“Be careful what you wish for Brighton fans” - How the football world owes us an apology

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I think he would be disappointed with all the nonsense that is spoken about him on here - and the tone of the nonsense. The guy is gone since May 2019 - time for some people to start showing him the respect he deserves for what he achieved at this club and not constantly harping on about what the football was like towards the back-end of last season.

It's not harping on about the back end try the beginning or the season before. The football especially away was painful to watch and so predictable, having spent thousands going away for a number of years I stopped going. Many went for the first season as it was the first time many had the chance to go to "new" grounds. The loyalty points were discussed regularly no need in the end, why? Because it was turgid.Something had to change, it did, thanks Chris lets move on.

 

[drew]

I joined this forum in July 2015 - you joined the forum about 14 months ago - and yet you have to jump on the bandwagon of throwing a wobbly simply because I don't buy into all the massive mood swings on the forum.

First game of the season - post after post about how a 3-0 win at Watford proved Bloom was right to sack Hughton and Potterball was the best thing since sliced bread. I cautioned - stating that Watford looked a poor team and people shouldn't read too much into the win. Four games in and loses to Southampton and Man City and post after post going on about how the team were in major trouble. I cautioned - stating that one win doesn't mean the team are world-beaters and a couple of losses doesn't mean relegation beckoned. And it was the same for most of the season - mood swing after mood swing. Interspersed with that we regularly got posts after a win about how dire Hughton was and after a loss that the team was playing like they did for Hughton. I repeatedly pointed out that this is a different team with six new players and £80million spent. Yet the cry goes up - but Hughton wouldn't have signed those players and wouldn't have played the kids. We have no idea what Hughton would or would not have done if he were here. His record speaks for itself - promotion with Newcastle, promotion with Brighton, play-offs with Birmingham, five seasons of PL management and never been relegated despite managing teams that had bottom three budgets. The guy is one of the more under-rated managers in English football and he deserves credit for what he has achieved with the teams he has managed.

He was sacked 14 months ago - he is part of the history of the club and played a huge role in getting the club to the PL and keeping it there for two seasons. That chapter is over - Potter has done well this season - and hopefully will do better next season. It really is time to stop all this shite and just let it go. I would much prefer to be discussing what is happening today - not what happened in May 2019 and the merits of the decision - it really has been done to death.

Never been relegated but you need to look deeper. At Norwich, they were going down. The fact he was sacked in desperation didn't change that. Sacked with 5 games to go I believe and the last four were Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. It's like the claim he got us to the semi final last year. Well the record shows we were there but we struggled against WBA and Derby and got a get out of jail card with a late own goal at Millwall having been outplayed for pretty much the whole game. That summed up the second season in the EPL. Even during the first season away from home it was dire. CH's problem though, wasn't that results were dire, it was that the style and game management was dire.

 

[Weststander]

Never been relegated but you need to look deeper. At Norwich, they were going down. The fact he was sacked in desperation didn't change that. Sacked with 5 games to go I believe and the last four were Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. It's like the claim he got us to the semi final last year. Well the record shows we were there but we struggled against WBA and Derby and got a get out of jail card with a late own goal at Millwall having been outplayed for pretty much the whole game. That summed up the second season in the EPL. Even during the first season away from home it was dire. CH's problem though, wasn't that results were dire, it was that the style and game management was dire.

Very late use of subs, when we were being outplayed in PL second halves, an excruciatingly painful to watch example.

 

[vagabond]

I joined this forum in July 2015 - you joined the forum about 14 months ago - and yet you have to jump on the bandwagon of throwing a wobbly simply because

Ahem. I was a regular at the Goldstone as a kid, lived in Brighton all my life and have gone to most home games since we got the Amex. I’m a supporter, you are not.

 

[vagabond]

Never been relegated but you need to look deeper. At Norwich, they were going down. The fact he was sacked in desperation didn't change that. Sacked with 5 games to go I believe and the last four were Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. It's like the claim he got us to the semi final last year. Well the record shows we were there but we struggled against WBA and Derby and got a get out of jail card with a late own goal at Millwall having been outplayed for pretty much the whole game. That summed up the second season in the EPL. Even during the first season away from home it was dire. CH's problem though, wasn't that results were dire, it was that the style and game management was dire.

