-kick goals will soon be available to view on All Our Yesterdays!

It was a surprise to no-one when the opening Palace goal resulted from one of many corner kicks. As I understand it, West Ham do not employ a dedicated set piece coach. The role was added to the responsibilities of one of the existing coaching staff in much the same way as you give the new kid in the office a high-vis jacket and hard hat and call him the fire marshal. Not that it needed a coaching badge to tell Max Kilman that his job is to win the ball at all costs, even if it means occasionally getting hurt in the process.

Whoever signed off on a £40 million fee and seven-year contract for Kilman needs their head examining. In a crowded field for worst ever value for money West Ham signing he is in with a real shout of a podium finish. I’m all for ball-playing centre-backs but not when it comes at the expense of speed, strength, determination and defensive nous.

There was a brief period in the game immediately after Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser (where would we be without him) where the Hammers asumed the ascendency. The visitors suddenly looked rattled as West Ham belatedly discovered a sense of purpose and that they were allowed to attack with pace. Kyle Walker-Peters and Malick Diouf were looking dangerous along the flanks and Lucas Paqueta had a goal-bound header cleared off the line. But once Palace regained the lead, home heads dropped, and it was game over.

Once again, there was no evidence to support the assertion that Potter has a strong track record of developing young players. Several academy stars (Freddie Potts and Calum Marshall) who had featured heavily in pre-season were omitted completely from the matchday squad and will be questioning whether a pathway to first team action actually exists. Soungoutou Magassa and Luis Guilherme were given brief late runouts but at that stage of the game it was a thankless task. The earlier shape and discipline having transformed into a park football free-for-all by then.

There is something seriously wrong in any organisation where managers are repeatedly appointed at a time of crisis. Potter’s demise is now purely one of timing. If interested in the job, I expect Nuno Espirito Santo to be next up. Not that he is the ideal man for the task but because he is available and has shown at Wolves and Forest that he can work with what he’s got to produce a functioning team. It certainly wouldn’t be a long-term relationship as he will almost certainly fall out with Sullivan within 18 months or so. Unfortunately, the other desperate names in the frame (O’Neil, Bilic, Dyche, Benitez) all fill me with a sense of foreboding. As ever, the wild card is that Sullivan will screw up yet again by doing something truly stupid.

So there we have it. Stick with Potter and relegation is highly probable. Nuno would provide a fighting chance of mid-table obscurity even if it might not be an exciting ride. It’s about the best we can hope for until change is made at the top. If Nuno doesn’t fancy it before the international break, then find a willing caretaker to navigate the next couple of games. COYI!

West Ham Monday Briefing: Boardroom Blitz, Mads Hands, and the London Stadium Vincibles

Dysfunctional football club seeks coach to work alongside controlling and untrustworthy Chairman. Only unemployed applicants need apply.

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!

Mayday, Mayday: Who Can Save Us From David Sullivan’s West Ham Madness?

A thick-skinned Chairman and thin-skinned Coach promise nothing but despair as West Ham’s abysmal season gets off to the worse possible start. There must be some kind of way out of here!

For many West Ham supporters (probably a majority), it became apparent long ago that responsibility for the underachievement, short-termism and general malaise afflicting the club is down to the leadership of one person, Chairman David Sullivan. A man whose hubris, arrogance, and pretension has led him to wildly overestimate his abilities when it comes to football, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Someone who refuses ever to learn from his myriad mistakes.

Until this week, it was not a view widely shared or spoken of outside the club’s support. In the wider, passively compliant media, supporter dissent was more likley to be depicted as a display of unrealistic entitlement by fans. Stay in your lane and accept that you are followers of a second level club who should be happy to ride on the coattails of the glamourous elite. That suddenly changed when a shambolic transfer window – and an even worse start to the season – prompted others to question what the hell was going on at West Ham. If you haven’t already come across them, I urge you to read the article in Sunday’s Observer and watch the HITC video on YouTube. Nothing new for the seasoned Hammers watcher but refreshing to discover it being recognised externally.

While this change in perception is a reaction to the dreadful performances over the last week or so, the problems at West Ham stem from a long history of under-investment and mismanagement in the boardroom. As the fortunes of English football have been swept along on a tide of global professionalism, West Ham are left stranded on an island of amateur neglect.

