[Albion] Evan Ferguson

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

I know TB's retained some shares, but I don't feel our links with USG are what they were. I think we, as Brighton fans, wee much more interested in USG when it was a TB project.

It still is a TB project. Tony was hands off as it was and didn’t sit on the board even when he was the majority owner. He transferred/sold some of his shares to his business partner who is their chairman to reduce his concern in USG below the UEFA threshold.

We’ve also not been able to trade players between the clubs because of the embargo put in place by UEFA as part of the ruling made last summer. That expires when the January window opens so we will be free to move players between the clubs again. I’m sure it will become a thing again.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Should have shot in the first half....frustrating performance tbh

 

[GT49er]

It still is a TB project. Tony was hands off as it was and didn’t sit on the board even when he was the majority owner. He transferred/sold some of his shares to his business partner who is their chairman to reduce his concern in USG below the UEFA threshold.

We’ve also not been able to trade players between the clubs because of the embargo put in place by UEFA as part of the ruling made last summer. That expires when the January window opens so we will be free to move players between the clubs again. I’m sure it will become a thing again.

Yes, I know the transfer window opens again in January for Brighton-USG transfers and loans. It feels like interest in USG on here has waned considerably since the moratorium and TB's downsizing though.
Will it revive again? We'll see - I'm not sure it will (and yes, that is just my personal gut feeling, based on very little!)

 

[jcdenton08]

Hmm might be some merit in this now. The chance he laid off to Mitoma was criminal - a decent centre forward with the goal at his mercy would bury it.

We wouldn’t be saying this if Mitoma had scored, which he really should have (of).

He was off-balance and would’ve had to take it on his left with players in front of him.

Had Mitoma scored, he’d be praised for his unselfishness and decision making. Such are the fine margins in football.

 

[AZ Gull]

has Bobby started his new role yet ?!

He had been in that role for a little while before it was announced, so yes.

 

[US Seagull]

We wouldn’t be saying this if Mitoma had scored, which he really should have (of).

He was off-balance and would’ve had to take it on his left with players in front of him.

Had Mitoma scored, he’d be praised for his unselfishness and decision making. Such are the fine margins in football.

I was going to say something similar. It wasn't really a poor decision. Mitoma was as good, if not better placed to actually take the shot, after Ferguson had drawn all the attention to himself. Mitoma should have done better. Mitoma's got a free pass on that one as everybody would rather lament Ferguson's lack of killer instinct.

I think the issue, though, is that you need a striker to be, at least, a little bit greedy. If you gave the ball to Welbeck in the same position, he'll probably take the shot. If you gave the ball to Vardy in that position, he would definitely take the shot.

So it's not that Ferguson necessarily made a bad decision, it that the decision he made suggested a lack of confidence in himself.

And yeah, if Mitoma had buried it, we wouldn't even be talking about Ferguson's lack of confidence and instead celebrating a brilliant assist.

 

[Justice]

Now Welbeck’s goals have predictably dried up we will need to play him back into form.

 

[Zeberdi]

Evan’s problem is he seems not to know whether he should be either an intuitive finisher or a strong target man able to hold off defenders and free up the creative players around him

Indeed.

The difficulty for Evan I think, is our goal scoring system now (and was becoming increasingly so under RDZ) is very widely distributed; inverted wingers cutting inside to score and FBs playing wingbacks can leave a traditional 9 like Evan feeling bit redundant in a final third overloaded in central areas with wide attacking players all shooting at goal. Evan can still have the impact of a false 9 even when not scoring goals - he attracts defenders which creates space for others but that also makes it difficult for him to attack the space and be the ‘intuitive finisher’ I think he really wants to be. That pass to Mitoma, while I think a confidence issue, was also about being confused about his role.

I think he needs to work out what he is (or we need to work out what his best role is) and either work on the finishing side or hit the gym and bulk up

I think in the system we (and many other clubs play now) he probably needs to do both - he needs a closer pairing/understanding with eg Rutter who is the perfect unselfish assist man for a traditional striker but also fight more for possession from big defenders. In possession, one of the weaker aspects of Evan’s game is as a deep lying holding player and that’s not his natural style but imo, he does need to start attacks from the number 10 position more instead of hovering around the penalty area waiting for someone to pass him the ball.

He will evolve, I am sure.

 

[Seasider78]

Like Connelly he has had decent spells in the first team in the PL that now make it hard to create a pathway to playing regularly. Unlike Connelly he seems to have his head screwed on so hopefully we can sort a decent loan that gets him playing and scoring regularly as he is a top talent that needs minutes that he will not get here.

 

[dazzer6666]

Problem with loaning him out is it’s not much of a step at all to see us losing both JP and Danny to injury……….

 

[fleet]

Still can't believe he did that. Feel for him but he didn't do himself any favours. Centre of goal just smash it!

If Mitoma had put it away (and he should have) then it wouldnt be a point of criticism would it?

 

[JBizzle]

If Mitoma had put it away (and he should have) then it wouldnt be a point of criticism would it?

This now two games in a row where we've said "if Mitoma had put it away", and it's not just him.

I'm getting very tired of our players missing sitters time and again.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Problem with loaning him out is it’s not much of a step at all to see us losing both JP and Danny to injury……….

But even if that did happen, is he even the next best option? Not at the moment.

Loan him out.

 

[dazzer6666]

But even if that did happen, is he even the next best option? Not at the moment.

Loan him out.

He might be, given some minutes and finding a bit of form.............

 

[Milano]

Now Welbeck’s goals have predictably dried up we will need to play him back into form.

Predictably dried up??!!! What you mean Fulham where he didn't play and Leicester where he played for 15 minutes?

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Predictably dried up??!!! What you mean Fulham where he didn't play and Leicester where he played for 15 minutes?

Welbeck hasn’t scored since the Wolves game, just one assist against Liverpool in his last 5 appearances.

However the poster is constantly negative about Danny Welbeck so will completely ignore the other aspects of his play which are excellent (like his involvement in both goals against Bournemouth) and just use his goal record as a stick to beat him with hence the use of the phrase “predictably dried up”.

 

[chickens]

He might be, given some minutes and finding a bit of form.............

It could work either way though. If he works his way through whatever’s holding him back and finds some form and fitness that would be brilliant.

If however, the games keep happening around him without him getting involved, how long before our narkier element start getting properly on his back?

There has to be something going on there, he just seems so passive compared to a year ago.

 

[METALMICKY]

Problem with loaning him out is it’s not much of a step at all to see us losing both JP and Danny to injury……….

That's the massive dilemma

 

[London Irish]

Didn't play well, but the case for being patient is unaltered nonetheless

 

[Professor Plum]

He’s obviously going through a difficult spell but we all know how good he can be. It seems to be a confidence issue in part so I’d be ok with him being loaned out to say a Championship side for a while to get him back into scoring, and into a better frame of mind.