[Albion] A good start to the season

[Milano]

Thursday night feels massive to me. The first ‘must win’ game of this season IMO. Not just because if we don’t then qualification will start to look tricky but I think the team deserves it and needs the lift that a win would bring. I hope Thursday is our Europa version of the West Brom 3-1.

 

[boik]

Can I direct people to the legendary Giraffes 'staying up tracker'. We are 2 points OVER qualifying for Europe again, despite these terrible results.

 

[Simster]

I think most of us still feel overwhelmingly positive about where we are. I know I do. But equally, we've got a run of games we need to take points from in both competitions and if we don't, I think the mood might change a bit. Still love RDZ and his way of playing, but if we lose games we feel we should win, his squad rotation is going to get called into question. It certainly cost us a point yesterday in my view.

But to end on a high note, I love where the club is right now, we score loads of goals and another stellar season could well be on the cards.

 

[The Colonel]

We've only dropped points in one game that we expected to get something from - West Ham. Undoubtedly a good start considering our fixtures.

 

[Mancgull]

Seen a bit of negative chat about us, how we’re doing and the goals we’re conceding amongst Brighton fans and the general media but just looking at the PL table - I think we can be really pleased where we are.

After this weekend we’re pretty much a quarter of the way through the season and are guaranteed to finish the weekend in 7th or 8th place (top 8 likely to get into Europe this season). That is despite having played 6 of the other teams in the current top 9, that is a really tough start on top of our first ever games in Europe. I don’t think that tough start has been highlighted enough.

I know a defeat and no wins in 5 games can lead to a bit of negativity and personally, Solly’s injury has left me feeling low, but I would definitely have taken this position before the season started. We’ve blooded a lot of new and young players, were excellent in the second half against the best team in the world yesterday and we’ve got a reasonable PL fixture list coming up on top of some amazing European games. More exciting times coming up I think.

Agree. What also surprises me is some of the negativity surrounding yesterdays game. Last season we played well at City and lost 3-1. Yesterday we played very well in the second half and maybe if we’d have had a few minutes longer, would have got an equaliser.
Solly’s injury is the real downside to yesterday.
As you have pointed out, we’ve played a lot of top half teams and had to integrate new players.
A good start.

 

[SeagullsoverLondon]

Can I direct people to the legendary Giraffes 'staying up tracker'. We are 2 points OVER qualifying for Europe again, despite these terrible results.

In 9 games so far we've played teams who are 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th and still picked up 16 points! We've now got a run of four PL games (with Europa interspersed) where we play the 13th, 16th, 20th and 15th.
If we only got 4 points from those games, after 13 games (a third of the season roughly) we would still have 20 points.
If we get 8 or 10 points we will be doing fantastically well

 

[oldboyroy]

Agree with OP. I'm negative after every loss even if its Man City but, looking at table which,after 10 games indicates where teams are, we are doing alright. A win against Fulham(oh....we don't beat that lot normally) we'll be around top 6. The injuries are a massive concern simply because we don't have strength in depth compared to the money teams.

 

[Perkino]

We are on 16 points after 9 games. Have we ever had so many points at this stage?

The only teams with more points have a better than 2 points/game average. How entitled have we become?

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Yes. It's been a really good start.

We've conceded a load of goals, but it's more fun watching 4-2's most weeks that it is watching the 0-0 or 1-0's under Potter.

To me the downside is the injuries. What happened to Solly is the most moralebusting injury I can remember. One of our most popular, versatile and hard working players getting what looks to be a bad one.

I don't really get the argument that we should in some way be doing better

 

[Guinness Boy]

Yes. It's been a really good start.

We've conceded a load of goals, but it's more fun watching 4-2's most weeks that it is watching the 0-0 or 1-0's under Potter.

To me the downside is the injuries. What happened to Solly is the most moralebusting injury I can remember. One of our most popular, versatile and hard working players getting what looks to be a bad one.

I don't really get the argument that we should in some way be doing better

There's a lot of truth in this, but my concern isn't where we are now, but what's going to happen in the next month or so. We look like shipping four or five goals every game at the moment and only seem to be able to play for 45 minutes in any game, normally the 45 where Veltman is on the pitch.

It's been a great start but if we pick up nothing from Fulham and Everton and effectively get knocked out of Europe it'll look a lot worse.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

There's a lot of truth in this, but my concern isn't where we are now, but what's going to happen in the next month or so. We look like shipping four or five goals every game at the moment and only seem to be able to play for 45 minutes in any game, normally the 45 where Veltman is on the pitch.

