5:20 on Saturday we could be 15th in the table!!!!!

[Stat Brother]

smacks of the infantile "I didn't rate him anyway" tripe often heard about G.Murray.

Noone was rated by most Albion fans, and quite obviously by that astute manager Malkay Mackay!

How do you explain him only starting twice in 2012, and only 2 league goals all season.

 

[Bigbelly]

He wasn't a great winger with us.

Because Gus played him out of his favoutite postion and only played him like bit time actors like he does with most of his team. They aren't allowed to be the main caractors in the show.

 

[Stat Brother]

Because Gus played him out of his favoutite postion and only played him like bit time actors like he does with most of his team. They aren't allowed to be the main caractors in the show.

As said Which makes me wonder who else could go on to be better than they are now.

I didn't think it was possible, but Noone has clearly showed he is a lot better than he ever showed for us. (good luck to the fella)
He's gone some way to me beginning to question Gus.
Instead of just blindly following looking through very very rose tinted specs.

 

[Bigbelly]

As said Which makes me wonder who else could go on to be better than they are now.

I didn't think it was possible, but Noone has clearly showed he is a lot better than he ever showed for us. (good luck to the fella)
He's gone some way to me beginning to question Gus.
Instead of just blindly following looking through very very rose tinted specs.

Thank god. A poster who talks sence without being labeld a JCL. If only Gus played all his players in their right postions then I think would smash teams big time and CMS, Barnes would score shit loads. We play like we're fighting relegation not promotion with such a defensive formation.

 

[Superphil]

How far down the league did we plummet then? How many off the relegation positions are we? With upcoming matches that will have a half empty stadium we really are staring down the barrel of the relegation gun. Barber out.

FFS

 

[Reinelt12]

As said Which makes me wonder who else could go on to be better than they are now.

I didn't think it was possible, but Noone has clearly showed he is a lot better than he ever showed for us. (good luck to the fella)
He's gone some way to me beginning to question Gus.
Instead of just blindly following looking through very very rose tinted specs.

To counter this, I would ask why Bridcutt was cast aside so easily, and Poyet has got what appears to be the best out of him...

Buckley was very much bit part for Watford, now he is a game changer under our manager.

El Abd has improved immeasurably under Gus, and Barnes was plucked from nowhere to score 20 goals in a League 1 winning team.

So for all the "He doesn't know how to play these players" - there are also some he does... That doesn't make him brilliant or rubbish.

 

[Caveman]

We play like we're fighting relegation not promotion with such a defensive formation.

Only the Millwall game due to suspension, else we have been by far the most attacking team. I guess I watch the game differently to you guys?

 

[Caveman]

To counter this, I would ask why Bridcutt was cast aside so easily, and Poyet has got what appears to be the best out of him...

Buckley was very much bit part for Watford, now he is a game changer under our manager.

El Abd has improved immeasurably under Gus, and Barnes was plucked from nowhere to score 20 goals in a League 1 winning team.

So for all the "He doesn't know how to play these players" - there are also some he does... That doesn't make him brilliant or rubbish.

PLUS the fact we made a profit on Noone, so there is also the chairman and business negotiations to take into account. Gus would be the first to tell you he never wanted to lose bennett....

 

[Stat Brother]

Only the Millwall game due to suspension, else we have been by far the most attacking team. I guess I watch the game differently to you guys?

We played the best, for a long while, against Bolton, with Crofts MoM and Dave in front of Bridders.
Some great, and more importantly flowing, football based on an attacking shape and formation.
A different day we'd have scored 6.

72 hours later with that platform the whole formation and half of the attacking players are cast aside, for very little apparent reason.

This underlines my very minor gripe with Gus.
We seem to get so close, playing the best football ever seen by any of us, and then it's all change again.

I'm currently finding it very frustrating.

 

[Stat Brother]

To counter this, I would ask why Bridcutt was cast aside so easily, and Poyet has got what appears to be the best out of him...

Buckley was very much bit part for Watford, now he is a game changer under our manager.

