Graham Potter has not earned excuses, pundit defences or West Ham patience

Graham Potter is being given graces others have not been afforded in the Premier League, and it’s not clear how he has earned them. Potter appears to be holding on to his West Ham job for now despite losing five of his first six games across all competitions this season.

Potter endured a torrid first few months in charge after taking over in January of last season, and the start to this season has left him on the brink amid talk of West Ham turning to Nuno Espirito Santo or Slaven Bilic.

The Hammers have vowed to remain patience already this season, with Karren Brady saying as much a couple of weeks ago, but they will soon find themselves with little choice given the Iron are heading into tricky games with Everton and Arsenal. After those, West Ham could already be staring down the barrel of a relegation battle if emergency action is not taken.

But what is interesting is the patience West Ham have shown Potter, and indeed some of the defences the Englishman has received from pundits. The Iron did now show anywhere near as much patience with Julen Lopetegui, and it feels as though patience and any semblance of defence from pundits and the likes is lost so much quicker when it comes to foreign managers.

But when it comes to an English Potter, who has done nothing to earn extra credit, we hear about him not having a strong enough squad, or last season, that he was yet to get a chance to put his own stamp on his squad.

And what a horribly luxury excuse that is, by the way. What defines a good manager or head coach is someone who can come in and make an impact with the tools they have. You seldom see some of the older coaches like Neil Warnock and the old ‘rescue’ coaches of their day like Sam Allardyce coming in an effectively not doing their job until they have the players they need.

Those coaches often got the job done because at a minimum they galvanised the players, gave them something to believe in and got everyone pulling in the same direction.

There is no excuse to not have an impact, and if you fail to make one, you are failing at your job. Potter won five of 19 games last season, and he has only six wins in 25 games overall.

Sure, we can talk about a lack of quality in this squad, but is it the worst in the league? Absolutely not. That excuse just doesn’t wash when you still have ultra-talented players like Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá, and there are managers like Daniel Farke and Regis Le Bris who are doing more with less in the Premier League.

So, why does Potter get so much extra starting credit? Sure, he did well at Brighton, but he still lost more than he won, and he then had that disastrous spell at Chelsea, where he won 12 and lost 11. It never felt like he had control at Stamford Bridge, clearly failing to win over the players, and it has felt very similar at the London Stadium.

There is no pleasure in calling for someone’s job, but if extra grace is going to be given, give it to a manager who has earned the right, both at his current and previous clubs. Potter does not fit that category, and he has shown nothing at West Ham that has shown this will get better, or is even that it is on its way to getting any better.

There is a conversation to be had about West Ham’s recruitment, but the bottom line is that this squad is capable of performing better than what is has under Potter. Patience is commendable, but patience for patience’s sake is shooting yourself in the foot at this level of football.

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