[Albion] Come on then geniuses what's The TinkerMan supposed to do?

[Bold Seagull]

I call that good finishing and correct team selection, something that Potter apparently cannot see. (Whilst I don’t see Murray as the ideal option, what are the alternatives?)

the whole ‘luck’ thing doesn’t wash with me, we’ve got people saying we’re unlucky at the moment. It’s largely the different between good and bad finishing. You finish where you deserve to, as per my original point Hughton did a job keeping us up last year (on a bottom 3 budget).

I agree with the good and bad finishing. However bad finishing is only apparent if you create a host of chances. Last season you couldn't ever apply bad finishing to the team because we simply didn't create enough to be missing clear opportunities.

This season rather than luck, we are without a doubt where we are down to bad finishing. We have to accept we're going to leave the odd gap, make the odd mistake defensively, but that has to be compensated with goals at the other end.

It's not luck, but with half decent chances taken, we should be sat on 34 points wondering what all the fuss is about.

 

[Bozza]

It's not luck, but with half decent chances taken, we should be sat on 34 points wondering what all the fuss is about.

We could (should?) have a fair few more than 34.

 

[GT49er]

I think in reality this is the best attitude to adopt. As far as I see it we’re as good as down, we can’t score, we can’t keep a clean sheet and we have a horrific run of games coming up. If I was Tony Bloom I’d be absolutely fûcking livid that all these well paid folk that are running the club have assembled an expensive but sub par squad, and appointed a very inexperienced management team. Cluster fùck of the highest order. Tony should be demanding that heads roll.

Moving on. As it stands we haven’t kept a clean sheet in the last 17 games, meaning we need to score at least 2 goals to win any game, that’s simply not good enough. Our survival last season was built on the Dunk and Duffy partnership, it’s time to rekindle it. Let’s make ourselves hard to beat, not a soft touch that can’t buy a lead in a game. I’d personally like to see 3 centre backs, Dunk, Duffy and probably Webster though I’m not sure he’s any better than Burn, let’s actually use some pace on the flanks, play Bernardo lwb and Montoya rwb, 3 man central midfield with Stephens the anchor, Alzate and Pröpper further up. For the 2 forwards either go big man little man with Murray and Maupay or play 1 striker with either Groß, Mooy, Trossard or Jahanbakhsh behind. Some defensive stability, width and pace and a midfield that shouldn’t get overrun.

Let's make sure MacAllister knows his place - in the U23s until he's learned the Brighton way, eh?

ABM (anybody but MacAllister) supporting the striker!


P.S. Lamptey is probably quicker ten Montoya too.

 

[Justice]

Don’t get Potter changing the shape to accommodate Murray when on top, he comes on we concede and look **** after that. All I would of done was put Gross on for a tiring Mooy. Shambles

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Let's make sure MacAllister knows his place - in the U23s until he's learned the Brighton way, eh?

ABM (anybody but MacAllister) supporting the striker!


P.S. Lamptey is probably quicker ten Montoya too.

I did consider Lamptey and Mac Allister but thought the likelihood of them both making the first team was extremely unlikely.

 

[GT49er]

I did consider Lamptey and Mac Allister but thought the likelihood of them both making the first team was extremely unlikely.

We buy a £6M full back from Chelsea and pay half a million quid plus to get an Argentine international (our player) back from loan and then decide they're not going to make the first team we really are f***ed. League 1 beckons, and we'd be lucky at that!

Edit: And the recruitment team should be!

 

[Wilko]

Ryan

Lamptey
Duffy
Dunk
Burn
Bernardo

Stephens
Propper
Bissouma
Macillister

Maupay

Same 11 players for every game until the end. Mooy shouldn’t be anywhere near the 11.


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This is where I am at. Mac just behind Maupay and a settled team. The random selecting and experimenting can come in the form of substitutions if/when we are chasing a game.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

It seems like some people are arguing that Potter changes the team too much - but also that he doesn't change it enough. I'm just not sure who's beyond reproach... I'd argue Webster has probably been given more opportunities than he deserves, Murray, Duffy and Bernardo too few (though Burn's consistency makes it hard to leave him out). The nailed-on starters are Ryan, Dunk and Propper, the latter pair probably the only 2 whose performance rarely drops below an acceptable level. How many players have been dropped after an absolute blinder? Ali J is the only one I that springs to mind after Bournemouth at home. I get what you're saying about consistency in team selection being a benefit - but then if Potter leaves a player in who might need the minutes and a bit of belief (Trossard for instance), he gets criticised for that too. A bit like Albion, he can't win.

