[Albion] Brighton fans meltdown: arrived (Was incoming)

[Cotton Socks]

View attachment 180121

Woooooaaah, I hope that was accidental as this thread is definitely not the plaice for fish puns!

 

[dazzer6666]

It seems to me that last year's achievements may have made some of us presume that we automatically belong in the highest echelons of European football and that us fans are being let down by every disappointing result, so in response to the recent spate of woe is us/sack everyone threads, here's a little context.

Last season's 6th place was the best finish in the club's history. 21/22's 9th was the second best, third was 13th in 1981/82. We're currently 10th and 13 points ahead of the team in 14th. It seems safe to say that this will probably at least equal the third best league finish we've ever achieved. We've done this whilst playing in Europe for the first time and we topped our group. We still currently have a positive goal difference. Last season was the only in our existence that we'd finished a season in the top flight with a positive goal difference.

This is the squad from last year's FA Cup semi-final, along with details of how it's changed this year and the player's availability this term. To give a fuller picture I've added some of last year's squad who were not available for that game. The availability detail is not to provide excuses, but to show the various challenges the squad has faced whilst getting to where we are this year.

Name	Still in Squad?	Replacement	Availability
Sanchez	Gone	Verbruggen	Okay
Gross	Yes		Played 44 matches in 22/23. With internationals has played 45 this year with 7 games to go
Webster	Yes		Injured in November missed 10 matches - played only 6 since then and only once for the full 90
Dunk	Yes		Played 42 matches in 22/23. Has played 41 this year with 7 games to go
Estupinan	Yes		Missed 15 matches October to January
Caicedo	Gone	Dahoud	Gone
Mac Allister	Gone	Baleba	Okay
March	Yes		Injured in October - out for the season
Enciso	Yes		Meniscus tear in second game of the season - missed 30 games and hasn't yet played 90 minutes all year.
Mitoma	Yes		Out for three games before international absence. Back injury in February - Out for the season
Welbeck	Yes		Missed 11 Matches October to December
Colwill	Gone	Igor	Okay
Undav	Loaned	Pedro	Missed 9 games in Feb/March
Steele	Yes		Okay
Ayari	Gone	Milner	Missed 17 games through injury. Hasn't played since January
Gilmour	Yes		Missed the last 6 games through injury
van Hecke	Yes		Already played 37 matches this season. 5 more than he has played in any previous full season
Veltman	Yes		Missed 8 games Dec-Feb
Buonanotte	Yes		Already played over double the minutes he played last season
Offiah	Sent on loan. Returned due to illness	Hinshelwood	Injured in Feb - Out for the season
Lallana	Yes		Okay
Ferguson	Yes		Currently injured.
Trossard	Went in January 2023	Adringa	Missed a few games with a hamstring injury just before the ANC
Sarmiento	Loaned	Fati	Missed 13 games Dec-Feb

We are the only team in the top 10 that is not also in the top ten of the division's largest salaries: https://www.spotrac.com/epl/payroll/

Over the last five seasons the rest of the top ten have transfer balances that range from -€367.96m (West Ham) to -€909.58m (Chelsea). In the same period we have made €12.66m. We're the only team to have made a transfer profit over that period and remain in the division.

None of this implies that fans can't be frustrated when our form is bad, or worried that it's not going to click again. None of this excuses poor performances and our coaching team wouldn't let it. However, it's provided as a gentle reminder that our success is against the odds. It's always going to be an uphill battle. There will always be knock backs and they'll often be frequent. We're always going to be raided by richer opponents. We're always going to need periods of renewal whilst younger players bed in and improve. None of this has been at all likely and it is actually far more likely that it ends than it sustains.

We're on an incredible ride and this rollercoaster will have a lot of dips along with the incredible peaks. When we experience the dips, logic suggests that it's better to all stay in the car and trust that there may be a peak coming than to throw stuff at the ride controller, or call for him to sack the engineer.

Sorry this is so long: if anybody wants the abridged version:- Amongst the excitement, we've suffered a bit this year, but we've faced it together and if we stick together, we will be stronger for it in the future. We will never have an automatic right to three points against anybody in this league. Stop these silly threads. If Palace were doing them on their forum, we'd be massively amused at the sheer hubris.

 

[MattBackHome]

It seems to me that last year's achievements may have made some of us presume that we automatically belong in the highest echelons of European football and that us fans are being let down by every disappointing result, so in response to the recent spate of woe is us/sack everyone threads, here's a little context.

