A quick few questions for a Derby blog

[Bozza]

Answers for these, please, if you can spare a few minutes...

1. Going into the last game of the season, Brighton were seventh and reliant upon Reading dropping points against Burnley to stand a chance of making it into the top six. Were you optimistic? And, would it have been a disaster should you have not made it?

2. Matt Derbyshire took the lead for Nottingham Forest after 22 minutes, meaning Reading were still in the play-offs despite trailing to Burnley. Brighton then equalised just after half-time and so did Reading. In a dramatic set of circumstances, Brighton needed a goal and Reading not to score again. Time was quickly running out, before Leonardo Ulloa headed in from close range well into stoppage time to send the travelling Brighton fans wild and his team into the play-offs, at the expense of Reading. Can you put into words how good that felt?

3. Finishing sixth means you're up against third place Derby County. What have you made of the Rams this season and are you confident of your side's chances?

4. The first leg takes place on Thursday, with Derby travelling to the Amex Stadium. Will it be key for your side to establish a lead to take to the reverse fixture?

5. As well as scoring the pivotal goal on Saturday, Ulloa has been a vital player in the team, netting 16 times this season. Do you expect him to cause the Derby back-four trouble over the two legs? And are there any other danger men to look out for?

6. And finally, what's your prediction for the two games?

 

[TSB]

1. Not even slightly and no, realistic expectations were to be around the play-offs.
2. Pretty euphoric, see evidence a) LIMBS
3. Very potent attacking threats but leak goals at the other end. Hoping that inexperience in matches of this stature may cost Derby, but not particularly, no.
4. Nope.
5. I think Steve McClaren should be focusing on the potent goal threat of Bruno.
6. 1-1 at the Amex. 1-2 (AET) at Pride Park.

 

[Husty]

2. Matt Derbyshire took the lead for Nottingham Forest after 22 minutes, meaning Reading were still in the play-offs despite trailing to Burnley. Brighton then equalised just after half-time and so did Reading. In a dramatic set of circumstances, Brighton needed a goal and Reading not to score again. Time was quickly running out, before Leonardo Ulloa headed in from close range well into stoppage time to send the travelling Brighton fans wild and his team into the play-offs, at the expense of Reading. Can you put into words how good that felt?

Indescribable. As any genuine football supporter will know, moments like these are the reason we all follow our teams. We're all so emotionally attached (or should be!) but this only adds to the moment. When all of the worry, anger & fear you have stored up over the game/day/week is washed away and in a single moment replaced by the most pure, raw adrenaline and euphoria it is a moment of nirvana and there is simply nothing else on the planet that can bring you close. At that time every single cell in your body is focused solely on expressing the shear brilliance of the situation with everyone around you. It was a moment I'm sure I will never forget and that I feel honored to have experienced, and I truly pity those people who do not follow football who will never have the chance to experience such a moment.

 

[Kazenga <3]

Indescribable. As any genuine football supporter will know, moments like these are the reason we all follow our teams. We're all so emotionally attached (or should be!) but this only adds to the moment. When all of the worry, anger & fear you have stored up over the game/day/week is washed away and in a single moment replaced by the most pure, raw adrenaline and euphoria it is a moment of nirvana and there is simply nothing else on the planet that can bring you close. At that time every single cell in your body is focused solely on expressing the shear brilliance of the situation with everyone around you. It was a moment I'm sure I will never forget and that I feel honored to have experienced, and I truly pity those people who do not follow football who will never have the chance to experience such a moment.

This. It's like knocking one out but instead of the sense of loneliness and shame in the aftermath you spend the next few days bouncing off the walls.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

1. Nope - assumed Reading would do what they needed, regardless of what we did. Disaster? Don't think so - we thought we'd blown it so many times that it's proved a pleasant surprise to get in, I think.

2. When fans go sufficiently nuts that they look like boiling soup, you know how good they're feeling. We've all felt it supporting our clubs a few times; that perfect distillation of ecstasy into a moment that makes all the drudgery, all the effort, all the frustrating draws and horrible defeats worth it.

Edit: what Husty said, much better than me. Danny Baker had this one spot on - "Football. Bloody football. Imagine not being into it. Those poor, half-alive *******s."

