Delusions of Grandeur, another season in the Championship.

[Mo Gosfield]

We have only had one disappointing result this year. Had TK not blundered at Brum, we would have taken 4 points from these 3 successive away games. A satisfactory outcome. Sheff Wed was always going to be the toughest game of the three, as they have been on fire lately. Are we good enough at present to challenge the top 6? No......and IMHO the reasons are....
1) Not enough firepower. We go a goal down and we know we are not going to win the game. ( 75 league games since we won from behind and counting ) The better teams punish the opposition when they are on top. We always let them off the hook after missing a string of chances.
2) The ability to regularly shoot ourselves in the foot. On top and in control of games, we always seem to contrive to gift an unexpected opportunity to our opponents, by whatever method. We are just not professional enough at times.
3) Too much caution from the manager.
4) Too much tinkering by the manager.
5) Two centre-backs who have now been found out at this level. One of them usually finds himself under pressure all game and can only restrain opposing forwards by non-stop shirt pulling and wrestling. Both have poor distribution and regularly put us straight back under pressure by passing to the opposition.
6) There are better teams in this division at present, who are more professional and ruthless at winning games.
7) Our manager is out-thought by other managers too much at present. It is fine having a long term game-plan but you have to be able to react to changing circumstances. Proactive rather than reactive.
So saying...it still wouldn't surprise me if we sneaked into 6th place. The division is characterised by a host of pretty ordinary teams outside the top 6 who are all capable of beating each other. We have taken 2 points out of the last 9 and 26 points out of the last 66 and yet still sit in 8th, with a game in hand.

 

[moggy]

I'd dearly love us to play two up front especially now with ulloah added to the team but gus just won't do it albeit for ten minutes yesterday.
Why have we never done it with CMS and Hoskins before either is a problem us fans can't figure out.
This thing about gus, his way or the highway frustrates the hell out of me.

PLAY BLOODY TWO UP FRONT!!!! GIVE IT A CHANCE!!!!

until we do, I feel we'll never make the premier league

 

[supaseagull]

I think some of you are falling into the trap of negativity again just after one defeat.

We cannot expect to win every game and the fact is that we have had forced changes to every game when I suspect that had we had a fully fit squad and 11 players on the pitch yesterday then we probably would have got something out of the game.

The two heaviest defeats of the season have come when we have been reduced to 10 men and at an away match, that is a killer for most teams.

Another factor in yesterday's result is the jinx effect. Sheffield weds away, Crewe, Middlesbrough and even Arsenal are all teams we have shocking bad records against...even in the league 1 championship winning season we got Greer sent off and lost 1-0 at Hillsborough. For some inexplicable reason some clubs just don't win at some away grounds so I wasn't expecting anything out if yesterday's game.

 

[Blackadder]

I'm not really that bothered if we dont go up this year I think if your 21 points behind the leaders and finish 6th your not ready for it , if were gonna go up id rather do it next season and go up winning in style like Cardiff are and finish in the top 2
Anyway in the 2 years we've been at the Amex we've already played Arsenal , Sunderland , Newcastle (twice), Liverpool also spurs & Chelsea in friendlies so IMO I won't be gutted if we don't go up I'm enjoying it anyway

I was going to add my comments but you have summed up my feelings perfectly.

 

[R. Slicker]

Its only our second season in The Championship, we are doing ok and not struggling,our support and infrastructure is growing, we will soon be at a Premier League level and if and when we go up maybe will be better equiped and cope with the extra demands the higher league brings. To early yet, we would take it now if it came, but growing into a Premier league side takes time.
Also around twenty teams have aspirations similar to ourselves and some are far more advanced than us...Cardiff City for one.

So much sense, I wish I sat near you at the Amex!

 

[Dan Gleeballs]

What's going on? A sensible thread after a loss on NSC. The Mrs must have put out last night!!!

 

[pork pie]

I really cannot see us going up at any stage with Poyet as Manager.

As we have seen against Premiership teams, we are a reasonable footballing team, and could probably stay up if we were ever promoted, almost certainly with the players the additional money could buy.

HOWEVER, our lack of pace, strength and aggression will never enable us to get out of this very tough league. When will Gus learn that when he spoke about needing bigger, stronger and quicker athleates, he was absolutely right. Why has he not listened to himself and acted?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

More depressing shit I see with people acting like we're about to be relegated - Christ on a f***ing bike.

If we miss out this year, then next year it must be an all out assault - it's a marathon, not a sprint. Swansea didn't come up from L1 and then go straight up so why should we. We don't have a god given right to go up this year and some of our fickle fans need to get this into their thick heads.

Gus said when he took over is a 5 year plan, we are currently in the 4th year and each year there has been progress - so he can't really be doing that badly.

 

[Dan Gleeballs]

More depressing shit I see with people acting like we're about to be relegated - Christ on a f***ing bike.

If we miss out this year, then next year it must be an all out assault - it's a marathon, not a sprint. Swansea didn't come up from L1 and then go straight up so why should we. We don't have a god given right to go up this year and some of our fickle fans need to get this into their thick heads.

Gus said when he took over is a 5 year plan, we are currently in the 4th year and each year there has been progress - so he can't really be doing that badly.

How long have Cardiff been plugging away? How do you think the fickle fans would deal with the amount of failed attempts they've suffered? Certainly looking good for it this season anyway.

 

[crasher]

The way I look at it is - we finished 10th last season. If we finish higher than that this season then we are improving, making progress whether that means the play-offs or not. And I think we will, we clearly have better players in key positions than last year.

But the worry for me is whether we can overcome physical direct teams that are less technically good than us (like yesterday from the sound of it).

The Championship is a tough, high-quality league and it would be unrealistic to expect to walk it. I still think the role-models for us are Swansea who spent a couple of seasons playing good football and turning over "bigger" names without every quite getting the consistency to break into the top positions. They managed it in the end and look at them now - got to be the way forward for us too?