Last season's 6th place was the best finish in the club's history. 21/22's 9th was the second best, third was 13th in 1981/82. We're currently 10th and 13 points ahead of the team in 14th. It seems safe to say that this will probably at least equal the third best league finish we've ever achieved. We've done this whilst playing in Europe for the first time and we topped our group. We still currently have a positive goal difference. Last season was the only in our existence that we'd finished a season in the top flight with a positive goal difference.

This is the squad from last year's FA Cup semi-final, along with details of how it's changed this year and the player's availability this term. To give a fuller picture I've added some of last year's squad who were not available for that game. The availability detail is not to provide excuses, but to show the various challenges the squad has faced whilst getting to where we are this year.

Name	Still in Squad?	Replacement	Availability
Sanchez	Gone	Verbruggen	Okay
Gross	Yes		Played 44 matches in 22/23. With internationals has played 45 this year with 7 games to go
Webster	Yes		Injured in November missed 10 matches - played only 6 since then and only once for the full 90
Dunk	Yes		Played 42 matches in 22/23. Has played 41 this year with 7 games to go
Estupinan	Yes		Missed 15 matches October to January
Caicedo	Gone	Dahoud	Gone
Mac Allister	Gone	Baleba	Okay
March	Yes		Injured in October - out for the season
Enciso	Yes		Meniscus tear in second game of the season - missed 30 games and hasn't yet played 90 minutes all year.
Mitoma	Yes		Out for three games before international absence. Back injury in February - Out for the season
Welbeck	Yes		Missed 11 Matches October to December
Colwill	Gone	Igor	Okay
Undav	Loaned	Pedro	Missed 9 games in Feb/March
Steele	Yes		Okay
Ayari	Gone	Milner	Missed 17 games through injury. Hasn't played since January
Gilmour	Yes		Missed the last 6 games through injury
van Hecke	Yes		Already played 37 matches this season. 5 more than he has played in any previous full season
Veltman	Yes		Missed 8 games Dec-Feb
Buonanotte	Yes		Already played over double the minutes he played last season
Offiah	Sent on loan. Returned due to illness	Hinshelwood	Injured in Feb - Out for the season
Lallana	Yes		Okay
Ferguson	Yes		Currently injured.
Trossard	Went in January 2023	Adringa	Missed a few games with a hamstring injury just before the ANC
Sarmiento	Loaned	Fati	Missed 13 games Dec-Feb

We are the only team in the top 10 that is not also in the top ten of the division's largest salaries: https://www.spotrac.com/epl/payroll/

Over the last five seasons the rest of the top ten have transfer balances that range from -€367.96m (West Ham) to -€909.58m (Chelsea). In the same period we have made €12.66m. We're the only team to have made a transfer profit over that period and remain in the division.

None of this implies that fans can't be frustrated when our form is bad, or worried that it's not going to click again. None of this excuses poor performances and our coaching team wouldn't let it. However, it's provided as a gentle reminder that our success is against the odds. It's always going to be an uphill battle. There will always be knock backs and they'll often be frequent. We're always going to be raided by richer opponents. We're always going to need periods of renewal whilst younger players bed in and improve. None of this has been at all likely and it is actually far more likely that it ends than it sustains.

We're on an incredible ride and this rollercoaster will have a lot of dips along with the incredible peaks. When we experience the dips, logic suggests that it's better to all stay in the car and trust that there may be a peak coming than to throw stuff at the ride controller, or call for him to sack the engineer.

Sorry this is so long: if anybody wants the abridged version:- Amongst the excitement, we've suffered a bit this year, but we've faced it together and if we stick together, we will be stronger for it in the future. We will never have an automatic right to three points against anybody in this league. Stop these silly threads. If Palace were doing them on their forum, we'd be massively amused at the sheer hubris.

Totally onboard with all this except that the raison d'etre of NSC is to f***ing whinge about petty shit so you should suck it up.

 

[Bodian]

Woooooaaah, I hope that was accidental as this thread is definitely not the plaice for fish puns!

Every thread on NSC is the plaice for fish puns surely?

 

[Pliny the Gull]

It seems to me that last year's achievements may have made some of us presume that we automatically belong in the highest echelons of European football and that us fans are being let down by every disappointing result, so in response to the recent spate of woe is us/sack everyone threads, here's a little context.

