[Albion] Are Albion genuinely in danger of being in a relegation battle next season in your opinion

[Dick Knights Mumm]

New manager, team used to losing, poor start, signings take time, young players don’t develop, current injured players take time coming back, fresh injuries ……. It’s not difficult to see how it could pan out.

But we’ve TB. So anything could happen.

 

[Sussexscots]

At the moment, I have to say yes. Whilst any team outside the top 8 could easily find themselves on the poop I see our position as more perilous than it has been for a while.

The football from February to May was largely god awful. In large part we were scunnered by injuries; that so many players were absent lame for so long, however , is concerning. The likes of Groß fell away from their usual high standards because, I believe, they were never able to get rest.

Hopefully the new medical team will improve the situation. Yet we are hugely reliant on Mitoma and can't afford to lose him.

Given the nature of De Zerbi's departure and the rapidity with which Hughton and Potter were replaced, I'm a little surprised that the new manager isn't already in situ. Does this mean a bump in the road for the recruitment process? De Zerbi was, by all accounts, popular with the players. We could do without a protracted unsettling interregnum of rumour and social media speculation.

 

[American Seagle]

It is not a cop out answer. It is absolutely true that any non-big 6 side can be in danger of relegation every season regardless of where they finished the season before.

 

[EliasTaproot]

Every single club is capable of being thrown into a relegation battle as your poll option says, but many aren't before a ball is kicked. Currently we absolutely are capable of getting dragged into it. Our current form already IS relegation form. If our managerial appointment is a bad one, we'll be right amongst that bottom 5/6.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I could certainly see it going wrong, if the wrong manager is appointed and a young team starts to struggle. Its unlikely and I'll still fancy us to have enough in the end, but I'm more worried now than for a few seasons, sure

 

[Zeberdi]

Every season.

And this is definitely not a “cop out answer”, it goes to the crux of the problem:

Every season - except for the ’Big 6/7’ clubs already firmly established and those that can buy their way out of trouble with new investment - as Newcastle did in 2021; perennially underperforming, hovering near the relegation zone in October that year and after a £425m spend, Champions League qualifier the following season 2022/23 and just missing out in 2023/4. As for everyone else, the middle of the table is often very tight right through the season (only a few wins separating 9th-14th) - a bad run and it doesn’t take long to be hovering just above the RZ.

It’s really not so much where our football is for us but the industry itself that puts us at risk - As clubs ‘below us’ in the pecking order (even larger ones like Manure with Ineos’s investment shares this year) gradually become targets for multi-billion pound business consortiums especially Saudi/UAE funding, I think we will struggle more and more to stay competitive - at some point we could be priced out of the top flight unless TB decides to sell a minority share of the Albion to an outside investment port folio - but not next season - not if the squad we have + a few summer additions (all previously discussed) play as well as I know we can.

 

[tigertim68]

Any team that fails to replace their Best players with decent replacements will struggle , we didn’t even get any one in ,
ok we were hit badly by injuries, so they could of got reinforcements in January but decided against that ,
results we were awful most of the time after jan ,
we got rid of a top manager and looks like no idea who to replace him with
so I think if we are not careful we could be in trouble

 

[Uh_huh_him]

It is not a cop out answer. It is absolutely true that any non-big 6 side can be in danger of relegation every season regardless of where they finished the season before.

In theory that is true, but in reality Newcastle and Villa have elevated themselves above the rest.
Currently there is very much a big 8.

 

[Flounce]

Before the multitude of injuries and the coach going into disgruntled mode we were aiming for top 6 weren’t we and started well? Suddenly quite a few are thinking potential doom and gloom because the manager has gone and a combination of unhappy manager and injured players derailed our season. Assuming the injured aren’t permanently injured (unsubstantiated rumours that Solly is) and that we are not looking to cash in on Mitoma do we really have so little faith that RDZ can be replaced with a manager with nous and experience, albeit not as thrilling as RDZ and his all in win or lose style?

