West Ham United

James Jones
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Three games into Graham Potter's West Ham reign and despite losing two of them, we have already seen some real positives to cling to as a fanbase.

Things are not perfect - but expecting perfection just three games and less than two weeks into a new manager's appointment would be deluded, not least with an ongoing injury crisis to contend with at the same time.

Saturday's home defeat by Crystal Palace was met with boos, moans and groans in some corners of London Stadium, and I cannot help but wonder what those fans were expecting at this stage.

First, Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug are all injured. Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta are both being played out of position as a result.

Secondly, after three games in eight days, Potter has probably spent more time travelling to and from games than he has on the training pitch working with his players.

Lastly, this squad - or what is left of it - needs bad habits and bad tactics coaching out of it after six months of poor form and performances under Julen Lopetegui.

This is still Lopetegui's West Ham team and Potter has done his best with what he has inherited.

With a fully fit squad and with some time on the training pitch, I have no doubt performances will vastly improve. That is not the reality of the situation, though, is it?

So this is not a call for patience. It is a call for common sense. Accept the situation as it is and know Potter has barely got started as West Ham boss.

The ink on his contract is still wet, after all.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

West Ham have had a £57m bid for Jhon Duran rejected by Aston Villa, who are determined not to sell the 21-year-old Colombia forward valued at £80m this month. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham are in advanced talks to reunite Chelsea analyst Kyle Macauley with Graham Potter.

A deal is expected to be completed this week as negotiations about an exit package move in the right direction, according to sources at both clubs.

Chelsea say goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts is key at the club and won't be re-joining Potter, having been brought to Stamford Bridge by the club's former manager.

Roberts serves as both a goalkeeper coach for Enzo Maresca and advises sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart on all goalkeeping transfers.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans:

Mike: Very poor first half where we looked slow, tired and lethargic. Much improved second until the penalty. We desperately need a striker and to also give the two young academy lads and Guillerme a regular start as they lifted the team by playing quicker, easier on the eye football. I think it is out with the old and in with the new if we want to avoid a relegation dog fight.

Mooro: Appalling, the worst performance ever, devoid of any attacking threat, hamstrung by Potter's mega-negative line-up and an immobile midfield. I thought Lopetegui was bad but...

Nilesh: Easily the worst game I've seen from West Ham in a long time and that's saying something. Somehow we need to get to the end of the season unscathed and for tough calls to be made. Mavrapanos, Alvarez and Soucek will need to go if we want a change in style. Doesn't matter who the manager is, you can't improve if you have players down the middle who are frightened to ask for the ball.

Mick: The miracle in midweek was replaced by the reality of the weekend. That Palace were so much better than us was frightening. Truly shocking performance. Over 190 minutes played now and only eight shots on goal, with three against Fulham, on target. Terrible statistic. Great to see the young boys finally get a chance, but this team is a relegation candidate. We need Ward-Prowse back, a proper striker and another defender. Mavrapanos is NOT a Premier League player. The only positive today is that he must miss a match. Potter is a good appointment but he isn't Harry and doesn't have a magic wand. No more points this month.

Crystal Palace fans:

Al: Solid at the back. How many go to West Ham and prevent West Ham getting a shot on target? Lacroix is the bargain of the season. Team playing with a self belief and JP "boom boom" Mateta is back on form. Up to 12th and the team has momentum. Long may it continue.

Lloyd: First game of the season where watching I thought Palace were going to win from first whistle. West Ham looked really sluggish and it was only a matter of time before we scored. A little disappointed in JP for not letting Eddie take the penalty. However very happy with the away win and three points.

Rich: Complete performance today. We looked so comfortable all day. Mateta was excellent, Kamada and Hughes bossed the midfield first half. Back three were so solid. The Leicester victory has given the team confidence. Glasner has the players playing and believing, great win.

Jerry: As comfortable a win as you're likely to get in the Premier league. Defensively we were very solid. Dean didn't have one shot to save the entire afternoon. That was a good foundation to give our attacking players. Mateta was once again a real handful for them. He took his first goal really well. A very professional away performance; hard working, and a real team effort. I always felt we were in control.

Will Perry
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham fans have witnessed some dross over the years at the London Stadium but that defeat against Crystal Palace has to be up there with one of the most turgid performances from their side.

It shows you just how big a job Graham Potter has on his hands to revitalise the club and how much they are missing Jarrod Bowen's creativity.

West Ham offered diddly-squat going forward - for the second time this season, failing to record a shot on target in a Premier League home game - with Lukasz Fabianski and the back three experiment not doing them any favours either.

