“Be careful what you wish for Brighton fans” - How the football world owes us an apology

[ATFC Seagull]

Referring back to the OP, I do think you can categorise those tweets/comments into two piles:

1) Ones that purely felt that CH had achieved his objectives, served the club well and that being sacked out of the blue the day after the season was a horrible way to treat not just a nice bloke, but a very good coach who had turned this club's fortunes around. I think it's hard to argue with this - I'm pretty sure if I was a neutral his sacking would definitely have discoloured my opinion of the Albion.

2) Ones that predicted we'd be worse and go down this year. They look wrong.

 

[neilbard]

Referring back to the OP, I do think you can categorise those tweets/comments into two piles:

1) Ones that purely felt that CH had achieved his objectives, served the club well and that being sacked out of the blue the day after the season was a horrible way to treat not just a nice bloke, but a very good coach who had turned this club's fortunes around. I think it's hard to argue with this - I'm pretty sure if I was a neutral his sacking would definitely have discoloured my opinion of the Albion.

2) Ones that predicted we'd be worse and go down this year. They look wrong.

Agreed, we do look like we will stay up know, predictions like the weather are just forecasts and not always reliable, Leicester winning the league who predicted that, oh the supporter who backed them @1000/1

Referring back to the OP the football world owes us nothing, least of all an apology, football pundits and commentators are no different from supporters we all have opinions,

that is why this forum works if we didn't have a difference of opinion and just agreed with each other all the time it would get a bit tedious..

Why do we really care about what some ex-player, pundit or commentator wrote in a tweet 13 months ago on the sacking of Hughton, it needed doing and Bloom done it.

 

[Change at Barnham]

Most of the 'expert' pundits who turn up in a studio come straight off the golf course or from the car showroom and don't have much knowledge of Brighton's vision and plan.
During our promotion chasing seasons there was never much mention of our training centre or of the youth and reserve sides that we were growing.
Even now there's not much recognition of the clever recruitment and grooming of Alexis MacAllister, Steven Alzate, Ben White or many other youngsters.

It's slowly dawning on a lot of people who don't follow Brighton that there is a plan which is beginning to materialise based on strong foundations that have been gradually and meticulously built on for several years.

Successful leaders of organisations often have to take tough and unpopular decisions when it's often easier to not rock the boat and stick with the status quo.

We are now playing attractive football. We are more likely to attract higher quality players and are delivering a uniform style through all the age groups.
Importantly all the staff know what the club ethos is and sulkers and dickheads aren't tolerated.

I feel very fortunate to have Tony Bloom and Paul Barber running our club.
I can't actually remember anything major that they've done that I disagree with.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

From last night's MoTD, shown as part of their 5 second analysis of our play.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I feel very fortunate to have Tony Bloom and Paul Barber running our club.
I can't actually remember anything major that they've done that I disagree with.

Appointing and then refusing to sack Hyypia and having a clueless recruitment policy to go with him. A gamble on both budget and bringing in a coach who would stay in line. Fortunately everything since has been spot on. Certainly not every gamble comes off but we must be one of the best run clubs in the world at the moment.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

That’s all we heard when our Tony Bloom made the choice to replace Chris Hughton.

“Be careful what you wish for”
“Arrogant Brighton”
“What do they expect to achieve?”

I won’t bring in the abhorrent accusations of racism that was seriously raised by some (yes, really..a reminder: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...-Townsend-slams-Brighton-sacking-Hughton.html)

And why was the football world so anti Brighton after sacking Hughton?

Because we, or specifically Uncle Tony, dared to look up. Dared to attempt to be more ambitious than backs to the wall defending and finishing one place outside relegation every year.

Chris Hughton will always be a legend to Brighton fans. But it was the right move, and Graham Potter has now vindicated Tony Blooms faith. The improvements to our club, tactically, the attractive progressive football we’re now capable of playing, all whilst achieving safety and even blooding youngsters.

Suddenly we’ve turned from being a Huddersfield or a Cardiff into a club that has legitimate aims of becoming mid table. We’re a club on the up.

All these experts, who arrogantly slated us as fans, slated Tony Bloom and our club in general, if they had any decency should make a retraction, even an apology, but of course they won’t.

As a reminder. Here’s a taster. This is what John Barnes was saying (“I don’t know what Brighton fans expect”):



Danny Mills told us, “you can’t play that way at Brighton”:




[tweet]1127992526445719553[/tweet]

We can praise Graham Potter later at the end of the season (and we surely will, he’s been a superb appointment and a breath of fresh air).

