[Albion] Ben Foster Predicts Brighton to be Relegated

[Cowfold Seagull]

I am 100% confident that we will bring in some players before the window shuts, and that we will be absolutely fine this season.

I'll hold you to that, and if we don't . . . well lets just say that l know where you live.

 

[CheeseRolls]

An awful lot of negativity on this thread and unnecessarily so in my opinion.

It is a shame we are starting the season with so many injuries and players feeling their way back from injury, but I suspect there will crazy results in the first couple of months of the season, before things calm down. Many of the top players, have just not had a break from football, which at least gives the underdogs a chance of a head start.

None of the three promoted clubs look to have anything going for them and will need a good start and a lot of luck to stay up in my opinion. Newcastle have just spent £20m on a player who is not going to strengthen their team from last season. Saints and Palace look iffy and whilst you would back Villa and Leeds to stay out of trouble, things could unwind for either club. The same goes for Wolves.

We haven't set the world alight pre season and Wellbeck will be sorely missed after an excellent finish to the season. One highlight though (if he can just stay onside) was Mwepu. The Computer looks to have a lot of running in him down the right hand side, keeps his head up and looks to find the killer pass. I am hoping for more goals from Trossard and Moder, courtesy of Mwepu assists.

I would love us to sign a centre forward and a left sided player (just in case anyone felt the need to point out the gaps), but I fear we may only now see players for the future coming in. It still looks to me like we have enough for mid-table though.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I'm probably in the minority but, if all players are fit, I'm pretty happy with the squad. There seems to be an incessant demand from fans, the media and others to go out and spend vast sums of money every transfer window. Do we REALLY need to?

When it comes to strikers, there are enough players who CAN score goals. Hopefully it's something that's been worked on over the summer and the forwards get a bit more luck than previously. Also – and, again, I'm probably in a small percentage of people – I'm excited about what Andone can bring, if given the chance.

Defence-wise yes, BW is a big loss. Anyone who says that he isn't is talking nonsense. But Potter has a habit of making things work and fitting players into positions they would never play...

There is no guarantee that £20+ on a striker will bring success. You never know, Ings could have a shocker at Villa. For a more extreme example from the past, look at Torres when he went to Chelsea.

I'm happy taking it one game at a time. I'm also looking forward to the wave of emotions being played out on here over the course of the next nine or so months

 

[DavidRyder]

I'll hold you to that, and if we don't . . . well lets just say that l know where you live.

I forgot to put 'allegedly' at the end....!

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

This isn't a dig at the various predictions as it's only natural on the eve of a season

But when you think about it, it's MAD to predict before the window is closed.

"I predict brighton because they don't score enough and I worry about their defence"

3 weeks later, new striker and defender bought.

Ask again in 3 weeks.

 

[seagully]

Yeh well I used to get the train from Lewes to Brighton about 3 times sitting with ALBERT JARRETT so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. And I talked to him briefly - prob wouldn’t have noticed him if he wasn’t in full BHA pre match kit with a bag with AJ on it tbh.

Fair enough, you win

 

[Arthur]

10/1 to be relegated with SBK is huge IMO so I've had a nibble.

 

[lizard]

10/1 to be relegated with SBK is huge IMO so I've had a nibble.

10/1 seems pretty generous, but even without any further signing I still think there are half a dozen clubs looking rather more suspect.

 

[jessiejames]

After predicting the top 6 these pundits then pull out a piece of paper with a team on it, that is how the predict the rest of the league and try to give a reason as to why they come to that conclusion. Pundits my arse, chancers yes.

 

[Arthur]

10/1 seems pretty generous, but even without any further signing I still think there are half a dozen clubs looking rather more suspect.

I would tend to agree. I think we'll probably just about have enough to survive again.

Anyone thinking we're going to be closer to the top than the bottom is living in cloud cuckoo land IMO

 

[Weststander]

Stains are going to be considerably weaker without Ings and Vestegaard.

I hope so. I thought Vestergaard was solid, but a nsc'er who lives down that way tells me he's a liability.