Exactly. And someone else’s made the point, it’s very telling that no other PL clubs have approached CH since. That’s says a lot.

Love the guy, but we were clinging onto our Premier League place with him, and let’s be honest Cardiff were a scandalous referring decision and a tragedy away from staying up.

Put simply we were on a downward trajectory with Chris in charge. The results and facts bare that out.

 

[Chicken Run]

I joined this forum in July 2015 - you joined the forum about 14 months ago - and yet you have to jump on the bandwagon of throwing a wobbly simply because I don't buy into all the massive mood swings on the forum.

.

Is that when you started Uni down here?

 

[DJ NOBO]

I think he would be disappointed with all the nonsense that is spoken about him on here - and the tone of the nonsense. The guy is gone since May 2019 - time for some people to start showing him the respect he deserves for what he achieved at this club and not constantly harping on about what the football was like towards the back-end of last season.

When Hughton returns to the Amex as a guest or managing another club you’ll be able to hear the ovation in Birmingham.
Only a small minority of fan Define him by his last few months.
His time was up but he remains a legend.
IMHO the best manager we have ever had.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Look back at whom the pundits were tipping to go down....us!

That says everything about how well Potter has done. He's effected a major change in playing style - helped by maximising use of the lockdown period - and brought on a number of young players: Maupay, Connolly Bissouma, Burn, Alzate, Webster, Lamptey, McAllister.

We've still a long way to go, but we are in much better shape than 12 months ago, especially once you factor in the youth policy and the loan players' progress.

Sent from my SM-A105G using Tapatalk

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Bloom has backed Potter, no question about that - but £80 million?

And unfortunately CH would NEVER have played the youngsters (in PL games) however good they were.

The cost of the 5 main signings (plus Matt Clarke as I can't think who else the 6th is) this season under Potter works out at about £68 million. Which is about what our signings under Hughton for last season cost. Figures are a bit unknown as most deals are undisclosed but this is based on press reports etc.

Maupay £20 million, Webster £20 million, Trossard £15 million, Mooy £5 million, Lamptey £4 million, Clarke £4 million. I'd like to know where the other £12 million went.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

I know that this is also old ground, but it is obviously easier for you to be emotionally detached from the ups and downs because you don't actually support Brighton, don't go to games, as far as I'm aware have no connection with Sussex, don't live in England and have consistently refused to say who you do support and why we have been lucky enough to be selected as the recipients of your expert advice about how we should best go about supporting our own football team. I really don't know how we managed before July 2015.

Wow - how many biased assumptions do with have in a single sentence ?

 

[Chicken Run]

Wow - how many biased assumptions do with have in a single sentence ?

Do you work at the Pier?

The fact that you have avoided answering on so many occasions tells me that you might?

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Never been relegated but you need to look deeper. At Norwich, they were going down. The fact he was sacked in desperation didn't change that. Sacked with 5 games to go I believe and the last four were Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Been through this before - Norwich were 5 points above relegation with 5 games to go (and 7 ahead of Sunderland who eventually survived) when Hughton was sacked - two weeks before they had beaten Sunderland 2-0. The Norwich board sacked and got their team relegated. We cannot predict what would have happened if Hughton hadn't been sacked - but the guy was adamant that he would have kept them up - and he had the pedigree and know-how to do it. Bloom didn't panic when things were dire and Brighton are still in the PL as a result.

It's like the claim he got us to the semi final last year. Well the record shows we were there but we struggled against WBA and Derby and got a get out of jail card with a late own goal at Millwall having been outplayed for pretty much the whole game.

Football is a results based business - you can only beat who is in front of you. The cup is a knockout tournament - you beat your opponent you move on. Hughton did get the team to the semi-final and they nearly upset Man City in the game. do you give Hughton any credit for that performance? Man city went on and put six past a Watford team in the final.

That summed up the second season in the EPL. Even during the first season away from home it was dire. CH's problem though, wasn't that results were dire, it was that the style and game management was dire.

As I said - its a results based business - was it dire - yes it was - was the style of play pleasing to the eye - no it wasn't - was the game management good - well, you can only work with what you have available and the squad last season was pretty poor.

