[Albion] The first crack in Graham Potter's calm demeanour?

[Bold Seagull]

We can't live in fear of Potter deciding to leave us. If he does, fine, there will be plenty of good applicants to manage a club in the top half of the PL.

This whole thing highlights to me a disconnect between what the fans want from a match and what GP etc want from a match. The fans want goals to celebrate and home wins. Potter is more metrically minded. Possession, domination and chances created seems enough to judge a match a success

Have you had the wrong colour Nespresso pod this morning?

We absolutely went at Leeds with a greater intensity than previous games, with a clear intent to get a goal. How on earth can you say Potter didn't want goals on Saturday? We had Cucurella and Lamptey pretty much playing as wingers, Trossard, Moder and Maupay were also pretty much a front 3. We left gaps at the back trying to get at Leeds whenever we could Webster started with an intent to drive forwards when he could. At times Veltman was a fullback, or even a wingback with Dunk and Webster as a back 2. There wasn't a disconnect between fans and GP on wanting a goal, the only disconnect I think from GP is that could the fans not see the team had gone all out to score one!?

 

[herecomesaregular]

The new quotes are;

"They're entitled to their opinion, I'm entitled to mine, I totally disagree. Obviously, I'm sorry that we're only eighth in the Premier League at the moment and we're playing young players and we're drawing with Leeds United. I have to apologize for that...

Perspective is sometimes hard for people, the emotion of the game. They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately.

I have to defend the players. The players were fantastic. Anybody who watches or knows anything about football will know the performance the players put in. If our supporters cannot see that, there is nothing I can do to control that. I can still air my views and defend the team. If they want to have a go at me they can. I've got no problem with that. We will disagree,

To get a point in the Premier League, above Manchester United and when I look at the history of this football club, I find it hard to understand."

Not a good look Graham. Better to have shrugged and said nothing in the heat of the moment and made a more considered response today.

The boo-ers are absolute ****wits btw (and likely JCLs imo) but he tarnishes ALL the fans and should realise, in this modern age, to ignore the small, loud mouthed minority. Social media and modern TV has created too many gobshite dickheads. Now he has created a story for the media to thrive on and extra pressure on the players.

Also, when he moves to a "big" club with "more history" it will be ten fold.

 

[Robinjakarta]

Not a good look Graham. Better to have shrugged and said nothing in the heat of the moment and made a more considered response today.

The boo-ers are absolute ****wits btw (and likely JCLs imo) but he tarnishes ALL the fans ..

Really? Where?

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Not a good look Graham. Better to have shrugged and said nothing in the heat of the moment and made a more considered response today.

Yep. Better to made a joke of it. Does he really think that true Albion fans don't know our history (and I include younger fans in that).

 

[Swansman]

Really? Where?

In the minds of those eager to be offended.

 

[Wozza]

It might be just the thing that starts to make GP to consider other jobs

Niether move would happen now, but he's been coveted by likes of Spurs and Arsenal fans in recent times - and they're famously unfickle, of course...

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Have you had the wrong colour Nespresso pod this morning?

We absolutely went at Leeds with a greater intensity than previous games, with a clear intent to get a goal. How on earth can you say Potter didn't want goals on Saturday? We had Cucurella and Lamptey pretty much playing as wingers, Trossard, Moder and Maupay were also pretty much a front 3. We left gaps at the back trying to get at Leeds whenever we could Webster started with an intent to drive forwards when he could. At times Veltman was a fullback, or even a wingback with Dunk and Webster as a back 2. There wasn't a disconnect between fans and GP on wanting a goal, the only disconnect I think from GP is that could the fans not see the team had gone all out to score one!?

I didn't say we didn't go at Leeds. You misunderstood my point.

I'm saying that I think there is a subtle difference in what success looks like to fans and the club management.

I think the fans are less interested in style / performance / metrics than the club management. Fans, on average, are more likely to regard a match where we dominate, but don't score as unsuccessful. They (we) want goals and wins and are less likely to be satisfied by positive metrics.