Yes, they've got some breathing space to the relegation zone but back to back away trips to Aston Villa and Potter's old stomping ground Stamford Bridge could ramp up the heat, with the three points they were gifted by Fulham perhaps papering over some serious cracks in East London.

Watch highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brentford 0-2 Liverpool

• Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Hammers fans have not experienced much joy when watching their side at the London Stadium this season.

They were below-par against a Crystal Palace side who didn't have to get out of second gear.

For the second time this season, West Ham failed to record a shot on target in a Premier League home game (also against Liverpool in December). It's the first time since the 2005-06 campaign that they have failed to do so on multiple occasions at home in a top-flight season (v Arsenal and Wigan).

There was nothing for home fans to cheer about as their side went behind in the 48th minute. It is the 10th goal West Ham have conceded in the first 15 minutes of the second half in Premier League games this season - more than any other club except Leicester.

The Hammers haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their last 18 Premier League home games against fellow London sides (38 goals conceded), since beating Tottenham 1-0 back in October 2021.

Graham Potter has a lot to work on at West Ham and he would do well to make defensive solidity top of that list.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham boss Graham Potter speaking to BBC Match of the Day after today's defeat: "It was a disappointing day for us. The game looked like it was a game too far in a long week for us.

"We're disappointed with the result of course, and the performance. We weren't able to show our quality. I thought we had a bit more impetus when the young lads came on but we have to learn and improve."

On what went wrong: "I don't think we could ever really get full control in the game. We struggled to create and sustain as many attacks as we would like. The better team won on the day and we have a lot to improve and we will do that by sticking together.

"To arrive in January, it means things haven't gone as planned and that's where our job is. We want to show a bit more in front of our home fans. It's up to us to try and improve."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Crystal Palace's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are five Premier League fixtures on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action.

• Newcastle v Bournemouth (12:30)

• Brentford v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Leicester v Fulham

• West Ham v Crystal Palace

• Arsenal v Aston Villa (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

New West Ham boss Graham Potter got a win in his first home game, against Fulham on Tuesday, but I thought the Hammers got away with one a little bit there.

The safe bet here would be to go for a draw - but I am not going to do that.

Instead, I am going for a Crystal Palace away win, to continue their recent improvement.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Following their 2-0 win at Selhurst Park in August, West Ham are looking to complete the Premier League double over Crystal Palace for the first time since 2016-17.

West Ham and Tottenham are interested in signing Barcelona and Spain forward Ansu Fati, 22. (Sport - in Spanish), external

West Ham are considering a move for 27-year-old Nottingham Forest and Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi. (Florian Plettenberg, Sky Germany), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

West Ham boss Graham Potter has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Potter says they will have to make a "late decision" on Crysencio Summerville's availability for Saturday's match. He added that there is "nothing problematic long-term" within the rest of the squad.

• He gave the latest update on Michail Antonio: "I think he was due in today [Thursday]. I had a really good chat with him on the phone and he's doing well. It would be nice to see him."

• Potter was reluctant to comment on any transfer speculation, adding that January is a "complicated window".

• When asked if he expects any outgoings this month, he said: "I'm happy with the squad and approach of the players. For me, it's been about trying to get to know them. I'm really happy with the response."

• On Saturday's opponents: "They're in a good place, certainly away from home. [Jean-Philippe] Mateta, [Eberechi] Eze and [Ismaila] Sarr as the front three, they have adapted really well to losing a top player like [Michael] Olise."

• When asked where he wants to play Lucas Paqueta in his side: "He is a player that needs to feel how important he is to the team. You don't have to pin him down to one specific role; he can do lots of things because he is that talented."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

West Ham want to bring in Nottingham Forest's 27-year-old Nigeria striker Taiwo Awoniyi. (Florian Plettenberg), external

West Ham want to cut their losses on Brazilian Luis Guilherme, 18, and sell the forward just seven months after signing him. (Times), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Watch highlights and analysis from eight midweek Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool

• Everton 0-1 Aston Villa

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham have been a bit of a mess this season and Graham Potter has a fair bit of work to do. Some of the results have been OK but others have been catastrophic.

They have the players to do so, but there has been no confidence or belief, so Potter has got to find a way to turn that around.

Tuesday's home win over Fulham is a good place to start, especially given their growing injury list. But if you were a Fulham fan you would probably feel a little aggrieved that you left the stadium with nothing as they were for the most part the better side.

However, football is a results business and three points on the board for Potter is a fine start. His sincerity has already come across in the media and that will help to get fans on board because Julen Lopetegui never really looked to be that interested in getting involved.

