The unprecedented action one West Ham player has taken to grab the attention of Graham Potter. One West Ham United player is going to extraordinary lengths in order to impress Graham Potter it seems.
Graham Potter is trying to instil a new culture at West Ham – one whereby players are able to express themselves without fear of making mistakes. The Hammers head coach alluded to exactly this during a recent appearance on the Iron Cast podcast.
Since Potter’s arrival at the London Stadium, there have been big improvements in the way that West Ham have been playing as a team, and there is a new-found positive atmosphere now emanating from the club.
Potter is planning a huge squad revamp in the summer, but one of his main priorities will be to get the best out of the players already at the club.
There are plenty of Hammers players who haven’t been anywhere near their best this season.
And then there are a handful of fringe squad members who many fans don’t believe have what it takes to make it at the top level of the game. However, Potter is prepared to give every player a chance it seems.
West Ham player takes action to grab Graham Potter’s attention
Potter has made it very clear that everyone at the London Stadium can start with a fresh slate now.
So the door is very much open for the fringe players to impress the gaffer, and force their way into the team. Andy Irving is one player who has been given a big chance to impress by Potter.
The 24-year-old midfielder was handed his first ever Premier League start last week during our clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Whilst Irving didn’t do anything wrong, he didn’t really do anything particularly eye-catching either.
That said, his application cannot be questioned. According to The Athletic, Irving is going to extraordinary lengths in order to prove to Potter he is deserving of his place at the very top table.
He is apparently the last player to leave after training.
The Athletic go on to say, ‘given his lack of minutes, he prioritises doing extra sessions with a fitness coach. He also hired an athletic trainer to help him adapt to the intensity of the Premier League’. Fair play to Irving, but is he really the man we need to take us to the next level. The honest answer to that question is no, unfortunately.
Two stats that prove Andy Irving simply isn’t good enough
I know it sounds harsh, but I really don’t see a future for the Scot in East London, or with any Premier League team for that matter. According to Fbref, Irving has made ZERO progressive carries in the Premier League so far this season, and only FOUR progressive passes.
In my opinion, those statistics prove that Andy Irving will never be a needle-mover for West Ham.
He is a solid operator, but he doesn’t have any ‘special sauce’ unfortunately.
In order to make it at the very highest level of the game, players must have something about them inside the final third
Moving the ball on sideways or backwards to your more creative teammates simply doesn’t cut it any more.
I believe Andy Irving will be playing in the Championship, League One or an inferior foreign league within the next two years. I must say I really hope I’m wrong, and at the end of the day, wecan’t fault his work ethic can we.
