[Albion] Comments from Chris in todays Argus

[Not Andy Naylor]

All this stuff about a certain number of years in the Premier League teaching you things is balderdash and poppycock. West Brom, Stoke and Swansea had plenty of time to learn and went down last season. Southampton would have gone down if Swansea hadn't been even worse. They'd all been up for several seasons. Unless they had learned stuff but forgotten it..

 

[dazzer6666]

Well said. If we do what I have already predicted, tomorrow, (win the second half 1-0 in a plucky display with Andone on fire, after sitting back in the first half, pumping long balls to Muzza, and conceding two well worked goals) I will likely as not have one of my rare but explosive outbursts.

Bit spooky....just put that, almost word for word, in an email at work to someone who asked whether 'you're looking forward to hammering Bournemouth tomorrow'..............

 

[Easy 10]

All this stuff about a certain number of years in the Premier League teaching you things is balderdash and poppycock. West Brom, Stoke and Swansea had plenty of time to learn and went down last season. Southampton would have gone down if Swansea hadn't been even worse. They'd all been up for several seasons. Unless they had learned stuff but forgotten it..

Tend to agree with this. We can't play the wide-eyed 'just-pleased-to-be-here' naevity card all season. Wolves hadn't been in the Premier League for 7 years, and they seem to be doing alright. Are their players quick learners, or just better quality ? I think we know the answer to that.

Nb: I am certainly NOT in the 'Hughton out' camp, far from it. But his rather pallid pre and post-match comments are borderline Maybot in their general bland, meaningless, repetitive fluff.

When he eventually begins a sentence with "I've always been very clear..." then his path to the Dark Side will be complete.

 

[Weststander]

Tend to agree with this. We can't play the wide-eyed 'just-pleased-to-be-here' naevity card all season. Wolves hadn't been in the Premier League for 7 years, and they seem to be doing alright. Are their players quick learners, or just better quality ? I think we know the answer to that.

Nb: I am certainly NOT in the 'Hughton out' camp, far from it. But his rather pallid pre and post-match comments are borderline Maybot in their general bland, meaningless, repetitive fluff.

When he eventually begins a sentence with "I've always been very clear..." then his path to the Dark Side will be complete.

The Wolves players, especially in midfield, are simply better than ours. Acquired through their ‘special relationship’ with a super agent. Moutinho for example is a great CM with 114 caps.

On CH’s comments, I think he simply makes the understated comments to keep fans expectations low, and to never criticise his employers eg on budget. We met him at a fans Q&A session last month, where he explained just that, but he made it clear that he has entirely different conversation with the players in the week before a match. Where he’s positive about their qualities and the plan to win the forthcoming match.

 

[Easy 10]

The Wolves players, especially in midfield, are simply better than ours. Acquired through their ‘special relationship’ with a super agent. Moutinho for example is a great CM with 114 caps.

On CH’s comments, I think he simply makes the understated comments to keep fans expectations low, and to never criticise his employers eg on budget. We met him at a fans Q&A session last month, where he explained just that, but he made it clear that he has entirely different conversation with the players in the week before a match. Where he’s positive about their qualities and the plan to win the forthcoming match.

I'd certainly hope that to be the case. But publically, his HIGHLY respectful, conservative, talking-up-the-opposition persona can come across as borderline defeatist at times, and unfortunately it seems to very much translate into some of our more passive, back-foot performances. The Southampton game being a classic case in point, where we basically handed over all initiative from the start, and played like the away team.

He may well be keeping fans expectations low, but if he's doing that with the players as well then we'll always struggle.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

He may well be keeping fans expectations low, but if he's doing that with the players as well then we'll always struggle.

The alternative being a "Colin" type manager who spits fire and blames everyone for his teams shortcomings except his players. I know I would prefer to have as manager.






On second thoughts I will let you know after 10pm Tuesday night!