The main question for me, is how is Potter going to get the best out of Lucas Paqueta, Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen? If he can solve that and get them firing, then their form will pick up.

Potter is a very intelligent manager and after a period away from the game he comes to East London fresh and ready for a new challenge. He also probably feels as though he has a point to prove following his time at Chelsea and that he can manage a club for the long term.

That is only good news for West Ham because it means their manager is giving it his all.

I can see them being a tough team to face for this second half of the season.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between West Ham and Fulham, which the Hammers won 3-2 in Graham Potter's first Premier League game in charge.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Jim: What a result. Yes, we rode our luck, especially at the end, but we also played some really good stuff, especially the second goal. At the end, there was a feel-good factor - it was joyous. What a massive three points.

Kevin: How good to see us play like a team rather than a bunch of individuals who didn't seem to know what they were supposed to be doing. Real character shown by all the players, including the subs. To fashion a team and tactics with so many key players missing shows a lot of promise.

Michael: Big respect to Potter, for a great three points. Getting a result against a good team like Fulham with NO proper strikers is an extraordinary achievement. However, he must fix our terrible defence. Sadly, I doubt if they can be coached to be better. I would keep Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and clear out the rest. Get some defenders with pace and leadership qualities. Up front we must sign a striker or take someone on loan. But, overall I'm heartened by Potter's start.

Ant: Nowhere near perfect, but how refreshing to see some shape and urgency from the team, where they all looked like they knew what their job was and wanted to do it well. It was also great to hear the crowd really get behind the team, roaring the boys on to a hard-fought and much-needed three points. Two games in and definite signs of improvement.

Fulham fans

Charlie: Just frustrating. Went from controlling the game to 2-0 down in about 30 seconds. We seem to have these random off days, such as the 4-1 loss to Wolves in November. On to the next on. In Marco we trust!

Robert: Fulham made four goals. Two were for West Ham. That says it all.

Simon: You'll hear a lot of people citing a lack of finishing or the risks of playing out from the back as the problem, but our real problem is our defence. That's the fifth time this season we've scored two goals and failed to win. We simply have to tighten up, and can't continually need to score three just to win or even draw a game.

Glen: These defensive errors are really starting to derail our season. Three awful mistakes which have led directly to goals in our past three league games now have cost us crucial points. We were the better team but once again have nothing to show for it. Adama Traore really does need to work on end product as well.

Aston Villa have rejected an offer in the region of £40m from West Ham for 21-year-old Colombia striker Jhon Duran. (Talksport, external)

The Hammers are interested in signing Portugal striker Andre Silva, 29, on loan from RB Leipzig for the remainder of the season. (Guardian, external)

West Ham are in talks with Marseille over a deal for 22-year-old French forward Elye Wahi. (ESPN, external)

The Hammers have also added Nurnberg's Finn Jeltsch, 18, to their wishlist for the summer but face competition from Premier League and Bundesliga clubs for the German defender. (Florian Plettenberg, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham manager Graham Potter, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It feels great. It's a big three points for us. It was hard-fought in a tough game, a London derby.

"Fulham started the game as a better team. We had some trouble trying to put pressure on them, but we changed that in the middle of the first half and were more aggressive. That helped us to put some pressure on them.

"We were disappointed to concede the goal early in the second half, but credit to the players, they stuck at it and stuck together.

"The start point is the foundation of togetherness and the foundation of a team. We were far from perfect. But in terms of application of the players and how they fought and suffered, they were really, really, good. We have to look at the context of what happened and it's been a tough week for the players and we have players missing, especially in the forward areas. But nevertheless, the team spirt, the team effort and willingness to try were fantastic."

On missing players due to injury: "We don't really want to talk about the individuals that aren't there. It's about the team that's there. They did the best. The substitutes came on and did well. We need a good reaction from our substitutes and their reactions were really good today. The pressure got us another goal and that was the one that got us over the line.

"Danny Ings, Andy Irving, Ollie Scarles and Aaron Cresswell were all great. It's obviously nice to score three goals and long may that continue."

On Danny Ings: "Danny had a massive game against Aston Villa. He hasn't played consistently for a while, so I just thought going from Friday to Tuesday was big for him and that he would be more useful towards the back end of the game and he has really helped us. It also means Mohammed Kudus is fresh and ready for another big game coming up for us."

On being back in management: "It's stressful. I know how hard it is in this league. Marco Silva's team is in a fantastic moment. So to get three points is great. It's a nice start, but we cannot get carried away."