Brighton v Plymouth - Discuss it here!

[Brightonfan1983]

The Plymouth keeper's save from Butters was fabulous - but he still looks about 13 years old. I saw the game on TV and didn't think Piercy had a good game. But I bow to your collective past experiences of him. SO much hoofing the ball up and down was a bit grim though.

We might get a mention in the broadsheets tomorrow with any luck!

 

[Shizuoka Dolphin]

Gutted I couldn't watch it, but I'm in a fantastic mood now for my Sunday at work! Excellent stuff!

 

[Italiaseagull]

Fantastic performance by all sounds, gutted I couldn't see the game, but as Shizuoka says, puts me in a good mood for the free Campari festival in Darling Harbour.

 

[Row Z Creased Shirt]

An outstanding performance from the entire team. The first half was one of the best that I have seen at the withdean, considering Plymouth were running away with it at the thetop of the league, we outplayed them in every department. Oatway in the first half was a man possessed I never knew he had that kid of game in him, he was my MOM. The other interesing aspect to the first half was how well the front three worked. Piercy, Benjamin and Knight were lively and troublesome, constantly working together, changing positions and not giving the plymouth defence a chance to settle, it was a real shame when Piercy went off, it certainly upset the balance of the side.

Second half we dug in, and despite their possession Plymouth didn't really get a sniff, the defence were outstanding.

well done lads.

 

[Lush]

Match report from Plymouth site - well worth a read

 

[Exiled in Exeter]

Thought we were excellent first half. Lots of good movement and we seemed to want to pass the ball into areas and not just be overly direct. I thought Virgo, Oatway and Carpenter were particularly excellent in the first half.

Sadly for us, a team that has done so well this season was unlikely to play as badly in the second half. And they did begin to really push us back a bit, and I thought we lost a bit of shape. But we were very resolute and Cullip was outstanding second half with his organisation and general defensive play.

Overall, an excellent Albion performance. I really like the way we played with the three up front. I thought Benjamin really unsettled them and Knight also looked good up front with him. Excellent atmosphere too. Bring on Wycombe!

 

[BrightonBird]

I think that the players played as a TEAM. Something that hasn't happened for a long time. The recent QPR game was a turning of the corner shall we say. McGhee has got us playing well, and into a pretty nice side to watch (now where are all the people who didn't want McGhee after 4 games in charge)? We are passing the ball along the wings (horay) and Benjamin was a bloody great buy.

Great to see Virgo back in the team and Oatway (I could not believe how good he was - a perfect way to get himself back into he starting 11). Piercy was great and I wonder if MM has got him playing well again or am I just so happy about the game?

No bad comments really to say. Plymouth fans were fantastic - best fans I have come across so far. They gave it their all in the 2nd half and it is encouraging to see that our defence were strong and worked hard.

Their goal was quite soft, but in the end, the better team won!

 

[oapdodge]

Brilliant performance,lets have lots more for the rest of the season.
No one can knock them on that showing.

 

[Argylenut]

Good first half.

Keep it going lads - PLEASE - you'll get no ever end of support if you do.

Yeah massive 6,000 +

Top of the League & were havin a laugh. Okay you beat us no problems, but look up at the champions.

Benjamin & Knight both great players, will they be with you if you fail at the PLAY OFFS??

 

[marvin]

From the Observer

Knight strike rocks leaders Plymouth

STEVEN DOWNES
WITHDEAN STADIUM 6,379


BRIGHTON 2 BENJAMIN 12, KNIGHT 34

PLYMOUTH 1

LOWNDES 88
PLYMOUTH, THE RUNAWAY leaders of the Second Division, were stopped in their tracks, with goals by Trevor Benjamin and Leon Knight in a breezy Brighton display that rendered Nathan Lowndes's late, bundled effort for Argyle an irrelevance.

Brighton have had more than their share of end-of-the- pier shows lately, but here up the road was a performance from football's version of Little And Large ; Large in the shape of six-foot-plus Benjamin, on loan from Leicester, and Little in the diminutive form of 21-year-old Knight.

Acquired from Chelsea for less than one-tenth of the fee Brighton received for Bobby Zamora, Knight has weighed in with enough goals this season to keep Brighton in the chase for a place in the play-offs.

They thought they would have their work cut out against an Argyle defence who had kept clean sheets in their previous seven league matches. But Brighton's twin strikers soon showed their potency, linking twice in the first 10 minutes to create openings, before Knight got a cross in from the right to find Benjamin in the area, when he turned his Plymouth marker with ease and struck home from eight yards for his first goal for the club.

Paul Watson and John Piercy also gave Plymouth the runaround in midfield. Despite playing with the wind at their backs in the first half, Plymouth were poor, without a shot on target all half, rarely penetrating into Brighton's penalty area.

So when in the 34th minute Adam Virgo tricked his way past full-back Peter Gilbert on the right, it led to a deserved second goal for Brighton, coolly taken by Knight, his 20th league goal of the season.

Argyle manager Paul Sturrock's response at half-time was to make two substitutions, bringing on Marino Keith into a three-man front line. Within minutes, it helped to produce a chance, David Friio's far-post header demanding a full-stretch stop from Ben Roberts.

Roberts and the Brighton defence were now much the busier and when after 65 minutes the goalkeeper went to the edge of his area but failed to claim the ball, it was left to Brighton's skipper Danny Cullip to clear off his own line.

At the other end, Luke McCormick needed a tremendous reflex save to beat the ball on to the bar from Guy Butters with 10 minutes to go, but the home side's support had to endure an edgy couple of minutes after Lowndes got his late consolation score.


TEAMS
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION : Roberts; Virgo, Cullip, Butters, Mayo; Watson, Oatway, Carpenter, Piercy (Hart 48); Benjamin, Knight (McPhee 75).

