[Albion] Do Brighton have a bigger problem than they realise? (Four Four Two article)

[BN41Albion]

One striker short of being comfortable, Potter’s football is thoroughly enjoyable at times but right now it’s toothless and it’s costing us dearly, we may end up paying the ultimate price. My worry is that Potter doesn’t know how to adapt to a more gritty or resolute style, something that Dyche and Allardyce can do with their eyes closed, I’m not sure we’re capable of a battle and will continue the pretty possession stuff until the death.
It might be an incredibly binary way of looking at it but I honestly believe a decent striker equals safety, failure to do so means almost certain relegation.

Is it even pretty anymore? I've started finding it predictable, slow and frustrating of late. Not sure because of lack of confidence, options, or how teams set up against us knowing we struggle to break teams down (probably a mix of all three), but I'm certainly not finding it pretty overall at the moment

 

[Leegull]

Are we not trapped in a seemingly five-way battle for the three relegation places, not four?
Unless you’re saying that Sheffield United are gone already, in which case it’s four-way for two relegation places.

The four-way / five-way analysis, doesn’t include Newcastle (shorter odds than us for relegation) or Palace ( similar odds to us for relegation) and I’d rather be in our shoes than either of them, based on current form.

So in reality we’re in a six or seven way battle to avoid either two or three relegation spots, dependent on your view around Sheffield United.

Which is pretty much replicated in our three previous PL Seasons.... we’ll be ok

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The trouble is that you can't just buy a top striker. You can spend 20m+ on someone and hope it works but it will be a punt (McBurnie, Brewster, Haller, Joelinton). Anyone proven at that price range will be old or injury prone (Ings, Wilson) and be on huge wages. Anyone costing more than that who is willing to come here will have been looked at and dismissed by better clubs as not being up to it. Bottom 6 clubs don't have top strikers they have to rely on defensive resolve and solidity to survive.

I assume you realise that numbers bigger than 20 million include any number up to infinity. Joelinton cost £40 million which certainly fits your criteria. It isn't very precise, though. As you say, it is hard to imagine why a decent ambitious striker would come here. My main point, though is that it is always a punt in any position. Nicolas Pepe, £72 million flop. Kepa Arrizabalaga, £72 million flop. Nobody signs nothing but mint, not even Sir Alex. I think all we can say is the probability that a striker signing would be a success is related to the size of the fee, rather like the chances of the temperature reaching 30 degrees in North Devon is related to the season, but the odds of schepping down to Croyde in August only to encounter lukewarm drizzle (Locardia weather) are disappointingly high.

One way to improve on this would be to splash out on a new manager and recruitment team with connections, like the chaps at Wolves, with their conveyor belt of hot Portuguese internationals. That's unlikely to happen so our current model, signing young players using, in part Ashcroft's knowledge, is the thing. Perhaps if they can come up with a striker equivalent of Lamptey (who, though?) things may appear rosier.

That said, the loudest voices on NSC at the moment are calling out for better defending (or better defence coaching).

I love football, and football chat, but the 'Porter Out' brigade (who have no suggestions for a replacement and therefore, it seems, a child-like faith in Barber to pluck a shiny new successful manager out of Derren Brown's magic sack) seem so dim they can't even recognise sarcasm (eh, Dan, on another thread? )

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Is it even pretty anymore? I've started finding it predictable, slow and frustrating of late. Not sure because of lack of confidence, options, or how teams set up against us knowing we struggle to break teams down (probably a mix of all three), but I'm certainly not finding it pretty overall at the moment

I think it is, but it’s only for more condensed periods when the opposition comes out of their deep formation, out problem is that because we’re so blunt teams sit deep and watch us fanny about in front of them occasionally breaking ranks to counter us. If we weren’t so toothless the opposition would have to pay further up the pitch and we could play through them. You’re right, it is predictable, but not unattractive.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Are we not trapped in a seemingly five-way battle for the three relegation places, not four?
Unless you’re saying that Sheffield United are gone already, in which case it’s four-way for two relegation places.

The four-way / five-way analysis, doesn’t include Newcastle (shorter odds than us for relegation) or Palace ( similar odds to us for relegation) and I’d rather be in our shoes than either of them, based on current form.