 

[Weststander]

I'd certainly hope that to be the case. But publically, his HIGHLY respectful, conservative, talking-up-the-opposition persona can come across as borderline defeatist at times, and unfortunately it seems to very much translate into some of our more passive, back-foot performances. The Southampton game being a classic case in point, where we basically handed over all initiative from the start, and played like the away team.

He may well be keeping fans expectations low, but if he's doing that with the players as well then we'll always struggle.

What he told us was that it’s two entirely different messages to us (dampen down), from that to the players (your good enough, we’ve prepared, go out there and win).

Everyone has their personal view, mine is that we simply don’t have a decent centre midfield, lacking a whole load of skills/abilities to thrive in the PL, which are holding us back and makes us so predictable for opposing managers.

Desperately keen for the club to finally address that this summer, or it will be more of the same whoever the manager is next season.

 

[Easy 10]

The alternative being a "Colin" type manager who spits fire and blames everyone for his teams shortcomings except his players. I know I would prefer to have as manager.






On second thoughts I will let you know after 10pm Tuesday night!

I think there's a middle ground that could be found between Chris's incessant forelock-tugging, and Colin's scattergun, bitter, bile-filled rants. But at the end of the day (Brian), Hughton is a very fine manager who has (so far) managed to steer the good ship Albion away from choppy waters, and I do have faith that he will continue to do so.

 

[studio150]

But his rather pallid pre and post-match comments are borderline Maybot in their general bland, meaningless, repetitive fluff.

When he eventually begins a sentence with "I've always been very clear..." then his path to the Dark Side will be complete.

And on that basis, we now know that all fans that want to give it a go, or change to 442 are our very own ERG

 

[Pavilionaire]

How many occasions (or weeks) has the team been in the relegation zone in those 69 games?

For one week at the start of 2017/18 - we were 18th after losing to Leicester in our second ever Prem match, then drew against Watford and haven't featured in the relegation places since.

 

[Dolph Ins]

This.

The JCL under-50s grind my ****ing gears.

I know the poster and he is definitely over 50 and is not a JCL

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Below are comments from Chris on today's Argus . Frankly a bit weird from a manager that has managed in the Premier League for several years with Norwich, Brighton and Newcastle . Also been assistant manager at Tottenham in the Prem.

So what exactly does he need to learn ? I'd love to be enlightened . After five shots on goal in the last three games perhaps he's learnt that the less you attack the fewer goals you score ? ( yes that's right one shot on target per hour ) .Or maybe he's learnt that if you focus on defending then the other team will be able to focus on attacking ? Or perhaps he's learnt that if you don't give the youngsters a try out then you won't know how good they are as well ? Perhaps he's learnt that Ali has a first touch a bit like Dumbo ? etc etc etc . Anyway I hope he's learnt something as we need a few more points and tomorrow they attack - which means they will score eventually - but will we ?

"We're still learning about the division, the highs and lows, up and downs, the performance gaps as such.


"We're still learning a lot about this division and that's why we are so desperate to make sure we stay in it."

He's not daft enough to say or think that he and the club know it all!

And he's sensible enough to know that things can and do change.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We have a great manager who got us promoted and the players love. So what if his press conference chats are bland?
As has been pointed out, we have hardly spent any time in the relegation zone, we have two games in hand over most of the teams around us, and Westander has pointed out, the pre-game talk to the players is entirely different.

Criticising the manager for an Argus article is a bit desperate to have a moan imo.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I know the poster and he is definitely over 50 and is not a JCL

It was meant as a light hearted comment, that's all.

 

[GT49er]

Because losing to Man City and Leicester in our first two Prem ever matches meant we were 16th or below for 4 of those first 5 matches. I'd say many lessons were quickly learned in those 5 matches, and thereafter we can begin to be judged on whether we've grasped the ups and downs of the Prem.

Only dropping below 15th on briefly on 3 separate occasions - and one of those was on opening day this season vs Watford - shows we've consistently been in that third quartile.

The worry is, though, that we are in one of those separate occasions now!