The younger players have a years experience of the PL , we will be buying players surely, so I am surprised so many are rolling over and talking relegation before we know how we’ll be set come kick off.

Yes, of course nothing is guaranteed but there is an inordinate amount of negativity on here currently. Talk of Dunk ageing and Gross packing his bags is premature imo.

I still think we’ll be fine but my expectations are tempered and I expect us to be mid table with maybe the occasional look over our shoulders depending on the early fixture list.

 

[MattBackHome]

In my opinion, Albion are not genuinely in danger of being in a relegation battle next season.

I also have other opinions related to this matter.

 

[Flounce]

Every season.

And this is definitely not a “cop out answer”, it goes to the crux of the problem:

Every season - except for the ’Big 6/7’ clubs already firmly established and those that can buy their way out of trouble with new investment - as Newcastle did in 2021; perennially underperforming, hovering near the relegation zone in October that year and after a £425m spend, Champions League qualifier the following season 2022/23 and just missing out in 2023/4. As for everyone else, the middle of the table is often very tight right through the season (only a few wins separating 9th-14th) - a bad run and it doesn’t take long to be hovering just above the RZ.

It’s really not so much the football but the industry itself that puts us at risk - As clubs ‘below us’ in the pecking order (even larger ones like Manure with Ineos’s investment shares this year) gradually become targets for multi-billion pound business consortiums especially Saudi/UAE funding, I think we will struggle more and more to stay competitive - at some point we could be priced out of the top flight unless TB decides to sell a minority share of the Albion to an outside investment port folio - but not next season - not if the squad we have + a few summer additions (all previously discussed) play as well as I know we can.

It is a cop out answer imo as it’s a blindingly obvious fact! I’d rather hear what people think is more likely than choose the “cover all bases” answer which that option is

 

[Swimboy64]

How on this Earth can anyone suggest we're in relegation danger after the last two season's we've had? I'm sure this is just a fishing exercise but I have to say this and unearthed historic threads are becoming tedious.

I guess the OP based his question on our form since January,so a fair point I think.
Hopefully new season new things and all that and we start as we started last season,which turned out to be vital as without the great start we would have been down amongst it.Lets hope we start well,have fewer injuries and are able to sustain good steady form for the whole season

 

[heathgate]

No - I don't see a side with

Bart Verbruggen
Lewis Dunk
Jan Paul Van Hecke
Valentin Barco
Billy Gilmour
Solly March
Kaoru Mitoma
Julio Enciso
and Joao Pedro

being anywhere near a relegation battle. With the right players around that core, that's a Top 10 side.

I can't see March ever playing at PL level again, Mitoma and Pedro will be targets for money clubs here and abroad.... It's in the balance in my view, coach and new recruits will take time to settle, we could be teetering a bit this coming season.

 

[Han Solo]

It is a cop out answer imo as it’s a blindingly obvious fact! I’d rather hear what people think is more likely than choose the “cover all bases” answer which that option is

If we ignore the cop out answer...

Aside for MAYBE at the end of 21/22, I've never been more certain that Brighton won't be relegated the following season.

Main reason isn't our quality but the reality catching up with others. Over the last year or so, clubs have realised "hmm, maybe this FFP thing is actually real and we might get punished for playing around it". Many will be unable or reluctant to invest and likely to go into the season with "existence minimum" squads, bit like Wolves this season.

Add three weak newcomers (Leeds would probably have been competitive - Saints, Leicester and Southampton are all very likely to be down there.

My prediction is that 30 points will be enough to stay up, just like this season, and that there will be an ocean between the strongest 6-8 clubs and the weakest 5-6 clubs. And in that ocean, we, Palace, West Ham and maybe Bournemouth or Brentford are in for some smooth, if not particularly exciting from an end table-perspective, sailing.

Young teams often catch up with xpoints if you keep them around. Our XPoints says we should have landed on 54-55 points this season if things like goalkeeping and finishing was at a "normal" level. Unless we really f*** everything up, I expect us to at the very least get to 50 points, which would feel a little flat but probably put us 20 points over the relegation zone.

