Five of West Ham’s biggest names – including captain Jarrod Bowen – have now shared their honest views on Graham Potter — and their comments have piled the pressure on.
The message coming out of the dressing room seems to be a positive one but West Ham’s star players have made it clear they won’t be made scapegoats this season.
And the Hammers quintet have each inadvertently explained only one person will be to blame if things don’t work out.
There is no getting away from the fact West Ham are standing at a crossroads ahead of the new season.
The last 18 months, under three different managers, have been nothing short of horrendous for the Hammers.
West Ham have played 57 Premier League matches in that time, from December 29th 2023, and won just 15 of them.
Paul Merson thinks West Ham will struggle to avoid relegation from a fiercely competitive Premier League next season.
It is fair to say Graham Potter failed to convince during his first six months in charge.
Potter has it all to prove at West Ham next season
From his 19 games, the Hammers won just five – a worse record than his predecessor Julen Lopetegui.
There were high points, such as wins at Arsenal and Man United and performances away at Chelsea and Aston Villa.
But the jury is very much still out.
The Hammers boss made it clear on several occasions that he inherited a mess from Lopetegui.
Potter also warned West Ham’s players if ‘change, or I’ll change you’.
After spending £155m on nine players, criticism for West Ham’s dismally disappointing campaign fell at the feet of sacked duo Tim Steidten and Lopetegui.
But when Potter struggled to get a tune out of them as well, fans turned on the players too.
In fact the players even turned on each other with striker Niclas Fullkrug blasting his West Ham teammates as “s—” and questioning Potter’s authority.
It is clear big changes are needed this summer and there has already been a nine-player turnaround and counting.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
West Ham fans have been enthused by the profile of player now being targeted by Potter and head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay for his much-needed rebuild.
The incoherent, scattergun approach the Hammers often took to transfers seems to be a thing of the past.
The signing of brilliant 20-year-old wingback El Hadji Malick Diouf is an example of what Potter is trying to do as he looks to drastically lower the age of West Ham’s squad.
Crucially, the manager is getting back to a key principle of David Moyes in doing due diligence on the character of the players he is signing and making sure they have the desire and personality to play for West Ham.
As always, though, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
Five top West Ham stars all saying the same thing about Potter
Potter still has a long way to go before he gets his team together and it will likely take more than one transfer window.
Hammers legend Tony Cottee thinks Potter has to start well to avoid the sack.
Now five top West Ham stars are all saying the same thing about Potter and it piles the pressure on.
Hammers fans may be demanding but they are also fair.
While some were calling for the club to make another managerial change this summer, most realised Potter had a difficult task taking over mid-season and deserved time to get his players and ideas in place.
When the season starts in four weeks, Potter will have had seven months at the helm and a full pre-season.
Now a host of the club’s leading players have made it clear they too want to see what the manager is made of after his lengthy period of grace.
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty ImagesExpectant players pile pressure on Potter
The most influential voice of all the players in the Hammers dressing is undoubtedly captain Jarrod Bowen.
In back-to-back interviews, Bowen has made it clear the players expect to see what Potter can do after having the team together to work on his philosophy.
“He (Potter) has got a full pre-season now where everyone’s going to be involved, so it’s an exciting time to have a pre-season with this manager and see what we can do,” Bowen told West Ham’s website.
The skipper reiterated that point in another interview with the club’s site.
“For the Head Coach to have a full six weeks working with us will be really good, and to have a full pre-season schedule will be beneficial for the players, the Head Coach and his staff as well.
“That’s why I think it’s an exciting time ahead for the club.”
Tomas Soucek, who has been the subject of intense transfer speculation since Potter’s arrival, showed Bowen’s viewpoint is shared among the squad – saying they want to see what the manager is all about with a full pre-season.
No more pre-season excuses say leading Hammers stars
“For the first weeks (of pre-season), I am positive that we are heading in the right direction, so I just hope that we stay this way,” Soucek said on the club’s official site.
“I really believe the head coach wants to get the best from us and really wants to make the team become one group, and now we have to show the quality of the individual players we have.”
Next to make it clear the pressure is all on Potter to lead a West Ham revolution was Jean-Clair Todibo.
The defender says the players are expecting to see a big difference next term now Potter is getting a full pre-season.
“Now we have the opportunity to work as a team,” Todibo told West Ham’s site.
“It was a difficult season last year for everyone, and it took me some time to adapt to the Premier League…
“This week is good because it gives you the time to work and learn a bit more about what we want next year,” he observed. “It also gives you the opportunity to stick a bit more together, and there has been a lot of hard work and training already.
“I think pre-season gives you a lot. It creates a big confidence, and it also is a benefit to your fitness for sure.
“But it also creates a real team spirit, and I think because we went through a lot of difficult things together, we’re now going to create something big.”
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesFullkrug: The whole club needs to trust Potter
Another big voice in the West Ham dressing room is Fullkrug – as Potter will be all too aware.
He says it is important the board, fans and his teammates trust Potter to deliver after the manager’s difficult start to his life at West Ham.
And Fullkrug feels a full pre-season under the 50-year-old takes away any remaining excuses in that regard.
“Now, I think it’s very important that we trust the coach and the whole club, and the supporters trust the coach,” Fullkrug told West Ham’s official website.
“We need that confidence that he will make us a better team, a better group, and we all trust that he will do that.
“It takes time, and pre-season is very good for that. It was a difficult time when he took over (in January), so I’m really looking forward to what we can do after the coach has had a whole pre-season with us.”
Finally £40m defender Max Kilman added his voice to those saying West Ham must now see what Potter can do after a full pre-season.
‘Now we’ll see what Potter’s made of’ suggest top West Ham stars
“It’s our first pre-season under the head coach, so it’s exciting that he’s got time to really incorporate what he wants to do this season, and we have been able to work on a lot of different things,” Kilman told West Ham’s site.
“We have a lot of time, and we’ve been working really hard, so I think we can come off a good week with a positive result and look to progress further into pre-season.”
It’s no coincidence the players are all sending the same message.
The squad are collectively making it clear – there are no more excuses next season.
They took a lot of the blame last term, and rightly so.
But this time they are putting it on the record – what fans will be seeing is all on the manager.
Let’s hope Potter can start to prove he’s the man for the long-term and not another managerial misstep.