But tonight I raise a drink to Tony Bloom, Dan Ashworth and Paul Barber. They stuck their necks on the line making a hard decision for the betterment of Brighton and Hove Albion. They dared to show ambition and believed there was a better way to progress. They refused to settle for our lot in life.

They were way ahead of the curve, and certainly ahead of the so called football experts, journalists and pundits.

“Be careful what you wish for Brighton fans”. If the pundits who wrote such disparaging comments at the time had any decency, they’d write an apology today.

Couldn't put it better myself.

 

[Icy Gull]

Certainly not every gamble comes off but we must be one of the best run clubs in the world at the moment.

Not sure most of us appreciate what a great place we are in tbh. Beggars believe what has happened since Hereford

 

[neilbard]

From last night's MoTD, shown as part of their 5 second analysis of our play.

Interestingly, Hughton in his first 33 games in the PL, we scored an average of 1.82, but here is the interesting bit we conceded 1.92 so more than Potter.

Hughton first 33 games, shots Av.12.08, shots faced a staggering Av.28.25, how the **** did we not get relegated?

So the old adage of attack is the best form of defence seems to bear some truth.

 

[Swansman]

Appointing and then refusing to sack Hyypia and having a clueless recruitment policy to go with him. A gamble on both budget and bringing in a coach who would stay in line. Fortunately everything since has been spot on. Certainly not every gamble comes off but we must be one of the best run clubs in the world at the moment.

Maybe learned a bit from that.

Appointing a manager who took a club from the fourth division in Sweden to advancing from the group stage in the Europa League isnt much of a "gamble" though - it is just a brave, wise and actually fairly "obvious" decision that other clubs didnt have the balls or knowledge to make.

Potter, after his experience with the Swansea yank owners, would have refused to sign for any PL club that didnt have a clear plan and a great owner. If a PL club with some remote, rich but incompetent club owner came for him, he would have refused to once again uproot his family to manage a club where he couldnt trust the owners, the CEO etc.

It was two wise, well-measured decisions made by two wise men and always a lot more likely to be successful than the other way around. And its just begun.

 

[neilbard]

Not sure most of us appreciate what a great place we are in tbh. Beggars believe what has happened since Hereford

Safe to say, sadly the bull is no more.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Maybe learned a bit from that.

Appointing a manager who took a club from the fourth division in Sweden to advancing from the group stage in the Europa League isnt much of a "gamble" though - it is just a brave, wise and actually fairly "obvious" decision that other clubs didnt have the balls or knowledge to make.

Potter, after his experience with the Swansea yank owners, would have refused to sign for any PL club that didnt have a clear plan and a great owner. If a PL club with some remote, rich but incompetent club owner came for him, he would have refused to once again uproot his family to manage a club where he couldnt trust the owners, the CEO etc.

It was two wise, well-measured decisions made by two wise men and always a lot more likely to be successful than the other way around. And its just begun.

I don't disagree. I think we were tracking Potter since Ashworth came in.

Hyypia was a massive gamble who actually had a poor record when coaching on his own. Hughton was also a bit of a gamble. Tried and tested British / Irish managers with a pragmatic style were definitely not part of our plan until we needed one to rescue us, and it necessitated a bigger spend than we had done. Even then though, we picked up some real bargains in the Championship. Knockaert was a steal. Ditto Kayal.

 

[jessiejames]

What we need to remember is, last year we were a defensive side, if we scored first, that was enough, the rest of the game was defend that advantage. This season we have a new manager with no premier league experience, who wants to change this, with the same type of players as last season but with the philosophy of playing attractive football.
What we have achieved so far this season is incredible, still room for improvement I know,but Rome was not built in a day. The future is looking brighter under Potter.

 

[jessiejames]

From last night's MoTD, shown as part of their 5 second analysis of our play.

View attachment 125734

All in the space of one season. With a rookie manager. Looking good for the future.

 

[um bongo molongo]

From last night's MoTD, shown as part of their 5 second analysis of our play.

View attachment 125734

Good to see some evidence to back up what I think most of us feel which is that we’ve been much better than last season, even if we haven’t quite had the results to go with it. We remain too wasteful up front, and buying some quality across the front 3 could see us really step forward next season.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

View attachment 125736

Interestingly, Hughton in his first 33 games in the PL, we scored an average of 1.82, but here is the interesting bit we conceded 1.92 so more than Potter.

