Potter out, Nuno in

So Graham Potter has finally gone and it seems Nuno Espirito Santo is certain to be his replacement. It was a little cruel to let Potter do his press conference on Friday, though you don't expect classy sackings at West Ham under the current ownership. Potter was in deep trouble after the fans home chanted "sacked in the morning!" against Palace. I don't like sacking managers, but there's been few signs of hope since Potter took over. It's not as if we've been playing well and not getting results. 

Potter had a free hit with the second half of last season. He wasn't helped by injuries but apart from a slight improvement defensively the team still looked flat. This season's five defeats out of six have been calamitous and the mood at home games has been apathetic. Yes, he's been let down by the players but conceding six goals from corners points to a basic lack of organisation in defence and the lack of a set-piece coach. His midfield reinforcements arrived late and Hermansen has proved a poor signing so far in goal. Another problem has been Potter's lack of charisma. It's ok to be calm in a crisis but he's failed to galvanise the fans and too often lapses into middle-management speak when the fans want a bit of passion and some pithy quotes.

Will Nuno Espirito Santo be a good fit? His record at Wolves and Forest is certainly impressive and he's used to dealing with a difficult chairman. Signing Milenkovic and Murillo proves he can spot a good centre back and he got the best out of an ageing striker in Chris Wood, so hopefully he might do the same for Fullkrug and Wilson. It would be back to counter-attacking football, which is ok with me if done effectively, and Nuno will hope that Bowen and Summerville can do similar jobs to Elanga and Hudson-Odoi at Forest. If the new gaffer is in charge at Everton then it will give us more cause for optimism.

But the biggest problem at West Ham has been the ownership not the managers. David Sullivan has certainly spent some money, but he's veered all over the place in terms of club direction. He listened to the voices on the phone-ins instead of having the strength to keep Moyes after a ninth placed finish and Europa League quarter-final. Throughout his tenure the club has gone from pragmatic to romantic managers and back again, all with scattergun recruitment. Since Moyes we've had three managers and two recruitment gurus in Tim Steidten and Kyle Macauley. Again it's a hasty appointment made in panic mode, but let's hope the club might have got it right this time.