West Ham supporters have turned on Graham Potter after he made a controversial statement about their London rivals Tottenham ahead of this weekend’s Premier League meeting between the two clubs.
Potter has been feeling the pressure in recent weeks, with West Ham 17th in the table amid a dire run of results, and he failed to keep his composure in his post-match press conference last week when his side threw away a lead to suffer an agonising loss at Brighton.
He told reporters ‘if you want me to swear, I can swear,’ as he insisted he was deeply frustrated by West Ham’s plight.
The 49-year-old Englishman was in a much better mood at his press conference on Friday, but may have put his foot in his mouth when speaking about Spurs.
Asked for his thoughts on Ange Postecoglou’s side after they won the first leg of their Europa League semi-final 3-1 against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night, Potter replied: ‘They’ve had a tough season. I’m pretty sure if you speak to Ange – injuries, young players, the double competition etc.
‘And this league, nothing is for given. They’ve done well in Europe, and hopefully they can finish the job and get into the final.’
Graham Potter said he hoped Tottenham reach the Europa League final on Friday
Tottenham are on the brink of the final after winning the first leg of their semi-final against Bodo/Glimt
Potter’s desire to see a rival reach a European final did not go down well with a number of West Ham fans who took to social media to call for the club to take drastic action.
‘Sack him immediately,’ one supporter posted on X.
Another added: ‘Get him out’.
‘Potter out based purely upon this,’ another fan agreed.
One incredulous fan was in disbelief at Potter’s comment, as they asked: ‘What an odd thing to say? Why would he want Tottenham to succeed?’
Potter has struggled to win some of the Irons’ fanbase over since replacing Julen Lopetegui in January, and one X user admitted the ex-Chelsea boss was doing little to endear himself to supporters with his latest comments.
‘He’s in desperate need for a PR manager,’ they claimed.
Potter has won just three of his 15 games in charge of West Ham, losing eight.
One fan was bemused as to why Potter would want Tottenham to go all the way in Europe
Another fan suggested Potter was not helping himself win supporters over with his comments
Last weekend’s results confirmed another season in the Premier League for the east London outfit, but it has been a bitterly disappointing campaign after they spent big last summer.
West Ham have not recorded a win since February, but victory on Sunday would lift them above Tottenham in the table.