3. Two tight games, I thought - at our place you caught us at a good time, when Garcia still didn't have his feet under the table, and we were still reeling from defeat against Palace and Poyet's acrimonious departure. At yours, it could have gone either way - one piece of brilliance settled it. You finish third in this division, you're obviously a good side. Confident? Dunno. It's about who doesn't freeze, I think. Genuinely, I don't mind that much - I'm looking forward to this one with excitement. It doesn't carry the dread of facing the enemy, the prospect of defeat isn't the soul-destroying, summer-ruining nightmare of last year. We've done ourselves justice this season, after everything that's happened, so if we lose to the side that's come third, fair enough. Handle-able.

4. Don't think so. Standard procedure in home games is to dominate possession, create countless chances and somehow contrive to miss them. This doesn't seem to afflict us away. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if we went to Pride Park with a deficit but still did something up there.

5. Ulloa's game at Forest summed him up perfectly. Miss the easy one early on, spend time on the floor complaining to the ref, then slam one into the net at the death to remind us all what a good player he could be. He'll cause trouble for the back four, the ref, and his own fans. Who else? Lua Lua, as an impact player, can be completely unplayable. He can also misfire horribly, and doesn't seem to produce it if he starts.

6. Dunno. Tight, but I have no idea who's going to win. I do know one thing - if it goes to penalties, we're screwed.

 

[TSB]

I do know one thing - if it goes to penalties, we're screwed.

Nah. We'll just get Spanish Dave to take all five in various different disguises. I nominate:
1) Spanish Dave mask 2) Nigel Adkins Mask 3) The Will Buckley (a pained expression and a wandering eye) 4) False beard & the joke glasses with the eyes popping out 5) Pop on Koosh's keeper jersey and shout at Bruno a lot on the walk up.
Easy does it.

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

Indescribable. As any genuine football supporter will know, moments like these are the reason we all follow our teams. We're all so emotionally attached (or should be!) but this only adds to the moment. When all of the worry, anger & fear you have stored up over the game/day/week is washed away and in a single moment replaced by the most pure, raw adrenaline and euphoria it is a moment of nirvana and there is simply nothing else on the planet that can bring you close. At that time every single cell in your body is focused solely on expressing the shear brilliance of the situation with everyone around you. It was a moment I'm sure I will never forget and that I feel honored to have experienced, and I truly pity those people who do not follow football who will never have the chance to experience such a moment.

Perfectly put. This is what I try to explain to my non-football going mates, how good that moment is. Those late goals that are so so important are THE reason we watch football. Indescribable, but you've come pretty close with that!

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

Covering his face is one thing, but how do you propose to disguise Spanish Dave's comedy legs? The long walk from the centre circle would be a dead giveaway...

 

[bn1&bn3 Albion]

1. I was hopeful but was prepared to finish outside the playoffs. I said pre season as long as we were still challenging for playoffs come the last few games I would be happy.

2. What [MENTION=12486]Husty[/MENTION] said

3. I'm enjoying being the underdog this season, no expectations at all.

4. Not really, our away form is very similar to our home form.

5. He'll always cause trouble for the back four with his size and ability in air. Hopefully CMS will be back and chasing every ball.

6. 1-1, 2-1. Derby

 

[Guinness Boy]

Indescribable. As any genuine football supporter will know, moments like these are the reason we all follow our teams. We're all so emotionally attached (or should be!) but this only adds to the moment. When all of the worry, anger & fear you have stored up over the game/day/week is washed away and in a single moment replaced by the most pure, raw adrenaline and euphoria it is a moment of nirvana and there is simply nothing else on the planet that can bring you close. At that time every single cell in your body is focused solely on expressing the shear brilliance of the situation with everyone around you. It was a moment I'm sure I will never forget and that I feel honored to have experienced, and I truly pity those people who do not follow football who will never have the chance to experience such a moment.

Great post but you have described the indescribable!

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

Indescribable. As any genuine football supporter will know, moments like these are the reason we all follow our teams. We're all so emotionally attached (or should be!) but this only adds to the moment. When all of the worry, anger & fear you have stored up over the game/day/week is washed away and in a single moment replaced by the most pure, raw adrenaline and euphoria it is a moment of nirvana and there is simply nothing else on the planet that can bring you close. At that time every single cell in your body is focused solely on expressing the shear brilliance of the situation with everyone around you. It was a moment I'm sure I will never forget and that I feel honored to have experienced, and I truly pity those people who do not follow football who will never have the chance to experience such a moment.