A club based in London with a massive fanbase which regularly features in the world’s top twenty rich list should aspire higher than mere Premier League survival. Otherwise, what is the point. Throw in the uninspired appointment of managers who regard entertainment as an optional extra, add the broken promises over the stadium move and it’s no wonder that dissatisfaction is at an all-time high.

Fewer and fewer sources – those who rely on leaks from Sullivan and family for their insider knowledge I guess – continue to peddle club propaganda regarding the constraints of financial rules and regulations. We have become wise to such attempts at distraction. Whatever financial mess the club finds itself in, it is the direct result of the board’s incompetence in the past. No plan, no strategy, and no-one with knowledge of the game to make key football decisions. Investment in scouting and data analytics is minimal and no thought has been given to the concepts of squad succession. Managerial recruitment has been based solely on who is out of work at the time and player recruitment on agent recommendations and the perceived razzle-dazzle factor of any signing.

The latest risible online ‘EXCLUSIVE’ is that Sullivan proposes to take full charge of recruitment during the last days of the transfer window. Are we supposed to thank the lord, we are saved? In truth, he has been in effective control of transfers since he first showed up. Perfectly able to torpedo any deal he doesn’t like the look of by pitching unacceptable bids or insisting on ridiculous payment terms – undermining his recruitment team(s) and alienating many a selling club in the process.

On the few occasions West Ham have tasted success in the Sullivan era, it has been by accident rather than design. The Dimitri Payet inspired season of 2015/16 and Declan Rice’s contribution to Moyes purple patch are prime examples. Moments of optimism which quickly faded and died once the principal player was removed from the scene.

While sentiments of “Sack the Board” are understandable it is improbable in a scenario where they are the only shareholders. One wonders what the other shareholders must make of it all. If they are indifferent, then it is a huge worry. The best (or only) short term hope lies with them ganging up to oust Sullivan as Chairman and replacing Brady with someone who understands the game. Brady’s reputation as a business guru is also a puzzle.

West Ham’s fortunes are now at their lowest ebb since the desperation of Avram Grant. Relegation odds have been slashed on the back of two abysmal performances with survival hopes pinned on there being three even worse teams to take the fall.

Following defeat at Sunderland, the Graham Potter masterplan was to make a single change, replacing the sluggish Guido Rodriguez with the lumbering Tomas Soucek. I can’t quite put my finger on why this didn’t work or why the defence which was shocking at the Stadum of Light didn’t suddenly become impenetrable. Unsurprisingly, Chelsea were gift wrapped five goals without barely having to break sweat.

The one glimmer of hope in Potter’s disappointing spell last season was that he was able to cling to his mantra of being competitive in every match. This has now been shot to pieces and underlines the flaw in his approach. The style of play means his team are never going to score many themselves and, therefore, require a near perfect defence in order to pick up any points. With a trio of centre backs lacking both the physical and mental toughness to compete in the Premier League, this is almost certain to fail.

There comes a period in almost all West Ham seasons where the manager is given so many games to save his job. It is unusual for this happen before the clocks change but reports suggest that Potter already has just two matches to save his – the EFL cup game at Wolves tomorrow night and Sunday’s league visit to Nottingham Forest. If that is the case (and without the prospect of any timely new recruits), he may as well start packing his bags.

Potter comes across as remarkably thin-skinned for a football manager. He is on record as saying he doesn’t care what people write but if he were to ask my advice this is what I would tell him. Put Alphonse Areola back in goal until it is obvious that Mads Hermansen is match ready; abandon the playing it out from the back nonsense, it is more trouble than it is worth; bin the 3/5 at the back formation in favour of a back four (4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1); pick the best two centre backs at heading the ball; prioritise pace and strength in the midfield as much as that is possibl; push Jarrod Bowen back out wide where he is at his most dangerous; don’t leave out players solely because they have challenged your approach in the past; try not to play anyone out of position or get carried away by what you perceive as your own tactical brilliance; buy some lucky heather.

Potter’s departure wouldn’t bother me at all – his football is as dull as anything – but we just know that whoever follows will be equally unimpressive. Another knee-jerk such as Dyche or Cooper to bore the pants from us. Would any progressive manager be stupid enough to sign up under the current regime? I doubt it.

These are truly depressing times as a West Ham supporter. An early exit from the EFL Cup and pointless in the league until late October is a distinct possibility unless three or four inspired signings emerge in the closing days of the transfer window. COYI!

West Ham Wednesday Bulletin: Graham Plotter And The Window Of Uncertainty

As other clubs fine tune their squads for the upcoming season, the promised squad rebuild at West Ham remains stalled in the planning and plotting stage. It’s all looking disastrously last minute.