Murray did well against West Ham but made little impression at Sheffield United, where Maupay scored. Not surprising really that Maupay got the nod against Palace - and caused them problems. His finishing was a let-down but Murray wouldn't have been in a position to finish any of those chances, which were created by Maupay's pace. The bottom line I think is we've got a squad of players that are largely bottom 6 PL quality (in line with our budget)...so we are where we are, and doing ok to be near the top of that group.

But if he’s as progressive as we like to think, he surely works out that Palace for example cannot defend against players with a physical presence....... Murray.

Forwards need a run and support, Maupay works better in a tandem than in his own, this really is not difficult to see. Murray needs games, not 20 minute cameos.

He is rigid with his tactics but changes only certain players. I would add Mooy and Burn to Webster to the beyond reproach list.

I can’t argue about the squad quality and it is the same challenge Hughton faced.


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[One Teddy Maybank]

I agree with the good and bad finishing. However bad finishing is only apparent if you create a host of chances. Last season you couldn't ever apply bad finishing to the team because we simply didn't create enough to be missing clear opportunities.

This season rather than luck, we are without a doubt where we are down to bad finishing. We have to accept we're going to leave the odd gap, make the odd mistake defensively, but that has to be compensated with goals at the other end.

It's not luck, but with half decent chances taken, we should be sat on 34 points wondering what all the fuss is about.

Sorry Bold Seagull, but what you’ve posted is all a bit “if my Grandma had balls she’d be my Grandad” [emoji2].

We are where we are..... i don’t believe in luck, but if we are I can give you instances last season where we were unfortunate and could have finished higher.

We’ll end up where we deserve to be....


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[rippleman]

Not quite sure why Potter can even be questioned about yesterday.

3 absolute GOLDEN chances wasted

He can’t be to blame when players don’t do their job correctly.

Potter has his faults and he part of the reason we are in the position we are in, but poor individual errors are the reason for defeat yesterday.

I tend to agree in one way about the missed chances BUT:-

1) Potter didn't buy a number 9 last summer

2) Potter decided to bin off Andone AFTER the window closed

3) Potter said that we didn't need to buy a striker in the January window

Yes - we are missing shedloads of chances. Would Andone have put some of them away? Would a new striker have scored a few that would have seen us safe by now? We aren't ever going to know now but I fear that Potter's attitude of "don't need anybody else - happy with what I've got" is going to come back to bite him. I hope I'm wrong but it doesn't look good at the moment.

 

[Stat Brother]

I wonder how many other self serving look at me : threads run at the top of page 1 for a day and a half, with 128 posts and nearly 7,000 views.

 

[Jesus Gul]

Big Dan Burn (or Shane Duffy for that matter) in the number 9 position with Maupay and Murray feeding off him.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Haven’t read right through but Stat brother keeps touching on it.
Basically not a good enough first 11 but a lot of (well most of) ‘nearly players’ so even without injuries we are not quite good enough.

I would say every other team in the division has a best 11 and are effected worse than us if they had a few injuries where as it’s just like for like with us.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Sorry Bold Seagull, but what you’ve posted is all a bit “if my Grandma had balls she’d be my Grandad” [emoji2].

We are where we are..... i don’t believe in luck, but if we are I can give you instances last season where we were unfortunate and could have finished higher.

We’ll end up where we deserve to be....

Of course it is.

That is what reflecting on football is about!? Did you not leave the Amex thinking what if March had just buried that chance, or Montoya had just been a bit stronger with his defensive header? or Maupay goes either side of the keeper or doesn't save Dunk's certain goal?? Of course it is all what ifs.

We'll end up where we deserve to be, we don't know where that is yet, so we can speculate all we like whether we believe in luck, fortune, or whatever else.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Of course it is.

