Graham Potter Thread

[NikkiCFC 8,286]

One month ago I did not have any hope for this season. Was fine with finishing PL season whatever place in the table and obvy no chance in CL when we face first decent team. Would judge Potter next season but this exceptional transfer window changes completely everything. Huge hope for both competitions. b2b clean sheets also play part in optimism. Badiashile looks good pairing with Silva. Enzo is what we needed for a long time and should transform MF and Mudryk and Felix give us different dimension in attack. I mean, both in cameos looked different planet to all our current attackers. On top of that among our most important players that missed majority of current season James, Chilwell and Kante are coming back, even Fofana. Also I think all those changes can finally unlock what we expect from Havertz and Sterling. We are different team now. If they all gel well I dont see weak link in the starting 11. Even depth is great.

I am looking at Newcastle, 10 points ahead but when they have City, Brighton and Liverpool in a row soon I can easily see them losing 7 or 8 points there. We need run of wins and boom, we are a couple of points behind them with 15 games left.

By the look of it around 70 points will get you CL as usual. To reach that number we need to get 41 of possible 54 points till the end. So we can afford for example 3 draws and 2 losses in next 18 games. Dont look other teams just focus on us, game by game, every round is final for us now. I think we can do it but for sure so excited to watch team from now on.

Also talk of us needing a couple of years is laughable. Next season we are there fighting for every possible trophy.

Edited January 31, 2023 by NikkiCFC

[Mário César 1,231]

next season we need a goalkeeper, maybe another midfielder and a striker and thats it

and sell a buch of deadwood 

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

21 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

One month ago I did not have any hope for this season. Was fine with finishing PL season whatever place in the table and obvy no chance in CL when we face first decent team. Would judge Potter next season but this exceptional transfer window changes completely everything. Huge hope for both competitions. b2b clean sheets also play part in optimism. Badiashile looks good pairing with Silva. Enzo is what we needed for a long time and should transform MF and Mudryk and Felix give us different dimension in attack. I mean, both in cameos looked different planet to all our current attackers. On top of that among our most important players that missed majority of current season James, Chilwell and Kante are coming back, even Fofana. Also I think all those changes can finally unlock what we expect from Havertz and Sterling. We are different team now. If they all gel well I dont see weak link in the starting 11. Even depth is great.

I am looking at Newcastle, 10 points ahead but when they have City, Brighton and Liverpool in a row soon I can easily see them losing 7 or 8 points there. We need run of wins and boom, we are a couple of points behind them with 15 games left.

By the look of it around 70 points will get you CL as usual. To reach that number we need to get 41 of possible 54 points till the end. So we can afford for example 3 draws and 2 losses in next 18 games. Dont look other teams just focus on us, game by game, every round is final for us now. I think we can do it but for sure so excited to watch team from now on.

Also talk of us needing a couple of years is laughable. Next season we are there fighting for every possible trophy.

I don’t know. I get the optimism but we’ve made 16 signings in 1 season and we will make more in the summer so its not exactly a given that the amount of changes is going to be as purely positive as first imagined. Mainly because teams take time to build up and considering this last 2 windows alone has been a dramatic overhaul of the playing squad, I would still imagine there will be twists and turns as it takes time for us to find the right partnerships and systems to accommodate our strongest 11.

I am still not overly convinced Graham Potter is going to be the man to do the job as well. I just think he lacks that winners mentality. He has been backed significantly now also and will be again in the summer but I am curious how much of an input he really had on any of these players. I’d imagine he was consulted yes but I doubt he gave them a list of those exact players. Either way he has to get results and fast.

I am 90% sure he’s not going to win us any trophies though in the next 18 months though but it will probably take him and the club another 2 windows to properly finish this squad off. Gonna have to clear out the players that aren’t good enough or not part of his plans (may be difficult), find solutions for one or two problem positions and ultimately, I think we will add a few bodies who are a bit further along in their footballing development ie. guys around 25,26,27 just to give us a good blend of youthfulness and experience on top of what weve already got.