So in reality we’re in a six or seven way battle to avoid either two or three relegation spots, dependent on your view around Sheffield United.

Which is pretty much replicated in our three previous PL Seasons.... we’ll be ok

Interesting post.

I don't see any side as a basket case this year, not even record-breaking Sheffield United. It's going to be.....interesting.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Good, informed article, but all of us here know this.

Make lots of chances. Not clinical enough. Individual mistakes at the back.

The more pressing question is, is it the fault of the manager or of recruitment? (As he doesn’t buy the players). That’s what’s causing all the arguments here.

The fact we’re being set up nearly every match to dominate possession and create bags of chances indicates to me the manager is doing his bit. It just feels like we’re a striker short of being a good team.

Yet yesterday, according to you, we also needed a specialist defensive coach to improve our defending of set pieces?

The article makes reference to something I've pointed out before, Potter's less than stellar results with Swansea when they had James and McBurnie. Apparently Swansea also had a problem with set pieces?

Ultimately, Potter's recruitment man came with him to join our recruitment team. Shouldn't they be much more forceful in getting the last couple of pieces of the jigsaw in, if that is all it is?

 

[Icy Gull]

Hot air from an evident smart arse. To make a point that if we beat Arsenal in our next game we have still beaten only one side at home in 2020 is asinine.

Also to invoke 'fashion' (as in eternally unfashionable Bumley) smacks of sneery journalism from someone who can talk all the talk about the game but, in fact, is clueless.

In summary, people say we play very attractive football but we don't win enough games and, who knows, we could get relegated. Someone get me a chair to sit on and a warm mug of cocoa while I attempt to come to terms with this Shocking News.

Not just me that felt “Oh just **** off and write something original and newsworthy” then. This shit has been peddled for a couple of months already. I even went and checked who he supported....just in case Turns out he appears to be a big Northern Powerhouse club fan probably. The digs at Swansea were unnecessary too. The players mentioned were ones that only got in the team because of Potter. I was under the impression Swansea were in some disarray when Potter went there too. Maybe he steadied the ship for the current manager to kick on after GP left. Who knows? I don’t follow Swansea but I do know they had some very good results in between some heavy defeats. We haven’t had many good wins or heavy stuffings so maybe Potter has gone backwards and should be promptly sacked

Loving how some of our fans are questioning Potter but not the players so much. It’s not like we were something special before he arrived is it, although I think some have forgotten just how shit we were. We are certainly not shit at the moment, just fecking frustrating. Long game for me

Oh and the season isn’t over and we are not lots of points adrift either, we are in a completely expected relegation battle

 

[vagabond]

Yet yesterday, according to you, we also needed a specialist defensive coach to improve our defending of set pieces?

Eh?

I didn’t raise that idea. I was commenting on another poster who brought up the idea of bringing in a set piece coach. More than happy to be brought to task for my own ideas not others.

The article makes reference to something I've pointed out before, Potter's less than stellar results with Swansea when they had James and McBurnie. Apparently Swansea also had a problem with set pieces?

Amongst the handbags and drama on NSC yesterday there was a flurry of excellent posts. One of which raised these Swansea stats. Which was pretty shocking to me.

Swansea had a terrible record of goals conceded from set pieces under GP, one of the worst in the Championship. I’m still Potter in, but if true that is a damning statistic.

 

[lawros left foot]

The essence of this article, and others, is only what most Albion fans have been saying for 3 seasons now.

We need a prodigious goal scorer, Murray filled the gap in our first PL season, not so much in our second season and we just haven’t replaced him, until we do, Tony Blooms dreams of a top 10 finish,are just that,Dreams.

So much of football is about confidence, we have zero confidence at the moment. A good win against anyone would boost this, on the other hand, keep not winning games we should win and confidence will remain rock bottom, and results will reflect this.

 

[Beach Hut]

Mr Jolly from Psychoville has spoken, should we all be scared ?

 

[Jim in the West]

I don't read Four Four Two anymore - didn't realise what I was missing! Hopefully they didn't pay that guy too much to write that article, as I think the only conclusion he reached is that we're not sufficiently clinical in front of goal. Oh, and the goalkeeper was crap. We all know that we've missed too many chances, and that Ryan wasn't playing well. Given that we already know these things, what is this so-called "bigger problem" that we don't seem to have cottoned on to yet?

