Potter and Martin Tapping Out

[Colin-swansea]

Potter inherited a squad of players that needed to be taken off the club's wage bill when he arrived and one by one they left.

For every one you say bored the life out of them there were far more who appreciated his style of play. Chelsea was a poor decision by him to take a job at a club that spent cash as if it was going out of fashion while Hammers fans still think they are a club that produces a conveyor belt of players from their academy.

 

[Smurph]

Potter inherited a squad of players that needed to be taken off the club's wage bill when he arrived and one by one they left.

For every one you say bored the life out of them there were far more who appreciated his style of play. Chelsea was a poor decision by him to take a job at a club that spent cash as if it was going out of fashion while Hammers fans still think they are a club that produces a conveyor belt of players from their academy.

Potter inherited a slightly better squad that David Moyes took in to Europe on more than one occasion with West Ham. It's not about the quality of the squad it is his current team selection and style of play.

Ask any Brighton fan if they'd swap him for Fabian Hurzeler or even De Zerbi. They initially enjoyed his football after what Houghton use to serve off, the novelty soon wore off.

Chelsea had the squad to do better than it was and not so sure you're right about West Ham thinking they're still in 1966,

Fans want to enjoy watching their football, the era of this tippy tappy, sideways and backwards managers is coming to an end and I'm delighted about it. They ruined the game for a while.

 

[sit_down_jack]

I’m surprised people talk about Potter as a bad or failed manager. Took him a while here to start getting a regular tune out of the players but once he did I thought we looked very good. I think if he had stayed we’d have gone up under him with our parachute payments. He basically helped change Brighton as a club, going there after Hughton and completely changing the style is no easy thing, especially in the Premier League with (at the time) a likely relegation candidate. He has had more sustained success at the top level than any of our other recent managers.

 

[Smurph]

I’m surprised people talk about Potter as a bad or failed manager. Took him a while here to start getting a regular tune out of the players but once he did I thought we looked very good. I think if he had stayed we’d have gone up under him with our parachute payments. He basically helped change Brighton as a club, going there after Hughton and completely changing the style is no easy thing, especially in the Premier League with (at the time) a likely relegation candidate. He has had more sustained success at the top level than any of our other recent managers.

If you call getting booed by your fans (Brighton), sacked by Chelsea and more than likely West Ham as success.

The media have built managers like him and to a certain extent Russell Martin into some kind of modern day philosopher of football.

This craze of possession based ineffective football is bizarre.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

But Potter was never a possession for possession's sake manager.

The Man City FA Cup game alone was enough evidence of that, we played their 100pt team off the park in the first half. There were many other games that season where we wiped the floor with teams with incisive attacking football. We beat Wilder's Sheffield United home and away, who got promoted that season. In the away game we destroyed them. And we also gave Brentford a schooling, which is something Cooper couldn't manage in two seasons, despite having a much better squad.

If there was one area that let Potter down here, then it was too much experimentation with weird formations or players out of position. I recall a game against Wigan (I think) where he had Grimes as a centre back as part of a 3 or something stupid like that and it was all very weird and unnecessary. He did a few times and it was overthinking.

But no way should he be lumped in with Martin. I'm not saying he should be getting another Big 6 job anytime soon, but chucking him in with the chinwigged one is just insulting.

 

[Smurph]

But Potter was never a possession for possession's sake manager.

The Man City FA Cup game alone was enough evidence of that, we played their 100pt team off the park in the first half. There were many other games that season where we wiped the floor with teams with incisive attacking football. We beat Wilder's Sheffield United home and away, who got promoted that season. In the away game we destroyed them. And we also gave Brentford a schooling, which is something Cooper couldn't manage in two seasons, despite having a much better squad.

If there was one area that let Potter down here, then it was too much experimentation with weird formations or players out of position. I recall a game against Wigan (I think) where he had Grimes as a centre back as part of a 3 or something stupid like that and it was all very weird and unnecessary. He did a few times and it was overthinking.

But no way should he be lumped in with Martin. I'm not saying he should be getting another Big 6 job anytime soon, but chucking him in with the chinwigged one is just insulting.

Got to say, I see things completely different to that, which is the beauty of football and this forum

Can't see Potter getting another job anytime soon after West Ham sack him.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Got to say, I see things completely different to that, which is the beauty of football and this forum

Can't see Potter getting another job anytime soon after West Ham sack him.

Unfortunately I think you're right on that last bit. Which I think would be grossly unfair, when you consider how many times Allardyce, Pardew, Pulis and a few others continued to get handed jobs for years despite gradually doing worse as their careers went on. But that's how football works a lot of the time sadly - contacts and networks seem to mean more than the actual CV.

 

[J_B]

But Potter was never a possession for possession's sake manager.