It's been a great start but if we pick up nothing from Fulham and Everton and effectively get knocked out of Europe it'll look a lot worse.

Keep that glass half full buddy

 

[RandyWanger]

Expectations from fans are much higher this season it seems.

 

[chickens]

There's a lot of truth in this, but my concern isn't where we are now, but what's going to happen in the next month or so. We look like shipping four or five goals every game at the moment and only seem to be able to play for 45 minutes in any game, normally the 45 where Veltman is on the pitch.

It's been a great start but if we pick up nothing from Fulham and Everton and effectively get knocked out of Europe it'll look a lot worse.

That’s a big “if”, and speaking as someone who finds it all too easy to get dragged down by stuff myself, I’d say try and keep the faith.

We’ve had a few poor results, and I’d agree with your “we only play for 45 minutes” comment regarding the past few matches. RDZ is clearly trying to get something key across, and it’s clearly not taking. He’s then patching us up at half time and we’re performing better in the second half.

I hope that RDZ turns out to be more Guardiola than Bielsa, and is able to accept and adapt if repeated attempts at something doesn’t provide the expected outcome. We have a headstrong coach with a very clear vision, but I’ve seen nothing bar the repeated attempts to play Milner at right-back that suggests he’s too stubborn to adapt.

I’m looking forward to Thursday, though I’ll only be watching on the telly (having cravenly caved in to capitalism and subscribed to TNT sports) and both Fulham and Everton matches are winnable, even with current injuries. Even if we leave Europe early, the whole squad will know what’s required for any future opportunity. We learn, we adapt, we improve. That goes for RDZ, the coaches and the club hierarchy as well as the players. UTA!

 

[Mustafa II]

It has been a decent start to the season. Not great, not poor, not even average... but decent. Acceptable. We are where we want to be.

However we are just approaching a long streak of very winnable fixtures.

Ajax (H)
Fulham (H)
Everton (A)
Ajax (A)
Sheffield United (H)
Forest (A)
Athens (A)

Although despite them being winnable on paper, we already have a very depleted squad. If we can go into December still in the top 7 and on course to qualify in next round in Europe, the start of this season will be exceptional. It could go wrong very quickly though.

 

[Diablo]

It has been a decent start to the season. Not great, not poor, not even average... but decent. Acceptable. We are where we want to be.

However we are just approaching a long streak of very winnable fixtures.

Ajax (H)
Fulham (H)
Everton (A)
Ajax (A)
Sheffield United (H)
Forest (A)
Athens (A)

Although despite them being winnable on paper, we already have a very depleted squad. If we can go into December still in the top 7 and on course to qualify in next round in Europe, the start of this season will be exceptional. It could go wrong very quickly though.

Should be so....Although the last time we played. Fulham beat us at Amex, the struggling to get out of the bottom three, Everton thrashed us at the Amex 5-1 and Forest beat us 3-1 away !!!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

And got hammered by Villa

Villa are giving a few teams a hammering, not just us. Emery is doing a very good job there.

 

[fly high]

And got hammered by Villa

If VAR had disallowed the two Villa goals in the first half, as the PGMOL admitted they should have, we would have only been 1 nil down at half time, big, big difference. We scored early in 2nd half then tried to push on to get the extra 2 goals to catch them. If VAR hadn't screwed up it would have been 1 all. Maybe we would have still lost but who knows.

 

[nicko31]

Villa are giving a few teams a hammering, not just us. Emery is doing a very good job there.

Indeed WH are no mugs as got done, at home what is it 10 in a row?

Thursday is massive and really can't wait

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

Good thread, and nice to see some of us keeping positive! To me it's fantastic to see the Albion where we are, and to watch some of the excellent football we are playing. I'm sure the defensive frailties will get sorted soon. Or we just need to score more than the opponents!

 

[Hamilton]

It's the Villa defeat that rankles. Still.

That, and the fact that we've seen Albion set off slowly in some games and take their time to find their rhythm. It's felt a bit stop / start at times.

BUT, this is all in the context of an amazing 2022/23 season, so on balance, I'll take where we are no all day long.

THEN AGAIN, RDZ wants us to raise our expectations. He expects the best. And so, while happy, I'm a tad frustrated.