Will from the We Are West Ham Podcast isn't entirely happy with the potential prospect of Graham Potter replacing Julen Lopetegui on a short-term contract:

"Graham Potter I think will be better than Lopetegui. There are some easy changes that will make West Ham immediately better that Potter can make, he's not stupid.

"I don't like the short-term contract thing, it doesn't fill me with confidence. I think if West Ham want a firefighter until the end of the season then there's only one man who has proven he can do that and is available and that is David Moyes, but I don't think that's feasible for the club anymore.

"If you bring in Potter then it needs to be long-term. He's a project manager, not a firefighter."

There may be consolation for Will as some reports suggest Potter could sign a two-and-a-half year deal.

Will from the We Are West Ham Podcast feels Julen Lopetegui was always going to fail.

"I wasn't having him from the moment he arrived really. I thought it was a bad decision from the club to let David Moyes go, I know a lot of fans think differently.

"But it didn't seem like the right appointment from the off. He never endeared himself to the fans.

"Lots of fans have watched hundreds of thousands of games and they don't need a Uefa Pro Licence to tell when a team is playing badly or a system isn't working. That's exactly what we've seen all year long from Lopetegui. We've never looked good, never looked sustainable, too weak at the back.

"He was too stubborn with the players he brought in, like Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez - made our midfield hugely worse.

"It never looked to me like it was going to work out. It's just a shame really that we've wasted all this time."

West Ham United

First Monday's Bob Marley-singing taxi driver, now the unknown Willhire Cup seller.

It's been quite a week on the #bbcfootball daily live-text, and it's only Wednesday.

Hoping both are avid followers.

West Ham United

West Ham are currently 14th in the Premier League.

They have won two, drawn two and lost two in their last six matches in the league, most recently losing 4-1 to Manchester City.

Chris Collinson
BBC football statistician

West Ham had the worst defence outside of the promoted sides last season - and they have the worst defence outside of the promoted sides this season too.

The east London side are conceding goals at exactly the same rate as they did last campaign (1.95 per game), so not much has changed in that aspect since the departure of David Moyes.

The Hammers still having one of the worst defences in the league is less than favourable, but what has actually been the difference compared with 2023-24 is the finishing.

Despite taking more shots (14.6 per game compared to 11.8) and having a slightly higher expected goals (xG) figure at 1.45 per game, they have actually scored fewer goals (1.2 per game compared to 1.58).

West Ham deserved to finish ninth last season because they got the results to finish there, but they were not the ninth-best team in the league based on their underlying numbers. That was something disgruntled match-going fans could see in their performances and ultimately led to the change of manager.

The greatest trick the Premier League table ever pulled was convincing people it never lies - and it lied about West Ham last campaign (see also Manchester United finishing eight).

We're still chatting West Ham after they cancelled their manager's press conference this morning, sparking rumours Julen Lopetegui could be sacked today.

Of all the permanent West Ham managers in the Premier League, David Moyes has the best win percentage at 36.9%.

Julen Lopetegui's win percentage of exactly 30% is 10th best of 12 bosses.

Interestingly though, Lopetegui's win percentage across his 23 games in charge of Wolves was 39.1%.

Rumoured incoming manager Graham Potter's win percentage was 28.3% at Brighton and 31.8% at Chelsea.

Also, as the trophy owner could James choose the next winner?

What if he decides to wager it at five-a-side? Would the record books need to be updated?

1978-79 - Ipswich Town

1979-80 - Ipswich Town

1980-81 - Norwich City

2024-25 - UnAthletico Madrid

Thanks James! Be honest, was the real reason you bought it just so you could take off the Norwich ribbons?

Great news, James from Suffolk has responded.

Fulham

Fulham manager Marco Silva on his time at Watford: "It was a challenge. One like it always is. Every time you move to a club with the aim and ambition to get the club in the right track and to get results.

"The impact was incredible right away and after a bad spell they changed things but I still have a connection with some of the players and staff. It's a good feeling when you have a good impact on people.

"One of the good examples is the manager [Tom Cleverley] I am going to face tomorrow. He was a top player and very important for us during that period and I am really pleased to see him doing well in his managerial career.

"I always support him and his ambition and wish the best for Tom because he deserves everything in his career. Let's hope tomorrow is going to be our night though, not his."

Fulham

Fulham manager Marco Silva on doing well in the FA Cup: "We want to [do well]. Two season ago we reached the quarter-final. Last season we reached the Carabao semi-finals too. I told the players that the top ambition is this competition. All clubs should look at this cup like it deserves. It is a good competition in this country that everybody loves. The final is something unbelievable and if you can participate it is one of the greatest moments you can have in this country. We want to play with a full ambition that we can beat them."

Really hope James in Suffolk is reading and responds. While we wait, Marco Silva has arrived at his press conference.

Ben in the office is jumping for joy at this message and 100% agrees with every word.

Oh my goodness, today's live is going full Antiques Roadshow.

James, that's an amazing antique you have there. How did it come into your possession?

Image source, Getty Images