Definitely this. It's reason we follow the game.

 

[jackanada]

1. 50% confident. By which I mean before the match I vacillated between very and not at all confident, occassionally thought rationally for a while and had us at evens, then went a bit mental.
Much the same as I felt during the game.
Oh and missing out would have been fine. Just an afternoon of muttering swearwords to myself would facilitate a full recovery.

2.YEEEEEEESYEEEESGETINGETINYEEESSSSGETINWOOFYESGETINWOOFGETINYESYESYESAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAYESGETINYESHAHAHAWOOFYES

3. Good side playing good football. Would like to have seen more of them but the media has decided that what I really want from the championship is to know that Palace went up last year and we are graced by Harry Redknapp and his footballing gods this year. Our chances ... evens.

4. No. Though being behind even by a single goal could be very tricky.

5. Ulloa will cause trouble. Though he will probably fluff at least one gilt edged opportunity. Calderon to come on as a defensive sub and score, because our right backs think they should be strikers, he is a legend and due a goal, and because it would be epic.

6. No predictions for any games in the Championship this season. Foolish. Oh ok then 1-1, 2-2, I die of a heart attack, someone wins on pens.

 

[father_and_son]

Indescribable. As any genuine football supporter will know, moments like these are the reason we all follow our teams. We're all so emotionally attached (or should be!) but this only adds to the moment. When all of the worry, anger & fear you have stored up over the game/day/week is washed away and in a single moment replaced by the most pure, raw adrenaline and euphoria it is a moment of nirvana and there is simply nothing else on the planet that can bring you close. At that time every single cell in your body is focused solely on expressing the shear brilliance of the situation with everyone around you. It was a moment I'm sure I will never forget and that I feel honored to have experienced, and I truly pity those people who do not follow football who will never have the chance to experience such a moment.

My son's first away game. I can't imagine he'll ever forget that moment.

 

[Mellotron]

1. Going into the last game of the season, Brighton were seventh and reliant upon Reading dropping points against Burnley to stand a chance of making it into the top six. Were you optimistic? And, would it have been a disaster should you have not made it?

No I wasn't that optimistic deep down, and no, it certainly wouldn't have been a disaster. All day I never quite thought it would happen until Ulloa scored.

2. Matt Derbyshire took the lead for Nottingham Forest after 22 minutes, meaning Reading were still in the play-offs despite trailing to Burnley. Brighton then equalised just after half-time and so did Reading. In a dramatic set of circumstances, Brighton needed a goal and Reading not to score again. Time was quickly running out, before Leonardo Ulloa headed in from close range well into stoppage time to send the travelling Brighton fans wild and his team into the play-offs, at the expense of Reading. Can you put into words how good that felt?

No. Impossible to put into words.

3. Finishing sixth means you're up against third place Derby County. What have you made of the Rams this season and are you confident of your side's chances?

Feel like I haven't really seen you much, flown under the radar a bit for me. Can't judge anything at all on our 2 games together so far really. We're good against the better sides who come to attack, so that gives me confidence.

4. The first leg takes place on Thursday, with Derby travelling to the Amex Stadium. Will it be key for your side to establish a lead to take to the reverse fixture?

Not key but useful. Hopeful of a 1-0 to take to Derby. We have plenty of very pacey players who could take you apart on the counter at yours if you press up high.

5. As well as scoring the pivotal goal on Saturday, Ulloa has been a vital player in the team, netting 16 times this season. Do you expect him to cause the Derby back-four trouble over the two legs? And are there any other danger men to look out for?

He's always a handful but needs to stay on his feet more and not be constantly looking for fouls he won't get. We have a lot of talent across our midfield, it's just about who's on it on the day.

6. And finally, what's your prediction for the two games?

1-0 us at the Amex then 2-1 to you at yours, going to pens. No idea who wins.

 

[Giraffe]

1. I was very pessimistic. Whilst I expected Reading to draw, I thought we would to. I was glad to be wrong.
2. Best feeling since beating Palace away or home. Arguably the best away goal celebration since Hereford in 1997. Spent most of Sunday floating on a cloud watching the goal over and over again with family.
3. Saw both our games against Derby earlier in the season and thought you bettered us at the AMEX and deserved to win, but we had a lot of injuries. The away game was a typical Championship game, very tight, with not too much quality. I thought we cancelled each other out and it was only one bit of quality from your goalscorer that made the difference. Overall I think it is really too close to call. It will very tight over both legs.