Hughton first 33 games, shots Av.12.08, shots faced a staggering Av.28.25, how the **** did we not get relegated?

So the old adage of attack is the best form of defence seems to bear some truth.

Are you sure about that goals for stat. We only scored 34 goals in total in first Premier League season. Even taken over 33 games, that is only an average of 1

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Exactly this. Nobody knows what CH would have achieved with a refreshed squad this season - particularly if we added goals from midfield. Clearly at the end of last season the team had completely run out of steam - as, TBF, so had Potter's team in the couple of months before lockdown.
Yes, maybe if we'd stayed with CH we would be going down now - quite possible, but anyone who thinks they can state that as a fact is a bit of an idiot. On the other hand, he might have turned it round. We'll never know; all anybody will have is an opinion. I was upset when TB sacked Hughton, but I am happy now to have Potter as our manager, and the fact that we now have a younger, quicker squad.

Nobody can predict the future with certainty. The owner considered the odds, acted and fortunately the outcome has been positive.

I think the only point the OP is making is that the owner was mocked and scolded for choosing to make the change to achieve this. So it is quite fair, to quote Roy Keane, to create a thread that says 'shove it up your bollocks'.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Not sure most of us appreciate what a great place we are in tbh. Beggars believe what has happened since Hereford

Totally agree. And this season has been a huge step forward in that. Assuming we stay up, we will have a progressive manager, some exciting young players and a manager/backroom team who can attract more young players like Lamptey.

This is not to say we won't struggle next season, and a lot depends on getting a couple of quality attacking players, but I am more optimistic now that we have a chance to avoid a relegation battle next season

 

[Eeyore]

View attachment 125736

Interestingly, Hughton in his first 33 games in the PL, we scored an average of 1.82, but here is the interesting bit we conceded 1.92 so more than Potter.

Hughton first 33 games, shots Av.12.08, shots faced a staggering Av.28.25, how the **** did we not get relegated?

So the old adage of attack is the best form of defence seems to bear some truth.

Indeed. The idea of sitting back and defending one goal leads was a frustrating one. And it often fell. The opposition can't score if you have the ball, especially at their corner flag.

 

[jessiejames]

View attachment 125736

Interestingly, Hughton in his first 33 games in the PL, we scored an average of 1.82, but here is the interesting bit we conceded 1.92 so more than Potter.

Hughton first 33 games, shots Av.12.08, shots faced a staggering Av.28.25, how the **** did we not get relegated?

So the old adage of attack is the best form of defence seems to bear some truth.

Interestingly all the pundits that were against us when C H was sacked, now seem to agree that we made the correct decision.

 

[Jolly Red Giant]

Yes.

Huge vindication of Tony Bloom decisive action last summer when many doubted him

Okay then - let's have at it

I am not going to go back over each post on this thread because they are mostly a rehash of older stuff from last year and it would be a pain trying to quote everything individually.

But let's take this 'huge vindication' - Bloom made a decision to sack Hughton - it was a risky decision, sacking a proven coach to replace him with an unproven coach with little resume. Hughton had a remit of getting the club to the PL and keeping them there - something which he did incredibly well. Those who supported the sacking of Hughton have little understanding of how difficult it is to keep a team in the PL (just look at Bournemouth this season) - and Hughton did it with few resources and a bottom three budget. I have posted previously of how difficult it is for newly promoted teams to stay in the PL (two are likely to go down this season) - and for teams that don't get relegated the first season to survive for a second season (have a look at where Huddersfield are today). Again, I made this point before - last season Southampton finished just above Brighton - yet had 11 players earning more money that the highest paid player at Brighton.

It takes a minimum of three years to consolidate any club in the PL - and to do it you have to spend a lot of money - and even then there are no guarantees. To keep a club in the PL you have to spend - and spend big - and even then you can get relegated - look at Fulham last season and Villa this season. During the two seasons Hughton managed Brighton in the PL, the club was down near the bottom in terms of spending on players. The weakness of the squad that Hughton had is demonstrated by even a cursory look at the players who Hughton had to rely on and who are now plying their trade in lower level football - Knockhaert, Kayal, Locadia, Andone, Hemed, Bong. At the same time some of the transfers, which Hughton did not have control over, proved to be dodgy at best - Jahanbakhsh, Izquierdo. The job that Hughton did in keeping the club in the PL was quite remarkable - and that is openly recognised across all levels of the PL.

