Mark McGhee is the best manager we've had for years

[CHAPPERS]

I would argue with you but I can't be arsed due to your STUPID name.

 

[D'Angelo Saxon]

and you HAVE got a f***ing stupid name.

 

[London Irish]

Ah London Irish, the new BhaExpresso with your smart arse comments

If you were fascinated with the below average football at Withdean for most of last season, then you are more of a wally than I earlier gave you credit for

Ignorance of football and childish insults. Your postings on NSC have almost no redeeming features whatsoever.

 

[Safeway]

A football purist would appreciate how strategy and tactics can turn a limited side into a winning side. Last season was absolutely fascinating in that regard and if you couldn't appreciate that, it was your loss I'm afraid.

Surely by definition a 'football purist' can't get excited by a team merely playing to it's strengths? You could hardly describe some of the stuff we played last season as 'pure'. Effective yes, but not particularly pleasing to the eye.

Its amazing isnt it...Safeway can actually make some good points when he tries !

Harsh!

For your information I have more knowledge of, and passion for, BHAFC than most of the clarts on here.








(I just prefer saying 'c*nt' and talking about willies. )

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

Your postings on NSC have almost no redeeming features whatsoever.

Glad you enjoy them

 

[Ernest]

Magoo will be off faster than a tarts drawers when we are marooned at the bottom of the table

 

[London Irish]

Surely by definition a 'football purist' can't get excited by a team merely playing to it's strengths? You could hardly describe some of the stuff we played last season as 'pure'. Effective yes, but not particularly pleasing to the eye.

OK, good question. I would define a football "purist" as someone who understands and appreciates that football is a tactically complex game that can be played in a whole variety of styles and tempos. It is someone who appreciates flowing, passing football, but also someone who appreciates commanding defending, someone who appreciates the art of compressing midfield space, ball-winning as well as ball-playing, someone who appreciates the efforts of 11 players playing to a disciplined team ethic rather than selfish individuality.

Every team plays to its strengths, that's not the issue, the question is the journey we went on last season to discover what our particular strengths were.

From November to February, McGhee was assembling the keys to our success on one day at the end of May, promoting certain players that suited the team system, relegating other players who were no less talented but whose particular strengths did not match the team's requirements. That process was evident in that chess match of a game against Oldham on Jan 10 that finished 0-0, which marked the low point in NSC's loss of belief in Albion 03/04 - but a footballing purist would have found much to admire in that game concerning the team disciplines and the evidence it revealed of McGhee's intentions for the rest of the season. The "direct" style of football is not necessarily a poorer style of football, it is just one that places a premium on particular skills, defending, ball-winning, explosive finishing. The ironic thing is that this so-called "limited" style of football was not an option for many teams in Division 2 last season simply because they did not have players good enough to practise it successfully - but we did.

Are fans of free-flowing attractive football "purists"? Come on. You can plonk any fool in front of Sky to watch Henry, Pires and Co. and they will be entertained.

There is a popular, frequently-used phrase in the English language along the lines of "that's one for the purists". It means that the common, ignorant bystander will not appreciate the virtues of something, but only someone with a certain knowledge and passion, an insider's intelligence.

To appreciate and be entertained by Albion 03/04, you had to be footballing purist.

I would never encourage anyone not to support the Albion, but if people really get so little out of watching the minor miracles that McGhee has acheived in his short spell in charge so far, why keep coming? Get that Sky Premiership Plus season ticket for £50 and indulge that particular definition of "purism" you have. You will finally be entertained, and the rest of us won't have to put up with the constant, whingeing diatribes against Oatway, Jonah or whichever player is this week's scapegoat for the terrible crime of us not being Arsenal or ManU.

 

[Safeway]

Like I'm going to read all that.

 

[London Irish]

Mmm.... a low attention span could be part of the answer too.

 

[Safeway]

Okay, I lied.

I suppose it comes down to what your exact definition of a 'football purist' is. You've got to be in the minority thinking that 'long ball' football is as attractive as twenty-pass moves.