El Abd has improved immeasurably under Gus, and Barnes was plucked from nowhere to score 20 goals in a League 1 winning team.

So for all the "He doesn't know how to play these players" - there are also some he does... That doesn't make him brilliant or rubbish.

Bridcutt, check.
Buckley, is brilliant my second favourite player, but physically there's something not right.
El Abd, check (fav player)
Barnes, I think he might be fast approaching the next Noone, he sure as hell isn't going to get to half that this season.

 

[Weststander]

We'll be fine, we've won 3 out of the last 16

Agreed, Gus's transfer policy on spending fans/TB's money on strikers, and the forwards he's let go, has been generally excellent.

Cardiff, Boro, Palace, Millwall, Forest, Hull, etc, can't keep scoring goals and getting results all season long.

Positive thinking!

 

[Acker79]

72 hours later with that platform the whole formation and half of the attacking players are cast aside, for very little apparent reason.

Well, there was the lack of a fit recognised right back, which would either mean playing lopez back there and bringing someone else into the midfield, or keeping lopez in pretty much the same position, and playing three at the back. To keep lopez there, and playing three at the back, he needed protection of a more defensive minded hammond in the middle to support the back three when we didn't have possession. There was a reason for it. It just didn't work out. Was it the players, the short time they had to get used to the new system, is it just not a system for us? I don't know. Three at the back seems quite attacking, but maybe the next time we play it we should try it with better players or with more practice beforehand (e.g. there's been two weeks for them to work on it before watford, and with everyone fit...).

This underlines my very minor gripe with Gus.
We seem to get so close, playing the best football ever seen by any of us, and then it's all change again.

When we were in the latter stages of the 7 match winless run, people were calling for lots of changes in the team line up. Back then I highlighted how we kept the same starting 11 v hull, cardiff, and then Barnsley and was shot down because "things clearly aren't working so we have to change".

Since those first three games we then changed for the burnley match because Noone went to cardiff. We then signed four players on deadline day and over the course of the following matches tried to work them in (and as I recall, even though we won the next three matches, they were less convincing each time out). We haven't had the same starting line up since (in part due to easing new player in and new players not clicking quickly enough so dropping out until they've trained enough; injuries to Bruno, Dicker, CMS, Bridge, Calderon, Painter, El Abd, Kuszczak, Crofts and probably others I'm not remembering, a suspension for Bridcutt, there was also Lualua coming off the bench and doing well enough to earn a start.

As far as I can tell (differences to previous match):
Burnley - Noone sold, so replaced in starting line up by Lualua
Sheff Wed - Crofts injured
Watford - Tactical. Easing in new signing Orlandi? - for Barnes
Millwall - Tactical. Barnes back in for Dicker
Birmingham - Bruno Out injured
Ipswich - Tactical. Poor performance in the final third v Birmingham, Lualua in for buckley, Orlandi in for Dicker
Derby - Bruno back
Middlesbrough - Crofts returns
Leicester - Tactical. Buckley for Lopez, Dicker for Hammond
Blackpool - Tactical. Hammond for Dicker
Leeds - Tactical. Orlandi for Crofts
Peterborough - El Abd injured, Bridcutt suspended.
Wolves - Bridcutt returns
Huddersfield - Bridge and Kuszczak out injured
Bolton - Kuszczak returns
Bristol - Tactical. Hoskins and Dobbie for Barnes and CMS
Palace - Tactical. First choice of Barnes and CMS back in for the big game, greater appreciation for rivalry having been with us more than two months?
Charlton - Orlandi injured, El Abd back, Bridge Back
Forest - Bruno injured
Millwall - Calderon injured

Where there have been forced changes there may have been additional tactical changes, but a) I'm not sure how much of the tactical change was forced due to the line up (e.g. if bridge is out, barnes will come back in so midfield will also change) b) it's a guarantee of a change in the line up. Even if Gus wanted to keep the same line up he couldn't

 

[El Presidente]

If Gus changes the team he clearly does not know his best XI and is a tinkerer.

If Gus does not change the team he has no plan 'B' and is stubborn.

