Graham Potter 'understands' anger from West Ham supporters but reveals positives from Tottenham defeat | OneFootball

Many West Ham supporters decided to leave the London Stadium long before full-time against Tottenham

Graham Potter admitted he understood the anger of West Ham fans after another painful defeat on home soil.

The Hammers were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham at the London Stadium and they sit in the relegation zone having made a terrible start to the season.

A win over Nottingham Forest before the international break has been the only positive, with Potter’s side conceding 11 goals across three defeats.

West Ham were in the game against Spurs after a goalless first-half but collapsed after the break, conceding to a Pape Matar Sarr header from a corner before Tomas Soucek was shown a straight red card for catching Joao Palhinha high.

The Hammers then conceded two quick goals to Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven. Many home fans had left by full-time, but there were still enough in their seats to produce a chorus of boos.

“I understand,” Potter said.

“When the scoreline went away from us so quickly and then the red card, you can see it’s an uncomfortable evening for us all. I felt for the supporters of course, and the players out there because you don’t know whether to push on and open yourself up and it can get even uglier.

I felt for the supporters of course, and the players out there because you don’t know whether to push on and open yourself up and it can get even uglier

Graham Potter

“That’s just the reality when you’re down two or three nil with ten men. So I understand the frustration and it’s uncomfortable.

“We’ve played two home games against Chelsea and Tottenham. Both have competed in the Champions League and they’ve got resources to build squads that are high level. We’ve had two uncomfortable games.

“We had a good game against Forest but I understand why there’s that feeling. We have to deal with it and we have to play well and win.

“I think at half-time the supporters were there with us, they were really there. They appreciated the fact we were in the game, they appreciated that it was a committed performance from the team. There were some good attacks.

“But at the same time when the scoreline is what it is, I understand the reaction.”

Seeing red: Tomas Soucek

Getty Images

It is now seven home matches without a win for West Ham in the Premier League, with Leicester and Fulham the only sides they have beaten at the London Stadium in 2025.

Asked about that dreadful run, Potter insisted there were still positives to take from the latest defeat.

“I think it’s tough, it is,” Potter said.

“The home form here hasn’t been good for a period of time. So that’s something we have to admit to and try to change. The only way we can do it is focus on the positive things.

“Cry’s [Summerville] performance I think was good considering it was his first game. I think him and Malik [Diouf] had a really good combination down the left. I thought Kyle [Walker-Peters] and Jaz [Bowen] combined well on the right. Mateus [Fernandes] and Lucas [Paqueta] linked well in the first half.

“Because of how the second half went everything feels negative, but I think we have to focus on the positives from the first half.”