It was an unhappy return to Brighton for West Ham boss Graham Potter and not just on the pitch.
There has been no new manager bounce for West Ham since appointing ex Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter as their manager at the start of January.
A paltry three wins from Potter’s 15 games is all the evidence needed to prove that fact.
Ahead of his return to the Amex, Potter said he is the right man for 17th placed West Ham after taking Brighton from the same position and into the top four in three seasons.
That was a bit disingenuous from Potter.
Potter’s disastrous return to Brighton with West Ham
Because the highest he finished with Brighton was ninth and they were sat fourth only six games in when Chelsea came knocking for him a month into that season.
Potter was swallowed up and spat out at Chelsea.
After 20 months out of the game, he returned to football with West Ham to mixed opinions.
Some point to the job he did at Brighton as proof he is the right man for the Hammers.
Others point out Brighton have been better under their subsequent two managers and that Potter struggled the moment he went to a club with bigger expectations.
Before his reunion on the south coast, Potter asked West Ham fans to be more like Brighton’s and show patience to allow him time to build.
Well West Ham fans were certainly more like Brighton’s – only not in the way Potter may have expected.
The away supporters were unhappy with the manager from the off after he dropped Niclas Fullkrug following the striker’s angry TV interview after a 1-1 draw with Southampton last week.
What West Ham and Brighton fans did to Potter is surely Premier League first
Hammers fans aimed two chants at Potter after his shock Fullkrug decision.
Things got even worse for the Englishman, though.
West Ham were 1-0 down at half-time but turned things around in the second half to make it 2-1 with eight minutes left to play.
Somehow, the Hammers plumbed new depths, though.
Not only did they concede a ridiculously soft last minute equaliser – they then stood off and watched Carlos Baleba fire home a long range winner with the last kick of the game.
What West Ham and Brighton fans then did to Potter is surely a Premier League first.
Potter booed off by both Hammers and Seagulls fans
Brighton supporters showed how they feel about their former boss during the game by chanting “Potter what’s the score” on repeat.
But as Potter trudged off the pitch and down the tunnel at the full-time whistle, he was booed off by BOTH West Ham and Seagulls fans.
It is surely a Premier League first – or at the very least extremely rare – for a manager to be booed off by his own supporters and the fans of his old club at the same time.
It is a damning indictment of Potter’s dismal Hammers tenure so far.
But also of the regard he is held in at Brighton – which on this evidence has clearly been overblown by some West Ham fans trying to make a case for the Englishman being deserving of more time to get things right.
There were further damning chants from the West Ham faithful which showed things have not improved at all under Potter.
“You’re nothing special, we lose every week” was one chant from Hammers fans towards Brighton.
And the pièce de résistance came as West Ham supporters chanted – with a nod to Fullkrug’s honest interview that saw him dropped – “the German’s right, we’re f—— s—-“.
Undoubtedly a new low for West Ham in the last five years.
But possibly a career low for Potter to be booed off by both sets of fans.
And that’s saying something after his failings at Chelsea.
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