[Albion] Have Albion progressed this season?

[Guinness Boy]

I doubt it was a joke - probably your usual revisionism - as it was in one of those "we're all going to die" threads, but no way of proving so just have to leave it at that.

I'm a stalker bouncing embarrasing threads by doomsayers & pessimists, you are a muppet frequently creating those threads. We all got our traits. When it comes to - quoting myself referring to you - "Fulham is more likely to get to 40 points than Brighton is", you wrote in the thread



Did you say they were going to get 40? No, just that they were going to end up "nearer" - which I presume means not only "more likely to get near 40 points" but also "more likely than Brighton to get to 40 points". That you didnt say "sleepwalking towards towards relegation" however is entirely true, but others did.

I'm measuring the improvements in the areas of winning, points and position from January onwards based on winning, points and position, yes. However there were - to me - clear and obvious improvements in other areas before that. Wins, points and league position matters to me. Difference between you and me is that its not the only thing that matters. Its not the only way to measure progress and improvement, in my world.

Ah, so I said it at the end of December when we were on two wins, less than a point a game and two points ahead of Fulham, Hardly unreasonable but then, as I said on the other thread, you have to actually make predictions to get some of them wrong. That's not "recently" is it? And we've agreed that I have never said we're "sleepwalking towards relegation". Good oh.

What progress did you see in December 2020 and can you bounce your posts at the time that stated it?

 

[Swansman]

I've never understood this, "need 3 woeful teams" for us to survive, theory.

All league tables have teams at the top, and teams at the bottom. How far adrift teams are partly depends on how poor they are, but also, how good the teams at the top are. If you get 2 or 3 breaking away at the top, you'll usually get 2 or 3 breaking away at the bottom, too.

If we finished on 30 points, and still managed to stay up, it would indicate that there are some very good teams in the league who have taken points off everyone. But it still means we were not one of the 3 worst teams.

And anyway, with 37 points, and 3 of our 4 remaining games being against teams who we have a very good PL record against, I can see us topping 41 points.

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Yeah it really is a myth. There are no "woeful teams" in the Premier League. Each and every season one of bottom three sides are going to defeat one of the top three sides. This is not possible with a "woeful" team. Put Manchester United in Swedish Allsvenskan and no team got even a minuscule hope of getting anything. In the Premier League, WBA could beat Chelsea with 5-2, Sheffield could beat Manchester United... odd results yes since some teams in the end are better than others, but there is no way of getting anywhere close to the PL if you have a "woeful" team. The only way of getting above three, six or nineteen others teams is by being better than three, six or nineteen good teams.

 

[Justice]

Not sure screaming "WE'RE SHIT AND WE'RE DOOMED" after pretty much every loss is a "cautious" approach.

Still don’t think you get English humour, during or after many Albion games I’ve said ‘ Why are we so f.ucking Shit ‘ or similar, It means nothing the following Saturday I would be on the train travelling 200 miles or whatever looking forward to the next game. I’ve lived through relegations promotions one game away from dropping out the league and trust me a lot of it has been shite there is nothing wrong with having a moan now and again it’s all part of being a football fan.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Still don’t think you get English humour, during or after many Albion games I’ve said ‘ Why are we so f.ucking Shit ‘ or similar, It means nothing the following Saturday I would be on the train travelling 200 miles or whatever looking forward to the next game. I’ve lived through relegations promotions one game away from dropping out the league and trust me a lot of it has been shite there is nothing wrong with having a moan now and again it’s all part of being a football fan.

Wow - you mean someone with no cultural knowledge of our fans, reading posts on the internet in his second language to fill in the time between pizza and reefer might not get it?

I'm stunned and amazed.

(I wonder if he'll even get this?)

 

[Originunknown]

We've certainly evolved. Hope we go on to beat our points total now.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

I think many were expecting a revolution after some initial positive results under Potter but it was always going to take time.

I look back at the criticisms from last season and I have far fewer.

Even the issues from set pieces and the game management have improved in the last few months.

