[Football] Chelsea or Fulham?

[Justice]

Well he could, if he studied De Zerbi's methods and accepted that his style is inferior.
I suspect he may be too much of a narcissist, to do that though.

I don’t think it’s as easy as that otherwise there would be hordes of successful coaches/managers. I can see Potter is clueless playing with wingers. Their £80m winger hardly touched the ball where as Mitoma/March see a lot of the ball.

 

[Justice]

Actually we were doing alright, very well in fact, and were perfectly happy. Do you get some sort of virtue points for pretending that we weren't - and do they make you feel better?

I'm very happy with where we are now, but I don't feel some sort of neediness to rewrite history.

If we are talking about history every Potter season went the same way, pretty good at the start and end of seasons boring non scoring non winning low points in between. There is no evidence this season wouldn’t have gone the same way if Potter to Chelsea had never happened.

 

[BN41Albion]

Great result for us but I've a horrible feeling we won't capitalise on it tomorrow.

It's almost like we have a track record of not capitalising in these situations...

 

[Icy Gull]

Can’t help wondering if TB maybe encouraged Potter to make this move given how quickly it happened….and what has happened at the Albion since.

 

[BN41Albion]

Put it this way. Stoney silence on the park n ride buses going home during 3 seasons of rarely winning at home. Sometimes analysis with fellow supporters on where it’s going wrong, TB often blamed for not buying strikers.

These days everyone’s buzzing.

Many a poster on here moaning about the atmosphere going flat at the Amex when we'd gone through (I won't say suffered - we're in the PL!) years of very rarely winning at home, and rarely looking like we were going to win despite having 45 shots on goal. So many games went the same way that after 20 mins or so naturally, like at vast majority of grounds under the same circumstances, the atmosphere died off as everyone realised it was going to very likely be another one of those days. Mad really considering overall how much GP improved us, and of course things did improve at the end of last season/start of this, and considering how gutted everyone was when he left.

Feels very different at the Amex again now though: much more of a buzz and excitement around the place again. Long may it continue. I'm absolutely loving the football (never thought I'd ever see us play anything like this brand of football in the top division), and RDZs passion, energy and enthusiasm is infectious, but I am wary that it's still early days and that teams are might work out a way to stop us which will be a real test for RDZ to overcome!

 

[nicko31]

We never really played badly. We competed against most teams. I was never one calling for a new striker, because I could see we were creating chances. It was just the final ball, final product missing. Towards the end, Potter did seem to fix this.

Now take a look at this report:

'Chelsea reporter says Blues feel like Graham Potter’s toothless Brighton from years past'

Chelsea reporter says Blues feel like Graham Potter's toothless Brighton from years past

Chelsea played out a 0-0 draw with Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Friday night as the Blues failed to score a goal again in a Premier League match with a Chelsea reporter saying the London club feel like Graham Potter's old Brighton side.

www.caughtoffside.com

(I appreciate Potter has just had 8 new signings dumped on him).

Toothless Brighton gave Potter time when things got tough, but will Chelsea?

He look like a man who isn't in control and he's just a spokesman

 

[Nobby]

Can’t help wondering if TB maybe encouraged Potter to make this move given how quickly it happened….and what has happened at the Albion since.

I’ve thought this too - maybe not encouraged but definitely didn’t stand in his way.
There was much more of an issue for the club in Cashworth moving.
Potter and the rest of the mob seemed to be waved off with a thanks very much, see you around.

 

[Nobby]

Many a poster on here moaning about the atmosphere going flat at the Amex when we'd gone through (I won't say suffered - we're in the PL!) years of very rarely winning at home, and rarely looking like we were going to win despite having 45 shots on goal. So many games went the same way that after 20 mins or so naturally, like at vast majority of grounds under the same circumstances, the atmosphere died off as everyone realised it was going to very likely be another one of those days. Mad really considering overall how much GP improved us, and of course things did improve at the end of last season/start of this, and considering how gutted everyone was when he left.

Feels very different at the Amex again now though: much more of a buzz and excitement around the place again. Long may it continue. I'm absolutely loving the football (never thought I'd ever see us play anything like this brand of football in the top division), and RDZs passion, energy and enthusiasm is infectious, but I am wary that it's still early days and that teams are might work out a way to stop us which will be a real test for RDZ to overcome!