Updating Transfer Windows – 13% Complete – Please Do Not Switch Off

What better way to undertake a massive summer squad overhaul than to leave everything until the last minute. While other clubs move with purpose to secure their chosen signings, the good folks at the London Stadium are left paralysed in an endless loop of talk but no action.

At the time of writing, eight players who featured in the first team last season have already checked out. If reports are true, the club are also willing to push a further three or four through the departure gates over the coming weeks. Regardless of the quality of the departed, it’s one hell of a gap to fill with just over four weeks to go before the big kick-off – despite yesterday’s welcome signing of El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague.

As fans we are frequently reminded how important it is to get in a full pre-season. It is the go-to excuse manager’s use after every poor start. And yet the cunning West Ham plan is to enter theirs with barely half a team. Past performance caveats notwithstanding, Graham Potter’s inability to create a cohesive unit in five months last season does nothing to dispel fears that there’s a season of struggle ahead – and the further hit of revenues that comes with it.

If anything can be read into the Diouf signing, it is that Potter intends to settle on a formation that involves wing backs providing width in advance of three central defenders. Possibly a 3-4-3 but, more plausibly, the less enterprising 3-5-2 underpinning the coach’s dream of competitively losing most games by a single goal. All that’s needed now then are the missing, keeper, central defenders, midfielders, and forwards to convert the dream into possession-based reality.

The transfer window stays open beyond the start of the season until September 1. There are sure to be more ins and outs – eventually, and almost certainly later than desirable. As always the list of online speculative targets is as lengthy, abstract and mysterious as Jeffrey Epstein’s’.

The Madness of Chairman Dave

It would be unfair to point the finger of indecision exclusively at Potter and Kyle Macaulay for the absence of transfer activity. For all we know, they have been working diligently and with laser sharp focus on a data driven list of potential young and athletic recruits to fit their chosen style of play. Players who would both improve the squad technically and ensure that it is faster, fitter, and younger. The signing of Diouf looks an excellent first step in that direction.

But as we all know, hovering in the background of any transfer negotiation is the malignant interference of Chairman Dave and his Baroness sidekick. Ready to scupper or derail the latest recruitment plans as he had with Husillos, Newman and Steidten in the past.

By chance, I came across an article I had written in 2017 (below) after hearing a Sullivan radio interview where he “accepted that by focusing on proven and experienced ability the club had adopted a short-term view for its player recruitment.” The suggestion being that this short-term thinking was about to change. But here we are eight years later beating the same drum on the club’s failure to adopt any semblance of long-term strategic thinking.

Sullivan: Give Me Just A Little More Time!

The West Ham friendly media continue to frame the Hammers transfer dealings as a delicate PSR balancing tightrope. Indeed, there may well be trouble ahead if PSR is not abandoned (as many expect) in favour of a simpler squad cost ratio. But this is not a today problem. And if the worse comes to the worse, why not sell the women’s team to yourself as others have already done?

The most recent financial distraction has involved scare stories circulating about the need to repay the club’s overdraft facility with Barclays Bank. This is an arrangement that has been in place some years and its relevance has been significantly exaggerated. In fact, a standout feature of West Ham accounts in 2024 was that the club has next to no financial debt, having paid off any external loans at the time of the last cash injection into the club. This is quite unusual for a Premier League club where financial debts of £300 million or more are not uncommon. It should be noted, however, that financial debts do not include outstanding instalments on player transfers.

Clearly West Ham do have a cash flow problem. It is something the Board must address independently of any PSR considerations. The need to inject capital on a regular basis is now an essential requirement for any Premier Club with ambition. If the current board are not up for that, then it’s time to find someone who is.

It’s Been The Ruin of Many A Poor Buy

I have mixed feelings about the transfer of Mohammed Kudus. Not that he was sold but the size of the fee that he finally went for.

Unless the club is bought by a sovereign wealth fund or similar, the only way West Ham can hope to mount a consistent challenge at the right end of the table is to profit from player sales. When you consider that Manchester City’s kit partnership with Puma earns more in a single deal than the Hammer’s combined Commercial and Matchday revenues then the size of the gulf is clear.

Kudus should have been a perfect model of buy low, sell low. Pick him up from a lesser league, develop him over a couple of seasons and sell on at a handsome profit. Yet despite early promise, it didn’t work out like that.

