[Albion] Are Hughton’s tactics too negative?

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

When the likes of Bournemouth can stuff Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and SWANSEA FFS can beat both Liverpool and Arsenal in the space of a just over a week, then the answer has to be a big fat resounding YES.

 

[Coalburner]

I think CH's approach is better described as cautious or unadventurous rather than negative. I would like to see him experiment with Izquierdo on the right wing, so that he can more easily cross with his stronger right foot and Knockaert/March on the left for the same reasons, as they are both basically left footed

 

[Hastings gull]

I think CH's approach is better described as cautious or unadventurous rather than negative. I would like to see him experiment with Izquierdo on the right wing, so that he can more easily cross with his stronger right foot and Knockaert/March on the left for the same reasons, as they are both basically left footed

Fair comment about how to describe his tactics. Yes, why not try the wingers as you say, and allow them to use their stronger feet. It may well work and with hopefully faster strikers to get on the end of the crosses, then it may pay dividends. At least worth a try, but I am not an expert.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Oh here we go again. ANOTHER opportunity to have a negative, angst-ridden thread full of people moaning that, contrary to the past three years, we suddenly expect Chris to send out a side that commits men forward at will and dang the consequences at the back. This thread is going to be full of people somehow surprised at Chris' tactics, as if they haven't watched a Brighton game for several years, full of people with no football tactical nous whatsoever banging on about how this is sending us down, and a gazillion more over-the-top reactions from people who have just been so completely spoiled by two seasons of winning week in week out they should really go and sit in the corner.

For the record, I never ever expected so many Brighton fans to be turning on Chris Hughton this season. It really makes me angry. And we didn't even F*CKING lose. And there's FIVE F*CKING teams who've had a worse season than us so far.

I thought the Premier League would be hard. I didn't think the hardest part about the Premier League would be coping with my fellow Brighton fans.

It's a shame you've reached for the hyperbole here. It's perfectly valid to criticise certain elements of certain tactics in certain games without wanting to play all out attacking football or to want CH burnt at the stake. I'm still very much a CH in person, I still very much think he is the right manager for us and I still think that, at home, we could be the match of anyone. If you look at the Chelsea game, although we lost 4-0 it wasn't a 4-0 game - Gary Linekar himself said so - and we went Plan B with 5 at the back and attacking wingbacks.

It's away from home where he drives me bonkers and he always has. The sitting on a lead that we do invites poor teams back in to games and it's not just in the Premier League so the quality of opposition argument doesn't stack up. We let QPR back in to a massive game last season. It was so tense I actually took a photo of my heart rate on my HRM watch because I couldn't believe it. Then we did the same at Villa and lost our last chance of the title. Last night we did it again. Southampton were there for the taking and we just sat deep and fed them the ball.

So I've gone for YES. Marginally, he is too negative. Not at home, not in Cup games but in league games away from the start and whenever we take the lead.

FWIW I'm a Level One qualified coach and write regularly about football. Doesn't make my opinion any more valid than yours or the next persons but I say it to counter the "know nothing about tactics" hyperbole.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

My thought for the Day (somewhat in line with comment in post #97).

If you play "Defence versus Attack" there are only two possible outcomes: a victory for Attack, or a 0-0 draw (which may be a sort of moral victory for Defence, but is worth diddly-squat.

Eh it's worth a point!

 

[NooBHA]

I don't have much negative to say either, I'm delighted he's at our club and hope he stays here for years. I am questioning whether he's being too negative at the moment though. In his first full season with us, I don't think he expected us to be as good as we were, and consequently he (IMO) settled for a point (games like Preston and Shef Wed) when we could have got more, and then we missed out on GD. The following season he was (IMO) less cautious - he knew how good we were, and we didn't try and win home/draw away, we tried to win just about every game, and it paid off. I'm just wondering if we'd get an extra point or two (in total, allowing for dropping the odd point) if we were more adventurous.

I'd bite yer hand off for another year in the league. If he gets us there, it's job done. The concern is we'll narrowly miss out, which could potentially be due to not having a go.
No doubt.

For every Preston and Sheff Wed there were two Fulhams where digging in and staying in the matche allowed us to nick a couple of goals and win the matches so swings and roundabout and a lot of ''Woulda Shoulda Coulda'' - I actually think the first year was too early to go up and I think ''far better prepared when we eventually did.

I'm still convinced we won't go down because West Brom aside the teams around us are not beating us and all it takes is a couple of wins in amongst a good few draws to get over the line

 

[neilbard]

Are Hughton’s tactics too negative?

Who is Hughton?

 

[Guinness Boy]

A big part of the reason we play defensively is that the other team has the ball more than us.

A big part of the reason the other team has the ball more than us is that we give it to them too often.

A big part of the reason we give it to them too often is that our players are not as good as their opponents - either our passing isn't good enough, or our players don't get into good enough positions to receive the ball, or the opponents read the passes, or are well-positioned to intercept, or work hard to press and challenge.

A big part of the reason our players are not as good as their opponents is that we are new to the Premier League and our rivals have often had longer to build their squads, or more money for longer to invest in better players.

Genuine question - because I know you'll have an opinion - how does that sit with the Miracle Of Tiny Bournemouth. They came in and just carried on going gung-ho with many of the players they's had in League One, including Tommy effin Elphick. I have to admit to concentrating on The Championship in those days because of us. So, is the legend of their attacking play just a legend or is it possible to go for it without getting relegated and with "inferior" players?

