[Albion] The first crack in Graham Potter's calm demeanour?

[Bold Seagull]

Excellent post.

Ditch this benchmarking to the ever distant past, what the hell's that got to with a passing-by manager in 2021?

The overwhelming majority of fans are big Potter supporters, he must know that. He wouldn't have a clue why a tiny minority booed, so don't be hypersensitive in guessing the reason and reacting.

As a professional coach and lover of the game, I think he was very pleased with his body of work, the overall performance at final whistle. Fair enough.

But lifelong supporters of the club across all age groups have Albion DNA, they yearn for winning goals and a victory. As the weeks and months tick by without that, some supporters are perfectly within their rights to be emotional about another failure by our team to get over the line in a game of football.

Wasn’t a ‘tiny’ minority, and a small amount also booed Maupay as he went off - which will obviously help him no end. Albion DNA is for winning goals and a victory, isn’t that just supporting a football team, any football team, it’s hardly BHAFC DNA, unless you mean the ‘yearning’ only part!

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

This clip is brilliant & quite revealing of Potter's (non-university qualified) character, I think. And the water bottle is an entertaining sub plot in itself (ok, so I don't have quite the emotional investment in that day's events as I do with yesterday - "Could someone please get Mr Potter another bottle of water please! No, not the glass one.."). Interesting that he references the hard working players & the history. When you're that angry & in the heat of the moment he's probably not had that much time to really analyse the detail of what he's going to say.

But he's proper angry here, making yesterday seem like a Sunday school sermon by comparison. This clip fills me with even greater respect & admiration for the man (if that were possible), yet there are those who complain that he's too 'zen', not passionate or emotional enough, or invested enough in events to give a damn. What he's paid is irrelevant if you're the warm blooded human being he clearly is, responding to stressful events is not pay graded. Hence those who booed yesterday have every right, in my opinion, as a non-booer myself, to express themselves as they see fit, but have no right to criticise another, albeit a well paid human, doing exactly the same & responding, either emotionally or otherwise.

FFS give him a break, grow thicker skin & take it on the chin, carry on booing if you must (although I wish you didn't) & enjoy the best football/circumstances that we've seen, like ever (fan since 1978 ). We're still incredibly lucky to have him with us - I fear that issues like this are much more likely to push a manager away than any other, often touted, reason (I honestly don't think he would tbh, he's far too principled)

This has been good & mainly mature debate here, on both sides, but let's move on soon, eh?

1978 pah newbie

 

[dazzer6666]

Wasn’t a ‘tiny’ minority, and a small amount also booed Maupay as he went off - which will obviously help him no end. Albion DNA is for winning goals and a victory, isn’t that just supporting a football team, any football team, it’s hardly BHAFC DNA, unless you mean the ‘yearning’ only part!

It was tiny in relation to a c30k crowd……doubt it was even 100, but audible nonetheless. Wouldn’t be surprised if the booing when Maupay was subbed was for DJ coming on, not Neal.

 

[Robinjakarta]

This is the reason I booed !

Not the only reason, though, was it.

 

[Weststander]

Wasn’t a ‘tiny’ minority, and a small amount also booed Maupay as he went off - which will obviously help him no end. Albion DNA is for winning goals and a victory, isn’t that just supporting a football team, any football team, it’s hardly BHAFC DNA, unless you mean the ‘yearning’ only part!

Out of the 28,000 home support, what would be your guesstimate of numbers booing?

Winning/seeing goals is very part of being a football fan. Ecstasy at the time, a warm glow for the rest of the weekend, the next week 'made'.

Until the last 2 or 3 years I'd never heard anyone say "We may have lost or drawn again, but I loved that first or second half performance". Anything on those lines was never said.

No one is demanding, the old "entitlement" smokescreen from the easily pleased, wins every week.

But once in a while would be nice.

This isn't on Potter. We can't tuck away chances.

 

[Wozza]

Wasn’t a ‘tiny’ minority, and a small amount also booed Maupay as he went off - which will obviously help him no end.

For once, I DIDN'T STAND when he went off. I feel that sent a message.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

For once, I DIDN'T STAND when he went off. I feel that sent a message.

That showed him

 

[Bold Seagull]

It was tiny in relation to a c30k crowd……doubt it was even 100, but audible nonetheless. Wouldn’t be surprised if the booing when Maupay was subbed was for DJ coming on, not Neal.

Booing your own player coming on - even better!

 

[Fat Boy Fat]

Which set of supporters, or board of directors do you think would be more patient?
This is his 3rd season at the club, next to no improvement in terms of results and points over Hughton in his first two seasons, and this one seems to be reverting to that too in recent weeks.