I still think:
a) we arent fast enough in attacking transitions
b) we can tend to overplay when we could be more direct and threatening
c) we havent worked out how to play against teams who sit deep

But among other things

We now play through the press well with fewer transitions forced by the opposition.
We defend and attack in a fluid and disciplined manner.

I believe the above are down to being well coached and mean individual improvement as well as collective. We would still struggle to do these things well if we were not improving.

Top coaches and clubs can now see our assets and have confidence that they would transition into their systems. e.g. Biss, White, Lamptey, Dunk, Veltman

If we can keep the recent improvements and look to tackle the three areas I still highlight, I think top 10 is possible.

It took a top coach like Klopp 3 years to nail the squad and tactical approach. Pep probably 2 years.

We have learnt. We continue to learn.
All the while the club profile improves and the players improve it helps our long term stability.








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[andy1980]

It looks like overall this season we have progressed. In 2021 we have 6 wins 6 draws and 6 defeats. If we did that throughout the 2021/22 season we will be in that top 10 spot. More or less every metric there is we progressed. What I will say is that at the turn of the year the most important metric was awful, and anyone who was calling for Potters head was right to do so based on this, BUT ultimately those people who had faith in Potter has been proven right to do so. Long may we be able to say this.

 

[Icy Gull]

Wow - you mean someone with no cultural knowledge of our fans, reading posts on the internet in his second language to fill in the time between pizza and reefer might not get it?

I'm stunned and amazed.

(I wonder if he'll even get this?)

Harsh, very harsh, bordering on bullying

I know I tend to agree with much of what Swanny posts on Potter and the Albion but imo he is a great NSC contributor and it’s sad that arguments like this are thrown at him imo. He has followed us for a couple of years now and who knows he may continue to have an interest after GP goes, the Albion gets under your skin. I arrived in Brighton in 1975 as a long time (long distance, glory hunter from my very young days) Spurs fan and started going to Albion games as a bit of fun. Look what fecking happened

 

[Swansman]

Ah, so I said it at the end of December when we were on two wins, less than a point a game and two points ahead of Fulham, Hardly unreasonable but then, as I said on the other thread, you have to actually make predictions to get some of them wrong. That's not "recently" is it? And we've agreed that I have never said we're "sleepwalking towards relegation". Good oh.

What progress did you see in December 2020 and can you bounce your posts at the time that stated it?

I did make predictions - "7 wins and 6 draws or perhaps 6 wins and 6 draws".

While, from what I can find from searching the keyword progress and my nuser name, I didnt mention the specific areas of progress, I was very clear about believing in this side (which was obviously related to the progress seen - if I had seen none there would be no reason to be optimistic):

Im sure a lot of those now dead convinced of the team going down and "progressing backwards" at this point of that season were dead convinced that the team was going to end up mid-table and progress into being the new.. I dunno, Burnley.

In the end it turned out that a PL season is 38 games and not 13, 14 or 15, and hopefully (but the other way around) it will turn out to be the same again this season. Plenty do not believe it but there is a decent chance that the team could do the best second half of any of BHAFC PL seasons.

As I pointed out early, the significant progress in results is going to take time...

Youngest team in the league, players will improve every day, results will be shaky and inconsistent for the time being - for those unable to see context and a wider picture the reward (results) are still a year or two from significant progress.

... but there's (and here is where our opinions obviously and repeatedly are colliding) other kinds of progress - like rejuvenating the team (increasing the potential is progress according to me, even if the results come tomorrow rather than today) - as well as developing the style and quality of football. I thought the way the boys challenged Chelsea, United and so on in the first half of the season were signs of progress even if the results were not. This progression of potential (not capacity) and quality (more often than not) were the reasons I was sitting calmly in the boat in December believing the team would solve its difficult situation.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Connolly, Alzate and Maupay have regressed

The club signed two ex-England internationals in Lallana & Welbeck to try and address our lack of experience and top level quality, they were looking for top level leadership and temperament examples to stream down through the clubs ranks. Those two players are essentially playing in the positions normally occupied by Alzate & Connolly. I think it’s great that both of the young players don’t have the pressure of being viewed as first team regulars which as just as well as they have both had injuries/Covid & Long-Covid.