Some may say it’s good riddance to a player with a bad attitude. Others may see a player who became fatally frustrated with how he was handled by a succession of poor management decisions. Whichever it was, his first season promise evaporated to the point where none of the truly rich clubs were tempted by the lure of his buy-out clause. Throw in Sullivan’s bizarre decision to let the world know how skint West Ham were and it provided the perfect storm for Daniel Levy to nip in and buy Kudus at a knock down price. The transfer fee may represent an accounting profit of £30 million or so – a rare bounty for West Ham – but it should have been far higher.

Tottenham has often (along with West Ham and Manchester United) been one of the Premier League career graveyards for big money signings, but I predict Kudus will be a big hit there if Thomas Frank translates his rapid counterattacking style of football from west to north London.

Young, Gifted and Back (On The Bench)

For a club that styles itself as the ‘Academy of Football’, the record for developing young talent in recent years has been abysmal. In the last ten years, new academy graduates have made a total of 253 Premier League starts for the Hammers. Of those, 190 were Declan Rice with the remainder comprising Ben Johnson (38), Ollie Scarles (7), Grady Diagana (6), Jeremy Ngakia (5), Reece Burke (4), Reece Oxford (3). Without the good fortune of picking up Rice when he was rejected by Chelsea it is very sorry reading.

The idea then that today’s current batch of youngsters might come to the club’s rescue as ‘Potter Gives Youth A Chance’ sits somewhere between wishful thinking and clutching at straws. I am as thrilled as anyone whenever a player emerges from the youth setup to become a West Ham regular. And hopefully, one or more of the current crop can do so. But history advises caution.

I try to keep tabs on the players out on loan from West Ham season but did not get the sense of outstanding successes that some have been reporting. No-one really pulling up the proverbial trees. I would be very happy if there are breakthroughs this season but I wouldn’t want to bet our Premier League future on it.

Careful What You Wish For: Is This David Sullivan’s Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Another desperate week sees West Ham pluck defeat from the jaws of victory at Brighton while the head coach goes berserk in his post-match press conference. It’s now seven games without a win for Potter!

And so here we are again. Another game featuring questionable team selection, a shocking first half performance, improvement after the break, baffling substitutions and the sucker punch of a late goal. Topped off this week by our head coach – a student of psychology and emotional intelligence – melting as quickly as a slice of American cheese during his post-match press conference.

Pre-match expectations are increasingly managed these days by the announcement of the teams 75 minutes before kick-off. I had fully expected Graham Potter to fall back on a 3/ 5-man defence for this much anticipated return to Brighton. After all the 4-1 defeat he suffered as Chelsea manager must still have hurt and there was no way he was going to let that happen again.

Having complained that Niclas Fullkrug’s outburst after of the Southampton game had been unhelpful, and that such frank exchanges were best aired in private, Potter made a very public statement by relegating the German to the bench. No amount of denials or flannel about managing the striker’s fitness can disguise the obvious truth, Graham. Will he now drop himself for next week’s match following his own red-faced rant?

Fullkrug’s omission meant it was a switch back to a 3-5-2 formation of sorts, with Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus taking up narrow forward positions in front of a midfield three of Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Sideways. The bonus was the return of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to resume his one-man campaign for the Hammer of the Year award.

As ever, the fly in the ointment of the Potter machine are the struggles in midfield. Again constrained by a combination of individual limitations of the players involved and the role asked of them to maintain possession purely for the sake of it. The dilemma (or should that be dullema) is that having played out reluctantly and uncomfortably from the back to beat a high press, the midfield faffs around with the ball for so long that opponents have ample opportunity to retreat and set a second press. The result: no creativity, forward momentum and few scoring opportunities. Like Lopetegui before him, Potter has prioritised a system over the player’s ability to deliver it.

Does that mean we will see improvements once the coach has assembled a squad in his own image? Possibly yes, but how many windows and how many seasons is it going to take to assemble a team capable of competing at the right end of the table? It is a luxury and timescale that is rarely available to Premier League managers in an environment where revenues generated from league position and European competition are crucial to releasing the funds required for effective squad building. A case of forever chasing ones tail.

The high point of an otherwise drab first half at the Amex Stadium was a fine strike by Ayari for Brighton’s opener. As good a goal as it was, it owed much to the Hammer’s failure to put him under pressure. When he received the ball, there were eight West Ham outfield players inside the box but none withing 15 yards of the ball. A token Paqueta challenge was the best on offer.