The club management saw Saturday as more of a success than the fans. They reason, maybe correctly, that we keep doing that the goals and wins will come. The fans are less sure, they've seen how last season went.

The club management are clearly surprised by the negative reaction, to the point where Potter feels like he can come out and be sarcy in post match interviews

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yep. Better to made a joke of it. Does he really think that true Albion fans don't know our history (and I include younger fans in that).

Why on earth would any fan that didn't boo think he was talking about them?

He was clearly referring to the minority, or tiny minority that booed their team off the field after giving everything other than getting a goal that could have been asked of them. He doesn't understand it, I don't understand it, judging from these boards most actual fans don't understand it either. It was embarrassing to hear it. I have no issue whatsoever with him calling it out, just the same I have no issue with the club calling out anti-social behaviour of some of our away support, clearly not aimed at the majority of us.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Really? Where?

Imo he should have made a clear distinction between the boo-ers and the vast majority of the other fans, or say nothing. And to be clear I'm in no way upset or offended by his comments, just saying they were a but unwise (for such a Yoda) and the media love to create a storm in a tea cup. Imo it has increased the pressure a tad. Still TeamPotter and TeamMaupay here.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

The new quotes are;

"They're entitled to their opinion, I'm entitled to mine, I totally disagree. Obviously, I'm sorry that we're only eighth in the Premier League at the moment and we're playing young players and we're drawing with Leeds United. I have to apologize for that...

Perspective is sometimes hard for people, the emotion of the game. They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately.

I have to defend the players. The players were fantastic. Anybody who watches or knows anything about football will know the performance the players put in. If our supporters cannot see that, there is nothing I can do to control that. I can still air my views and defend the team. If they want to have a go at me they can. I've got no problem with that. We will disagree,

To get a point in the Premier League, above Manchester United and when I look at the history of this football club, I find it hard to understand."

Sorry, but he comes across as a complete knob in this statement.

Any fan base in the world is going to be disgruntled after more than a year of continually failing to press home our advantage and failing to address our weaknesses.

And it's not even disgruntled. In the cold light of day every Brighton fans knows we're doing really well. What we're really talking about is a frustrated emotional reaction at the final whistle. It's an immediate reaction, not a considered comment on where we are or on our performance. These emotions have been going on for as long as football has football has. How can he not see that?

 

[herecomesaregular]

Why on earth would any fan that didn't boo think he was talking about them?

He was clearly referring to the minority, or tiny minority that booed their team off the field after giving everything other than getting a goal that could have been asked of them. He doesn't understand it, I don't understand it, judging from these boards most actual fans don't understand it either. It was embarrassing to hear it. I have no issue whatsoever with him calling it out, just the same I have no issue with the club calling out anti-social behaviour of some of our away support, clearly not aimed at the majority of us.

MOTD pundits and Brendan Rodgers comments, newspaper reports, all tarnish the fans together as "mass" booing now.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

We got back to The Bridge car park just in time to heat Graham Potter's post-match interview on SCR and I was quite surprised at hearing him bite back, just a little bit, when asked about the boos.

It stuck me as out of character for a man who, incident with Pep aside, always seem to be so in control of his emotions and how he expresses himself - never seeking to criticise, even where it seems obviously merited.

"I don’t understand the reaction at the end in the ground because I couldn’t be happier with what the guys did.

“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I completely disagree. I can only say I am really proud of my team, proud of the players, how they played against a tough opponent, created chances. You’ve got Tariq Lamptey, Jakob Moder - young players out there doing their best. Robert Sanchez in goal - a young player doing his best. Marc Cucurella I thought was fantastic, Leo Trossard - fantastic.

