[Albion] Going too early?

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Yes, a bit too early.

However, if - massive if - we somehow manage to beat Leicester, I'll start to believe the hype and be very excited for the following 3 games - Palace, Arsenal, Norwich.

The potential for a VERY strong start to the season here.

Given the thread title, If we win the games you suggest we might, I think i'll be going off too early as well

 

[Super Steve Earle]

I can't honestly say I expected us to win 3 out of our first 4 games regardless of opposition, because taking expected results in isolation is rarely how it works out. Last year we didn't win a game against the bottom 4, yet beat Man City, drew with Chelsea, beat Liverpool and so on. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see us lose to Norwich, nick a point at home to Man City, beat Liverpool and get absolutely battered at home by Arsenal.

I'm not 100% convinced we need a striker all the while our xG is better than our opponents in most games and while our goals are shared out in a ratio you might expect (we've scored 5 this season, 2 by forwards, 2 by midfields and 1 by a defender). And before anyone mocks the whole xG thing, last season it was an excellent indicator of how good a team was across the Premier League, it was just that unfortunately we were the exception that proves the rule. If this season is anything to go by, it's somebody else's turn to act as the outlier.

I can honestly say that I said to a Man U fan friend (lives locally obvs) that with a fair wind I could see us winning the first six. Frankly I'm chuffed as nuts with 3 from 4. I didn't expect Everton to be so good and we lost fair and square. Could still win the other 2 though (with a fair wind).

 

[Mellotron]

Yeh, but their attack is similarly better than ours. 50/50 game at our place

I don't think their attack is as better than ours as our defence is theirs....if that makes any sense at all.

Basically if our defence plays as well as it can, I think we will win the game. I just think they're a side we have no fear of atm.

 

[MJsGhost]

It's definitely way too early - Southampton were 4th after 12 games last season (23 points).

OK, so they stayed up, but they also showed that even extended early season form is no guarantee that the wheels won't come off - 20 points from their next 26 games!

(And I say this as someone who believes in Potter and also has a generally optimistic outlook)

 

[Hamilton]

In past seasons those opening fixtures against opposition where we should be looking to pick up points, might have only bought us 3 or 4 points. To have 9 is fantastic.

The question is whether that's good fortune or portent of a better underlying performance. Tony Bloom doesn't believe in luck (well not entirely). His future is built on trends and reading the market.

It's maybe not time for triumphalism, but definitely time for positivity, despite not having a striker. If we can knock out 6-9 points over the next 6 games, then we'll be in a comfortable mid to upper place in the league. That will feel good. Anymore than that, then I'm totally up for triumphalism.

As Micky Adams (I think it was he) said - and I'm sure many have - wait and see where you are after 10 games and you'll have a good idea of where you'll finish at the end of the year. I don't know if stats play that out, but it feels right.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

This bit reads as though we've only ever had five top flight seasons...unless it's just me:

'and they’ve never had more than nine points after eight games in any of their four previous seasons in the top flight.'

 

[GT49er]

Never got into this Naylor bashing lark. He's a Stoke fan, osn't he? So have a bit of compassion! The article does reflect the fact that we're sharing the goals around a bit, with goals coming from midfielders - young midfielders like Moder and Mac Allister with an eye to goal, and who are often found in the opposition penalty area in open play and for that reason alone are an upgrade on a midfield pairing of, say, Stephens and Propper. There were times - not all that long ago - that Brighton midfielders seemed to never venture that far upfield. It's progress - and that's all at this stage.
Now we'll have to wait and see how far that progress takes us!

 

[Lethargic]

Its an article for the sake of an article in my view and definitely too early to judge.

If I am not mistaken both Welbeck and Maupay started on Saturday which is 2/3rds of our entire strike force so the notion that we are playing without a perceived No9 is a bit of a stretch. Yes I know neither is a recognised out and out central striker but we have not had one of them for a while so its nothing new also are we now saying that if we could have signed Lukaku (yes I know we cant afford him used to illustrate) we wouldn't become he is a recognised No9?

As is typical of football it is not a case of 1 thing solves all problems last year we suffered from a lack of goals throughout the team, this year it appears that we might be improving in our all round attacking play so more individuals will score but to state its confounding the critics is a bit media sensationalism.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

17/18 W2 D5 11pts
18/19 W3 D4 13pts
19/20 W4 D7 19pts
20/21 W5 D5 20pts

21/22 2 away wins already. It's the improvement year on year that shows we are adapting to the league away from home. Problem is we have gone the other way at home. We struggle to breakdown teams that sit back and this shows at home the most.