Alzate is a little unfortunate that Groß took his baton when he was sick, probably with Covid (just as the Potter Out Campaign publicly lambasted Potter for ‘tinkering’ by not selecting young Steve) but I’m sure he’ll have learnt so much from Lallana.

In turn, Connolly has looked better drilled than last season but his shooting is (with the exception of Wolves and the cherry-on-the-cake Newcastle goal) arguably worse than Maupay’s at the moment, let’s hope he is watching and learning from Welbeck.

To argue that the club have regressed because some players have not progressed due to being replaced by better players or being injured/sick is bordering on the absurd.

 

[Swansman]

Wow - you mean someone with no cultural knowledge of our fans, reading posts on the internet in his second language to fill in the time between pizza and reefer might not get it?

I'm stunned and amazed.

(I wonder if he'll even get this?)

Maybe you should try the reefer - might stop some of those frequent nervous breakdowns, and perhaps some pizza as well - I reckon a greasy, gritty Four Cheese would make those stinkers coming out from your worried stomach, whenever things are not going your way, perhaps be a bit less repulsive.

I may or might not get what Justice wrote, no intentions of reading it however so we'll never know.

 

[Perkino]

Last year we had an extension built. There were times when my wife was in tears because our garden was full of bricks and other materials and the noise and disruption was persistent. As a snapshot in time anybody could have looked at our living conditions and been critical as things were not better than before the project started but as works continued people could begin to see our plans and visions becoming reality. Now everything is completed and obviously much better than before.

Transforming a football team is a much bigger project where we will transition into something very different than the summer of 2019 offered. This is a BHAFC led initiative and the directors felt that CH couldn't help them achieve it so they recruited a manager who fit their plans. Bloom, Barber and Ashworth are smart enough to realise that in order to obtain their long term goals there would be no quick fix, the progress made this season isn't measured in points but the squad we end the season with is significantly better prepared for next season than the squad we ended last season with

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Harsh, very harsh, bordering on bullying

I know I tend to agree with much of what Swanny posts on Potter and the Albion but imo he is a great NSC contributor and it’s sad that arguments like this are thrown at him imo. He has followed us for a couple of years now and who knows he may continue to have an interest after GP goes, the Albion gets under your skin. I arrived in Brighton in 1975 as a long time (long distance, glory hunter from my very young days) Spurs fan and started going to Albion games as a bit of fun. Look what fecking happened

I agree.

I really don't get it. And I say that as someone who put Swanny on ignore for a while.

I feel that when you are a moderator of a forum you should consider taking a back seat, and certainly not engage in this sort of thing. Some people are not suited to the role (and I say that as someone with sufficient insight to recognise that I am totally unsuited to such a role).

 

[Swansman]

Harsh, very harsh, bordering on bullying

I know I tend to agree with much of what Swanny posts on Potter and the Albion but imo he is a great NSC contributor and it’s sad that arguments like this are thrown at him imo. He has followed us for a couple of years now and who knows he may continue to have an interest after GP goes, the Albion gets under your skin. I arrived in Brighton in 1975 as a long time (long distance, glory hunter from my very young days) Spurs fan and started going to Albion games as a bit of fun. Look what fecking happened

I agree.

I really don't get it. And I say that as someone who put Swanny on ignore for a while.

I feel that when you are a moderator of a forum you should consider taking a back seat, and certainly not engage in this sort of thing. Some people are not suited to the role (and I say that as someone with sufficient insight to recognise that I am totally unsuited to such a role).

Thanks for your kind words but dont worry, be happy... its difficult to get under my skin.

Pretty frequent in GB land to resort to these things - but perhaps at some point he will learn and improve and rather than turning defensive and aggressive he might be going with the calmer approach that it is what it is, possibly making some progress as a person and moderator, perhaps secretly and reluctantly inspired by some very successful people out there...

 

[kuzushi]

Everyone is saying that Brighton's league position belies our true quality.