However, I don't think you'll find many people that watch Albion week in, week out for the aesthetic pleasure of the football on show. Personally I keep going because they're my team and I'll always follow them, whatever happens. Like you point out, if I really yearned free-flowing 'sexy' football I'd get a Sky Sports season ticket and plonk myself on the sofa every Sunday afternoon. (That said, it is nice to watch Premier League football from time to time, because it is a break from a lot of the dirge of the lower league game.)

I appreciate what you're saying about there being an 'art' to playing to your strengths. There's no way we fluked it last season (second leg against Swindon a possible exception). It was more obvious in some games than others, Bristol City away for example, but there was a definite plan going on somewhere. Last season was all about the result being better than the performance, and in Cardiff 30,000 Seagulls fully appreciated a 'micracle' happening, but most people won't put up with that forever, which is why traditional 'footballing' sides will always have decent average crowds, even if their fortunes dip.

Ultimately yes, we all want success for our team, but we also want to watch some half decent stuff now and again. If being able to pick the finer points of a 0-0 draw with Oldham gives you all the enjoyment you need, great, I won't deny you're getting more out of it than me, but I honestly don't think that's the case for most people.

 

[Yorkie]

Back to Mark McGhee.

I like his honesty. I had my doubts way back in January when it felt he was experimenting with the team too much and changing people just for the sake of it but he was being fair to every player and finding out their strengths and weakenesses.

We went on an unbeaten run and keeping clean sheets at home which clinched the playoffs for us.
Once found he stuck with the same team.

Someone remarked to me back in March that with McGhee you achieve where you want to go but when you look back you wonder how on earth you did it.

He also has plenty of time for the fans. Having sponsored a match twice, the big difference for me was that MM was happy to come and talk, have photos taken and not rushing off. Coppell didnt even show his face.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

I would never encourage anyone not to support the Albion, but if people really get so little out of watching the minor miracles that McGhee has acheived in his short spell in charge so far, why keep coming? Get that Sky Premiership Plus season ticket for £50 and indulge that particular definition of "purism" you have. You will finally be entertained, and the rest of us won't have to put up with the constant, whingeing diatribes against Oatway, Jonah or whichever player is this week's scapegoat for the terrible crime of us not being Arsenal or ManU.

Typical long-winded post as usual LI

I will always support BHA, but last season's fair at Withdean was, with very few exceptions, bloody awful. Boring, poor football, not worth the price of £20 plus a game

If you think differently, fair enough

I think Oatway is shit, you don't

I think Jones has a 5 minute purple patch each game, the rest is mediocre, you think he's better than that

To say stuff like if you don't like the football/players at BHA FC go get Sky Tv and become an arm-chair fan is wanky.

 

[BensGrandad]

OK, good question. I would define a football "purist" as someone who understands and appreciates that football is a tactically complex game that can be played in a whole variety of styles and tempos. It is someone who appreciates flowing, passing football, but also someone who appreciates commanding defending, someone who appreciates the art of compressing midfield space, ball-winning as well as ball-playing, someone who appreciates the efforts of 11 players playing to a disciplined team ethic rather than selfish individuality.

Every team plays to its strengths, that's not the issue, the question is the journey we went on last season to discover what our particular strengths were.

. [/QUOTE

Statements like those are lost on NSC the vast majority of posters would have great difficulty in understanding what makers our game such a beautiful game.

I put threads on here to wind up certain people because I know that they will bite but one thing I do know is a little about football and tactics.

As I have said many times if we have to grind out 1 - 0 wins at home and 0 - 0 draws away to be successful I shall be over the moon to quote a football term, and so will MM and the club and I would add so would a very large number of supporters who realize that we are not an Arsenal, Man Utd or Real Madrid full of superstars.

 

[Fran Hagarty]

I would never encourage anyone not to support the Albion, but if people really get so little out of watching the minor miracles that McGhee has acheived in his short spell in charge so far, why keep coming? Get that Sky Premiership Plus season ticket for £50 and indulge that particular definition of "purism" you have. You will finally be entertained, and the rest of us won't have to put up with the constant, whingeing diatribes against Oatway, Jonah or whichever player is this week's scapegoat for the terrible crime of us not being Arsenal or ManU.

Well said LI. In my opinion your posts are amongst the best on NSC.