"But maybe I need a history lesson, maybe I need to understand where we’re at, because as far as I can see we’re 8th in the Premier League and the boys are giving everything, so we’ll carry on.”​

Listen here:

[tweet]1464689686941769732[/tweet]

I just think it's a fuss out of nothing, which has been amplified. He's asked a question about the booing – and his reaction to it. He answers the question honestly and shows that he's human and was frustrated that a good performance (in his eyes) was rewarded by a small section of fans.

He's certainly not having a pop at all the fans, just showing his irritation, which is completely normal, IMO

I don't get why some fans are annoyed about the 'history lesson' comment, either. He's right. I also don't think he's under any illusion that the strikers should be putting those chances away and, if they can't, he needs replacements. Which I reckon might've been what was behind the Locadia sub.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I didn't say we didn't go at Leeds. You misunderstood my point.

I'm saying that I think there is a subtle difference in what success looks like to fans and the club management.

I think the fans are less interested in style / performance / metrics than the club management. Fans, on average, are more likely to regard a match where we dominate, but don't score as unsuccessful. They (we) want goals and wins and are less likely to be satisfied by positive metrics.

The club management saw Saturday as more of a success than the fans. They reason, maybe correctly, that we keep doing that the goals and wins will come. The fans are less sure, they've seen how last season went.

The club management are clearly surprised by the negative reaction, to the point where Potter feels like he can come out and be sarcy in post match interviews

The discontent of Hughton's tactics had set in long before his poor period in the last 3 months or so of his tenure. We'd been getting results, but fans were still not happy with our not having a go tactics. Happy to bounce many threads on the subject of fans preferring to see us going at teams and not getting a result but playing the right way and on the front foot.

How on earth are you making these broad conclusions about what the fans collectively saw as a success or not Saturday? I was there, the boos were a minority. Personally, I suspect the management saw it exactly the same as most fans - incredibly frustrating we play that well but don't score and win the game.

How last season went.... we finished from this position after 13 games P25 W7 D9 L9 pts 30, that would stick us on 48 pts. That is mid table, possibly 10th.

He wasn't sarcy, he was angry. I was too.

 

[Badger Boy]

It was a reasonable reaction to another game in which no goals have been scored. Add in the kick off time not being most people's favourite, the freezing conditions and the likelihood that the booers had probably been on the booze all day - and you can understand the reaction. We're back to the vanity project a little bit with Potter at the moment, all style and no substance. It's worrying that we have this dip every season where we go into a draw frenzy and it's repeating itself again at the moment.

Personally, I didn't boo and it hadn't really occurred to me that there would be mass booing. But I would also question the substitutions and the intent behind them. What was Locadia? A punishment to the fans? Or the club for giving him such a blunt tool to work with? If we don't show improvement by the end of the season, I don't think there will be much resistance to any interest from another club in taking Potter.

 

[Bold Seagull]

MOTD pundits and Brendan Rodgers comments, newspaper reports, all tarnish the fans together as "mass" booing now.

Good for them. I have no idea why that is relevant to what I posted.

 

[Swansman]

Imo he should have made a clear distinction between the boo-ers and the vast majority of the other fans, or say nothing. And to be clear I'm in no way upset or offended by his comments, just saying they were a but unwise (for such a Yoda) and the media love to create a storm in a tea cup. Imo it has increased the pressure a tad. Still TeamPotter and TeamMaupay here.

Those comments werent his finest moment and I think if it was after night sleep or non-sleep he would have said it in a different way but I think he was baffled and frustrated because he knows he is working with humans (or players, as others call them) and booing has an effect on them which is something he will need to spend time and energy sorting out. Its a bit Pavlovian: if your players work really, really hard and play great football and then get booed after the game, they are naturally less motivated to put down the same effort again and he will be the one who needs to reverse that effect. He want players to have that 10% extra motivation to play for the fans, he want players to have that 10% extra reason to sign a new contract, he wants players to gain that extra advantage from sleeping at night rather than think "am I going to get booed again? In front of friends and family?".

