Moyes 2.0: Sullivan favouring “immense” Potter replacement for West Ham
da blaze casino： It’s starting to feel like it might be game over for Graham Potter at West Ham United.
da realbet： The former Chelsea boss ended last season in 14th place, and has already lost three of four Premier League games this year.
On top of that, the team crashed out of the League Cup and simply aren’t playing good football.
Some fans would surely love for the club to re-hire David Moyes, but while that is almost certainly impossible, West Ham do seem interested in another of their former managers.
The latest on West Ham's managerial situation
Given the form West Ham have been in this season, it’s not been much of a surprise to see them being linked with a host of managers.
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One name that seems to continuously pop up is Frank Lampard, who is currently plying his trade with Coventry City and has overseen two wins and three draws in the Championship this season.
Another manager touted for a move to the London Stadium is Nuno Espírito Santo, who Nottingham Forest recently fired despite getting them back into Europe for the first time in a very long time.
However, neither of these managers could really be seen as another Moyes-esque appointment, unlike Slaven Bilic.
Yes, according to a recent report from Ben Jacobs, the Croatian coach is now someone West Ham are interested in.
In fact, Jacobs has revealed that David Sullivan currently “favours” the 57-year-old over other candidates.
It remains to be seen who, if anyone, replaces Potter this season, but Bilic may well be a great option, and something of a Moyes 2.0.
Why Bilic could be Moyes 2.0
So, while it might sound incredibly simplistic, the primary reason hiring Bilic would be a Moyes-esque move is that he, too, would be coming back to West Ham.
The Scotsman was in charge of the club between November 2017 and May 2018, and then came back for a second, more successful spell between December 2019 and June 2024.
In Bilic’s case, he was sitting in the hot seat at the club between July 2015 and November 2017.
During that time, the Croatian took charge of 109 matches, overseeing 42 wins, 30 draws and 37 losses, which resulted in a points per game average of 1.43.
That’s light years better than Potter’s record of six wins, five draws and 13 losses in 24 games at the helm, which comes out to a dreadful average of 0.96 points per game.
Bilic vs Potter at West Ham
Manager
Bilic
Potter
Games
109
24
Wins
42
6
Draws
30
5
Losses
37
13
Points per Game
1.43
0.96
Goals Scored
160
29
Goals Conceded
167
39
All Stats via Transfermarkt
It’s also not much worse than Moyes’ second stint at the club, which saw him rack up 103 wins, 43 draws and 84 losses, which saw him average 1.53 points per game and crucially, win the club some European silverware.
Now, while potentially mirroring the Scotsman’s return to the club is an enticing prospect, there are some other reasons the Hammers might want to re-hire Bilic.
For example, within a year of being appointed manager of West Brom, the “absolutely immense” manager, as dubbed by former professional Lee Hendrie, had led them back up to the Premier League.
Ultimately, while there might be more prestigious options out there, re-hiring Bilic might be the way to go for West Ham, as he’d certainly be an upgrade on Potter, and when Moyes made his return, he won the club a major honour.