It has been a depressing begin to the season for West Ham United.
Graham Potter’s facet would have been proud of a gap day fixture towards one of many newly promoted sides, however as a substitute of being eased into the Premier League marketing campaign with a simple win, they have been trounced 3-0.
Issues have solely gotten worse since, with heavy dwelling defeats to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and a 3-2 loss within the League Cup towards Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In all, Potter’s place now seems to be untenable and, consequently, the membership have been linked with a number of potential replacements, together with one who was within the league final season.
The coaches linked with West Ham
On account of West Ham’s diabolical kind this season, the membership have been linked with a number of potential Potter replacements in current weeks.
One coach who’d absolutely do a a lot better job than the Englishman is lately fired Nuno Espírito Santo, who might need struggled in North London, however did a superb job with Nottingham Forest, main them again into European soccer for the primary time in a number of generations.
On the opposite facet of the coin is Frank Lampard, who is likely to be doing a ok job with Coventry Metropolis this season, however was by no means convincing throughout his time with Chelsea or Everton within the Premier League, getting sacked from each golf equipment.
Nonetheless, there may be now a 3rd supervisor within the combine, somebody who would nonetheless be an improve on Potter, and an thrilling one at that: Kieran McKenna.
Sure, in response to a current report from Hammer Information, the Ipswich City boss is now within the combine to interchange the Irons supervisor.
In reality, the report goes additional than that, revealing {that a} supply has informed them that the Northern Irishman would take the job if supplied.
It is likely to be seen as a danger by some, however McKenna carried out effectively final season, and there may be each probability he’ll find yourself being an improve on Potter.
Why McKenna could be an improve on Potter
Nicely, firstly, McKenna has a greater document at his present facet than Potter, and it isn’t even shut.
For instance, regardless of battling relegation all of final season with a squad that also had loads of League One-level gamers in it, the “sensational” Ipswich boss, as John Barnes dubbed him, has a formidable document of 83 wins, 48 losses, and 48 attracts with the Tractor Boys, which comes out to a mean of 1.66 factors per recreation.
In stark distinction, the Irons boss has received simply six video games since taking the job in January, shedding 13 and drawing the opposite 5, which comes out to a paltry common of 0.96 factors per recreation.
|
McKenna vs Potter (Present Jobs) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Supervisor |
McKenna |
Potter |
|
Video games |
179 |
24 |
|
Wins |
83 |
6 |
|
Attracts |
48 |
5 |
|
Losses |
48 |
13 |
|
Factors per Sport |
1.66 |
0.96 |
|
All Stats by way of Sofascore |
||
In reality, the one staff through which he has had a factors per recreation common of greater than 1.50 is Ostersunds, as he averaged 1.45 with Swansea Metropolis, 1.28 with Brighton & Hove Albion and simply 1.42 with Chelsea, who received the Champions League only a yr earlier than he was appointed.
One other huge tick within the Coa-born coaches’ favour is that he has an actual confirmed monitor document of dragging a staff out of the depths and pushing them to success within the English recreation.
When he took cost of the Suffolk facet, they have been languishing down within the third tier, and inside a number of years, he led them on successive promotions again to the Premier League for the primary time in over 20 years.
Potter might need helped to stabilise Brighton, however the Seagulls have truly loved better success since he left in September 2022.
Finally, whereas there may be some component of danger in hiring McKenna, he seems to be a greater supervisor than Potter, each statistically and when it comes to challenge constructing.