Last season's 6th place was the best finish in the club's history. 21/22's 9th was the second best, third was 13th in 1981/82. We're currently 10th and 13 points ahead of the team in 14th. It seems safe to say that this will probably at least equal the third best league finish we've ever achieved. We've done this whilst playing in Europe for the first time and we topped our group. We still currently have a positive goal difference. Last season was the only in our existence that we'd finished a season in the top flight with a positive goal difference.

This is the squad from last year's FA Cup semi-final, along with details of how it's changed this year and the player's availability this term. To give a fuller picture I've added some of last year's squad who were not available for that game. The availability detail is not to provide excuses, but to show the various challenges the squad has faced whilst getting to where we are this year.

Name	Still in Squad?	Replacement	Availability
Sanchez	Gone	Verbruggen	Okay
Gross	Yes		Played 44 matches in 22/23. With internationals has played 45 this year with 7 games to go
Webster	Yes		Injured in November missed 10 matches - played only 6 since then and only once for the full 90
Dunk	Yes		Played 42 matches in 22/23. Has played 41 this year with 7 games to go
Estupinan	Yes		Missed 15 matches October to January
Caicedo	Gone	Dahoud	Gone
Mac Allister	Gone	Baleba	Okay
March	Yes		Injured in October - out for the season
Enciso	Yes		Meniscus tear in second game of the season - missed 30 games and hasn't yet played 90 minutes all year.
Mitoma	Yes		Out for three games before international absence. Back injury in February - Out for the season
Welbeck	Yes		Missed 11 Matches October to December
Colwill	Gone	Igor	Okay
Undav	Loaned	Pedro	Missed 9 games in Feb/March
Steele	Yes		Okay
Ayari	Gone	Milner	Missed 17 games through injury. Hasn't played since January
Gilmour	Yes		Missed the last 6 games through injury
van Hecke	Yes		Already played 37 matches this season. 5 more than he has played in any previous full season
Veltman	Yes		Missed 8 games Dec-Feb
Buonanotte	Yes		Already played over double the minutes he played last season
Offiah	Sent on loan. Returned due to illness	Hinshelwood	Injured in Feb - Out for the season
Lallana	Yes		Okay
Ferguson	Yes		Currently injured.
Trossard	Went in January 2023	Adringa	Missed a few games with a hamstring injury just before the ANC
Sarmiento	Loaned	Fati	Missed 13 games Dec-Feb

We are the only team in the top 10 that is not also in the top ten of the division's largest salaries: https://www.spotrac.com/epl/payroll/

Over the last five seasons the rest of the top ten have transfer balances that range from -€367.96m (West Ham) to -€909.58m (Chelsea). In the same period we have made €12.66m. We're the only team to have made a transfer profit over that period and remain in the division.

None of this implies that fans can't be frustrated when our form is bad, or worried that it's not going to click again. None of this excuses poor performances and our coaching team wouldn't let it. However, it's provided as a gentle reminder that our success is against the odds. It's always going to be an uphill battle. There will always be knock backs and they'll often be frequent. We're always going to be raided by richer opponents. We're always going to need periods of renewal whilst younger players bed in and improve. None of this has been at all likely and it is actually far more likely that it ends than it sustains.

We're on an incredible ride and this rollercoaster will have a lot of dips along with the incredible peaks. When we experience the dips, logic suggests that it's better to all stay in the car and trust that there may be a peak coming than to throw stuff at the ride controller, or call for him to sack the engineer.

Sorry this is so long: if anybody wants the abridged version:- Amongst the excitement, we've suffered a bit this year, but we've faced it together and if we stick together, we will be stronger for it in the future. We will never have an automatic right to three points against anybody in this league. Stop these silly threads. If Palace were doing them on their forum, we'd be massively amused at the sheer hubris.

Great Post.
Fully agree. Like a great holiday, enjoy the journey, sometimes it's better than arriving. Hartlepool and Bradford City away on a freezing cold January 3pm, was just as exciting as the "place de Jollite" in Marseille on a warm all day session. (Well nearly). Don't want to be a talksport/phone in top 4 saying we was robbed every week. UTA

 

[Cotton Socks]

Every thread on NSC is the plaice for fish puns surely?

Some people have haddock enough of them and think its childish! They've said so on the battered sausage thread!

