[Albion] Chelsea preview...we've definitely been rumbled

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1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,235
That is so alarmingly accurate that you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a Chelsea fan with an Albion ST that's written it. After all, they can't all be sitting there just waiting for Hazard's shirt - some of them must actually be paying attention.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,190
Gloucester
Just saw this on a Chelsea fans website (I was looking for an opposition fans view of the game)...there's not an awful lot I can disagree with here. Quite a succinct analysis of us IMO.
Uncannily accurate, apart from mindlessly repeating the guff some people can't let go of, although it's patently rubbish, about his time at Newcastle. If they were to argue that CH has got more defensive with age, they would have a better case.
 


el punal

Well-known member
Aug 29, 2012
12,553
The dull part of the south coast
Just saw this on a Chelsea fans website (I was looking for an opposition fans view of the game)...there's not an awful lot I can disagree with here. Quite a succinct analysis of us IMO.

https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation...pposition-analysis-chris-hughton-tactics-2018

Reasonably accurate, yes, but then we changed everything with tactics and formation on Saturday, so therefore not so predictable. And, at last, we've brought in a striker with pace, so maybe not all doom and gloom. Will revise opinion around the beginning of May.
 


Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
53,221
Goldstone
The issue being that they have started to pick up wins, we on the other hand havent.
It's a huge issue. We've got 14 games left, 5 of which are against top 6 clubs (which looks like zero points). But that doesn't mean it's inevitable we'll go down, it obviously isn't. There's a fair chance we will, I'm worried, but if any idiot wants to insist it is inevitable, show me the money.
 






rippleman

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2011
4,988
How thoroughly depressing to read that. But a very well written piece that perhaps collates the concerns of many of us this season.

Can't put up an argument against any of those points...........sadly.

I had hoped that the Norwich fans who warned us about CH's negativity in the top flight wold be proved wrong and we could stick <insert number here> fingers up at them. But they were right weren't they?
 


MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,878
Reasonably well written, except for:

The inclusions of "gotten",
The obsession with AK, as though he is a barmoeter of our season
The assertion that it "seems inevitable" we'll go down.
The CH criticism. He didn't take Norwich down to the Championship; when he was sacked they were a place above relegation a 5 points clear of Fulham. They took 1 point from their next 5 games and were relegated. Yes he's defensive. If he was less so there is every chance we'd be in a far worse position than we currently are.
The fact that losing 5-1 to Liverpool shows we're not a real Premier League team. Are Bournemouth? Are West Ham? Cause they both got thumped by Liverpool at home as well.

He's right about Hazard making short work of us though.

Basically it's an overly defeatist view of our season which repeats all the classic lazy armchair tropes (lack of a goalscorer, too defensive etc) and fails to take into account the fact that we are simply not going down.
 
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The Clamp

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jan 11, 2016
26,208
West is BEST
I'm pretty sure we'll be going down. We just haven't shown the skill required. It upsets me in so much as it was a journey to get here, a journey I enjoyed and loathed at different times. But BHA is a championship team, we belong there and all my favourite seasons have taken place with the Championship as a backdrop. We can be proud of what we have done but let's get back to our home now.
 


Moshe Gariani

Well-known member
Mar 10, 2005
12,203
To win games of football, generally speaking, a team has to actively try to win the game in the first place.

No Premier League team has played more football in its own final third, nor less in the opposition’s final third, than Brighton this season. Only three teams have taken fewer shots on goal and only one team has had fewer shots on target. Only two teams have attempted fewer dribbles, meaning Brighton’s only realistic route forward is long balls, making them very predictable and easy to dominate. Only Burnley have played more long passes this season and no team has been fouled less often, meaning they have very few chances to get defenders forward and mount assaults from set plays...

#this
#this

Newcomers to the Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion FC have the worst, second worst, third worst or fourth worst (depending on metric selected from this quote) quality of attacking players in the division.

That we are likely to avoid relegation is a tribute to the excellence of our manager.



Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 


Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
7,376
That piece reeks of assumed wisdom and has little insight. It simply trots out the stereotypical view of Hughton and applies stats that support the argument. Yes Hughton is cautious and defensive in this division, but this approach is one of pragmatism because of the squad available to him. Its an approach that has taken Burnley to heights that few pundits predicted this season. Dyche's squad is a couple of years ahead of Hughton's in terms of aquisitions and top level experience. He obviously didn't see the Liverpool game. Anyone watching that could see that the attacking play of Liverpool would have destroyed virtually any team in the league that day. They put four past Man City. Does that make the Champions elect not 'a proper Premier League Team'?

