It may have been more by luck than design but West Ham ended up with Graham Potter instead of Ruben Amorim – via Julen Lopetegui.
- Hammers News exclusive
There was an inescapable irony when West Ham condemned Man United to a ridiculous defeat which saw Erik ten Hag sacked.
The Hammers’ late 1-0 win over Manchester United resulted in Ten Hag being fired and Ruben Amorim being appointed.
A sliding doors moment if ever there was one.
The Red Devils had absolutely annihilated Julen Lopetegui’s hapless West Ham in the first half of that game.
It could – and should – have been at least 4-0 by half-time.
Yet a late West Ham penalty for a foul on Danny Ings – which PGMOL has since conceded was a VAR mistake – gave Lopetegui a stay of execution and expedited Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford.
The bitter irony of the situation was not lost on West Ham fans at the time.
They looked on wistfully as Man United paid the money to get the manager they had been giddy about appointing.
West Ham break silence on Amorim amid Man United woes
Portuguese tactical brainbox Amorim flew for talks with the Hammers in London about succeeding David Moyes amid much publicity and controversy.
The move collapsed, Amorim apologised to Sporting fans for meeting West Ham and a few months later he would be unveiled as Manchester United’s new manager.
As Lopetegui lurched from one woeful performance to another in what would be the shortest reign of any permanent West Ham manager in the club’s 130-year history, supporters wondered what might have been.
Refreshingly honest and bright Amorim had the press and fans eating out of his hands from the get-go.
Early defeats were seen as bumps in the road while he tried to get Manchester United playing his way.
That was Lopetegui’s excuse for much of his Hammers tenure too.
Except in football the only thing that buys managers time to do that is results.
They may have taken the scenic route but West Ham finally feel like a connected club again.
Graham Potter has come in and is taking the kind of approach Hammers supporters longed for when Moyes departed.
Hammers have Potter lift-off
Performances are, on the whole, markedly improved. There are visible signs of progress in the six weeks he’s been at the London Stadium.
West Ham stars have raved about Potter and the clarity he has brought to training and game-day tactics.
It’s clear to see on the pitch too.
He is even being true to his word by fully embracing West Ham’s Academy – unlike previous managers.
Everyone seems to know their job and what is expected of them.
That culminated in West Ham’s best performance and result under Potter so far, a deserved 1-0 win at Arsenal last time out.
That’s not to say there haven’t been – and won’t be more – bumps in the road for the ex Chelsea boss.
The defeats at home to Palace and Brentford were particularly poor.
But while West Ham feel like a club moving upwards again after a desperately dismal 14 months which yielded just 13 wins from 53 games after December 28th 2023 up to last Saturday, Man United look like a club going in the opposite direction.
In relative terms it is still early days for Amorim. It certainly is for Potter at West Ham.
But question marks, and eyebrows, have started to be raised.
Jamie Carragher believes Man United’s board will be worried they have made a mistake.
High-profile ex players such as Paul Scholes have voiced doubts about the former Hammers target too.
West Ham owners make honest Amorim admission
So are David Sullivan and co watching on with a feeling of vindication as it all unfolds?
Maybe not entirely – but not far off.
West Ham have now opened up on Amorim amid his Man United woes after the lift-off under Potter.
A top spokesman for West Ham’s owners has conceded that they have been far from perfect in picking managers.
Avram Grant and Lopetegui being exhibits A and B in that regard.
Many Hammers fans have claimed West Ham ‘dodged a bullet’ in missing out on – or refusing to pay for as cynics would allege – Amorim.
But the 40-year-old’s alarming struggles have not gone unnoticed in the Hammers boardroom.
“Regardless of whether we feel vindicated in not appointing Amorim, we still made a bad choice of manager,” the spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News.
“On paper, he was good.
“And Amorim MIGHT still turn out to be a great manager given time.
“But our reservations were that he had only done it in one country with one club, so was a big risk.
“The Premier League is a tough league, and you just need to look at how he is struggling at Manchester United to know that.”
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