 

[Triggaaar]

It's just odd that posters are complaining about being 'negative' after taking the lead.
CH has always done that, unless playing Norwich at home, a midfielder gets bought on for an attacking player and they sit in front of our penalty area disrupting play.

In the Championship it worked enough, but wasn't much fun to watch.

Really? Fulham 5-0, QPR 4-0, Norwich as you said, and some other dominating performances too. Plenty of times we did resort to defending a lead, but the times we didn't suggest that it was down to the players on the day and how well the opposition did, rather than Chris's blueprint. I'm sure fans of other teams feel the same when their side is desperately holding on to a lead. If they're defending a lead against us, they'll be moaning that they've suddenly sat back, while NSC moans that we don't attack until we're losing. That's football, it's not always down to the manager.

That said, I am questioning if Chris lets it happen too often.

 

[Triggaaar]

For every Preston and Sheff Wed there were two Fulhams where digging in and staying in the matche allowed us to nick a couple of goals and win the matches so swings and roundabout

I disagree. Digging in against a side that's playing well is to be expected, it's how we played on a couple of occasions against opposition that wasn't offering much where I think we should have done better.

I'm still convinced we won't go down

You're in denial.

 

[Stat Brother]

Really? Fulham 5-0, QPR 4-0, Norwich as you said, and some other dominating performances too. Plenty of times we did resort to defending a lead, but the times we didn't suggest that it was down to the players on the day and how well the opposition did, rather than Chris's blueprint. I'm sure fans of other teams feel the same when their side is desperately holding on to a lead. If they're defending a lead against us, they'll be moaning that they've suddenly sat back, while NSC moans that we don't attack until we're losing. That's football, it's not always down to the manager.

That said, I am questioning if Chris lets it happen too often.

Sidwell's entire return to the Albion has been based on 'make sure we hold onto the lead'.
The poor fella wasn't even allowed in the opposition half to shoot.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

When the likes of Bournemouth can stuff Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and SWANSEA FFS can beat both Liverpool and Arsenal in the space of a just over a week, then the answer has to be a big fat resounding YES.

Really? Swansea have been in the Premier League for 7 seasons and this is Bournemouth's 3rd. We are in our first and years behind in our Premier League squad development.

We need to be realistic and give the club time to evolve.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

We have spent £57 million so they should be Premiership Standard

 

[Two Professors]

We have spent £57 million so they should be Premiership Standard

We have spent more than Udders,but all the other teams,including Newcastle,already had Prem players,so trying to compare is meaningless.If we could have a comparison of what those clubs have spent in the last 5 years,it would show we've spent sod-all.Chris is managing very well with limited resources and should not be judged on our first season.

 

[zefarelly]

I'm a very slight and reluctant 'yes'

As has been said already, conservative is a better word. I think Chris has been so with some good reason, players are already tiring this season and their performances are not what they were in October. we still have a few months to go.

I get the impression he's playing the systems and individuals which best suit our chances of getting something from a game. As we've seen over the last few years. as opposed to going all out for a win each game at any expense.

Personally a home win and away loss is a point more than two draws. It's fine margins that cost us promotion two years ago and the championship outright last season, my fear is the same tactic will unnecessarily take us back down, when we've already seen enough to suggest we're good enough to stay up.

 

[Triggaaar]

We have spent £57 million so they should be Premiership Standard

That is a dumb comparison. Arsenal didn't spend much, as they'd bought players in previous years. And the value of players sold is irrelevant to the quality of the existing squad. Try just looking at the current value of each squad instead.

I think Huddersfield are bottom, with us just above.

 

[Weststander]

We have spent £57 million so they should be Premiership Standard

What tosh.

That's one spend, when Bmuff, Burnley, Palace, Swansea have had the benefit of many PL transfer windows and £100m's to buy in and pay the wages of entire PL quality squads.

Cherry picking one stat is meaningless.

 

[sir albion]

Well we often start well and get a goal etc although clearly we switch off soon after and the momentum is lost....This allows the other side to take control with little to worry about as we offer nothing going forward.Like I said we often have no shots in the second half because we go so defensive.
The wingers are told to defend more and that knackers them out,Stephens is a grafter but has little quality and offers nothing going forward,propper is better further in attack but gets nowhere near due to being too deep.

Yes we may lack quality but I'd rather we looked to win and went down with a fight rather than being boring and looking not to lose...You have to score goals to win games and we are incapable of such a thing.

I said a few months or so ago that I don't see us winning hardly anymore games and I said Swansea would survive when most laughed at that.

Wish I could say we'd escape just but we will be bottom as other clubs can pull wins out of the bag and the likes of Stoke,westbrom etc will improve.

Just enjoy the rest of the season

 

[sir albion]

Really? Fulham 5-0, QPR 4-0, Norwich as you said, and some other dominating performances too. Plenty of times we did resort to defending a lead, but the times we didn't suggest that it was down to the players on the day and how well the opposition did, rather than Chris's blueprint. I'm sure fans of other teams feel the same when their side is desperately holding on to a lead. If they're defending a lead against us, they'll be moaning that they've suddenly sat back, while NSC moans that we don't attack until we're losing. That's football, it's not always down to the manager.

That said, I am questioning if Chris lets it happen too often.

To be fair our away performances in the championship were very average and the grit and determination got us away wins
In the premiership we will not be abled to hold on to leads very often that's clear to see.

 

[bhaseeer]

when struggle from the half way line to their penalty box - this area we are slow and predictable.......especially in the middle. movement is defensive and fearful even with the ball.