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[Albion] Brighton & Hove Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers *** Official Match Thread ***
- Thread starter Dick Head
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Weststander
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London Irish
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Definitely glass three-quarters full for me tonight. Really enjoyable game, some fantastic goals by us and we are progressing in a competition we usually don’t do very well in
mile oak
Well-known member
- May 21, 2023
- 910
at the end of the day if we win the cup no one will remember we just made it past Wolves but some of our defending was shambolic 2nd half. Worrying to watch. I just hope its nothing like that against NF; Im pleased players that dont get much game time in the PL did tonight but there is no getting away from the defending was just awful at times.
Super Sub
Well-known member
- Aug 13, 2016
- 277
I’m not going to read too much in to this evenings game. These early rounds don’t seem to motivate either the team or us fans too much.
I know the team should be professional enough to be give their all in every game but for me, there just isn’t that edge until you reach the latter stages of the domestic cups.
We fans are the same though… half empty stadium until it’s gets interesting.
I know the team should be professional enough to be give their all in every game but for me, there just isn’t that edge until you reach the latter stages of the domestic cups.
We fans are the same though… half empty stadium until it’s gets interesting.
OzMike
Well-known member
Read the match report and this thread, looks like we got away with it this time.
Wont always end this way.
Wont always end this way.
Weststander
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Baleba’s dance 
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.London Irish
Well-known member
Wolves’ only goal in the second half was a little gift wrapped present in injury time. It suggests to me the last ditch defending wasn’t catastrophic - it was just more that we couldn’t control the ball in the second half and hence invited waves of attacks from a team that had nothing to lose and were full of small skilful runners who like playing counterattacks. My only initial issue with Fab ball is that our possession weight does seem to be less than under De Zerbi or Potter. Yet that doesn’t seem to have harmed our scoring - which is the really good news. We are more potent or dangerous now. It perhaps reminds me of early Hughton liberating us from the possession stats and just creating more exciting football. But it’s all such early days to say anything definitive, we’ll know much more in a couple of months.
Also we know centre back was unfinished work of transfer window, for now Fab has to work with what he’s got, as RDZ had to in more testing all round circumstances
Also we know centre back was unfinished work of transfer window, for now Fab has to work with what he’s got, as RDZ had to in more testing all round circumstances
FFS it's Fabs fifth game at this level (Crawley doesn't count). Sure some parts of every game have been a bit sketchy, and we finally have a broad squad which gives people the luxury of arguing who should start ahead of whom instead of heck who's fit that can fill that role. The team has won 3 and drawn 2 plus the win at Crawley. How entitled have some people become bitching that this is not good enough, that we have ridden our luck, that we need to win with more authority. Give the team a chance to fully settle in and be happy the results are this bloody good.
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i new weird win
Cordwainer
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- Jul 30, 2023
- 551
The good..all the goals chuffed for CB n FK..JHs heading! MW when he came on and settled down. A win and cup progression.. FHs post match comments.
The bad and ugly..some of the passes and one touch flicks into and out of midfield and consequently losing the ball repeatedly
The bad and ugly..some of the passes and one touch flicks into and out of midfield and consequently losing the ball repeatedly
Weststander
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Munchkin
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Correct and after a shocking second half I still have the same question marks over the same players with the exception of Hinshelwood who looked much better in midfield.
He is not a left or right back.
Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
OK, refreshed now. So my feeling was that in the second half Steele and the CBs in particular, maybe the full backs too, were reverting to the whole bait the press thing, hold the ball, look for the opening through the middle of the pitch. And it didn't work in much the same way as it didn't work at the back end of last season. Last year it stopped working because the injuries, chopping and changing of the team, opposition counter tactics, (and drop of morale?) meant we just didn't have a good enough well-drilled team out there. And last night it didn't work because the forward half of the team weren't playing that way, so the defenders didn't have the outlet they were looking for.
I've seen your comment that this is a veiled criticism of RDZ. It's not. When his style worked it was glorious. But it's never going to work when only half the team are doing it.
Insofar as I know what Fabs style is based on the limited evidence, it seems it is to get it forward quicker and wider than what RDZ wanted. Move the ball quickly and move it out wide via the FBs first before coming back inside to the midfield and 10. RDZ liked using the FBs to pull their midfield wide, waiting for the opportunity to move it straight down the middle, before moving it wide to Mitoma or Adingra. Probably subtle changes but that's how I see it.
I do think it will take a little while to move on from everything we did under RDZ, not only because of habit but also because Fab is going to gradually introduce his ideas. And no, RDZ didn't set up the team last night, but when the defence were put under pressure they reverted to how they've been playing the past 18 months. Makes sense, things get hard, you fall back to what you know, especially when for a couple of them it was their first start under the new manager. I felt I could see the same thing against Everton when, for the first 20-30 at least, Steele, Dunk and van Hecke seemed to be on one wavelength and Wieffer and Milner another. But they sorted it out.
Other opinions are available.
Honest assessment. That's good to hear.
Fair enough. Always good to sleep on something. I only saw from 60 mins yesterday but in the last 30 and definitely for the second goal you have a point.
The problem may actually be Steele. We haven't really done what you describe when Bart's been in goal. But also Dunk and JPvH are a settled partnership. Igor and Webster only get run outs in these cup games so they have less 'pitch time' with the forwards.
Nevertheless, it is up to the Head Coach to set whoever is starting up for success in training and remind them what is needed in game. RDZ had his loud whistle. Maybe Fab needs someone to go down with a little knock so he can get a message in.
"it is what it is, we take the positives"?
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