4. I would be happy with 0-0. We are better away from home and your crowd will expect you to win. As we found last season it can be hard having to attack and get that goal at home, as it leaves gaps at the back. We are better playing on the counter and this might suit us. If you win the home leg though it would be tough for us to come back.
5. Ulloa is good, but needs service to deliver. Without good service he doesn't really produce much. Buckley, and coming on as a sub Lua Lua/CMS/Solly March are key to us. Also think Stephen Ward has created a fair bit coming forwards.
6. Level (probably 0-0) after first leg, level at half time in second leg. We win 1-0 in second half. But it really is going to be too tight to call.

 

[BBassic]

This. It's like knocking one out but instead of the sense of loneliness and shame in the aftermath you spend the next few days bouncing off the walls.

And now I have tea all over my monitor. Thanks very much.

 

[Janbha]

1. I thought we had blown our chance v Blackpool so taking it to the last game of the season was a bonus let alone sneaking through .

2. Spine Tingling

3. Derby are a good side , they keep possesion but attack faster than us , from what i have seen of them we will need to be on our best form to win over the 2 legs .

4. A 0-0 or even a 0-1 result is not the end of the world at the Amex , its just half time .

5. No team is a 1 man team we have the players who have the ability to create and score from anywhere on the pitch , Ulloa is a fine player but if Derby think by stopping him play they will walk it , then that will be fine by me , sooner or later one of Lualua's thunderbolts are going to burst the net and Buckley is due a edge of the area top left corner , i would like to see March start on thursday and attack with a little more pace , at times on saturday we looked like we were having a kickabout down preston park it was that casual .

6. 2-0 H 1-2 A

 

[Brightonfan1983]

1. Not optimistic at all.
2. My internet dropped for a couple of minutes at the end of the game. I assumed we'd drawn. Until we hadn't. I was confused.
3. Derby have looked very good. I have no confidence at all that we'll win over two legs.
4. God, absolutely.
5. Buckley, Lua Lua, CMS if he gets, say, 45 mins.
6. Draw/loss

 

[Peter Grummit]

Answers for these, please, if you can spare a few minutes...

1. Going into the last game of the season, Brighton were seventh and reliant upon Reading dropping points against Burnley to stand a chance of making it into the top six. Were you optimistic? And, would it have been a disaster should you have not made it?

"Not sure how many tickets Burnley got, but they have sold out. Good news.

I fancy Burnley not to lose, and us to win. I am trying to be objective, but...

PG "

"Local paper (Naylor equivalent) Q+A has some interesting points.

"There is also a defensive crisis at Forest at the minute, with only Dan Harding and Danny Collins confirmed as being fit and ready to play tomorrow."

They expect some youngsters to be given a go.

"Comment From rich
My god with a even weaker defence lua lua will tear us a new one

Thankfully, LuaLua has not been starting games recently.
Although he can come off the bench.
He has been almost unplayable against Forest in the past.
Your only option is to kick him and hope he does not get up "

Much of their first choice midfield has not been playing lately due to injury, notably Andy Reid and Henri Lansbury.

We really do have a great shot at winning tomorrow, IMHO.

PG"

"Confirmed that Danny Guthrie is out for Reading. They are a different team when he plays, he runs the show.

More and more I believe we are going to do this.

PG"

From Twitter:
BHAFC ‏@OfficialBHAFC · May 3
NERVE-O-METER: How are your nerves ahead of #NFFCvBHAFC? 100 for nervous wreck, 0 for ice cool!
@Vicki Lank ‏@ThickBlueLine · May 3
@OfficialBHAFC It's a complete 0 for me. No expectations as out of our hands. Anything is a bonus.
‏@Seagulleo · May 3
@ThickBlueLine @OfficialBHAFC 0 for me too. 100% confident

‏@Seagulleo · May 3
Never in doubt. #Bhafc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having said all that, during the actual game we played so poorly that I had little confidence we would deliver.

PG

 

[Gazwag]

My son's first away game. I can't imagine he'll ever forget that moment.

I said to my daughter just after the full time whistle "cherish this feeling, this is why we get up at 5am and spend all day on the coach or train to watch 90 minutes of football, stuff like this doesn't happen very often and 80% of football fans never get to feel like this"