West Ham boss Graham Potter responds to Niclas Fullkrug’s outburst after draw with Southampton | OneFootball

Graham Potter says it would have been better for forward Niclas Fullkrug to voice his concerns privately following his public outburst after West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Southampton.

Fullkrug criticised his team-mates in an interview after the game, admitting he was “very angry” after Lesley Oguchukwu’s late equaliser and claimed there is a “mindset” problem among the squad.

“It’s not the first time that we score a goal and the next goal-kick we just shoot the ball now, we don’t try to play football anymore, we don’t push up anymore, we just sit,” Fullkrug told Sky Sports.

“I’m very, very angry that we played like this because we had some moments where we showed what we can do.”

And asked for his thoughts on Fullkrug’s remarks ahead of West Ham’s game against Potter’s former club Brighton, the West Ham boss said: “I think he wears his heart on his sleeve.

“I would disagree with him in some things and agree with him in others.

“But he’s entitled to his opinion. As a senior player, we’ve had lots of honest conversations. And I think for me it’s better to have the conversations in private, not in public.

“Players are emotional, they’re human beings. How boring would it be if players couldn’t speak after a game? How boring would that be? I don’t want that.

“At the same time we all have a responsibility to the club and the team and we have to try and manage the both. I don’t want robots, I don’t want people not saying anything. It’s good because it means you can coach a problem and that’s football.

“But at the same time, we also have a responsibility to the team and the club. From my perspective, sometimes I could be honest, how I really feel. But I don’t think it’s helpful to the players. I don’t think it’s helpful to the club. So, we all have to be aware of our responsibilities as well.”

West Ham go into the game against Brighton sitting 17th in the Premier League table and have not won in their last six games.

The Hammers have taken just 13 points from 13 league games since Potter took charge in January and he says there are a multitude of factors that could be behind that poor form.

“When you don’t perform well, there’s lots of things that aren’t right,” Potter said.

“It can be that tactically we had some challenges. It could be that there’s baggage we’re carrying from the previous 50 matches with the expectation high at West Ham and having to deal with the reality of the situation. That can also play on the players’ minds. They’re only human.

“Together, we have to find the solution. Together, we have to improve. Together, we have to give our supporters something that is better what it is now.”