Graham Potter speaks out on face-swap memes as he ‘accepts’ West Ham ridicule

Potter’s future at West Ham is seemingly in doubt as fan frustration heightens

Graham Potter has spoken out on the viral “face-swap” trend that has seen West Ham fans express their dissatisfaction with the manager by merging his features with well-known figures like Sabrina Carpenter and Donald Trump.

Defeat in four of their five matches, including thrashings at home against London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham, has left Potter's future at the London Stadium seemingly in doubt.

The team are without a win at home since February and the atmosphere inside and outside the ground has grown increasingly hostile, with demonstrations organised ahead of last weekend's defeat to Crystal Palace to protest against the current ownership.

Long-standing dissatisfaction with the board over the running of the club has spared Potter the worst of supporters' anger but that could change if the defeats continue to arrive, starting with Monday night's trip to Everton.

The former Chelsea and Brighton boss endured a further humiliation this week after a gallery of "face-swaps" went viral on social media, a sign of “ridicule” which Potter can only take in his stride.

"Yes, I am aware of it," he said. "It made my 15-year-old son laugh a lot so you have to accept what comes with it (the job).

Graham Potter is under enormous pressure at West Ham (Getty Images)

"At times, (that is) ridicule but that is just the environment we are in and it is what it is.

"I haven't given it too much thought and you can imagine I've got a few more important things than that to be honest. As I said, it is what it is and you have to deal with those things."

Poor results have been only part of the issue, with the performances in some of those losses and the sight of their team in a state of near-total collapse giving supporters particular cause for alarm.

They were humiliated in a 5-1 loss to Chelsea in August during which the visitors cantered to victory despite having fallen behind early and ought to have scored more.

Spurs were given an equally comfortable ride, scoring three times in 17 second-half minutes to triumph 3-0. On both occasions fans streamed out of the London Stadium in their thousands long before the final whistle put the team out of their misery.

A 3-0 loss away to newly-promoted Sunderland on the opening weekend was another low.

"Every Premier League job is a hard job and that is the facts," said Potter, who has won only six of his 23 league games in charge since being appointed in January.

"If you think how many coaches there are in the world and you find yourself as one of the 20 coaches in the Premier League, it's hard, by definition. Every coach is good and there are resources everywhere.

"Anything that is worth having in life, you have to accept there will be struggle. Football is tough."

Potter confirmed he had spoken with the owners about the team's poor start.

"They were positive talks but of course we all understand where we are at and we want to improve," he said. "Nobody is happy with where we are at but at the same time you have to look at the context and not get caught in the noise."

Additional reporting from PA