Potter inherited a mess at West Ham – his bold call has already given fans hope

West Ham 3-2 Fulham (Soler 31’, Soucek 33’, Paqueta 67’ | Iwobi 51’ 78’)

LONDON STADIUM — Graham Potter swapped tracksuits for turtlenecks the first time he took a job in the capital. A subtle rebrand of the big fish from a smaller pond, it betrayed just how much he wanted the transformation into a truly elite manager to work. In east London he cuts a more relaxed figure but make no mistake – he needs West Ham as much as they need him.

That is both the first obvious contrast with Julen Lopetegui and perhaps the most important one. Nobody is under any illusions about the uphill struggle ahead but already, the shape is better, this is a squad playing for their head coach, and the press is more urgent.

Without it, they could not have forced Andreas Pereira into the hapless pass that gifted Carlos Soler his half-volley from the edge of the box. The technique was sublime yet these moments were so rare under Lopetegui that it was impossible not to feel as though the clouds had momentarily shifted.

A year on the proverbial scrapheap has cost Potter none of his boldness. With no Michail Antonio, Niclas Fullkrug or Jarrod Bowen for the foreseeable future, the mentality has to be this West Ham squad against the world, including the board that got them into this mess in the first place.

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The answer was not to bring in Danny Ings – the only fit centre-forward – from the start, but to install Lucas Paqueta as a striker with Tomas Soucek at No 10.

Potter will hardly claim it as a moment of great inspiration – the only real alternative was to use Mohammed Kudus as a false nine, and the call on Ings was all but made for him by a dispiriting display in the FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa.

It was vindicated nonetheless by Soucek turning in a low cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Ings would eventually have his part to play too, pressing Bernd Leno into an error for the third, slotted in by Paqueta.

Panic could have set in from the opening 30 minutes’ familiar dirge. It is easy to take for granted what Marco Silva has achieved but Fulham should never have let this get away from them, twice hitting the woodwork through Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez. “It is clearly our fault, the way we lost the game,” Silva conceded afterwards.

When Alex Iwobi finally found a way through, it was more by accident than design, his cross evading the entire back line and Jimenez. Fulham’s second was almost a carbon copy, this time Wilson missing the faintest touch.

Nervy finish aside, Potter showed that most necessary of attributes in a West Ham manager – a willingness to adapt whatever happens in January. They outperformed their xG with no strikers on the pitch, they scored 100 per cent of their shots on target, and they capitalised greedily on Fulham’s comedy of errors.

It was no vintage display, but it is hard to remember what those felt like after the botched experiment with Lopetegui. There was a new-found resilience too that cannot be overlooked: Wan-Bissaka’s late clearance, the collective sigh of relief as Adama Traore skied the follow-up.

Potter could not have asked for much more from his home bow. He will not accept this as mission impossible, even if he has effectively been let down before he even began.

A new striker remains essential if this is not to prove a false dawn. The relationship with technical director Tim Steidten is likely to be as important as any in the dressing room.

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