[Albion] Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace *** Official Match Thread ***

[oldboyroy]

Too many players are off form. Dunk was poor yesterday, Mitoma has lost his spark, Pedro didn't get involved the new boys need more time and we're missing the experience of Veltnam and Welbeck.

 

[Justice]

Too many players are off form. Dunk was poor yesterday, Mitoma has lost his spark, Pedro didn't get involved the new boys need more time and we're missing the experience of Veltnam and Welbeck.

Pedro isn’t a 9 never has been looked lost. Every week is experiment week with Fab.
How everyone howled with laughter when Lee Carsley picked every attacker available for England and the players were getting in the way of each other, that’s how we finished the game yesterday.
One switch second half pull Pedro back to a 10 and get a striker on.

 

[raymondo]

Pedro isn’t a 9 never has been looked lost. Every week is experiment week with Fab.
How everyone howled with laughter when Lee Carsley picked every attacker available for England and the players were getting in the way of each other, that’s how we finished the game yesterday.
One switch second half pull Pedro back to a 10 and get a striker on.

I agree, except I'm not sure we've got a striker apart from injured Welbz...poor Ferguson looking way way off it 🫤

 

[trueblue]

A few thoughts after sleeping on it:

- The change to the starting line-up, Minteh for Ferguson, seemed fully justified and we bossed the first quarter of the game.
- Michael Oliver blocking Baleba, as many match reports have pointed out, was a pivotal moment as it led to the Palace opener (granted, after 2 successive corners) and gave them a foothold that wasn't really deserved at that point
- That shouldn't have been a disaster but the team's mental weakness kicked in again - conceding 2 goals in quick succession is a killer habit.
- FH gets some credit for trying to change things, but was playing 6 forwards ever likely to work? For me the game shaped up pretty much as expected from that point. Even if we did score, Palace getting at least 1 more seemed inevitable with such a stretched defence. Either Dunk or Van Hecke was bound to get hung out to dry. It was a gamble taken much sooner than necessary. I think that's the one thing that could be pinned on him for yesterday's defeat. It felt naive and makes me a bit concerned for the first time.

Need to win at least 1 of the next 2 to muffle those alarm bells. On the plus side, it's been a decent start, unless you're a fan who will accept nothing less than European qualification. And we can point to a little bit of bad luck in all the recent games after things were running for us early season (fortunate bounce in build-up to Southampton equaliser, own goal at Fulham, deflection makes a Leicester pass a perfect through ball, ref gives Palace a free run into our half). It happens. Need a big response, otherwise Arsenal could get messy.

 

[Kosh]

Having slept on it is remains a pretty dreadful afternoon - the Palace thing is largely irrelevant to me, but the lack of cohesion, nous… basics, at times we simply couldn’t pass and even more fundamentally control the ball… we were literally one attempted pass away from a counter and near opposition goal at every turn.

Weak and lacking any form of shape… it reminded me of the naive days of Sami… what were we trying to do? why were we trying it? … the players had pained expressions from early on… the same one Dunk has worn all season long, which regardless of personal form, is worrying… I’m not sure we’re seeing a pattern, it’s bitty, disjointed and chaotic… maybe that’s the point To confuse the opposition, but it’s looking worse week on week right now … the trajectory is down plain and simple.

Defensively we look as bad as the bottom six, and where we’ve looked sharp in attack we now appear blunt… Danny obviously is a HUGE loss. Mitoma looks lost… his head elsewhere perhaps? Pedro cutting an increasingly isolated and frustrated figure… Rutter playing with his head down, running into players, his and the opposition alike… and Minteh ?!? Playing without a head, thus far making Locadia look great value.

Mark me, West Ham might represent a chance to redeem some pride, BUT they will be lining up cross after cross for big Thomas to gobble up… I suspect, as I said after Fulham, we’re in for a rough ride… not based on some misplaced entitlement, but the evidence - right now - before us all on the pitch.