 

[Hampster Gull]

In summary, people say we play very attractive football but we don't win enough games and, who knows, we could get relegated. Someone get me a chair to sit on and a warm mug of cocoa while I attempt to come to terms with this Shocking News.

Oh, a nice hot cup of cocoa, haven't had one of those in a while, will line one up today

 

[elwheelio]

I think the point with the "we need a top striker" argument is that all teams need a top striker but teams like ours don't have the budget or often the opportunity to get one. Therefore you have to grind out wins, be solid and make the most of what you've got. A top striker is not a panacea. Potter would no doubt like one but, unlike Hughton, he has got Welbeck, Lallana, Lamptey, White, Trossard and Maupay at his disposal yet for all the alleged improvements we're still knocking around the relegation zone.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I love football, and football chat, but the 'Porter Out' brigade (who have no suggestions for a replacement and therefore, it seems, a child-like faith in Barber to pluck a shiny new successful manager out of Derren Brown's magic sack) seem so dim they can't even recognise sarcasm (eh, Dan, on another thread? )

Well, when we poached Potter from Swansea had you heard of Steve Cooper? Stuck a fiver on him as their next manager? Seen him tipped on their board to take over? Or, like the majority of fans, were you a bit "Steve WHO"?

And yet, from the article.....

And it is tempting to wonder if, while Brighton are an evolving team, they nonetheless have the characteristics of Potter’s previous side. In some respects, he did an excellent job with Swansea, taking the wreckage of a relegated team, playing fine football and developing young talent. Yet his side came 10th with Oli McBurnie and Daniel James; a year later and after selling each, Steve Cooper’s side finished sixth.

 

[nickjhs]

And the point of the article was? certainly no insights, no answers, no helpful suggestions, just an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious. Pointless

 

[elwheelio]

And the point of the article was? certainly no insights, no answers, no helpful suggestions, just an exercise in stating the bleeding obvious. Pointless

I think the point of the article is pretty clear. Potter has got a lot of plaudits for improving us but we're not improving where it actually counts. While this might not be revelatory to Brighton fans, a lot of non brighton fans might be surprised by just how bad our results have been.

 

[oldboyroy]

And, yesterday's game is the perfect example. Outplayed west ham for much of the game yet, they had 2 chances and took them. We had most possession but as usual, didn't create enough with it. We just aren't ruthless enough and it could relegate us.

 

[Birdie Boy]

Well, when we poached Potter from Swansea had you heard of Steve Cooper? Stuck a fiver on him as their next manager? Seen him tipped on their board to take over? Or, like the majority of fans, were you a bit "Steve WHO"?

And yet, from the article.....

And it is tempting to wonder if, while Brighton are an evolving team, they nonetheless have the characteristics of Potter’s previous side. In some respects, he did an excellent job with Swansea, taking the wreckage of a relegated team, playing fine football and developing young talent. Yet his side came 10th with Oli McBurnie and Daniel James; a year later and after selling each, Steve Cooper’s side finished sixth.

The one thing with this is that taking them from relegation to 6th would have probably been to much to ask but he may well have taken them from 10th to 2nd or 3rd last season for all we know.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Yeah, yeah, we know all that. The question is what the club does about it.

The options:

1. Keep calm and carry on. Sooner or later the chances will be converted and the wins will come.

2. Keep calm but spend big money (and wages) next month on a reliable striker, if such a person exists and can be persuaded to join us.

3. Stop all this 'good football' nonsense and heave it long to a mythical big man up front. Bring back Murray and Duffy.

4. Sack Potter and bring in Liam Rosenior, Nathan Jones, Pards, Joe Royle, Slaven Bilic, Gus Poyet, Russell Slade ....

5. Sack Potter and put NSC in charge, the team to be picked and substitutions to be made by NSC poll.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Another negative thread, was it really needed?
We are just 2 points behind tracker. To the the half empty guys, perhaps you need to reset your expectation this season to survival and not top ten, this is still work in progress.

You will feel so much better for it.