 

[Twinkle Toes]

I really cannot see us going up at any stage with Poyet as Manager.

As we have seen against Premiership teams, we are a reasonable footballing team, and could probably stay up if we were ever promoted, almost certainly with the players the additional money could buy.

HOWEVER, our lack of pace, strength and aggression will never enable us to get out of this very tough league. When will Gus learn that when he spoke about needing bigger, stronger and quicker athleates, he was absolutely right. Why has he not listened to himself and acted?

'Kin Hell, I actually detected a tiny hint of positivity from you for a moment! Sadly - & all-too predictably - it didn't last long.

Anyway, here's a wee question for you. Do you think the present financial resources at the club & the wage cap (both ultimately down to Tony Bloom) may have something to do with Poyet not being able to bring in the type of players that he (& you!) ultimately requires? If so, maybe you could put your hand in your pocket & help make it happen? That'd be fab.

 

[pork pie]

'Kin Hell, I actually detected a tiny hint of positivity from you for a moment! Sadly - & all-too predictably - it didn't last long.

Anyway, here's a wee question for you. Do you think the present financial resources at the club & the wage cap (both ultimately down to Tony Bloom) may have something to do with Poyet not being able to bring in the type of players that he (& you!) ultimately requires? If so, maybe you could put your hand in your pocket & help make it happen? That'd be fab.

I really think you need to look at things again. Clearly we are spending a lot of money on players, but sadly, they are simply the wrong type of players to enable us to be a real force in this league. Do bigger players cost any more than some lightweight has-been "flair" player? Clearly not, because other teams all appear to have them.

 

[Dan Gleeballs]

Latest news... Tony Bloom sick of Poyets incompetence unveils Pork Pie as Brightons new manager!! Pork Pie, critical of Gus's reign insists 'he bought the wrong type of player' but it's ok as he's set to buy a team of cheap lightweight flair players.

 

[Brightonia]

Good post! We are clearly a work in progress, and patience is definately required! We've come such a long way in a short space of time that people expect instant success! We only have to look at Swansea to see how it's done, 4 years they spent in the championship and now they are one of the most exciting teams in the PL!!
We will get it right eventually, but until then I'm going to sit back and enjoy the ride!!

 

[Weststander]

Loads of goal post moving here.

Supreme confidence last August of top 6 by most, that the 10th finish 2012 would easily be between 2nd and 6th this time, due to the acquisitions of Hammond, Bruno, Bridge, Kuzschak.

And still confidence before yesterdays embarrasment, against a team that hadn't scored a home goal in ages.

The penny has dropped, because today's 'positive' comments are along the lines of enjoying the championship (being very enjoyable days spent away at Palace, Weds, Leicester, and home to Millwall, Mboro, Bolton, Watford, Bham, Forest, etc ).

Goal post shifting by some fans, whereas Watford, Palace and co, stay focused in the real world and march on and up.

 

[Steve Foster]

We are 11 points away from the top two & 11 points away from the bottom three.

Will do well to finish above last seasons 10th.

We are already on less points than after 30 games compared to last year.

Can we up our game? Just can't see us the number of goals needed to win a match, or have the resolve to win a game from coming from behind. On paper we seem to have a better team.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

It's going to be difficult for him to change tack if he has, in his eyes, a squad more suited to a possession game.
I agree, if we slid in thru the play offs, we would never be in a position to improve the squad sufficiently to maintain premier league status. At least one more season in this division, developing players and a competitive style of play, is required.
I am not too bothered about whether Gus can't wait that long, because Tony Bloom is putting in an infrastructure that will be there for the foreseeable future. The manager, players and style of play are ships in the night, the passion of the supporters and infrastructure are not.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

I really think you need to look at things again. Clearly we are spending a lot of money on players, but sadly, they are simply the wrong type of players to enable us to be a real force in this league. Do bigger players cost any more than some lightweight has-been "flair" player? Clearly not, because other teams all appear to have them.

How many teams that are above us in the table have spent less on players & wages in the last couple of seasons? How many clubs have invested in & been able to develop a large raft of young talent over the years: & utilise the kids they've nurtured? How many clubs in the division have gone from crowds of 6,000, sizeable debts; lower L1 football; & no stadium fit to hold the name & achieved what our club has on & off the pitch in a handful of years? How many of our rivals are still without quality training facilities which their club doesn't control? Frankly, Albion's achievements in the past 3 years have been nothing short of a f***ing monumental!

If you can't see that & think that it's all merely down to a clueless manager & mucho wasted money, you should go & find another club to fawn over. Or better still, find another game to go & follow.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I think that when we can play like Watford did at the Amex then we'll be ready to go up. They are WAY further along the same passing-game plan than we are. Still, would be nice to nick a play-off place and see what happens. At the very least it'll be a welcome shot in the arm on the finance front. Cos there's only so many pies we can eat to boost the club coffers.

 

[Biscuit]

How many teams that are above us in the table have spent less on players & wages in the last couple of seasons? How many clubs have invested in & been able to develop a large raft of young talent over the years: & utilise the kids they've nurtured? How many clubs in the division have gone from crowds of 6,000, sizeable debts; lower L1 football; & no stadium fit to hold the name & achieved what our club has on & off the pitch in a handful of years? How many of our rivals are still without quality training facilities which their club doesn't control? Frankly, Albion's achievements in the past 3 years have been nothing short of a f***ing monumental!

If you can't see that & think that it's all merely down to a clueless manager & mucho wasted money, you should go & find another club to fawn over. Or better still, find another game to go & follow.

Brilliant post. 100% agree. This is why it pisses me off when every other game is labelled 'a must win'. I don't think people really understand what that means.