Pretty honest from Graham Potter – Reacts to West Ham losing at home to Newcastle

The Mag

·10 March 2025

Pretty honest from Graham Potter – Reacts to West Ham losing at home to Newcastle

Graham Potter had seen his West Ham side win 1-0 at Arsenal and defeat Leicester 2-0 at home in their last two matches.

However, the Hammers found Newcastle a very different proposition.

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Graham Potter giving Newcastle plenty of praise after the defeat and grasping at very thin straws when wanting VAR to save his team, when claiming Bruno’s goal should have been disallowed.

Not so sure though about the West Ham boss claiming ‘…we had ambition to win’, I thought ambition was all but non-existent in his team set-up, with the midfield standing on the toes of the defence, as Graham Potter had his side in an ultra-defensive shape.

Graham Potter talking to West Ham TV after his team lost 1-0 to Newcastle:

“I thought it was a really committed performance from the players, they gave everything, which is good to see.

“We’re disappointed to lose, of course we are, because we had ambition to win. I thought we started the game well, had a couple of opportunities, they came into it and drove us back more than we’d like.

“We struggled to really impose ourselves on the game for periods but then we showed character to stick in it and we had our moments again and it ebbed and flowed a little bit.

“I think the goal was just disappointing because we feel there was a push on Max and obviously the first goal in that type of game is really important.

“Overall I think we didn’t do enough to win the game but I feel for the players, as I thought they deserved something from the game.

“We defended well, limited them to few chances and Alphonse Areola has made a couple of saves as well.

“Like I said, we want to do more ourselves with the ball and we want to attack better because I think you need to do that at home as well, but against Newcastle it isn’t straightforward – they’re man-to-man, they’re very physical, very intense, so they’re waiting press any backwards pass and not give you that time, so it isn’t obvious where solutions are forward but I thought the players tried, they stuck at it and defended really well.

“We defended with real commitment, the personality on the pitch was there. I thought the individual performance was strong but at the same time, like I said, I don’t think we did enough to win the game, but I’m disappointed for the players because they put such a lot into it that you’d like them to get something from it.

“I’m surprised the VAR didn’t look at [the build-up to their goal] and I’m surprised the VAR didn’t ask the referee to look at it.

“I think in real time maybe the referee didn’t see it, who knows. But for me, when I watched it back, you can see from Isak’s non-celebration, because I think he thinks it’s a foul.

“So yes, we’re disappointed with that clearly because at that moment if you see those moments out and, a bit like the first goal of Chelsea [when Bowen was blocked off moments before Pedro Neto scored the equaliser at Stamford Bridge], it’s one of those things that you need a little bit to go for you.

“But we’re playing against a good team that are fighting for the top six and Europe and the Champions League and I thought again we were committed and we’re in the game but it was not to be.

“I apologise if things aren’t happening quicker than we want them to be, but I think when you see the players give everything, that [commitment] is there.

“James Ward-Prowse I thought was fantastic, covering such an amount of ground, you know Tomáš and Edson are working hard and Ollie Scarles was [out] on his feet at the end there.

“Players are giving everything so I think that’s a real strong start point, a strong foundation. We have to have that and then obviously we always want to look to improve.

“Today’s a bit of a sore one because we wanted to get something from the game but yeah that’s life sometimes.”

West Ham 0 Newcastle 1 – Monday 10 March 8pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Bruno 63

West Ham:

Possession was Newcastle 49% West Ham 51%

Total shots were Newcastle 9 West Ham 9

Shots on target were Newcastle 3 West Ham 2

Corners were Newcastle 4 West Ham 3

Touches in the box Newcastle 28 West Ham 21