From England contender to reputation in tatters – Potter’s fall from grace

After spending a short time at Chelsea and West Ham, Graham Potter’s downward trend has caused him to leave the highly anticipated coach, who was widely regarded as Sir Gareth Southgate’s potential England replacement.

After only eight months in charge, Potter was fired by West Ham, leaving them 19th in the Premier League. His reign came after seven months at Stamford Bridge before he was dealt a similar fate.

He claimed that Chelsea’s “perfect storm” caused him to take a job and that his appointment coincided with the club’s new owners, who fired Thomas Tuchel in September 2022 to appoint Potter, who were on a £323m spending spree in the January transfer window.

A squad that was too big for the changing room to fit them all in, led by Potter, a meticulous coach who lived on time and structure at Brighton. In April of this year, he was fired.

Potter has been completely destroyed by a similarly chaotic West Ham environment, leaving his reputation, which he carefully built, and a gifted Brighton team, in ruins.

Potter’s disappointment at West Ham will likely outweigh that of Chelsea, where he was dismissed, a decision that came with some agreement because of the hectic, unstable environment that accompanied his tenure under Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

After leaving Chelsea, Potter waited 637 days to make what he saw as a carefully calculated return to the game, believing West Ham as the place where he should flourish once more.

Potter referred to West Ham as being “a little like Christmas for the adults.”

Instead, it turned into a drawn-out nightmare that eventually came to an end, even though West Ham’s timing still drew questions because Potter had been given the opportunity to handle media duties in advance of Monday night’s Everton game.

He had steadily advanced, becoming more and more of a constructor of teams and clubs than a quick fix fixer, which made him unsuitable for clubs as demanding both on and off the pitch as Chelsea.

Potter immediately entered a hole at West Ham after waiting so long for what he thought was the best club for his managerial and coaching skills.

Prior to being appointed manager of Swansea in June 2018, he rose to fame at Ostersund in Sweden, and his successful move to Brighton followed a year later.

With a smart hiring team that discovered gems like midfielders Moises Caicedo and Alex Mac Allister, Brighton was the ideal setting for Potter, who enjoyed patience and planning under owner Tony Bloom and technical director Dan Ashworth.

Before he left, Potter led Brighton to join Chelsea in the Premier League when they finished fourth after winning four of their first six games, including an opening-weekend win at Manchester United. Potter was at his best on the training ground.

While at Stamford Bridge, Potter can point to his leadership of Chelsea in the Champions League’s final eight, but like at West Ham, Potter occasionally appeared to be swept up in events before being consumed by a ruthless sacking.

Potter’s defeat came from joining two clubs with completely different approaches to Brighton, where Bloom continued to play even after only two victories in 19 games. Potter never lost the trust and faith of the hierarchy in the same way.

Martin Keown, a former England defender, stated to the BBC: “Potter was at Chelsea not very long ago. He might have led England.

Now let’s take a look at his Chelsea and West Ham winningscorers. His next Premier League job, if he does, is very important to him.

Potter hasn’t consistently excelled in his Premier League career with high win percentages.

He had a 28% winning ratio in 120 games at Brighton, winning 34 and losing 42. He won six games or 26% at Chelsea, while he won seven at West Ham, and he was 32%.

Potter’s strength as a coach was always the use of organization and tactical discipline, but he even seemed lost at West Ham, especially at set pieces.

You saw the set pieces when you watched them play Spurs, Keown said.

This season, they have conceded seven goals using setpieces. No real direction was present, just a group of schoolboys. That has to be returned to the manager eventually.

As a second high-profile Premier League failure occurred, the typically calm Potter exterior was replaced by a person who appeared to be carrying the weight of the world.

Potter’s next destination is entirely guesswork.

Although the continent may ask, where he might locate a configuration that suits him, the idea of a significant Premier League position is incredibly fantastic.