West Ham's Potter under pressure as memes surge after Palace defeat
Under-fire manager faces renewed scrutiny as memes proliferate online and the club weighs its options amid a rocky start to the season.
After Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace, West Ham's head coach Graham Potter faced chants of 'you're getting sacked in the morning' from his own fans, underscoring mounting pressure at the London Stadium as the club opened the season with four losses in five matches.
The moment off the pitch quickly spilled into a social-media frenzy, with memes depicting Potter’s face superimposed onto a range of well-known figures. Images have placed him beside US president Donald Trump, Only Fools and Horses’ Rodney Trotter, and American actress Sydney Sweeney, among others. One widely circulated edit shows Potter and Hammers midfielder James Ward-Prowse swapping places with the Chuckle Brothers, while another pairs them as Barbie and Ken. A further meme replaces Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with Potter and Ward-Prowse. In a clip that circulated online, AI alters an interview to substitute Trump’s face with Potter as he boasts about making “a tremendous amount of money.” The memes highlight the online anger as Potter fights to arrest a poor start to the campaign.
It remains the case, however, that the on-pitch drama has taken center stage. West Ham have lost four of their first five matches this season, leaving Potter seeking a dramatic turnaround. After the Palace defeat, the club insisted Potter still had backing from the board, yet there are mounting concerns about the immediate future should results not improve in coming weeks.
Senior sources told Daily Mail Sport before the game that Potter still had full backing, but replacements were already being considered should a change be made. Among those discussed as potential successors were former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic and ex Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Potter said he understood the challenging environment and acknowledged the difficult results, stating that he believes the club still supports him and that the moment is tough for everyone connected to West Ham. His record since taking over in January—six wins from 25 matches—has intensified scrutiny, with him potentially becoming the third West Ham manager to lose his job in the last 16 months after David Moyes and Lopetegui.
Looking ahead, West Ham face a demanding run of fixtures, including trips to Moyes’ Everton and then Arsenal before the October international break.