Subs Not Used: Kuipers, El-Abd, Robinson.

Booked: Watson.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE : McCormick; Connolly, Aljofree (Sturrock 82), Coughlan, Gilbert; Norris (Adams 45), Friio, Wotton, Hodges (Keith 45); Lowndes, Evans.

Subs Not Used: Stonebridge, Capaldi.

Booked: Friio.

Referee: P Joslin (Nottinghamshire).

 

[Beach Hut]

The report on Plymouth's web site is very interesting.

Use Lush's link, well worth a read.

 

[Yorkie]

This is a comment I've read on another site I use from a completely neutral Blackburn Rovers fan



I watched the match on Sky. I was quite surprised at the high quality of football being played in division 2 these days. Brighton looked like an excellent attacking side in the first half, then lost their way a little after the break and were forced to defend under Plymouth pressure.

Brighton captain Culip(?) played a superb part in a well organised defence, and probably wouldn't be out of his depth in the 1st division at the very least.

It was a very entertaining Saturday evening, and yes, I was cheering for the Seagulls.

 

[JJ McClure]

Great game.
The chants for Flamer came through loud and clear on the tele, so well done.
Thought the defence was excellent. Virgs, Cullip and Butters were all dominating. If only Butters volley had of gone in. Oh and a great bit a skill by Virgo to set up the second goal.
Charlie marked that Friio chap out of the game.
Up front Benji and Knight seem to have a good understanding and took their chances.
The goal Plymouth got back was a bit unlucky. Roberts saved well from the header but then couldn't stop the rebound. At the point I had horrible thoughts of Plymouth's fight back at Home Park earlier in the season. Thank god it wasn't to be.
Still not sure why the ref penalized Benji and Charlie for holding the ball in the corner. Lino didn't wave so ref was obviously being a jobsworth idiot.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

That Plymouth report is reasonably fair, but they missed the fact that Piercy went off injured, not for tactical reasons. It was the lack of pressure on them when they had possession in the second half that let them back into the game. Playing 4-3-3 we can do that, and it worked like a dream first half.

The lads were really up for it, pressured the ball when not in possession, good movement off the ball when we did have it, and the passing was on the money in pretty poor conditions. Comfortably the best half of football the side's produced under McGhee I think.

This win and performance has rekindled my excitement in a season which was, frankly, going a bit flat for me. Well played all round lads.

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

Plymouth totally outplayed and struggling, athalf time they made a double sub, and slightly changed their shape to get
more into it especially in midfield i still think we would have had the upper hand no probs, but as i say that twot Magoo brings on Harty which was bad enough but more importantly the fvcking idiot switches to 4-4-2 !!!

And what happens, exactly same as last week vs Barnsley, 4-3-3 doing well everyone looking good, the shape and link up etc ok then change to 4-4-2 we drop back, defend deeper, people start to struggle and we spend the 2nd half hanging on !!!

The whole game changed on Magoos tactical naievity,
2nd half everyone looked lost, Oatway & Chippy playing deep instead of covering the ground, Watson just hanging about on the left and Harty just a waste of space. The front 2 didnt link at all and when we cleared it it came straight back, the fullbacks instead of bombing on cos nobody in front of em were now hanging back and as a whole we just lost the plot !!??
If it hadnt been for Plymouth being sh1t and a couple of good saves from the number one keeper Roberts and one off the line , it would have been a draw or even worse, Magoo Out !!!

 

[Gary Nelson]

Agree with BB that we did look like a team for once. Maybe MM has found the right formation in 4-3-3. However, within that line up, I think Piercy is crucial to it succeding. Benji is very powerful and a good target man, Knigt despite his goals is very quick and has nipy feet to get round players. Piercy has the ability to put his foot on the ball and have a little bit of composure. I really like McPhee and think he has done really well this year but Im not sure if the line up would work with him in it as a 3 unless its to replace Benji when he goes.
We were under pressure for a lot of the second half, partly due to the conditions but also with the formation.
When you play 3 up you are going to have a fair amount of pressure on the opposition goal. However, youv got to conceed that they too will have a fairt amount as you are only playing 3 in the middle (which I think they did). At lets face it, if we can keep the champions elect down to 1 goal who are quite free scoring, then I think MM has found the formation to get us up. My only only concern is having Watson in midfield. The reason for this is because there are only 3 in midfield, the notion is to have 1 as a defender to stem the pressure. Iv never ever classed Wato as an out and out defender like the Mayo or El-Abd role. If this is MM thinknig in the formation, I would rather see a diff defender in midfield. But then you cant really complain when you outclassed the league leaders 2-1. Also, the Observer yesterday said that Watson and Oatway were outstanding. I agree on one of those fronts.

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

I can't think of a player who underperformed in the first half. It was a well oiled machine with every cog performing perfectly. Watto will come good in midfield even I think, Virgo looked like a very good right back (his flick was great and he did well to get back onside for the pass) Piercy unsettled Plymouth well with his free role up just behind the classy Benjamin and Knight who brought back memories of Small and Byrne. Butters and Cullip (especially) played well, and Mayo looks like he's getting more confident again and back to his form this time last season. Chippy and Oatway (crucial marking job on Frio) were solid in the middle and Roberts made a fine save on the edge of the box and a good stop from a header. Backs to the wall more in the second half when we went back to 4 4 2, but on the whole a very satisfying performance which gives me hope for the rest of the season.

 

[FG aka Football Genius.]

Piercy is a JOKE all his shots couldve been saved by a 5 year old in goal No POWER AND HE IS SELFISH

 

[chips and gravy]

 

[London Calling]

http://www.plymouthargyle-mad.co.uk/news/loadrprt.asp?cid=MTCH&id=140531

Plymouth Supporters site

LC