Half time saw Fullkrug replace JWP allowing Bowen and Kudus to take wider positions in a 3-4-3. Whether it was the formation and personnel changes or whether it’s just that the team are prepared to try harder after the break is anyone’s guess. The shape certainly looked better. While the performance never convinced consistently, West Ham did contrive to take the lead through goals from Kudus and Soucek. Both courtesy of Bowen assists underlining how more effective he is from wide positions.

The euphoria was short lived however as two Brighton goals in the closing minutes not only denied the visitors a rare victory but left them empty handed once again. Was it a recurrence of the mentality problem? Were the players astonished – just like the week before – at the weirdness of the late substitution? The increasingly slow Vladimir Coufal brought on to play on his wrong side to fix a problem that didn’t exist. Was the real reason for Potter’s post-match meltdown a case of embarrassment for this managerial masterstroke?

There has been a Pavlovian response this season to blame Dinos Mavropanos for any goal conceded by West Ham – just as Thilo Kehrer was designated scapegoat in the past. I find the Greek not guilty on all charges this week and would go further to suggest that Max Kilman has increasingly developed into the greater worry. But due to negligence rather than obvious gaffes. He may be adept at winning aerial duels when they are directed straight at him, but he rarely attacks the ball or puts his body on the line – in the style of Craig Dawson or James Collins. It’s no surprise that such a casual approach is never a threat in the opposition box at set pieces. We should rightly expect more from a £40m defender who supposedly came with leadership qualities. Oh well, he’s only here for another six years.

The Brighton equaliser was the result of leaving a man completely unmarked at the far post and then allowing Mitoma to nip in unmarked to head home. Leaving Coufal and Kilman looking at each other in bemusement. The winner was another great strike by Baleba who again was given oceans of room to pick his spot as every West Ham player looked on admiringly from in and around their own box.

It’s 14 games now under Potter’s command. That’s no win in seven, and a grand total of 13 points earned and 14 goals scored. It’s long enough to have taken a good look behind the curtain; to get past the bluster, puff and hot air and discover this Potter is no wizard when it comes to coaching football. It’s a long way back from here. The question that has to be asked is whether the broken man seen in the post-match interview has what it takes to front up the challenge.

The consensus is that Potter will be (and should be) given the opportunity to preside over a summer pre-season and transfer window in an attempt to re-model the squad. Estimates vary on how much money is available to do this and who might need to be sacrificed to fill the coffers first. After that his future will be down to results. How ironic to find the club back in the self-same position as the previous summer. Needing to identify, negotiate, recruit and integrate a significant number of new faces – and all the problems that comes with this for a slow-burn manager needing a good start to the season.

If I was the type of person inclined towards conspiracy theories, I might suggest that all of the mayhem surrounding West Ham’s season was a dastardly act of vengeance by the West Ham chairman. In his eyes, his genius had saved the club from oblivion, provided a world class stadium, with a world class team that had delivered a European trophy. Yet the ungrateful supporters demanded entertainment in addition to the opportunity to buy merchandise, subscribe to membership schemes, and enjoy an open-top bus parade. What better way to teach them a lesson and get rid of the unwanted Technical Director (who had been foisted on him by that Czech geezer) than hiring a duff manager of two. That’ll learn them to be careful what they wish for. And show them the Chairman knows best.

I really don’t care about Sullivan’s private life, his choice of hats, or how he earned his (considerable) fortune. But I do care about how is holding back the club at a time of increasing change. Left alone, the club will fall further and further behind. As I have written before, its not that the board hasn’t invested in players – even if they will only ever consider recruiting out of work managers. The problem is that West Ham is run as the owners’ plaything. For prestige and to massage their egos. A glitzy, razmataz, exotic signing will get them moist while the hard work of data analysis, scouting and developing players leaves them cold. Does any other aspiring top club have an enthusiastic but amateur Chairman working in the role of Director of Football. No wonder its a shambles.

Modern day West Ham has abandoned its history and community roots except when it suits for PR purposes. It has no discernible identity and lacks even a half decent strategy for competing against the much richer clubs which dominate the football elite. While the owners will be desperate to preserve Premier League status – and hence the club’s asset value – there lies the limit of their ambitions. Unfortunately, current trajectory will see the Hammers among the favourites for the drop next season. We won’t always be able to rely on all three promoted clubs being rubbish. Sort it out. COYI!