The Man City FA Cup game alone was enough evidence of that, we played their 100pt team off the park in the first half. There were many other games that season where we wiped the floor with teams with incisive attacking football. We beat Wilder's Sheffield United home and away, who got promoted that season. In the away game we destroyed them. And we also gave Brentford a schooling, which is something Cooper couldn't manage in two seasons, despite having a much better squad.

If there was one area that let Potter down here, then it was too much experimentation with weird formations or players out of position. I recall a game against Wigan (I think) where he had Grimes as a centre back as part of a 3 or something stupid like that and it was all very weird and unnecessary. He did a few times and it was overthinking.

But no way should he be lumped in with Martin. I'm not saying he should be getting another Big 6 job anytime soon, but chucking him in with the chinwigged one is just insulting.

I agree, Andrew. The football under Potter was nothing like the football under Martin.
Potter's biggest mistake here for ne was taking far too long to decide what his best team and formation was. It was only after Christmas that we got some consistency in selection. If he'd done it by mid October I'm sure that we would have been in the play offs.

 

[Neath_Jack]

Potter is / was and average manager. One of those who’s football looks nice on times, but not brilliant results to go with them.

In a similar bracket as Russ for me, but at the higher end. Better than Duff but below Cooper by some distance.

He was okay for us, would never have got us out of the league in my opinion.

 

[Smurph]

Unfortunately I think you're right on that last bit. Which I think would be grossly unfair, when you consider how many times Allardyce, Pardew, Pulis and a few others continued to get handed jobs for years despite gradually doing worse as their careers went on. But that's how football works a lot of the time sadly - contacts and networks seem to mean more than the actual CV.

Allardyce, Pardew and Pulis the Red Adair's of football relegation, thankfully they seem to have had their day.

Potter's teams just bore the life out of me.

 

[sit_down_jack]

If you call getting booed by your fans (Brighton), sacked by Chelsea and more than likely West Ham as success.

The media have built managers like him and to a certain extent Russell Martin into some kind of modern day philosopher of football.

This craze of possession based ineffective football is bizarre.

But Graham Potters football was never ineffective He took Brighton to their highest finish in the PL up to that point in 9th and left for Chelsea while they were in 6th. What De Zerbi did there was largely built off of the foundations that he put in place.

I get it with Martin, there was a strong argument that we would have all of the ball but do very little with it but to say the same of Potter is incorrect in my opinion. His Brighton teams hovered around 50% and we had 56% in our one season under him, that’s significantly different than having 65% + and not far from what we have had under Sheehan.

 

[Smurph]

But Graham Potters football was never ineffective He took Brighton to their highest finish in the PL up to that point in 9th and left for Chelsea while they were in 6th. What De Zerbi did there was largely built off of the foundations that he put in place.

I get it with Martin, there was a strong argument that we would have all of the ball but do very little with it but to say the same of Potter is incorrect in my opinion. His Brighton teams hovered around 50% and we had 56% in our one season under him, that’s significantly different than having 65% + and not far from what we have had under Sheehan.

Gary Monk took us to eight. I know I'd rather watch a Laudrup side over any of his, every day of the week.

Is Potter effective, possibly, depends on which way you look at it. When I go to a game I want to see a team playing entertaining football that keeps me on the edge of my seat not slumped back, almost asleep.

The fact Potter is struggling isn't a coincidence. The fact is the game has evolved, he hasn't and can't.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Gary Monk took us to eight. I know I'd rather watch a Laudrup side over any of his, every day of the week.

Is Potter effective, possibly, depends on which way you look at it. When I go to a game I want to see a team playing entertaining football that keeps me on the edge of my seat not slumped back, almost asleep.

The fact Potter is struggling isn't a coincidence. The fact is the game has evolved, he hasn't and can't.

His Brighton side were often called one of the more entertaining teams to watch while being built on a solid defensive unit.

Potter has proven himself at a higher level than Martin, I think that’s a fair thing to say. If I remember rightly he was booed in one game for not winning and he had to remind the fans how far they’d come. They booed because their standards were higher because Potter took them there. I also think that had he been given time at Chelsea, time that Maresca has had, that he would have been a success there.

He’s not getting it right at West Ham, but I never thought that was the right fit for him anyway.

 

[Smurph]

His Brighton side were often called one of the more entertaining teams to watch while being built on a solid defensive unit.

Potter has proven himself at a higher level than Martin, I think that’s a fair thing to say. If I remember rightly he was booed in one game for not winning and he had to remind the fans how far they’d come. They booed because their standards were higher because Potter took them there. I also think that had he been given time at Chelsea, time that Maresca has had, that he would have been a success there.

He’s not getting it right at West Ham, but I never thought that was the right fit for him anyway.

Media bullshit. They used to say the same about us under Martin.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Media bullshit. They used to say the same about us under Martin.

It would be but watching Brighton under him it was clear they were a very good side, that’s the difference between us under Martin and Brighton under Potter.