‘Shambolic’ – West Ham hero slams ‘shoddy’ transfer window and fears situation under Graham Potter will get worse

West Ham’s season could soon go from bad to worse – Graham Potter has been let down in the transfer window so far. That’s the view of club cult hero Dean Ashton, who has had his say on the Hammers following their third defeat of the season in all competitions. West Ham’s horror start to the season continued with an early Carabao Cup exitGetty A loss away to Wolves on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup has proved to be perhaps the most damaging as skipper Jarrod Bowen was captured confronting some of the travelling supporters at Molineux. What made the defeat even more gut-wrenching was the fact Potter‘s side, who have now conceded 11 goals from their opening three fixtures, led 2-1 with eight minutes left on the clock. Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Ashton was somewhat reluctant to point the finger directly at Potter and preferred to direct his frustrations towards the decision-makers at the club over their operations in the transfer market. Dean Ashton’s verdict on West Ham’s transfers “I think [Soungoutou] Magassa is possibly coming in [from Monaco in a £17million deal],” Ashton said. “They need athleticism in midfield and hopefully he can bring part of that, but they need two or three more. “The recruitment’s been so shoddy, especially when you change managers and style of football. “You have to be so aligned at board level to make sure that recruitment is absolutely spot-on for the manager that you’ve got in place. “Or, you as a club, like Crystal Palace, have got a real idea of how the team are going to play and a manager then suits that team and are able to play and understand that way of playing. “West Ham have got neither of those, hence why they look so shambolic in parts of the games and it doesn’t even feel like there’s that leadership from the manager and how he’s going to play. “I’ve been surprised that maybe they haven’t changed to a [back] four and changed things, but at the moment it’s very difficult. West Ham supporters have already shown their frustrations at performancesOffside via Getty “You’ve got to try and stick together as a team, as a manager, as a group, because it probably feels like it’s going to get worse before it gets better with the fixtures they’ve got.” Who do the Hammers have next? As Ashton alluded to, the Hammers have a brutal run of fixtures rapidly approaching. They travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their last match before the international break. Upon the return, they welcome Tottenham and Crystal Palace to the London Stadium before trips to Everton and Arsenal. At present, talkSPORT understands Potter remains ‘safe for now’ in his post. It follows the tune of Hammers vice-chair Karren Brady, who said live on talkSPORT the club is not one that ‘panics about its managers’ and instead ‘tend to stick with them’. Potter has received the backing of West Ham’s decision-makers, but for how long?AFP via Getty However, a string of poor results in the upcoming fixtures would undoubtedly heap unwanted pressure on the embattled boss. Potter’s managerial record since taking over in east London makes for somewhat grim reading having won just five out of the 22 games he has been in charge. Despite the alarming form, ex-Hammer Ashton believed Potter hasn’t exactly been helped by the transfers that preceded his appointment, given they were tailored for an entirely different playing style under David Moyes and Julen Lopetegui. However, the one-time England international recognised that a ‘lack of desire’ is something that cannot be excused under Potter. “I think so far it’s been massively uninspiring (start to the season),” Ashton said. “Graham Potter’s tenure, there’s been a couple of results in there and Arsenal away that gave a bit of hope. “But you’d think after the summer that you’d see a real difference in the side. “But there is part of me that not feels sorry for him, but ultimately he’s inherited a side that was built for David Moyes and then [Julen] Lopetegui. “A team that sits there and defends and and then counter- attacks. And he’s not that. “He’s a manager that wants to play out from the back, that wants to get the team up the pitch and all of a sudden the team – and especially the defence – look massively exposed for the lack of athleticism in the side, aggression, desire. “That’s a big worry. “And when you start to see a lack of desire, you do start to think of the manager because the players are pulling away from what they should be doing, which is all sticking together.” Skipper Jarrod Bowen approached fans in ugly scenes following the match at MolineuxGetty West Ham fans need a reality check – you’re not massive While West Ham fans take pride in chanting they’re a ‘massive’ club, ex-Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan isn’t having any of it. Offering supporters some harsh truths, Jordan told ta

Musventurenal

0 2

‘Shambolic’ – West Ham hero slams ‘shoddy’ transfer window and fears situation under Graham Potter will get worse

West Ham’s season could soon go from bad to worse – Graham Potter has been let down in the transfer window so far.

That’s the view of club cult hero Dean Ashton, who has had his say on the Hammers following their third defeat of the season in all competitions.