It is not the defensive duties that have prevented the wingers from providing. It is lack of possession and poor delivery when opportunity against better defenders arises. Hughton's Norwich side were relegated at the end of his second season in charge. The previous year they were a very respectable 11th. If he is to be criticised for his tactics in the Premier League, a more appropriate comment would be that Hughton's defensive sides do not have the bite of Dyche's. At no point this season, do we seem to have taken Aspinall's advice to get in the faces of the opposition. We let teams play in front of us, hoping to break quickly when the ball is given away. Players like Hazard will not give the ball away unless they are denied space and we gave him all the space he wanted. It was this reason, not Hughton's cautiousness, or our squad's lack of quality that proved this bloke's prediction to be right.
 




Spadge

New member
Sep 21, 2011
255
Extremely accurate of the way Mr Hughton is trying to get the team to play, anybody that watched Swansea v Liverpool last night would of watch a performance Hughton has tried to obtain from this team on many occasions so far this season, its not a lie to say every team is beatable with a lot of hard work and cohesion, however over the last few motnhs for whatever reason that appears to have slipped from the pitch and deserted our beloved team.
 










DFL JCL

Well-known member
Jan 8, 2016
814
Which exact bit is utter tripe or were you being humerous?

To be honest, it was a slightly tongue in cheek, but ultimately i found the article a bit patronizing.

They have battled gamely against the odds and they have snatched wins where possible. He might as well say plucky little Brighton. The truth is, we have competed in almost every match we have played in this division. And outclassed a number of opponents.

famous for being nice but ultimately not quite good enough at this level. . CH hasn't ever been given a fair crack, for this bloke to judge whether he is good enough. Let alone famous for it.

Personally i think we have a squad of players that are good enough to compete at this level. With a manager who is both decent and capable. I think we will stay up.
 




Bob'n'weave

Well-known member
Nov 18, 2016
1,972
Nr Lewes
Reasonably well written, except for:

The inclusions of "gotten",
The obsession with AK, as though he is a barmoeter of our season
The assertion that it "seems inevitable" we'll go down.
The CH criticism. He didn't take Norwich down to the Championship; when he was sacked they were a place above relegation a 5 points clear of Fulham. They took 1 point from their next 5 games and were relegated. Yes he's defensive. If he was less so there is every chance we'd be in a far worse position than we currently are.
The fact that losing 5-1 to Liverpool shows we're not a real Premier League team. Are Bournemouth? Are West Ham? Cause they both got thumped by Liverpool at home as well.

He's right about Hazard making short work of us though.

Basically it's an overly defeatist view of our season which repeats all the classic lazy armchair tropes (lack of a goalscorer, too defensive etc) and fails to take into account the fact that we are simply not going down.

This.

Overly dismissive of CH's ability to learn and adapt his tactics and the comment about the Chelsea game being our only hope is tripe. Yes, we need to do a lot of things he talks about tactically, but my 11 year old could do what he has - state the obvious.
 




LamieRobertson

Not awoke
Feb 3, 2008
48,434
SHOREHAM BY SEA
That piece reeks of assumed wisdom and has little insight. It simply trots out the stereotypical view of Hughton and applies stats that support the argument. Yes Hughton is cautious and defensive in this division, but this approach is one of pragmatism because of the squad available to him. Its an approach that has taken Burnley to heights that few pundits predicted this season. Dyche's squad is a couple of years ahead of Hughton's in terms of aquisitions and top level experience. He obviously didn't see the Liverpool game. Anyone watching that could see that the attacking play of Liverpool would have destroyed virtually any team in the league that day. They put four past Man City. Does that make the Champions elect not 'a proper Premier League Team'?

It is not the defensive duties that have prevented the wingers from providing. It is lack of possession and poor delivery when opportunity against better defenders arises. Hughton's Norwich side were relegated at the end of his second season in charge. The previous year they were a very respectable 11th. If he is to be criticised for his tactics in the Premier League, a more appropriate comment would be that Hughton's defensive sides do not have the bite of Dyche's. At no point this season, do we seem to have taken Aspinall's advice to get in the faces of the opposition. We let teams play in front of us, hoping to break quickly when the ball is given away. Players like Hazard will not give the ball away unless they are denied space and we gave him all the space he wanted. It was this reason, not Hughton's cautiousness, or our squad's lack of quality that proved this bloke's prediction to be right.

Agree with pretty much all of that
 


Sarisbury Seagull

Solly March Fan Club
NSC Patron
Nov 22, 2007
15,016
Sarisbury Green, Southampton
I think he’s right to focus on Knockaert, he is symbolic of our season in many ways.

He started the season full of optimism and expectation and due to injury at the start and then form, he’s just not performed as we all hoped and probably expected. He clearly is not enjoying having to be an auxiliary defender and has looked more and more miserable as the season has gone on - like a lot of the fans!

He was absolutely integral to our success in the last two seasons and was seen very much as our main man and talisman. This season instead he has looked incredibly blunt, jaded and negative, very much like the rest of the side.

I love Knocky but, not through all his own fault, it has been a disappointing season for him.

The article does seem to pick up on what I think at the moment is a very negative, downward trajectory for us. Of course it’s not all over but despite our slight points advantage, I would say we are currently favourites for relegation.
 


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