That is what reflecting on football is about!? Did you not leave the Amex thinking what if March had just buried that chance, or Montoya had just been a bit stronger with his defensive header? or Maupay goes either side of the keeper? Of course it is all what ifs.

We'll end up where we deserve to be, we don't know where that is yet, so we can speculate all we like whether we believe in luck, fortune, or whatever else.

Mine was more how did they miss?!
And more annoyance around certain players playing.....

Just normal life of a football fan things....


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[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Haven’t read right through but Stat brother keeps touching on it.
Basically not a good enough first 11 but a lot of (well most of) ‘nearly players’ so even without injuries we are not quite good enough.

I would say every other team in the division has a best 11 and are effected worse than us if they had a few injuries where as it’s just like for like with us.

Agreed. Other than Dunk we don’t possess a single player that we’d be screwed if they were missing. An average squad of players all on a similar level of ability.

With the benefit of hindsight, I’ve been thinking have we been spectacularly naive in not signing any Premier League veterans, other than Mooy who played two seasons for an abysmal Huddersfield team, every player we buy is a speculative acquisition with one eye firmly on profit. We spaffed £20m on Webster when players like Cahill or Smalling were available. We’re not a remotely streetwise team, we don’t seem to know how to get the job done even if it means doing some of the dirtier work or playing a less attractive but more effective style*.

* we did appear to use a plan B at Sheffield United, maybe we need to see it again.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I tend to agree in one way about the missed chances BUT:-

1) Potter didn't buy a number 9 last summer

2) Potter decided to bin off Andone AFTER the window closed

3) Potter said that we didn't need to buy a striker in the January window

Yes - we are missing shedloads of chances. Would Andone have put some of them away? Would a new striker have scored a few that would have seen us safe by now? We aren't ever going to know now but I fear that Potter's attitude of "don't need anybody else - happy with what I've got" is going to come back to bite him. I hope I'm wrong but it doesn't look good at the moment.

1) We bought Maupay.

2) We don't know who's decision Andone was. Could have been out of Potter's hands for all we know. That loan deal may have been too lucrative to turn down. Potter was playing him regularly. I really don't believe this narrative that he got sent off so GP said he wants him gone. Far more believable to me is that Andone, his agent and the club all facilitated that move and it was largely out of the manager's hands.

3) As per Hughton before him, they've towed the company line. You honestly think Hughton last Jan and Potter this Jan didn't want new players!? Ridiculous to think that. No manager is ever saying no to potential new players. The club have said every year they don't see any value in January. Out of the manager's hands without a shadow of a doubt imho.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

We started the season with Murray and Locadia up front, they were each subbed off in the second half for Maupay and Andone, and we won 3-0

I understand why those two had to be shipped off, but I certainly miss having those options up front

 

[Bold Seagull]

Mine was more how did they miss?!
And more annoyance around certain players playing.....

Just normal life of a football fan things....

How they miss is how they handle pressure. The pressure is mounting and that is what defines the quality. You cannot really train, coach or prepare for that moment you have when the pressure is on and you need to score. Same with the old historic argument about penalties. You can take a 1000 penalties in training and score a 1000, but that one penalty when a cup or survival is on the line - even those 1000 penalties haven't prepared you for how that feels to run up. Some players cope, some don't. At the moment, ours aren't and just got to hope that it can change.

My whole point is last season our chances just dried up, and the last 9 games we didn't really look like scoring. This season, we are creating good presentable chances. We have good control of the ball. If we can keep that belief, hopefully the goal side of it can just come back. Think Southampton, first 10 games, scored 9 goals, in big trouble, talk of manager being the first PL sacking. Next 10 games they score 15, win 4, draw 2. They probably didn't play that differently, they just started taking their chances (well, Ings did...).

 

[Pavilionaire]

I would play 3 CBs - Burn, Dunk, Duffy. I'd then play Bernardo and Lamptey wing-backs, Propper and Stephens in the middle, McAllister behind the front two which will be Maupay and Murray.

I believe Potter set out to play 3 at the back with genuine wing backs so he should go with what he believes in. However, when the chips are down you need defenders who can defend, strikers who can finish.

TBH I haven't seen much of Lamptey or anything of McAllister but starting for Chelsea vs Arsenal and starting for Argentina are good enough for me.