It has seriously negative consequences, which is why GP gets pissed because it can have some negative effect on the team. Some people are saying "well, he's lucky he's not in Spurs, Arsenal or United where they boo all the time"... sure, that is a comparison you can make - but what all those three clubs have in common is that their players seem to hate the club, the fans and themselves which seem to have some negative effect on their performances, leaving them in what seems to be an eternal loop of shit. I dont think those teams & fans should be the role model for anyone.

 

[Stato]

Potter is always about performances and those who booed were presumably booing the result, not the performance. He's correct in saying that his squad are performing very well considering the budget of the club and the teams that we are up against. It would be my guess that the booers have no complaints about league position, about young, talented players playing tactically flexible, progressive football. I reckon that virtually all are probably 100% behind the medium to long term project.

What he is not understanding is that for many who don't have his expertise to judge performances and improvement, watching this team generally look brilliant, but win less than 25% of home league matches for over two years is a bit psychologically draining. We are all Phil Connors waking up every morning to Sonny & Cher and some fans just seem to have reached the point when it feels like a good idea to steal Punxsutawney Phil and drive a truck off a cliff. I wouldn't join them, but it doesn't take someone with a postgraduate qualification in leadership and emotional intelligence to understand that their action was motivated by the same frustration and disappointment that he would have seen in his dressing room and to react to it in the same way.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

The discontent of Hughton's tactics had set in long before his poor period in the last 3 months or so of his tenure. We'd been getting results, but fans were still not happy with our not having a go tactics. Happy to bounce many threads on the subject of fans preferring to see us going at teams and not getting a result but playing the right way and on the front foot.

How on earth are you making these broad conclusions about what the fans collectively saw as a success or not Saturday? I was there, the boos were a minority. Personally, I suspect the management saw it exactly the same as most fans - incredibly frustrating we play that well but don't score and win the game.

How last season went.... we finished from this position after 13 games P25 W7 D9 L9 pts 30, that would stick us on 48 pts. That is mid table, possibly 10th.

He wasn't sarcy, he was angry. I was too.

I'm not so sure. The reason I say it is the apparent surprise at the fans reaction. He clearly had no comprehension as to why anyone would react like that. To me, I think it was a strong reaction, but I understood it. (I've got Covid so wasn't at the ground). I was livid at the final whistle, cursing our finishing and a complete pain in the arse to be around. I think the management were much less frustrated, presumably because so many of the plans they had put into place clearly worked.

Oh and i'm not saying at all that we're doing badly, or want GP out or anything, but he's definitely being sarcy talking about history lessons etc, i'd advise him to be careful. You can defend your players without getting into that.

 

[Stat Brother]

I've been meaning to write:-

'From the moment the first booooo left someone's mouth, absolutely everything written and said has been bollox.
Irrespective what side of the isle you sit, who's paying you or who you support EVERYTHING has been bollox.

Stato has gone and ruined that fact:-

Potter is always about performances and those who booed were presumably booing the result, not the performance. He's correct in saying that his squad are performing very well considering the budget of the club and the teams that we are up against. It would be my guess that the booers have no complaints about league position, about young, talented players playing tactically flexible, progressive football. I reckon that virtually all are probably 100% behind the medium to long term project.

What he is not understanding is that for many who don't have his expertise to judge performances and improvement, watching this team generally look brilliant, but win less than 25% of home league matches for over two years is a bit psychologically draining. We are all Phil Connors waking up every morning to Sonny & Cher and some fans just seem to have reached the point when it feels like a good idea to steal Punxsutawney Phil and drive a truck off a cliff. I wouldn't join them, but it doesn't take someone with a postgraduate qualification in leadership and emotional intelligence to understand that their action was motivated by the same frustration and disappointment that he would have seen in his dressing room and to react to it in the same way.

 

[Hugo Rune]

But I would also question the substitutions and the intent behind them. What was Locadia?

A statistical improvement on Maupay.

Locadia got his shot on target. Neal (who I actually believe is a far superior player) had two shots in the first half that would summon his butt to the bench at Sunday league level, let alone in the EPL.