Graham Potter is destined to fail at West Ham according to two talkSPORT pundits, who claim the Hammers are sleepwalking into a relegation battle.
The damning assessment comes with the jury still very much out on Graham Potter at West Ham and in the wake of the controversial sale of Mohammed Kudus to Spurs.
Many Hammers fans have been enthused by Potter’s first two signings, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters.
West Ham fans are also encouraged by Potter’s drive to rebuild the team around young, hungry talent who are good characters as well as players.
Scepticism is rife about the Irons ahead of what’s expected to be the most fiercely competitive Premier League season for years.
Results-wise that is somewhat justifiable.
Hammers boss Potter has plenty of doubters in the media
After all the Hammers have won just 15 of their last 57 league games dating back to a 2-0 victory at Arsenal on December 28th 2023.
Potter’s record has been the worst of West Ham’s three managers in that timeframe with just five victories from 19 matches.
Having taken over from the hapless Julen Lopetegui mid-season, though, West Ham fans have given Potter a period of grace until he has his own team in place.
The Englishman is busy sorting that now he has the money from the Kudus sale.
A third impressive West Ham signing could now be imminent as the window really starts to heat up.
The new recruitment philosophy at the London Stadium is winning over supporters.
But many pundits and journalists remain sceptical given the improvements being made by other clubs.
Paul Merson predicts West Ham could be relegated next season, saying Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley will be ‘licking their lips’ at finishing above Potter’s side.
Hammers legend Tony Cottee believes Potter will be sacked if West Ham don’t start well.
Five leading West Ham stars have piled pressure on Potter by all saying the same thing ahead of the new season.
As the fanbase slowly starts to buy in to Potter’s clear vision for a young, dynamic, new-look Hammers, there have been two scathing assessments.
Potter is doomed at toxic relegation candidates West Ham according to a talkSPORT duo.
Former Ipswich, Palace and Spurs midfielder Darren Ambrose says he has a ‘soft spot’ for West Ham because both his dad and grandad supported the club.
But Ambrose feels Potter is an overrated and overhyped manager and will get found out in a looming relegation battle.
In fact Ambrose feels Potter could be the first Premier League manager to be sacked next season.
“I think they’re going to struggle West Ham, I really do,” Ambrose said on talkSPORT, which you see in full below.
“I don’t think Graham Potter has come in and done particularly well…
“I don’t think they’ll do down, I think they’ll be fighting relegation if I’m honest. Hopefully not because I do have a soft spot for West Ham – my old man was a West Ham fan, so was my grandad, so I do have a soft spot for West Ham.
Ambrose: Potter could be first Premier League manager sacked
“But I just think they’re going to be struggling…
“Potter? I don’t know. When he was at Brighton everyone was saying what an unbelievable manager he was – and I was like I don’t think he is unbelievable…
“I think he could be in trouble… If they don’t start well first 10/12 games I think he could be the first out the door…
“The support are great, the support will always back them. I did a little bit covering them last season and they were always good (the fans) even when they were a goal down. The support was great, stuck by them, and they will again.
“But if they start badly it can go toxic there to a certain degree and they’d have to make a change.”
Ambrose is not the only pundit at talkSPORT who believes Potter is going to get found out.
Tony Cascarino says there are a lot of disillusioned West Ham fans and thinks Potter has it all to prove.
“I saw West Ham two or three times towards the end of last season and the atmosphere was really flat,” Cascarino said on talkSPORT, which you can watch in full below.
“And I get it, Graham Potter’s side never really got going and entertainment has always sort of been a given for West Ham.
“Now they’ve had that period that just feels transitional and it’s not really got the faithful excited.
“It really needs an injection of a bit more oomph in the way they play. The manager has got to win over the fans because it’s flat – West Ham needs that type of atmosphere.
“There’s a lack of enthusiasm among West Ham fans going into the new season. I’ve got a few mates who are West Ham fans and they’re all just thinking what sort of season is this going to be.
Cascarino: Potter needs to get West Ham fans excited again
“Hopefully Graham Potter can get a pre-season behind him, work with the team, get some sort of side that’s going to make some sort of effort to really be a much better team than they were last year because they were so disappointing.
“I mean apart from (Jarrod) Bowen and (Aaron) Wan-Bissaka, who I thought had a really good year, played really well for them and had a great season. Kudus now going they just look like a club in limbo to me.”
Hammers fans will be hoping Potter and his players will be out to prove a few people wrong.
It should also be noted that historically whenever West Ham are tipped or expected to do well they invariably crumble under the pressure.
But the Hammers traditionally relish being the underdog and there have been times when the team has been written off in pre-season only to go on to take everyone by surprise.
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