No doubt guys like Koulibaly, Lukaku, Kante, Azpilicueta, Ziyech and even Thiago Silva will leave over the course of the next 6, 12 or 18 months and thats a lot of experience, know how and leadership in certain aspects to loose as much as anything else. We have to hope some of the lads we’ve got and have signed can pick up the baton in that regard also because strong leaders and strong characters are within every successful football team.

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by OneMoSalah

[TheHulk 2,401]

 

[DDA 9,924]

20 minutes ago, TheHulk said:

 

This is basically everything we ever wanted under Roman... the spending accompanied by a vision whilst backing a manager through the hard times to deliver the vision. 

🙌

[lucio 5,418]

6 hours ago, DDA said:

This is basically everything we ever wanted under Roman... the spending accompanied by a vision whilst backing a manager through the hard times to deliver the vision. 

🙌

It's gotta be the right manager though or you're just wasting years. That's the problem with someone with no track record, could be backing lampard still to this day 

[TheHulk 2,401]

We will see some improvements when this guy gets replaced.

[lucio 5,418]

Scruffy and underqualified. Needs to leave asap. If not, we will waste the young squads potential.

[DH1988 1,346]

I really want Potter to work out but he simply looks like a deer in headlights, not just tonight, even the presser yesterday he didn't really have  a clue when answering the questions, a club of our size with the investment, I don't think he was ready for that, were any of us? None of us saw this investment coming.

 

Sorry, Graham.

[Johnnyeye 7,501]

Not the right man for the job, it’s too big for him.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

If we were seeing development of the young players and a squad growing together like we did under Lamps or Ranieri I would be completely fine with not winning stuff for a while as long as there is progress and a clear vision.But under Potter it feels like we are treading in water not moving an inch... everybody is fed up with each other, the football in turgid and boring... When Newcastle were bought and signed a bunch of average to decent players, hired Eddie Howe they started delivering right away and have kept that buzz till now. Potter has been handed a better squad to begin with, even more cash and better players and we have at no point looked even able to compete against midtable teams. 

[Pizy 18,847]

Agree with a lot of what I’m reading here sadly. He looks like someone who is used to working with an ego free, low expectations, punch above their weight sort of team because that’s exactly what he has always been. He’s struggling to get his ideas to translate to a squad full of insanely expensive players who are mostly used to coaches with huge pedigree.

I think he’s certainly going to get plenty of time by the owners but he REALLY needs this team to start showing some idea or identity and quickly. Something that convinces the fan base and the players that heading into next season there’s reason for optimism and something to build upon.

[Hashishi 148]

The yes man will run out of answers soon.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

The good thing is we have built a squad that should be able to deliver under a more convincing manager almost right away. Few positions aside we have universally talented, well-rounded, technically proficient athletes all over the pitch and not system specific players (Werner, Jorginho)  and almost every position covered at least twice. It's just a bit sad seeing wasting us time holding onto a manager who is clearly not fit for the job.

[lucio 5,418]

It's not like Brighton have imploded since he left. If anything they are better off without him. Shocking coach 

[DDA 9,924]

I have to admit... the signs are worrying.

[Blue Armour 4,436]

I will give him another chance for when Felix returns and we go back to a more presentable midfield.

But if we still see the same turgid football - then no. 

And screw the comparisons with Arteta. Arteta might be doing a stage impression of Pep in the dressing room, but he displays more character than what Potter has shown so far.

Its the sort of stuff you need when bringing together a group of big talents. Mudryk look super bored in that first half. 

[Johnnyeye 7,501]

im done with him, nothing suggests he will turn it around, nothing so far looks promising, this job is simply too big for him, he looks completely lost out there and i’m looking at Brighton right now without Potter and they are much better without him. The board need to swallow their pride and let Potter go, look i’m all for stability if the signs of improvement are there, but right now it’s clearly not the case.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Johnnyeye