[Albion] Does anyone want to go down to The Championship?

[Pavilionaire]

In the short term - 2-3 years - I want us to stay in the Premier League and I don't care how we do it because that will solidify everything about this club, give us credibility and exposure

However, nobody wants to watch dull football indefinitely. My hope is that Tony Bloom will set the manager incrementally more difficult challenges which - by definition - will mean achieving more points, and you can only achieve more points by winning more matches which - ergo - means more attractive football.

The club wouldn't have a problem if having finished 15th last season and, say, 14th this season, then 13th next if they went for a more attacking style in Year 4 in order to break into the Top 10 and ended up finishing 17th. Even if we were relegated in Year 4 I think nobody could complain as there's no point being in the division just to make up the numbers.

The main thing is that the club doesn't cripple itself financially in chasing that Top 10 finish so it is in a position that if we get relegated we remain competitive in the Championship. Clubs like Burnley, WBA, Norwich and Watford get this point while others have tumbled into the Championship in a sea of debt, never to recover - i.e. Bolton Wanderers.

 

[crookie]

Was last season that different in terms of football. ? I’m struggling with this view that it was vastly different - when exactly was all those games where we and it was some high watermark ? We won the same amount of games (9) and ideally will win a few more this year, but lost a lot of miserable ones, a lot. Remember West Brom away ? Leicester at home ? And Chelsea/Liverpool at home ? Murray’s goals kept us up and at least this year we beat Palace twice, a cup semi final , And Man Utd again.

Of course get back to me in a few weeks if we lose the last 7 and Cardiff nick it.

Memorable home games last year - West Brom, Swansea, west Ham, Arsenal, Man Utd.
Memorable home games this year - Man Utd and Palace.

Every other win has been by the odd goal, a slog or backs to the wall.

Just my opinion, hardly waving the white flag, but plenty of games were easier on the eye, and nerves last season, so for me, that is regression

 

[Geestar]

Championship for me.

Premier League is boring.

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[Gilliver's Travels]

The rest of your life must be pretty amazing if your trips to The Amex for Premier League matches over the past two years have been "dull".

I'm referring to the dullness of the playing style - not the Amex experience itself which, bearing in mind all of our past travails, has always been amazing.

 

[The_Viper]

Knowing where we have been and what we've gone through financially, the fact that ANYONE would be fine or happy with us going down baffles me. Playing in the Championship isn't sustainable for us, we saw that in the financials year on year. More entertaining footy? Probably. More wins? Definitely. Easier chance of getting tickets? Absolutely. Financial strife and upheaval in our future if we don't bounce back up? Nailed on.

 

[trueblue]

The club wouldn't have a problem if having finished 15th last season and, say, 14th this season, then 13th next if they went for a more attacking style in Year 4 in order to break into the Top 10 and ended up finishing 17th. Even if we were relegated in Year 4 I think nobody could complain as there's no point being in the division just to make up the numbers.

I agree with some of what you say but I think ultimately, bar a handful of clubs, the majority of the Premier League are there - and always will be - to 'make up the numbers'. Personally, I don't see a problem with that if we can reach a level where occasionally we can shock one or two of the so-called 'Big Six' in a season and be competitive on the road in the other games, as well as at home. I enjoy seeing us take on some of the world's best players, even if they're beating us - it's like having 12 glamour Cup ties a season. Then we have the other 'less glamorous' games that are actually the most important, plus the opportunity for Cup runs. So there's plenty to enjoy. And in the long term, European football is even a possibility. The pattern you've outlined is the one several clubs have tried... gradual improvement, decide they have to aim for a more expansive style to take on the big boys at their own game (forgetting that financially they're on a different planet), get relegated. It's not worked out well for most of them.

Sure, it's great winning every week in the Championship - if it shapes up that way - but as the prize is promotion back to the league some people seemingly don't want to be in, what would be the point?

 

[Barham's tash]

I predict we will get 3 more points this season, 1 against Bmuff, 1 against Cardiff and 1 against Newcastle.
So once again we rely on those around us to keep us safe!

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Once again? We didn’t last year.... and may well not this season.

 

[Jackthelad]

The Championship is brutal and sometimes even bigger teams can struggle and drop to League One, **** knows why anyone would want to risk that and lose all our good players.

 

[portslade seagull]

I don't want us too but the way we are playing makes it a possibility

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

*Disaster Fanaticism* is not for me.

