- West Ham fell to another late capitulation, this time at the hands of Brighton
- The Hammers have failed to win a game in the Premier League since February
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It was clear whose side the West Ham fans were on. A ball had barely been kicked on the south coast when the horde of Hammers behind the goal let rip with their first Niclas Fullkrug song of the afternoon: ‘Our big f****** German, he says what he wants.’
Fullkrug had been dropped to the bench a week after slamming the team’s ‘mentality problem’ in conceding late to Southampton. Their latest capitulation at Brighton made it eight points dropped in the last six games to goals scored after the 88th minute.
Even in a season as dismal as West Ham’s current one, since Potter took over only the three relegated sides have won fewer points, rarely has the disconnect between the fans, the players and the manager felt quite so stark.
The Amex Stadium is a smaller and more intimate ground than the London Stadium. Fans are close to the action and you can hear every word. The players got the message loud and clear.
As soon as Yasin Ayari curled in the first of Brighton’s two 30-yard wonder strikes, the chants turned to ‘Our German was right, we are f****** sh**e.’
What must have made the ending even more frustrating for Potter was that, for large parts, West Ham were anything but. Aaron Wan-Bissaka caused Brighton constant problems down the right from wing-back and the plan to bombard them with crosses worked well. Tomas Soucek found the side netting early on before seeing another effort tipped on to the crossbar.
West Ham fans sided with Niclas Fullkrug at Brighton, where they fell to a late defeat
Potter (left) and Fullkrug (right) fell out this week but they may actually be on the same page
When he nodded in what looked to be the winner for a first victory since February, the response from a section of the travelling support was to strike up a rendition of ‘how s*** must you be, we’re winning away’.
Not for long, though. Any good work was undone in a flash and, in the end, counted for nothing – again.
Potter struggled to hold back his emotions. He talked of the ‘baggage’ the players are carrying. He suggested they aren’t physically and mentally strong enough to see out victories, not too distant an echo of Fullkrug’s sentiments.
‘We play for a club that turns up with 60,000 fans week in, week out and we’re 17th in the Premier League,’ added captain Jarrod Bowen. ‘If we can accept that, we shouldn’t be here.’
It’s clear Potter thinks there’s plenty who shouldn’t be but there’s not much he can do about it until the summer.
‘We have to stick together,’ he urged. Right now, between the stands and the grass, they could hardly be further apart.