 

[lawros left foot]

Not an excuse, but, was anyone else surprised that Henderson wasn’t at least booked for the assault on Minteh early doors?
Personally, I thought it was a borderline red, he endangered a player, if he’s an outfield player he would have walked, getting a slight touch on the ball shouldn’t change the outcome.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Kicking a match ball into the crowd must be an offence ? he did it at least twice. . . .

Well it would be if you had an official adhering to rules of fair play.

Well, the ball ended up in the Mayo Baxter Lounge so maybe Jesus does love him?

 

[loz]

Not an excuse, but, was anyone else surprised that Henderson wasn’t at least booked for the assault on Minteh early doors?
Personally, I thought it was a borderline red, he endangered a player, if he’s an outfield player he would have walked, getting a slight touch on the ball shouldn’t change the outcome.

I am not sure he actually touched him and if he did it was his shoulder…when I took my refereeing course we were told putting your head into a dangerous position can actually be a booking offence Ie ducking your head to waist level when challenging for the ball. Minted did duck his head and Henderson leg was high, probably the correct decision in the end.

 

[One Love]

Has to be a bookable offence shirley. It's not strange behaviour, just very very cynical. At least the Palace fans were too thick to do the obvious ie. wait until we mount a dangerous attack then lob a second ball on to the pitch so the game has to be stopped

They're still waiting

 

[nicko31]

Stayed off here since yesterday afternoon, too much pain. Palace have horrible habit of popping up like a bad smell. Cue the first league defeat at Amex, playoff semi's etc. For once they won and actually deserved it, they were good

But lets get some perspective, its one game. Onwards and upwards for the Christmas period

 

[tigertim68]

Just looking at their second goal , BV was very slow in reacting to what was a a loopy cross , same with the rest of the defence

 

[SeagullDubai]

Did I tell you I'm wearing my lucky underwear but pushed down farther.

I think it's time I washed them.

Do the instructions say “wash in ye olde bathtubbe”?

 

[jimhigham]

When Baleba's challenge was checked by the ref and Palace came down the pitch, shot and got the first of the two corners that led to the goal...

I was sure that first shot came off Eze to go out of play and that he had a little chuckle on his way to the corner flag about it. Am I going mad? Is this false memory syndrome?

 

[Han Solo]

I am not sure he actually touched him and if he did it was his shoulder…when I took my refereeing course we were told putting your head into a dangerous position can actually be a booking offence Ie ducking your head to waist level when challenging for the ball. Minted did duck his head and Henderson leg was high, probably the correct decision in the end.

This.

There was a Palace player putting his studs into Lampteys knee though, that one looked very orangey to me but resulted in nothing.

But hey ho. When 11 players play like shit it is just silly to moaning about the ref not bailing us out from our self-inflicted misery.

 

[pigmanovich]

When Baleba's challenge was checked by the ref and Palace came down the pitch, shot and got the first of the two corners that led to the goal...

I was sure that first shot came off Eze to go out of play and that he had a little chuckle on his way to the corner flag about it. Am I going mad? Is this false memory syndrome?

All of north thought so.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Not an excuse, but, was anyone else surprised that Henderson wasn’t at least booked for the assault on Minteh early doors?
Personally, I thought it was a borderline red, he endangered a player, if he’s an outfield player he would have walked, getting a slight touch on the ball shouldn’t change the outcome.

VAR did check it.

 

[Dick Head]

Annoyingly very correct, Dear Friend

it was a self refilling prophecy

 

[AlbionBro]

Apparently it was WAB online. i'm not saying Igor is the answer, only that he must be a bit pissed right now.

Who are WAB online?

 

[Poskettspurpose]

Who are WAB online?

I'm not sure but they may have some affiliation to WAB offline?

 

[AlbionBro]

I'm not sure but they may have some affiliation to WAB offline?

They may well be, but do they know anything about how good Igor has or hasn't been playing in November?