It was a good performance, but another draw against a side who were there for the taking. I am fine with Potter saying he doesn't understand the boos, that we played well, players gave it their all, would have been happy and agreed with him if he had said the players didn't deserve to hear boos, but he has really pissed me off by saying "maybe I need a history lesson on this club".
I am less bothered now if he leaves than I ever have been, not because I think we can do better, but because I feel disrespected for having been here for decades, and supported a club that was in decline and then on a slow rise at a shit stadium. Apparently, that means I can't complain when that team is eighth in the Prem and not scoring goals against one of the leakiest defences in the division. Maybe if he was not so ****ing zen the whole time he would understand the frustration.

Disrespected, you're funny if what he said meant that much to you.

I can't speak for the guy, but my take on what he said was "we're 8th in the table, currently the teams best position in their HISTORY yet people boo"...

I sort of get his point, if that's what it was...

 

[SweatyMexican]

If Graham is ever tempted by a higher club, I’m sure he’ll remember them boos.

I know it’s not many, but they need to have a serious reality check, before we push away one of the best coaches we’ve ever had.

 

[Seasider78]

If Graham is ever tempted by a higher club, I’m sure he’ll remember them boos.

I know it’s not many, but they need to have a serious reality check, before we push away one of the best coaches we’ve ever had.

If Graham goes onto a bigger club he will get a much rougher ride from the fans of those clubs that a few boos at the Amex. If that is his ambition a thicker skin is probably a good thing to put it on his xmas list

 

[fisons]

If Graham goes onto a bigger club he will get a much rougher ride from the fans of those clubs that a few boos at the Amex. If that is his ambition a thicker skin is probably a good thing to put it on his xmas list

Hard to imagine a more obviously trolling post than this. Not even a nice try. Enjoy Sarf London.

 

[albionalex]

I can't see how people can be negative now. We are 8th and not scoring.

If we were in 17th then I may be a bit concerned. I don't expect success over night, I understand there is a process in place to get to where we want and we have to do it differently to the majority of the league.

So if in two weeks we're 17th, suddenly you would understand if people were being negative?

 

[Baldseagull]

Disrespected, you're funny if what he said meant that much to you.

I can't speak for the guy, but my take on what he said was "we're 8th in the table, currently the teams best position in their HISTORY yet people boo"...

I sort of get his point, if that's what it was...

Maybe because I have a high opinion of him, been a big supporter of his since he came here, and have defended him when others were losing patience, that I found him dismissing any criticism on account of having been worse in the past, as disrespectful, is it only fans of clubs that have won stuff that have the right to be frustrated at a lack of goals/wins?
Apparently I have to understand the game, understand who we played against and that we are eighth in the Premier league, and then I won't feel frustrated at seeing the ball go over the oppositions crossbar repeatedly or scuffed wide.

 

[chaileyjem]

This clip is brilliant & quite revealing of Potter's (non-university qualified) character, I think.

This has been good & mainly mature debate here, on both sides, but let's move on soon, eh?

Agreed .


PS Potter got his degree from the Open university / social sciences and his Masters from Leeds Beckett University.

 

[dadams2k11]

So if in two weeks we're 17th, suddenly you would understand if people were being negative?

Is that even possible?

To answer your question, not after 2/3 games, No!

If after 13 more games we were 17th, then Yes!
Something major would have gone wrong, and there would be cause for concern.

 

[albionalex]

Is that even possible?

To answer your question, not after 2/3 games, No!

If after 13 more games we were 17th, then Yes!
Something major would have gone wrong, and there would be cause for concern.

Probably not but we're 6 points above 17th. Being 8th is somewhat irrelevant.

 

[dadams2k11]

Probably not but we're 6 points above 17th. Being 8th is somewhat irrelevant.

Not at the end of the season it's not [emoji3][emoji106]

 

[BN41Albion]

If Graham is ever tempted by a higher club, I’m sure he’ll remember them boos.

I know it’s not many, but they need to have a serious reality check, before we push away one of the best coaches we’ve ever had.

Oh come on ffs, football fans are football fans the world over. Surely he's got thicker skin than that and in the cold light of day will realise it was just the emotions of a few that boiled over after yet another game where our finishing problems ****ed us over and we even saw bloody Locadia grace the pitch again.

If he joins a bigger more entitled club he'll need thicker skin if he hasn't realised that yet, anyway.

 

[albionalex]

I was very surprised to see the clip after the game where Potter referenced the booing, as on the feed we have in Canada the booing wasn't picked up. I was surprised that some people booed as we had played well and there have been other games under Potter where boos would have been much more deserved.

I don't think Potter handled it very well though. He could have easily said something along the lines of 'It sounded like frustration, we're frustrated too and looking forward to the West Ham game'.

Taking a pop at the fans, as he has done before, will not accomplish anything.