Now Bloom made his decision - and he was entitled to do that as owner of the club. But let's look at the difference with Potter in his first season - three signings - all of whom broke the club record - and a fourth (Mooy) who was effectively another record signing (he would have been if signed last August - and Brighton were lucky to get him on the relative cheap in January). Bloom spent nearly as much last off-season as he had spent in the previous two seasons under Hughton - and he let Potter bring in the players he wanted. On top of that Potter had the advantage of being able to use two very good younger players - Alzate and Connolly (and picked-up a nice signing in Lamptey) that Hughton did not have at his disposal. Effectively, Potter had half of a new team on the pitch for most games. We have no idea what Hughton could have done with those resources at his disposal (and the guff that Hughton wouldn't have changed is nonsense - he had proven that in the past when he had better players available to him).

Now - Potter (and Brighton) started the season very well - with a win away to Watford (over what has proven to be a very poor Watford team) - and all of a sudden people on here were praising Potter and Bloom for appointing him. Then no win in six games and the doom and gloom set in - then Connolly hits the scene against Spurs and Potter is a genius (and Connolly is going to be sold for £50million). Seven points in the next 3 games - Brighton are up to 8th - and Bloom gives Potter a six year contract. At that point opposition coaches start to figure out how Potter sets his team up - inconsistency sets in - some poor loses, a couple of lucky wins (Arsenal should have won) and then from New Year's day to the lockdown in March not a single win. Brighton are pretty much in exactly the same position as they were the previous season under - and the mood on here is dour. The lockdown came at just the right time for the club and for Potter. First game back and a very lucky win at home to Arsenal - and the rest of the relegation competition are going backwards. Watford lose three players - Fraser refuses to play for Bournemouth, the wheels come off at Aston Villa, West Ham struggle and 7 points from three games mean that Brighton are safe and will likely finish in roughly the same position as Hughton did in his first season in the PL with Brighton. The pressure is off now and the Brighton players can enjoy themselves on the pitch - they deserve it - they have put in a good shift this season.

You need luck in football - and Potter has had a fair share of it this season. In my view the teams in the bottom half this season were weaker than last season. Potter has also had much more financial support from Bloom than Hughton ever got - if Bloom was going to justify sacking Hughton and hiring Potter then he had to pump a lot more money into transfers. Is Potter the next big thing in managerial terms - the jury is still out on that one and will be for some time yet - he has managed for less than a season in the PL. Has Bloom been 'hugely vindicated'? - the jury is also out on that one. We have no idea what Hughton could have done with £80million of a transfer budget and a couple of young players coming through - Brighton might have struggled - Hughton may also have done better than Potter - we have no way of predicting this. Bloom's vindication will not be proven for some time yet.

Next season is going to be difficult - and the pandemic has made it even more so - it will be difficult for most clubs, not just Brighton. I suspect that the PL will be stronger next season - Leeds and WBA will likely have more about them than Norwich and Villa - and I wouldn't be surprised to see the third spot taken by Cardiff who have experience of a relegation dog-fight. If Bloom is committed to Potter then this off-season - short as it will be - he needs to remove the purse strings. Brighton need two strikers capable of scoring goals in the PL (Maupay still hasn't hit double digits this season and the next highest scorer is Troussard with 4) - the top 2 goalscorers for Brighton this season have 13 goals between them - the only teams with fewer are Bournemouth, Villa, West Ham and Watford. Bloom needs to spend at least £100 million this off-season - and even if he spends big on strikers there is no guarantee that they will work out. PL standard strikers are very hard to come by. Don't be surprised if next season is a struggle as well - indeed it could be a bigger struggle than this season as every club will strengthen their squads and Potter will not have the advantage of being an unknown quality. Also some Brighton players may be targeted for transfers - wouldn't be surprised to see Duffy leave and Dunk could well be targeted by one of the bigger clubs. The midfield also needs to be bolstered. Saying that - I expect Connolly, Alzate and Lamptey to make progress and it will be interesting to see what White brings to the party.

So if you want to claim that there has been a huge vindication of Bloom for sacking Hughton and hiring Potter - then I suggest that you need to wait a couple of seasons and see where Brighton are at - indeed you could argue that you need to wait out the six years of Potter's contract. It would be great to see Brighton progress, be consolidated as a PL club and, who knows, do a Leicester and win one for the little guys. But it is way to early to make any judgement on the vindication of Bloom's decision to sack Hughton last season - that would be way too arbitrary based on the evidence to date.