Graham Potter understands Chelsea fans' frustration as struggles continue

Graham Potter says he understands fans' frustrations after a section of the Stamford Bridge support turned on him following Saturday's 1-0 defeat to bottom side Southampton.

His Chelsea team left the pitch amid anger and a chorus of boos at full-time, with some voices near the dugout calling for the manager to leave following what was surely the worst result of his tenure.

The hosts lacked cutting edge despite largely dominating possession against rock-bottom Saints, and their expensively assembled line-up – featuring five January signings in the starting XI – had no answer to the organised, determined side put out by Ruben Selles.

That Southampton showed greater cohesion despite only having had five days to prepare under the leadership of caretaker boss Selles, who replaced the sacked Nathan Jones a week ago, was further indictment of the direction Chelsea are taking under Potter.

As supporters left the ground seething with discontent, the manager acknowledged their right to feel let down by the team’s plight.

"When results aren’t going well, this is the world we’re in," said Potter. "There’s a transition and there’s factors, but at the same time there’s emotion and the team is losing. We’ve had the results we’ve had, and you can understand it.

"I’m not stupid, and I’m not naive. My job is to keep going, help the team, try and support them through a tough period. And to take the criticism.

"I think you can only be yourself. Try your best to be yourself. I get it. When you’re losing, there’s always something you can do or you can change. I’ve always been that way, it’s got me to this point. But I know that people want something different."

It was another game in which the club’s January recruits struggled to live up to the