Simple 'innit?

 

[Guy Fawkes]

How do you explain him only starting twice in 2012, and only 2 league goals all season.

Injuries.

 

[Stat Brother]

Injuries.

He might have started the year injured, but that would only have been for January, as he was keeping the bench warm, from then on.

 

[Dave the OAP]

With the squad we have we should be fifth at minimum. So far its not good enough. Not good enough at all.

Like i say if we had a forward line of trolley and george santos marshalling the defence i would be cock a hoop to be bottom within 3 points.

But NOT with the players we have at our disposal. We have a 2.5MILLION STRIKER. A player BETTER than Zaha. An international goalkeeper, an international left back plus loads of others.

Why do people keep trotting out this crap that Buckley is better than zaha.....if that was so he would e in the England squad...but he isn't. Yes he is a decent player...who goes missing at times, but come on.

 

[Stat Brother]

If Gus changes the team he clearly does not know his best XI and is a tinkerer.

If Gus does not change the team he has no plan 'B' and is stubborn.

Simple 'innit?

I'm beginning to not see it that way.

I feel Gus won't 100% commit to attacking football.
We had all the noise about the biggest pitch, 3 wingers, space to run at teams.
He has never played 2 wingers.
All fine when everybody is new to the division and learning the ropes.

But that's no longer the case, yet still the hand brake is on, or at least very quickly pulled at.

Acker is right we've had plenty of changes many of them forced.
But most positions esp the midfield, are easily covered, but when the changes are made the default setting seems to be a defensive one.

Nobody (new) attacking with the exception of Orlandi has been given the time to cement themselves into the team.
Look what happened when he did, he went from a good player to bossing the game, in 5 matches.

All the while we have a defensive attacking left winger, giving nothing in the final third, and a revolving door midfield none of whom are allowed to play off CMS.

The tinkering is forced in defence, less so for the attacking players, but the structure remains rigidly the same.

Hence us following the same pattern as last season, but with a significantly better team.

 

[Zebedee]

I'm a Brighton fan but on the basis of what I have seen to date Buckley is not as good (or anywhere near as good) as Zaha. Why the f**k some people keep suggesting he is is beyond me. Gus' influential comment perhaps?

 

[Foolg]

The only away game I've been to is Millwall, added to all the home matches, which means I'm yet to see us out played.
Having Leeds, Forest and Millwall directly above us, does make me think we shouldn't be where we are.

The fact that we are, doesn't seem 'right'.

See I'm the opposite, seen us more away this season due to location.

I'm yet to see us (off the top of my head) outplay a team this season away from home. It's not much better than last season, which in the dozen or so I made were fairly shocking on the whole.

Every game (away) I hear people suprised/disagree with the negativity of our formations, but then Gus is a football manager, I'm not.

 

[Zebedee]

I'm beginning to not see it that way.

I feel Gus won't 100% commit to attacking football.
We had all the noise about the biggest pitch, 3 wingers, space to run at teams.
He has never played 2 wingers.
All fine when everybody is new to the division and learning the ropes.

But that's no longer the case, yet still the hand brake is on, or at least very quickly pulled at.

Acker is right we've had plenty of changes many of them forced.
But most positions esp the midfield, are easily covered, but when the changes are made the default setting seems to be a defensive one.

Nobody (new) attacking with the exception of Orlandi has been given the time to cement themselves into the team.
Look what happened when he did, he went from a good player to bossing the game, in 5 matches.

All the while we have a defensive attacking left winger, giving nothing in the final third, and a revolving door midfield none of whom are allowed to play off CMS.

The tinkering is forced in defence, less so for the attacking players, but the structure remains rigidly the same.

Hence us following the same pattern as last season, but with a significantly better team.

A very valid post, which echo's my thoughts. What worries me the most is that if we miss out on promotion this year I can see players such as Buckley, Bridcutt, Bridge and Bruno leaving for better clubs, which suggests we need to show some real ambition, for once, in the January transfer window. Whether we will or not remains to be seen.