This. Great post

 

[Guinness Boy]

We’d had a 10 or so good game run that happened to coincide with the introduction of Moises who Potter had decided to ignore for three months until that point. Before that we were utter boring toss for 10 or so games and never scored at home. Rinse and repeat the two previous years. I think what we are seeing is our squad was way better than what Potter was getting from it.

Exactly. But saying so at the time got you loudly shouted down.

 

[Guinness Boy]

The interesting thing for Chelsea is going to be the next window. This one's been a buying window but with UEFA cutting maximum contract lengths to five years they are going to need to balance the books and offload some of the 33 or so players they currently have.

Auba and Lukaku will almost certainly go leaving Broja as the only recognised "nine". They have way too many centre backs and may get Colwill back from us. Will it be Thiago Silva who retires and makes way, the only really good one of them (apart from Colwill, obvs)? Will Sterling be a one season wonder - Potter clearly doesn't fancy him although you can see with Potter's playing of him at wing back and RDZ's insistence that Solly just attacks down our right how easy it is to ruin or gee up such a player. They have two very similar keepers, neither of whom are good with their feet.

Will a trim down of the fat help our Graham? Will the "buzz and excitement" that was apparently at SB last night in reaction to a billionaire spunking half a billion quid remain when they are forced to cut the squad down? Will Potter even still be there? How many of their decent players will have thrown a full on strop at not getting enough game time?

 

[Chicken Run]

Great result for us but I've a horrible feeling we won't capitalise on it tomorrow.

Yep, as Han Solo once said, “I have a bad feeling about this”

 

[Chicken Run]

Yes, we're doing great. But we were also doing great after the Leicester match. If all that bollocks of Potter leaving for Chelsea hadn't happened, and Potter was still our manager and we were still in the top ten, would you have been grizzling we need a change of manager?

No we’d be grizzling that we need a new striker

 

[Hugo Rune]

Was that the Fofana that we were after? I quite liked the look of him. Muscular, direct, dangerous.

I suspect Chelsea only came in once we’d agreed a fee, they just matched it and probably offered the player quadruple money. £10m is very cheap for a Chelsea, no Todd-fuckwit tax on that.

But, the lad has it all to do now in front of booing entitled Chelsea fans and a media looking for a ‘failure’ narrative. I’m sure he would have had much better development opportunities with us, he could end up on the same confidence levels as Cucu, look what Chelsea did to Werner.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

Really looking forward to today as much to see RDZ’s tactics in breaking down, if as expected, a team who sit deep. From memory, this was an area in which Potter struggled. They have tactical differences but this would be a big differentiator.

 

[Icy Gull]

Really looking forward to today as much to see RDZ’s tactics in breaking down, if as expected, a team who sit deep. From memory, this was an area in which Potter struggled. They have tactical differences but this would be a big differentiator.

It was early days but we came nowhere near solving it against Forest and Villa….

 

[Stat Brother]

I’ve thought this too - maybe not encouraged but definitely didn’t stand in his way.
There was much more of an issue for the club in Cashworth moving.
Potter and the rest of the mob seemed to be waved off with a thanks very much, see you around.

Sorry but no.

Both situations were completely different.
cAshworth felt he could hand in his notice and walk, without his contract being paid out.
The Saudi's thought they could bluff Unkie Tony (bless them)
cAshworth left when they finally realised Bloom & Barber were happy to sit it out for 12 months, and eventually paid up.

Boehly said "the media tells me I need Potter - how much?"
To which the answer was £21m.
Boehly instantly paid so there was nothing The B's could do.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Really looking forward to today as much to see RDZ’s tactics in breaking down, if as expected, a team who sit deep. From memory, this was an area in which Potter struggled. They have tactical differences but this would be a big differentiator.

Me too. I'm enjoying watching us play (almost) as much as the results.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I'm not entirely sober having watched that in the Eddy with other Fulham in Brighton (& Tuaca was there and Walham Green on the table next to us) but thanks for the over whelming vote.

Fulham should be beating teams like Chelsea, a small village down the road.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Can’t help wondering if TB maybe encouraged Potter to make this move given how quickly it happened….and what has happened at the Albion since.

That's a pretty good shout.

We know they have a running shortlist of managers and they would've known RDZ was available.

 

[Hamilton]

That's a pretty good shout.

We know they have a running shortlist of managers and they would've known RDZ was available.

Can’t believe that. TB was ok with Potter. He didn’t stop the move though because he was let down. Just move on fast.