West Ham: Graham Potter issues response after fans' vote of no confidence in club board | OneFootball

Hammers take on Crystal Palace in a crunch clash this weekend

Graham Potter has said that everyone at West Ham is on the same page as he reacted to a lengthy statement from the club following a vote of no confidence in the board from West Ham’s fan advisory board.

West Ham released the statement on Wednesday night in reaction to the vote of no confidence, in which they accepted that results and performances over the past two seasons had not been good enough.

“We accept that results and performances on the pitch over the past two seasons have not met the standards we set for ourselves.

“Nobody at the club is satisfied with that, and the board of directors have spent a great deal of time looking at the decisions that have been made across the football operation, in order to inform an improved strategy going forward.

“Our focus now is firmly on the future and building a team that can once again compete consistently in domestic competitions and in Europe.”

Tensions have been rising in the lead-up to West Ham’s game at home to Crystal Palace, with two protests planned by supporters’ groups Hammers United and Crossed Hammers, and Potter says the club must stay united.

“I think at every football club, if you don't win as much as you'd like, there's always noise, there's always pressure, there's always criticism, and that's fair, that's the world we're in,” Potter told reporters.

“Everybody wants West Ham to do well, the fans do, the players do, me and my staff do, the board do, we're all on the same page in terms of how much we love the club and how much we want the club to do well.

“We're all hurting the same, so we have to try to, and we will stick together, we will, because that's part of this club as well, it's part of something really special about this club.

Potter, who was specifically mentioned by the club in their statement as the man to lead them forward, was in an optimistic mood at West Ham’s Rush Green training ground, despite a disappointing start to the season.

The 50-year-old will be looking for a first home win of the season against Crystal Palace, and spoke glowingly of the club and their supporters ahead of a crunch London derby.

“I think you have to do lots of things in these jobs, you have to build, you have to develop, but you also have to win, and I think it's fair to say we haven't done that as much as we'd like.”

“Then when you don't do that as much as you'd like, there's always pressure, negativity, all those things. But at the end of the day, this job is a fantastic job, it's an important job at an amazing football club, with an incredible support, a fan base, and an ambition.”