Are we getting too wrapped up in it all???

[Eric Youngs Contact Lense]

Just reflecting on the last couple of weeks...isn't this why we just love supporting the Albion? The ups and downs, the roller-coaster of emotions that come from desperately wanting your team to do well. It used to be about not getting relegated, about survival, then it was about enjoying the ride as we went up and down the lower leagues, and now its about histrionics and hissy fits because we desperately want a piece of the Premier League action or more probably the joy of promotion to it..I think we are not that far away from our peak...Look at Southampton...how much higher can they realistically go and what will happen if they lose a couple of players or the manager Swansea struggling to hit the heights of previous seasons - both of whom we have been compared with in terms of set-up, playing style, size etc....I am not comparing us to them in terms of playing quality at the moment, but in terms of mid-long term expectations
The reality for me is that I follow the Albion : a medium sized Club, who will have moments of joy in the grand cycle of things, long periods of mediocrity and moments of disaster. Don't miss out on our moments of joy (and our history says that competing at the higher end of the Championship is a joy!) ...it can be a long wait for the next period. A season to experience promotion to the premier League would be lovely, but what would follow? I am going to drink it all in, not take it too seriously and give the team all the support I can whilst doing so..

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Just reflecting on the last couple of weeks...isn't this why we just love supporting the Albion? The ups and downs, the roller-coaster of emotions that come from desperately wanting your team to do well. It used to be about not getting relegated, about survival, then it was about enjoying the ride as we went up and down the lower leagues, and now its about histrionics and hissy fits because we desperately want a piece of the Premier League action or more probably the joy of promotion to it..I think we are not that far away from our peak...Look at Southampton...how much higher can they realistically go and what will happen if they lose a couple of players or the manager Swansea struggling to hit the heights of previous seasons - both of whom we have been compared with in terms of set-up, playing style, size etc....I am not comparing us to them in terms of playing quality at the moment, but in terms of mid-long term expectations
The reality for me is that I follow the Albion : a medium sized Club, who will have moments of joy in the grand cycle of things, long periods of mediocrity and moments of disaster. Don't miss out on our moments of joy (and our history says that competing at the higher end of the Championship is a joy!) ...it can be a long wait for the next period. A season to experience promotion to the premier League would be lovely, but what would follow? I am going to drink it all in, not take it too seriously and give the team all the support I can whilst doing so..

Far too wrapped up. What's the point of constantly analysing these things. Players got to dust off and do their best tomorrow night. It's in their hands. If they can't be bothered then hopefully they wont be here next season.

 

[Diego Napier]

Far too wrapped up. What's the point of constantly analysing these things. Players got to dust off and do their best tomorrow night. It's in their hands. If they can't be bothered then hopefully they wont be here next season.

Far too negative; he's not constantly analysing, he's stating how he feels.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Just reflecting on the last couple of weeks...isn't this why we just love supporting the Albion? The ups and downs, the roller-coaster of emotions that come from desperately wanting your team to do well. It used to be about not getting relegated, about survival, then it was about enjoying the ride as we went up and down the lower leagues, and now its about histrionics and hissy fits because we desperately want a piece of the Premier League action or more probably the joy of promotion to it..I think we are not that far away from our peak...Look at Southampton...how much higher can they realistically go and what will happen if they lose a couple of players or the manager Swansea struggling to hit the heights of previous seasons - both of whom we have been compared with in terms of set-up, playing style, size etc....I am not comparing us to them in terms of playing quality at the moment, but in terms of mid-long term expectations
The reality for me is that I follow the Albion : a medium sized Club, who will have moments of joy in the grand cycle of things, long periods of mediocrity and moments of disaster. Don't miss out on our moments of joy (and our history says that competing at the higher end of the Championship is a joy!) ...it can be a long wait for the next period. A season to experience promotion to the premier League would be lovely, but what would follow? I am going to drink it all in, not take it too seriously and give the team all the support I can whilst doing so..

I think that's an excellent analysis. However, TB has changed the rules by which success should be measured. He's invested c£175m in the stadium, academy and annual losses and has stated that he seeks promotion to the PL. If your chairman makes such aspirations public and then funds those aspirations (I know that some posters will say that the only funding that counts is in players. I don't agree with them, but recognise it's a valid pov), it's not unreasonable for the fans' aspirations to change accordingly. Also, don't forget that many, many fans are new to following the Albion - they've never experienced even an average season, let alone a relegation.

That said, I'm with you!

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Far too negative; he's not constantly analysing, he's stating how he feels.

I'm speaking for myself.

 

[lawros left foot]

Great post, , and sums up my feelings ex actly, weeks like this just make the good ones better

 

[Kumquat]

Fantastic post I think. Yes I think we are reaching our peak. The important thing is to get that stability where we are always challenging for the premiership like the Readings of this world so that if we do make the promised land we won't fall apart when we go down again. A well run club with good owners is gold dust.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's what football fans DO, get too wrapped up in it all. Because they care. It's when they DON'T care that football should start to worry. Because then the whole thing starts to fall apart like a poorly-constructed house of cards.

 

[Notters]

It's what football fans DO, get too wrapped up in it all. Because they care. It's when they DON'T care that football should start to worry. Because then the whole thing starts to fall apart like a house of poorly-constructed cards.

I do CARE but I don't think there's anything to worry about.

 

[Napper]

Interesting point about reaching our peak , could well be.

If offered to be challenging for the play offs in the championship in 10 years time , would you take it ?

Think I would

 

[Rugrat]

I think that's an excellent analysis. However, TB has changed the rules by which success should be measured. He's invested c£175m in the stadium, academy and annual losses and has stated that he seeks promotion to the PL

Precisely, he has raised the bar a mile and the expectations are totally different.

In pretty well one fowl swoop he has changed the mentality from mediocrity and survival to a real need for success. We just won't be able to prosper in The Championship, our infrastructure and all the associated overhead simply wont allow it.

I dont subscribe to the "we're still building" mentality. We've got everything in place and the only variables that will impact on success is players and coaching management. In respect to those 2 elements they can be changed at reasonably short notice until the right combinations are in place. In saying that I also think in this anyone can beat anyone league, a huge chunk of good fortune is needed and we've not had that going for us for sure

 

[Brighton Mod]

Some are and some aren't too wrapped up in all of this, I have thought about this recently. When our team plays they are representing us the fans, so when our players are fouled we feel agrieved and pained like the players do, when we score and we celebrate as do the players and when it all goes wrong we feel bad just like the players, manager and staff at the club. Losing is something we should all be able to deal with its life and comes to all of us in time, so what we feel so badly about at the moment is the manner of our defeats and the what some perceive as the wrong decisions being made and lack of effort from some on the pitch. I feel also that as much as the club tries this phoney communication we don't need to be told by the head coach that we played well, when we could all see that they didn't and the club trying to sell season tickets when its not very good at the moment and they are jazzing it up and the clear fact that the CLUB has got it wrong in terms of its loanees and lack of replacement for the injured CMS and Hoskins. But I must state that nothing, absolutely nothing can be worse than losing to Palace in the play offs last year, so using that as a yardstick, this is just part of that natural cycle of football, but has been contributed towards by some inept management behind the scenes.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Interesting point about reaching our peak , could well be.

If offered to be challenging for the play offs in the championship in 10 years time , would you take it ?

Think I would

Same. But many of those who drift off after 80 minutes won't be hanging around anywhere near that long. They'll suddenly find they have a pressing previous engagement.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

I would be more than happy with Brighton as a competitive Championship team which was affordable to watch for the overwhelming majority of fans.