We do subscribe to Premiership Plus, but I must confess I get little out of it. The football is of course of a higher standard but there's nohing better than watching the team you support, with the passion and emotions that go with it. I have none for the Premiership, that's the big difference!

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Wow this thread has suddenly got all high-brow. Nice post LI, but I think you're both right and wrong. Yes, a football purist would appreciate the finer points of our game - but I'd also believe he would sit there and bemoan us only attempting one side of the game. For the football 'purist', surely, would recognise that all facets of football, from long-ball to a short passing game, from a man-marking system to zonal defence, belong in the game and a 'pure' team would be adept at all of them, or at the very least, aspire to be adept at all them. Before you start, yes, there is probably no 'pure' team, and yes, we may not have got promotion trying that, but doesn't that then make us 'impure'? Afterall, everytime Charlie thought of dribbling past 3 defenders before chipping a delicate pass to Leon, but didn't, because of the teams instructions, wouldn't this take us further from 'purity' (everyone just hold that image for a moment )

The opposite view as espoused by Safeway is that we as fans, support out team and crave our teams' success, which backs up most managers doctrines - win at all costs - which most of us are more than happy with.

Then there is third way - happiness comes by winning everything only be playing stunning football - the mantra of Ninja and many others here. which is downright absurd, but a pinnacle to aspire to. Perhaps Brady was getting close to building that team, but it never happened. It seems that they would be happier with 10th place but some nice football played. Really guys?

 

[Barnet Seagull]

We all have our opinions and we take what we like out of a game.

Slightly off on a tangent, but take the Rugby World Cup Final. Now I'm not English but in that game there were two outstanding players who won it for England. The first was Richard Hill, the second, Martin Johnson.

On a different day, with a more scrum friendly Referee, England would have won by 10 maybe 20 points and the fact of the matter was, as nice as it is to watch Jason Robinson and Johnny Wilkinson, if it hadn't been for the powerful disruptive play by the back row forwards, they wouldn't have got a look in.

It's no surprise that with Richard Hill injured in the early games, England were poor. It's also no surprise that now both are not playing for England (although Hill gets the odd game) performances have deteriorated.

But to those who can't appreciate forward play. it was all Robinson this and Wilkinson that.

-tried to keep it relevant, but drifted. oops.

 

[Icy Gull]

I struggle to understand how a football purist could be enthusiastic about the majority ofAlbion's performances last season. Impressed with the tactics and the workrate possibly, but the lack of ambition and guile going forward coupled with a hit and hope tactic is hardly something a football purist would enjoy watching.

I suggest that a football purist may have watched the Albion occasionally, out of interest, but would have reverted to watching the Arsenals and Real Madrids for the high of watching football.

You cannot tell me hand on heart LI that anyone but a Brighton fan could have enjoyed and endured last season, except for the end result and the last three games. Dancing Ninja is actually closer to the truth than you imo.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

It's no surprise that with Richard Hill injured in the early games, England were poor. It's also no surprise that now both are not playing for England (although Hill gets the odd game) performances have deteriorated.

Hill played in the games over here recently when Italia & I were embarrased in Brisbane as the Ozzies ran over try after try.

Anyway, back to the managers. I think you still have to give the most credit to Adams who built the team that is still here. If you talking purely results then Taylor is second to him. He took over from Adams in a similar position to the one MM found himself in - top & looking for promition. Taylor won the Championship, MM got us up through the play-offs. However, MM actually had to start rebuilding the team again. We now have Hinsh, Virgo, El-Abd, Harding, Jarrett, Molango, Currie, McPhee, Nicholas, Lee, Piercy & to an extent Robinson as regular first team squad members. That is a significant legacy for this club & he should be proud of what he has achieved. I would put MM & Taylor on a par behind Adams & ahead of Coppell

Though he did a good job, Coppell still took us down. End of story. And he looks like a dork

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I would put MM & Taylor on a par behind Adams & ahead of Coppell

Though he did a good job, Coppell still took us down. End of story. And he looks like a dork

but I think that Coppell is the best manager of the four, though he has had, and fluffed, his chance at the premiership. Adams may get another chance. For us, however, I think you're spot on. McGhee still has the chance to overtake Adams though.