Graham Potter must change 'academy style football' or face serious consequences

Never mind Helen of Troy having the face that launched a thousand ships, potentially Graham Potter is fast becoming the Albion manager that split the support in two.
Graham Potter's team are facing up to yet another relegation battle in 2021Graham Potter's team are facing up to yet another relegation battle in 2021
Graham Potter's team are facing up to yet another relegation battle in 2021

Albion are due to take on Arsenal at 6pm on Tuesday night with only one Premier League win at the Amex in 2020.

Ironically, that was against Arsenal back in June at the first game of ‘Project Restart’. So a local pub quiz question for many years to come could be: who were the only team the Albion beat in the EPL at the Amex in 2020? (Regardless of the result of 2020’s last Amex encounter)

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Whether read out, or on paper in front of you, once digested the outcome is the same, it is a dismal statistic. And as previously stated in this column, former Albion managers have been sacked for far less.

But as also previously stated, my impeccable source at the club categorically says chairman Tony Bloom will ‘keep the faith’ with Potter even if the Albion are relegated.

All of which produces the ongoing war of words between supporters. I cannot recall in my time watching the club, a previous manager with a record like Potter still maintaining the backing of a large part of the Albion support.

Although let me clarify that, large parts of the Albion support on social media that is, would it be a different story if there were 30,000 in the ground?

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Take Covid out of the equation, and with the current Albion displays on offer, would fans have already started voting with their feet, the classic barometer for any football manager?

Unfortunately, whichever way you look at it, even with a win against Arsenal, the Albion now find themselves going into 2021 in a relegation fight.

The huge question on everyone’s lips is do they have both the ability and equally as important the mental strength, to finish in 17th place or above?

As regular readers will know, I am very much a glass half full man when it comes to the Albion, but the whole situation was summed up to me earlier in the week by a former Albion player, now in his 60’s and clearly knows his stuff.

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With the best will in the world, Graham Potter is an academy coach, and the Albion are playing academy football.

The stats will look brilliant when it comes to possession and passes completed, but that is great at academy level but does not really cut it in the EPL.

If Bloom will not change Potter, at the very least Potter must change his outlook. Otherwise sadly the Albion will go down, and then rediscover how hard it is to get back up.