Hughton's objective was PL survival - he achieved that twice with Brighton - a remarkable achievement that most promoted clubs don't achieve - and with a bottom three budget and not a lot in the way of transfers. We have no way of knowing what Hughton would have done this season with an £80m transfer budget six new first team players. Bloom made his decision - and it has worked out well this season.

Here is an interesting scenario though - supposing Brighton had bundled the ball into the Man City goal in the last minute of the game, battened down the hatches in extra-time and won on penalties - and then played out a dire 0-0 draw in the cup final only to win, again, on penalties - would you have supported the sacking of Hughton last May - and - do you think Bloom would have sacked him?

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Do you work at the Pier?

The fact that you have avoided answering on so many occasions tells me that you might?

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

I’m a supporter, you are not.

You really can jump to assumptions, can't you?

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Look back at whom the pundits were tipping to go down....us!

The pundits also predicted Brighton would be relegated in each of the two previous season

That says everything about how well Potter has done.

And by extension - how well Hughton had done in the previous two seasons - in fact it is a much more difficult task to keep a promoted team in the PL in the first and second season than it is in the third season (and the stats prove this point).

He's effected a major change in playing style - helped by maximising use of the lockdown period - and brought on a number of young players: Maupay, Connolly Bissouma, Burn, Alzate, Webster, Lamptey, McAllister.

Yes he did - and was given £80m to spend and allowed pick the players he wanted.

We've still a long way to go, but we are in much better shape than 12 months ago, especially once you factor in the youth policy and the loan players' progress.

There are many reasons to be optimistic - and here is hoping that Potter has a long and successful tenure at the club.

 

[sparkie]

1) The 'Careful what you wish for', pat on the head, little Brighton stuff was and is very insulting.

2) It was time for Hughton to go ( I think ). There always is a time to go for managers.

3) There was a crowd shot of Tony with a face like thunder during the Cardiff game.

4) It would have been better if there was more of a mutual agreement about the ending.

5) I read somewhere that Hughton is still very welcome at the club, so perhaps time will heal things.

 

[Stato]

Wow - how many biased assumptions do with have in a single sentence ?

Do with have? Did you mean to say can you have?

I'll have to make the (biased?) assumption that you did.

The first step towards action to avoid discrimination seems to be to understand and challenge your own biases, conscious and unconscious and the impact they may have on others. Here we go then:

In terms of football, I have more than one conscious bias and I'm sure plenty of unconscious ones too. I obviously have a bias in favour of Brighton. I think that bias comes from me being born in Brighton, growing up in Sussex and having close affinities with friends and family who share the same bias. I also have a bias towards fans supporting their local teams. As a kid, I was an armchair supporter of a big six team and it was going to games that changed this. I realised that I had things in common with those people at the Goldstone that I didn't have when travelling to be a tourist fan of the bigger team. My feeling of community may have been imagined at first, but it was solidified by shared experiences during the dark times when this club nearly ceased to exist and collective action was taken to try to prevent this. As my politics lean left, I'm sure that I felt an unconscious attraction to feeling part of a community that had the imagination, creativity and dedication to put up such a fight.

Now these admissions don't really challenge my prejudices and it seems fair to do so. I am prejudiced against people who watch football on television and equate the experience with that of those who go to games. For me, it's not the same experience and I devalue the opinions of those who can't attend. This is unfair. There are very good reasons of location, health, work pattern, economics etc. that will not allow some to go to matches. I must try harder to take others' personal situations into account before dismissing their opinions as of less value.

There you go then. There's a brief-ish explanation of some of my biases.

Your turn:

 

[Brightonfan1983]

I agree with all the OP has said and I'd also add that more than a year later Chris is still out of work. Now that is partly down to Chris being picky about his next job but it does suggest many chairman are also concerned about his conservative style of football.

There may be severance terms, ie. "you get £X, unless you get another job within 12 months, then you'll only get £Y". The Price of Football podcast pointed this out with regards to Mourinho leaving Man Utd.

 

[Chicken Run]

We’ve met I think [emoji106]

 

[Guinness Boy]

Yes he did - and was given £80m to spend and allowed pick the players he wanted.

Potter is the head coach, Hughton was manager. It's less his money to spend than it was CH's.

Google has let you down there, yet again.