Graham Potter instantly makes history as West Ham manager during first game against Aston Villa
Graham Potter made history in Friday night's FA Cup clash at Aston Villa.
Old Brighton and Chelsea The manager took charge of West Ham for the first time at Villa Park after his appointment as Julen Lopetegui's successor this week.
Potter had been out of work since leaving Chelsea almost two years ago and had been courted by a host of clubs in the Premier League and across Europe.
Potter was believed to be holding out for the England job, but that idea was scrapped when Thomas Tuchel – ironically, the man he replaced at Stamford Bridge – was given the reins of the FA.
West Ham's abject season demanded the early departure of the former real Madrid Coach Lopetegui who left the club on Monday in 14th position and with a streak of two wins in eight games.
Potter had little time to prepare his team for Friday's FA Cup tie as he was appointed on Thursday.
He quickly became the center of attention and in the process made club history.
That's because he became the first. West Ham United coach whose first game in charge is the FA Cup.
Potter is West Ham's 18th manager in the club's history and no other manager has made his debut in the world's oldest domestic cup competition.
And from the looks of it, Potter is relishing the prospect of his new role at the London Stadium.
“I'm delighted to be here,” he said on the club's website. “It was important to me to wait until I found a job that I felt was suitable for me and at the same time was the right candidate for the club I will be joining. That's the feeling I have with West Ham United.
“My conversations with the president and the board of directors have been very positive and constructive, we share the same values of hard work and a lot of energy to create solid foundations that can produce success, and we are on the same page in terms of what is needed . in the short term and then how we want the Club to move forward in the medium and long term.
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Potter's first task will be to fill the gaps in his team's defense after two tough losses in a row.
West Ham were beaten 5-0 by the leaders Liverpool on December 29 before suffering a 4-1 defeat in city of manchester last weekend.
The trip to face Unai Emery's team will present a significant challenge for Potter, but two London derbies in the space of a week will give him the opportunity to assess where his team stands.
West Ham Host Fulham on Tuesday before Crystal Palace visits the London Stadium next weekend.
The games will offer Potter his first experience of the home dugout while also giving him the opportunity to move further away from the bottom three, with West Ham currently seven points ahead of 18th-placed Ipswich.