I'd prefer to be the best we can be.

 

[Puppet Master]

You are probably fishing but we were singing the 'proper' version in the championship.

Not fishing it all, it's been going up and we'll win the cup ever since I've been following the club. Really irks me the new hangers on have decided to morph it into the non-football version.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Not fishing it all, it's been going up and we'll win the cup ever since I've been following the club. Really irks me the new hangers on have decided to morph it into the non-football version.

Fair enough. But I have been going since 1973 and am probably not considered a hanger-on, and I love the real words rather than the nonsensical ones we used to sing. There are established fans around me who feel the same.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

Preparing the mind for the inevitable is understandable. Next season (and future seasons), if we survive, a big factor is how the promoted sides from Championship adapt. We will probably need a couple a season (like this one, hopefully) to fail. If it’s like last season and all survive...well

 

[chaileyjem]

I don't want us too but the way we are playing makes it a possibility

At the moment it’s always a possibility. That’s how it is. And probably might be more related that our transfer fee and wage budget is in the Hudds/Burnley (ie: the bottom) bracket not West Ham/Everton let alone top 6

There’s one way out of that -
It’s not to “go for it “ -
It’s not to sack our most successful manager ever
It’s not to glibly hope that we seek someone who will “attack”
It’s not to expect Tony Bloom to lend even more ££ and make club wages unsustainable

It is to invest in the best people (scouts, manager, directors of football)
Hope the investment in academy pays off.
Be progressive - and diverse - we are Brighton and that matters to the city.
Invest in the fans - all manner of valid gripes about over reaching with safety and flasks doesn’t hide that the Amex has the best experience going.
Be patient.

And yes, remember ..Enjoy tomorrow ...my Dad is 82 and can’t go to Wembley. He’s not mobile enough
Anymore but he sits next to me for every other game and sat next to me in 83. These are once in a lifetime moments. And it’s Bloom and Hughton who I trust will bring us a few more...

 

[attila]

I don't want us to go down. Like all fans I want my team to win as many games as possible, and I'm very proud of where we are.
But if you offered me a an astonishing semi final win v Man City, a Cup Final victory and a Europa League adventure in exchange for relegation back to the Championship where every game is unpredictable and the league isn’t a boring procession where money dictates nine results out of ten I'd say 'yes please!!'

 

[Lush]

If (when) we stay up, next season will be better, as the money comes in. And the season after that better still.

 

[BLOCK F]

At the moment it’s always a possibility. That’s how it is. And probably might be more related that our transfer fee and wage budget is in the Hudds/Burnley (ie: the bottom) bracket not West Ham/Everton let alone top 6

There’s one way out of that -
It’s not to “go for it “ -
It’s not to sack our most successful manager ever
It’s not to glibly hope that we seek someone who will “attack”
It’s not to expect Tony Bloom to lend even more ££ and make club wages unsustainable

It is to invest in the best people (scouts, manager, directors of football)
Hope the investment in academy pays off.
Be progressive - and diverse - we are Brighton and that matters to the city.
Invest in the fans - all manner of valid gripes about over reaching with safety and flasks doesn’t hide that the Amex has the best experience going.
Be patient.

And yes, remember ..Enjoy tomorrow ...my Dad is 82 and can’t go to Wembley. He’s not mobile enough
Anymore but he sits next to me for every other game and sat next to me in 83. These are once in a lifetime moments. And it’s Bloom and Hughton who I trust will bring us a few more...

The above to be sung in stirring fashion a la 'Land of Hope and Glory'.

 

[Mackenzie]

Not really worth its own thread, so I tagged this on here. I’ve not really been paying much attention to the championship, I knew Norwich and Watford were doing well, but having a look this morning I was a bit surprised at seeing Barnsley in 5th. Not really heard them mentioned at all this season.

Perhaps it’s just me.

 

[Nameless]

I personally wouldn't be too bothered if we did get relegated because I like the championship and think we're one of the bigger fish in that pond. However, the ambition of the club is to be a premier league mainstay then that has to be the ambition of the fanbase too.

 

[amexer]

Would not be concerned if we were in the championship. However do enjoy seeing us compete against worlds best teams and players. All very well having vision of academy players coming through but reality is very very few will be given a chance all the time we are desperate for points every game which has been the case for 4 years This is very frustrating