 

[Simster]

I totally get what you're saying but I just can't see this. If anything it's the game I'm most confident about. Arsenal's defence is LIGHTYEARS behind ours atm. I genuinely think it'll be a comfortable win.

Yes we should be confident, but if we don't turn up and they do then we could be comfortably beaten.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I actually agree with the article and was one of only a few on here who wasn't bothered whether we did sign a striker.

But it clearly is too early for this type of article and is actually just Naylor having one of his subtle digs at the fans again as he so loves to do.

I disagree with the article, and would suggest having two GKs and Locadia on the bench is the very reason why we need better more depth and quality up front.
The same issue re finishing appeared again on Saturday with Welbeck, and I wonder whether we'd have been forgiving it we'd lost 1-0.

 

[GT49er]

This bit reads as though we've only ever had five top flight seasons...unless it's just me:

'and they’ve never had more than nine points after eight games in any of their four previous seasons in the top flight.'

We had 9 points from 8 games twice out of four seasons in our first stint at the top - once was the season we got relegated!

(The other two seasons would have been exceptional going, with only two points for a win!)

 

[MJsGhost]

This bit reads as though we've only ever had five top flight seasons...unless it's just me:

'and they’ve never had more than nine points after eight games in any of their four previous seasons in the top flight.'

As everyone should know, football was only invented in 1992

He starts off the paragraph specifying "Premier League", then changes to "top flight"

The unprecedented nature of the club’s eye-catching launch to their fifth campaign in the Premier League is highlighted by one outstanding statistic — they already have nine points following Saturday’s 1-0 victory away to Brentford and they’ve never had more than nine points after eight games in any of their four previous seasons in the top flight.​

It would make sense if he just wrote:
The unprecedented nature of the club’s eye-catching launch to their fifth campaign in the Premier League is highlighted by one outstanding statistic — they already have nine points following Saturday’s 1-0 victory away to Brentford and they haven't had more than nine points after eight games in their four previous seasons.

He's not alone in padding out the articles with extra verbiage - I reckon Athletic contributors have big weekly/monthly word count targets...

 

[Soul Finger]

The "see - they didn't need to buy another striker" is the point I feel it's a bit too soon to be making a call on.

(I didn't really get that across very well in the opening post)

Hindsight/retrospect is a wonderful thing...

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I disagree with the article, and would suggest having two GKs and Locadia on the bench is the very reason why we need better more depth and quality up front.
The same issue re finishing appeared again on Saturday with Welbeck, and I wonder whether we'd have been forgiving it we'd lost 1-0.

2 goalies on the bench because of this stupid 9 subs thing, it's unnecessary. And why shouldn't Locadia be on the bench?

Also, that wasn't an easy chance for Welbeck at all. He hit it a bit tamely in the end but it was no more than half a chance.

And the issue on Saturday wasn't about finishing or taking chances. If you're going to be critical of our performance it would be that we didn't pass well enough or create much at all.

 

[PHCgull]

Waaaay too early.


The weakness of our bench on saturday, when we included two keepers and an occasional DJ, puts us a couple of injuries away from panic stations...

 

[chaileyjem]

If I am not mistaken both Welbeck and Maupay started on Saturday which is 2/3rds of our entire strike force .

And Locadia was on the bench and Connolly was absent (presumably still injured and not risked).
Like it or not we have 4 senior strikers now and thats before you get into the argument of whether Trossard - who mostly played as a central forward on Saturday is in fact a centre forward.

 

[Clive Walker]

we have played 2 or 3 decent halves of football this season. We have been poor in large parts of matches,

not complaining about the points tally though.

 

[chaileyjem]

Waaaay too early.


The weakness of our bench on saturday, when we included two keepers and an occasional DJ, puts us a couple of injuries away from panic stations...

Potter brought on from the bench a Polish international who provided the assist to the assist, an Argentinian international who provided the assist, and a wing back who's made 114 appearances in the Premier League and not far off our player of the year last season. He also had sitting there another international who last year scored the winner against Liverpool as well as a 19 and 20 year old who are some of the brightest prospects from the club in a long while. Panic stations indeed.

 

[smiler]

In my usual way just another 31 points to avoid relegation . Not getting carried away here. Although very pleased with how things are going