We're in a pretty good position, and a very safe one.

 

[Han Solo]

I can't see March ever playing at PL level again, Mitoma and Pedro will be targets for money clubs here and abroad.... It's in the balance in my view, coach and new recruits will take time to settle, we could be teetering a bit this coming season.

Whats your argument for March not playing another PL game? Do you know something we don't or are you just... stupid?

Mitoma will always be a target but I think his injury makes it more likely he'll stay than not. Same with Pervis who was probably quite likely to be a big target otherwise.

As for Joao Pedro, we payed £30m to get a striker who ended up scoring five league goals from open play. He's young so if we're selling, we want to make a fine profit. How many clubs do you think are interested in paying £50m for a striker who scored five goals from open play in 31 league appearances? Joao Pedro is 99% staying imho, if we can improve him maybe we can/will sell him next year.. or the year after that.

 

[dwayne]

Whats your argument for March not playing another PL game? Do you know something we don't or are you just... stupid?

Mitoma will always be a target but I think his injury makes it more likely he'll stay than not. Same with Pervis who was probably quite likely to be a big target otherwise.

As for Joao Pedro, we payed £30m to get a striker who ended up scoring five league goals from open play. He's young so if we're selling, we want to make a fine profit. How many clubs do you think are interested in paying £50m for a striker who scored five goals from open play in 31 league appearances? Joao Pedro is 99% staying imho, if we can improve him maybe we can/will sell him next year.. or the year after that.

Pervis was dreadful last season. Can't see anyone in for him in the near future.

That's the upside of being rubbish for half a season, no one will want any of our players. The big loss next season, if it happens, will be gross, he's fairly irreplaceable on the open market unless you have a spare 70/80 million.

 

[holybanjo]

Winter is coming

 

[Han Solo]

Pervis was dreadful last season. Can't see anyone in for him in the near future.

That's the upside of being rubbish for half a season, no one will want any of our players. The big loss next season, if it happens, will be gross, he's fairly irreplaceable on the open market unless you have a spare 70/80 million.

Pervis was ok. Even good considering the absolutely hopeless job he had.

Every and any left back we sign are going to be completely shit if he's expected to usually be in a LW position on the field with no player covering spaces behind him. Every time we lose the ball he needs to make a 60-70 meter run and usually have to catch up with some winger or striker making a run to abuse the space we left open because we don't play 3 at the back and also don't use our defensive midfielders to provide cover behind our attacking runs.

It works ok if you have Mitoma, who with his work rate can make some of these draining ten-twenty 60-70 meter sprints Pervis is supposed to do, but in general it is suicide tactics and bound to make any wing back look shit. EVEN Pervis, who imho is top class.

 

[holybanjo]

Some huge over-emphasis here of our second half season performance imo. Injuries aside I think RDZ himself was a huge part of the problem after Xmas. Continually talked us down, constantly talked us into being "tired", and more importantly completely refused to adapt to the squad we had available and we still went gung-ho when we clearly didn't have the team for it. If he had made us even slightly harder to beat I'm confident we'd have picked up plenty more points and ultimately it's one of the reasons I wasn't that upset he left. Yes, if everything goes wrong we might end up in trouble, but we'd have to be really bad to be worse than the three promoted sides and those that were skirting relegation last season. I think TB wants us nearer the top again and I'd be surprised if we don't make some very good signings this time around.

If there’s any danger of relegation then breaking the transfer policy would be suicide.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Pervis was dreadful last season. Can't see anyone in for him in the near future.

That's the upside of being rubbish for half a season, no one will want any of our players. The big loss next season, if it happens, will be gross, he's fairly irreplaceable on the open market unless you have a spare 70/80 million.

It's going to be impossible to replace Pascal Gross on our budget. It would cost £30m+ to find someone with 75% of his quality.

He's never had any pace and never gets injured, so his age is fairly unimportant.

With Lallana's wages now freed up and a vacancy in the old head role, it makes sense to offer him a new contract that no German team can match. Tie him down now with a 4 year contract.