West Ham’s horror start to the season continued with an early Carabao Cup exit

A loss away to Wolves on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup has proved to be perhaps the most damaging as skipper Jarrod Bowen was captured confronting some of the travelling supporters at Molineux.

What made the defeat even more gut-wrenching was the fact Potter‘s side, who have now conceded 11 goals from their opening three fixtures, led 2-1 with eight minutes left on the clock.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Ashton was somewhat reluctant to point the finger directly at Potter and preferred to direct his frustrations towards the decision-makers at the club over their operations in the transfer market.

Dean Ashton’s verdict on West Ham’s transfers

“I think [Soungoutou] Magassa is possibly coming in [from Monaco in a £17million deal],” Ashton said.

“They need athleticism in midfield and hopefully he can bring part of that, but they need two or three more.

“The recruitment’s been so shoddy, especially when you change managers and style of football.

“You have to be so aligned at board level to make sure that recruitment is absolutely spot-on for the manager that you’ve got in place.

“Or, you as a club, like Crystal Palace, have got a real idea of how the team are going to play and a manager then suits that team and are able to play and understand that way of playing.

“West Ham have got neither of those, hence why they look so shambolic in parts of the games and it doesn’t even feel like there’s that leadership from the manager and how he’s going to play.

“I’ve been surprised that maybe they haven’t changed to a [back] four and changed things, but at the moment it’s very difficult.

West Ham supporters have already shown their frustrations at performances

“You’ve got to try and stick together as a team, as a manager, as a group, because it probably feels like it’s going to get worse before it gets better with the fixtures they’ve got.”

Who do the Hammers have next?

As Ashton alluded to, the Hammers have a brutal run of fixtures rapidly approaching.

They travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their last match before the international break.

Upon the return, they welcome Tottenham and Crystal Palace to the London Stadium before trips to Everton and Arsenal.

At present, talkSPORT understands Potter remains ‘safe for now’ in his post.

It follows the tune of Hammers vice-chair Karren Brady, who said live on talkSPORT the club is not one that ‘panics about its managers’ and instead ‘tend to stick with them’.

Potter has received the backing of West Ham’s decision-makers, but for how long?

However, a string of poor results in the upcoming fixtures would undoubtedly heap unwanted pressure on the embattled boss.

Potter’s managerial record since taking over in east London makes for somewhat grim reading having won just five out of the 22 games he has been in charge.

Despite the alarming form, ex-Hammer Ashton believed Potter hasn’t exactly been helped by the transfers that preceded his appointment, given they were tailored for an entirely different playing style under David Moyes and Julen Lopetegui.

However, the one-time England international recognised that a ‘lack of desire’ is something that cannot be excused under Potter.

“I think so far it’s been massively uninspiring (start to the season),” Ashton said.

“Graham Potter’s tenure, there’s been a couple of results in there and Arsenal away that gave a bit of hope.

“But you’d think after the summer that you’d see a real difference in the side.

“But there is part of me that not feels sorry for him, but ultimately he’s inherited a side that was built for David Moyes and then [Julen] Lopetegui.

“A team that sits there and defends and and then counter- attacks. And he’s not that.

“He’s a manager that wants to play out from the back, that wants to get the team up the pitch and all of a sudden the team – and especially the defence – look massively exposed for the lack of athleticism in the side, aggression, desire.

“That’s a big worry.

“And when you start to see a lack of desire, you do start to think of the manager because the players are pulling away from what they should be doing, which is all sticking together.”

Skipper Jarrod Bowen approached fans in ugly scenes following the match at Molineux

West Ham fans need a reality check – you’re not massive

While West Ham fans take pride in chanting they’re a ‘massive’ club, ex-Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan isn’t having any of it.

Offering supporters some harsh truths, Jordan told talkSPORT: “They’re poor, West Ham, and Potter’s not got hold of it.

“I said yesterday [Tuesday] we were debating about whether he should be sacked and I said he’s not going to get sacked after losing to Wolves.

“They’re not worried about a League Cup game, that’s the narrative that we’re going to create.

“The media are going to create that and build the pressure and the fans are going to respond to it and they’re going to latch upon it and they’re going to keep on and on.

“West Ham fans – spent a significant proportion of the West Ham fans, not all of them – spend all their time complaining about what their football club does and doesn’t do.

“You know their football club is massive at one particular moment, no it’s not, it never has been.”