 

[Stato]

Great Post.
Fully agree. Like a great holiday, enjoy the journey, sometimes it's better than arriving. Hartlepool and Bradford City away on a freezing cold January 3pm, was just as exciting as the "place de Jollite" in Marseille on a warm all day session. (Well nearly). Don't want to be a talksport/phone in top 4 saying we was robbed every week. UTA

Agreed and top user name. 'He said egg! like a bird's egg!'

 

[Justice]

Still optimistic last season somehow Everton thrashed us and we still made it. Liverpool/Arsenal not to fussed about, if we hand Burnley like we did Luton 3 easy points then that would be a real low point.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Lovely post @Stato

Some people really have lost a bit of perspective.

I'd also like to add that while this season feels like it is petering out which can feel disappointing because it held so much promise we have nonetheless:

Spent a game week top of the entire football league - which is I think the first time that's ever happened? Certainly true for the premier league.

Spent every day so far of the season in the top 10. Even if we don't finish there it's still a hell of an achievement to get 31 games into the season and not to have been below 10th.

Watched Brighton play in Athens, Amsterdam, Marseille and Rome and picked up five wins against those four teams.

Smashed palace 4-1 on live telly around the world.

This is th eonly season in our history where doing all that could be considered disappointing. And that's purely because of what we achieved last season.

The world hasn't ended that we haven't been able to match last year. And there's still a chance we might.

 

[London Irish]

I didn't come here for lecture about communism.

But that’s the only reason I log on

 

[Baldseagull]

I have had enough of realistic expectations and punching slightly above weight. I want the full on dream that De Zerbi sold me.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

The reason for the debate is because the club is at a crossroads.
How do we make the jump from a buy low/sell high feeder club, to one that consistently competes for Europe.

We have the infrastructure and money to attempt it, but does Tony think the risk will pay off.
De Zerbi does, but if he's wrong, he can walk away.
Tony can't.

Tough decision, but we couldn't have a better owner to make it.

 

[Guinness Boy]

It seems to me that last year's achievements may have made some of us presume that we automatically belong in the highest echelons of European football and that us fans are being let down by every disappointing result, so in response to the recent spate of woe is us/sack everyone threads, here's a little context.

Last season's 6th place was the best finish in the club's history. 21/22's 9th was the second best, third was 13th in 1981/82. We're currently 10th and 13 points ahead of the team in 14th. It seems safe to say that this will probably at least equal the third best league finish we've ever achieved. We've done this whilst playing in Europe for the first time and we topped our group. We still currently have a positive goal difference. Last season was the only in our existence that we'd finished a season in the top flight with a positive goal difference.

This is the squad from last year's FA Cup semi-final, along with details of how it's changed this year and the player's availability this term. To give a fuller picture I've added some of last year's squad who were not available for that game. The availability detail is not to provide excuses, but to show the various challenges the squad has faced whilst getting to where we are this year.

Name	Still in Squad?	Replacement	Availability
Sanchez	Gone	Verbruggen	Okay
Gross	Yes		Played 44 matches in 22/23. With internationals has played 45 this year with 7 games to go
Webster	Yes		Injured in November missed 10 matches - played only 6 since then and only once for the full 90
Dunk	Yes		Played 42 matches in 22/23. Has played 41 this year with 7 games to go
Estupinan	Yes		Missed 15 matches October to January
Caicedo	Gone	Dahoud	Gone
Mac Allister	Gone	Baleba	Okay
March	Yes		Injured in October - out for the season
Enciso	Yes		Meniscus tear in second game of the season - missed 30 games and hasn't yet played 90 minutes all year.
Mitoma	Yes		Out for three games before international absence. Back injury in February - Out for the season
Welbeck	Yes		Missed 11 Matches October to December
Colwill	Gone	Igor	Okay
Undav	Loaned	Pedro	Missed 9 games in Feb/March
Steele	Yes		Okay
Ayari	Gone	Milner	Missed 17 games through injury. Hasn't played since January
Gilmour	Yes		Missed the last 6 games through injury
van Hecke	Yes		Already played 37 matches this season. 5 more than he has played in any previous full season
Veltman	Yes		Missed 8 games Dec-Feb
Buonanotte	Yes		Already played over double the minutes he played last season
Offiah	Sent on loan. Returned due to illness	Hinshelwood	Injured in Feb - Out for the season
Lallana	Yes		Okay
Ferguson	Yes		Currently injured.
Trossard	Went in January 2023	Adringa	Missed a few games with a hamstring injury just before the ANC
Sarmiento	Loaned	Fati	Missed 13 games Dec-Feb

We are the only team in the top 10 that is not also in the top ten of the division's largest salaries: https://www.spotrac.com/epl/payroll/

Over the last five seasons the rest of the top ten have transfer balances that range from -€367.96m (West Ham) to -€909.58m (Chelsea). In the same period we have made €12.66m. We're the only team to have made a transfer profit over that period and remain in the division.