 

[Weststander]

But what many are forgetting is the £69m loss from the season before last, not to mention whatever losses we incurred last season too.

These debts won't magically disappear and we don't have the endless funds of the Villa chairman. It's also likely that we probably only banked half of the White money with the other half being paid over the life of his contract so I for one can't see us splurging masses on any more players this season.

I trust in Tony to keep the club afloat even if for us fans it's hard not seeing several new signings being made. The harsh life of football finances I'm afraid.

That's all a reality.

Just one point, we also pay player fees in instalments.

 

[Jim in the West]

An awful lot of negativity on this thread and unnecessarily so in my opinion.

It is a shame we are starting the season with so many injuries and players feeling their way back from injury, but I suspect there will crazy results in the first couple of months of the season, before things calm down. Many of the top players, have just not had a break from football, which at least gives the underdogs a chance of a head start.

None of the three promoted clubs look to have anything going for them and will need a good start and a lot of luck to stay up in my opinion. Newcastle have just spent £20m on a player who is not going to strengthen their team from last season. Saints and Palace look iffy and whilst you would back Villa and Leeds to stay out of trouble, things could unwind for either club. The same goes for Wolves.

We haven't set the world alight pre season and Wellbeck will be sorely missed after an excellent finish to the season. One highlight though (if he can just stay onside) was Mwepu. The Computer looks to have a lot of running in him down the right hand side, keeps his head up and looks to find the killer pass. I am hoping for more goals from Trossard and Moder, courtesy of Mwepu assists.

I would love us to sign a centre forward and a left sided player (just in case anyone felt the need to point out the gaps), but I fear we may only now see players for the future coming in. It still looks to me like we have enough for mid-table though.

I mainly agree - although Newcastle with Willock were actually pretty good at the end of last season. After losing abysmally to us they went on a really good run - mainly thanks to Willock's goals, but also having Saint-Maximin and Wilson fit. The other team I would add to the mix is Burnley....they will almost certainly be on the fringes of the relegation battle again.

 

[Jim in the West]

But what many are forgetting is the £69m loss from the season before last, not to mention whatever losses we incurred last season too.

These debts won't magically disappear and we don't have the endless funds of the Villa chairman. It's also likely that we probably only banked half of the White money with the other half being paid over the life of his contract so I for one can't see us splurging masses on any more players this season.

I trust in Tony to keep the club afloat even if for us fans it's hard not seeing several new signings being made. The harsh life of football finances I'm afraid.

Very good points - we burned through £100m in cash in 18/19 and 19/20 - ie, our cash out-goings in those two years were £100m more than our cash in-comings. We don't know the position for 20/21, but it won't look pretty given Covid.

 

[BNthree]

Even U23s like Jensen Weir cost us another £500K, and I suspect Khadra cost at least as much, if not more.

We got Khadra on a free after he was released by Borussia Dortmund. He'd had a trial at Man U the month before he had a trial with us. We may have had to compensate Dortmund for their training costs but I'm unsure.

 

[Milano]

I get why people are concerned about no new striker. I don’t get the panic about injuries as with the exception of Lamptey all the injuries are short term with Burn and Welbeck expected back mid-Sept.

 

[GT49er]

We got Khadra on a free after he was released by Borussia Dortmund. He'd had a trial at Man U the month before he had a trial with us. We may have had to compensate Dortmund for their training costs but I'm unsure.

Fair enough. We're still paying sums for youngsters that would have been eye-watering in our Gillingham days though.

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

Who's Ben Foster?

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Get Big Sam in now FFS! We're DOOMED!!!

 

[Stat Brother]

This isn't a dig at the various predictions as it's only natural on the eve of a season

But when you think about it, it's MAD to predict before the window is closed.

"I predict brighton because they don't score enough and I worry about their defence"

3 weeks later, new striker and defender bought.

Ask again in 3 weeks.

Almost as MAD as spitting your dummy out when a prediction is less than complimentary.

Esp when said prediction has enough factual errors in it to make you think it was done by someone filling space and not working on their entry for a Pulitzer prize.