- Oct 17, 2008
- 14,500
Score goals and win games . . . Thats what we need and want. Otherwise, what is the point?
The only problem is, we are in the highest league in the country, playing against the other 19 best teams in the entire football pyramid. Each and every one of those 19 other teams is trying to do exactly the same thing as you/we want to do.
We are currently the 13th best team in the country on standings. Each and every single one of the teams in this division has had a higher end of league top tier position than we have in our entire history. All but one of the teams above us (Brentford) have won a major domestic or European trophy, which we never have.
The best Brighton have ever done at football was reaching one FA Cup Final, and finishing 13th in the old Division One.
If that is too abstract or historical, in real terms now - today - we have the 6th lowest player wages budget in the league. Every team that spends less than us (Burnley, Norwich, Watford, Leeds) are below us in the league table. The exception is Brentford, who are ahead of us by +2 goal difference. Every other team ahead of us spends more money (as much as seven or eight times our budget) on their team.
As you can see, in terms of the ability of our players we are actually ahead of par by two places in the league, based on this metric.
If you wished you choose another metric, let's say, net transfer spend, we could do that too. And again, be ahead of where we "should" be.
We can't expect to score enough goals and win enough games to bring League and Cup winning success, without matching the investment in wages - and to some extent transfer fees - of the other teams in the league.