None of this implies that fans can't be frustrated when our form is bad, or worried that it's not going to click again. None of this excuses poor performances and our coaching team wouldn't let it. However, it's provided as a gentle reminder that our success is against the odds. It's always going to be an uphill battle. There will always be knock backs and they'll often be frequent. We're always going to be raided by richer opponents. We're always going to need periods of renewal whilst younger players bed in and improve. None of this has been at all likely and it is actually far more likely that it ends than it sustains.

We're on an incredible ride and this rollercoaster will have a lot of dips along with the incredible peaks. When we experience the dips, logic suggests that it's better to all stay in the car and trust that there may be a peak coming than to throw stuff at the ride controller, or call for him to sack the engineer.

Sorry this is so long: if anybody wants the abridged version:- Amongst the excitement, we've suffered a bit this year, but we've faced it together and if we stick together, we will be stronger for it in the future. We will never have an automatic right to three points against anybody in this league. Stop these silly threads. If Palace were doing them on their forum, we'd be massively amused at the sheer hubris.

Spot on. Great post.

 

[wehatepalace]

Woooooaaah, I hope that was accidental as this thread is definitely not the plaice for fish puns!

Haha I never even saw that !

 

[dazzer6666]

The reason for the debate is because the club is at a crossroads.
How do we make the jump from a buy low/sell high feeder club, to one that consistently competes for Europe.

We have the infrastructure and money to attempt it, but does Tony think the risk will pay off.
De Zerbi does, but if he's wrong, he can walk away.
Tony can't.

Tough decision, but we couldn't have a better owner to make it.

It’s not at a crossroads at all, it’s continuing totally in line with the strategy that’s been in place for years, and will carry on doing so. One ‘disappointing’ part of one season doesn’t change that at all.

 

[Robinjakarta]

Great opening post

Classic thread title

Post of the season? Great indeed!

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I couldn’t be arsed to read the whole op as it renders horribly on a mobile phone and looks like an essay to rival Paul Barber but going on the post title I don’t see any fan meltdown. I see some understandable debate about the manager, the uncertainty surrounding him, how that might be affecting the squad, and perspectives on how we are playing. Or is that a meltdown in these sensitive times? I’m not sure I know what’s what anymore.

I had a text exchange with an STH friend yesterday where she said the thought RDZs days might be numbered, not because he’s off to Liverpool or wherever, but because we might get rid! His negativity is demoralising the players, said she. I pointed out what PBOBE had said recently about how much they appreciated that RDZs ambition and constant striving for more helped drive everyone else on.

presuming RDZ is still here next season, which I think and hope he will be, we get players returning from injury, we potentially invest wisely some of our big profits after their conversations about plans for next season, I think next season could be ….. pretty good.

and we could still come good and get in to Europe again this season. if we don’t, it will still be one of our very best seasons.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The reason for the debate is because the club is at a crossroads.
How do we make the jump from a buy low/sell high feeder club, to one that consistently competes for Europe.

We have the infrastructure and money to attempt it, but does Tony think the risk will pay off.
De Zerbi does, but if he's wrong, he can walk away.
Tony can't.

Tough decision, but we couldn't have a better owner to make it.

Supporting the Albion has always been a rollercoaster not a straight road. We lose matches we should win, and then win matches we should lose.
Just a couple of years ago, there were teams like Chelsea we had never beaten. Now, we’ve beaten them all.
If fans are disappointed, it’s because their expectations were too high. The problem is the moaners seem to be shouting too loudly at the moment.
We’ll be alright.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Every thread on NSC is the plaice for fish puns surely?

You're cod damn right.

 

[Frankie]

I'm very happy with the 43 points we have with 7 games to go,it means we'll be in the EPL next season and we can have a real go at Europe again without the distraction of Europe , I'd like to think RDZ will still be here to get us there but all said and done it's been a monumental season for the club even if we've failed to put anything in the trophy cabinet.