Graham Potter has made a brutally honest admission about the West Ham job four months in, just days after being branded weak by Simon Jordan.
There were many theories about why Graham Potter took nearly two years away from football before returning to the Premier League with West Ham.
The general consensus was that the transfer circus that was post-Abramovich Chelsea chewed Potter up and spat him out as he struggled to cope with the pressure and expectation in his first major job.
Potter was mocked for having a “glow-up” after leaving Brighton for Chelsea.
But the now West Ham boss looked a broken man by the time he was sacked less than seven months into the role.
Ironically it was around the same amount of time that his predecessor at West Ham lasted.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire for Potter at West Ham
Julen Lopetegui – who has Real Madrid, Spain, Porto and Sevilla on his CV – could not handle the Hammers pressure, losing his job after 192 days to become the shortest-serving permanent boss in West Ham’s 130-year history.
So if Potter was expecting to the glare and wight of expectation to be significantly less at West Ham compared to Chelsea, that should have served as a warning.
In his 20 months out of the game, Potter is said to have turned down a host of jobs from AC Milan to Ajax and Leicester City.
Speaking in the odd media appearance or interview during his hiatus, Potter said his time at Chelsea had taken its toll on his mental health and family and that he needed to refresh, reflect and recharge.
After taking the job at West Ham, Potter looked suitably re-energised.
So did the team in his first outing at Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
In some ways that first 45 minutes – when the Hammers played their best football of the season in the swashbuckling style fans crave as they took a 1-0 lead at Villa Par – has been as good as it has got for Potter at West Ham so far.
Just three wins in 16 games has brought intense pressure with question marks over whether he is the right man to turn things around.
West Ham’s owners were forced to respond on Potter’s future after the draw with Spurs.
It comes amid demands from some fans that he be replaced this summer.
Cracks have been appearing in the Hammers camp with Niclas Fullkrug calling out his teammates and saying half the team don’t listen to the manager.
Jordan labelled Potter a ‘weak’ manager
There have been claims that fighting amongst teammates has become a regular occurrence too.
Now Potter has made a stunning admission on the West Ham job after being labelled weak by Simon Jordan.
Outspoken pundit Jordan dubbed Potter a ‘flake’ when he was appointed by West Ham.
In a lengthy assessment of the current situation at the London Stadium last week, Jordan predicted Potter will be sacked 10 games into next season if he doesn’t turn things around at West Ham.
Jordan also stated ‘weak’ Potter doesn’t have control of a bad Hammers dressing room.
Potter’s honest West Ham admission raises worries over his future
After stating he needed 20 months out of the game to get over his Chelsea experience, Potter has now admitted the West Ham job is already taking its toll on his family life just four months in.
“They’ve (my family) known me long enough to know that, ‘Just leave Daddy alone a little bit. Just leave him be. Let’s go for a walk, let’s take the dog out, let’s just leave him to curse at his computer or whatever’,” Potter told the press, as reported by The Athletic.
“And this is the thing that you have to try all the time. I think it’s an ongoing battle for us all. How do you get that balance?
“But this notion that you can just have an experience like that and then just be alright with people. It just doesn’t work. I just can’t do it. It takes time to get it out of your system.”
You can’ criticise Potter for being honest.
But West Ham fans – and undoubtedly the board too – will be concerned to hear the manager is already finding the experience of managing West Ham extremely taxing.
Because in reality the real pressure won’t come until next season.
Most West Ham fans have given Potter grace this season.
But expectations will be high and perhaps even more intense when Potter has his own team in place after a summer rebuild.
From the outside looking in, it does not bode well.
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