When I say everyone, I mean managers of opposing teams, fans of opposing teams, pundits and journalists. We know it ourselves. When you look at the teams in the premier league, we are the only one whose total seasons in the top flight still number in single digits. This in part is why other teams always have a feeling of chagrin when we beat them and even do the double over them (Newcastle 89 seasons up there, beaten twice (6-nil aggregate), Leeds 51 seasons, beaten home and away, Brighton a mere 8 seasons in the top division). Even though we often had the largest average attendances of any team when we were in the Championship, we are still considered a small club. When we got promoted, many predicted that we would go straight back down. That didn't happen. And now Potter is moulding us into a force to be reckoned with.

I'm feeling very optimistic and excited about what next season will bring. Hoping no one comes in and poaches Potter from us at this critical juncture. He was brought in to take us to the next level. He hasn't quite done it yet, but you can feel it's coming. He needs at least another season to do it (preferably more). It would be a shame if he left just as we were on the cusp of something incredible.

 

[vagabond]

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I was wondering if the poll or NSC was broken. Only 11% treading water and ZERO % regression.

Then I caught up with the thread and relaxed. The normal minority of posters spouting their biased crap in a last gasp desperate bid to remain 'right' despite all evidence to the contrary.

Great to see that almost 90%of fans are able to see the truth when it slaps them in the face (or on the pitch).

Looking forward to getting back to the Amex next season.

UTA.

Even during some of our worst runs the majority of NSC have backed the manager. The minority can sometimes sure seem the loudest though.

And no one can accuse me of after timing. I have and continue to believe in our manager and that he and our infrastructure are doing great things at our club.

How anyone can see otherwise is beyond me.

 

[vagabond]

Can’t help but notice that those suggesting, on this thread, that they will wait and see how many points we end up with before maybe accepting that we have progressed, are those that have been critical, dismissive even, of GP almost from the moment he was appointed. Well that’s my take anyway.

Bingo.

And I’ve tried asking these guys what they actually expect. “Keep us up”. Ok, we’ve done that every season in the PL now. “More points”. Well we’re pretty damn close to breaking the records again. “Poor at set pieces”, we fixed that. “Away record”. Fixed that. “Home record”.. a fair criticism but ignoring the covid situation this season and that other clubs also have depleted home records this year.

“We’re not top 10 like we was promised”. I think that’s the biggest schism. It’s like some can’t grasp what an actual long goal is.

We can still beat our points tally. But even if we don’t, we have made huge strides on and off the pitch again, and the trajectory is there for all to see. We are blessed to have this manager with this owner and an incredible support staff with Barber and Dan Ashworth. All making huge strides at improving our club. Honestly a minority of our fans do come across as ungrateful.

 

[albionalex]

The club signed two ex-England internationals in Lallana & Welbeck to try and address our lack of experience and top level quality, they were looking for top level leadership and temperament examples to stream down through the clubs ranks. Those two players are essentially playing in the positions normally occupied by Alzate & Connolly. I think it’s great that both of the young players don’t have the pressure of being viewed as first team regulars which as just as well as they have both had injuries/Covid & Long-Covid.

Alzate is a little unfortunate that Groß took his baton when he was sick, probably with Covid (just as the Potter Out Campaign publicly lambasted Potter for ‘tinkering’ by not selecting young Steve) but I’m sure he’ll have learnt so much from Lallana.

In turn, Connolly has looked better drilled than last season but his shooting is (with the exception of Wolves and the cherry-on-the-cake Newcastle goal) arguably worse than Maupay’s at the moment, let’s hope he is watching and learning from Welbeck.

To argue that the club have regressed because some players have not progressed due to being replaced by better players or being injured/sick is bordering on the absurd.

It's actually absurd to ignore the fact that those two players have regressed.

 

[Farehamseagull]

Yes most definitely.

We are a really impressive, solid side, just lacking a bit of a cutting edge. Very close to kicking on and breaking into the top 10. Every chance we’ll do that next season.

 

[Dorset Seagull]

I no longer expect us to get hammered by the big 6 and even expect us to get something from the game. Thats progress