Dandyman
In London village.
Brighton stay top despite falling to resurgent Birmingham City | Jeremy Alexander | Football | The Guardian
Logic has long given up on football, especially the Championship. Results do not conform to a pattern, let alone to the table. Thus Birmingham City, on the back of a 5-0 home defeat by Barnsley, went to Brighton, who had beaten Barnsley 5-1 a month before, and beat them 1-0. Brighton had won their previous five matches. They still top the table. But on Saturday evening the Seagulls, while mobbing City throughout, were all squawk and no peck.
Gus Poyet made no excuses. "Birmingham had a plan, scored a spectacular goal, so credit to them," the manager said. "We had chances to create something and didn't. They were compact – too many legs – and we couldn't get through them. You need not only quality but a special person, a special moment." City, wearing black after Barnsley, had just that. When Gordon Greer headed out a free-kick in the 27th minute Chris Burke volleyed home.
Statistics confirm Poyet's assessment – 12 corners to nil, 10 offsides to nil, two shots on target out of eight, neither threatening. Birmingham's defence, reduced by injury to "square pegs in round holes" the previous week, according to their manager, Lee Clark, owed Jack Butland that. Those five goals were conceded in 24 minutes. Clark was "delighted with the response after a totally abject performance. We couldn't dwell on Barnsley too long. There's too much quality at Brighton and we'd get another spanking" – and after Nick Clegg Brighton had had enough apologies for one week.
City might nonetheless have had such a spanking here if, in the first minute, Iñigo Calderón had not scuffed his shot from a corner routine that caught them napping. There was a repeat straight after the goal. And twice when Brighton did beat the offside trap, the runner crossed too soon. Craig Mackail-Smith, scorer of six goals, was missing with injury and starting with Plan B – Barnes, Bridcutt, Bridge and Buckley – promised more than it produced, though Wayne Bridge, in the wilderness since a previous John Terry scandal, played with conspicuous glee.
For all his cool elegance, tearing overlaps and even cuts inside, Brighton could not remove the pegs. At first they were patient to a fault – four times in succession Adam El-Abd played the ball to a midfielder who played it straight back. Possession is fine, penetration necessary. "We waited too long to raise the tempo," Poyet said. In fact they did not do so until after a floodlight failure delayed the second half for 25 minutes. Perhaps Poyet had switched plugs to charge his team. "We took more risks than in any other game in the second half," he said. "We got beyond their full-backs 10 times but our final passes were poor."
The two clubs entered the Championship last year from different directions and continue along them now after a season in which Birmingham, previously yo-yo, finished fourth under Chris Hughton after playing in the Europa League and Brighton came 10th after topping the table, as again, after six games. In May 2009 Tony Bloom, whose poker face propelled Brighton into the Amex Stadium last year, had become chairman, five months before Carson Yeung completed his takeover of City. When Poyet was appointed that November, Brighton were 20th in League One. Two years ago this weekend they were playing Tranmere as City met Everton.
Last season City's average attendance fell from 25,461 to 19,126. Brighton's rose from 7,351 at the Withdean to 20,027. On Saturday it was 26,121 as capacity increases towards 30,000. "This club is unrecognisable since Gus has come through the door," said Clark (there barely was a door at the Withdean). With luck on Monday evening, there is more to come as the club learn whether plans for a £29m training ground and academy are approved by Adur District Council. Martin Perry, managing director, calls it "our biggest match of the season". What would City give for such prospects?
On Tuesday they go to Cardiff as Brighton host Ipswich, dangerously 23rd in a table in which 18 of the 24 clubs have tasted the Premier League and 11 points cover the top 23. Poyet, invited to complain about a penalty possibility, said: "I'm not going to get upset with one foul in 90 minutes. It was one of the quietest games on the bench, which says enough." Grace and generosity have not given up on the Championship.
Logic has long given up on football, especially the Championship. Results do not conform to a pattern, let alone to the table. Thus Birmingham City, on the back of a 5-0 home defeat by Barnsley, went to Brighton, who had beaten Barnsley 5-1 a month before, and beat them 1-0. Brighton had won their previous five matches. They still top the table. But on Saturday evening the Seagulls, while mobbing City throughout, were all squawk and no peck.
Gus Poyet made no excuses. "Birmingham had a plan, scored a spectacular goal, so credit to them," the manager said. "We had chances to create something and didn't. They were compact – too many legs – and we couldn't get through them. You need not only quality but a special person, a special moment." City, wearing black after Barnsley, had just that. When Gordon Greer headed out a free-kick in the 27th minute Chris Burke volleyed home.
Statistics confirm Poyet's assessment – 12 corners to nil, 10 offsides to nil, two shots on target out of eight, neither threatening. Birmingham's defence, reduced by injury to "square pegs in round holes" the previous week, according to their manager, Lee Clark, owed Jack Butland that. Those five goals were conceded in 24 minutes. Clark was "delighted with the response after a totally abject performance. We couldn't dwell on Barnsley too long. There's too much quality at Brighton and we'd get another spanking" – and after Nick Clegg Brighton had had enough apologies for one week.
City might nonetheless have had such a spanking here if, in the first minute, Iñigo Calderón had not scuffed his shot from a corner routine that caught them napping. There was a repeat straight after the goal. And twice when Brighton did beat the offside trap, the runner crossed too soon. Craig Mackail-Smith, scorer of six goals, was missing with injury and starting with Plan B – Barnes, Bridcutt, Bridge and Buckley – promised more than it produced, though Wayne Bridge, in the wilderness since a previous John Terry scandal, played with conspicuous glee.
For all his cool elegance, tearing overlaps and even cuts inside, Brighton could not remove the pegs. At first they were patient to a fault – four times in succession Adam El-Abd played the ball to a midfielder who played it straight back. Possession is fine, penetration necessary. "We waited too long to raise the tempo," Poyet said. In fact they did not do so until after a floodlight failure delayed the second half for 25 minutes. Perhaps Poyet had switched plugs to charge his team. "We took more risks than in any other game in the second half," he said. "We got beyond their full-backs 10 times but our final passes were poor."
The two clubs entered the Championship last year from different directions and continue along them now after a season in which Birmingham, previously yo-yo, finished fourth under Chris Hughton after playing in the Europa League and Brighton came 10th after topping the table, as again, after six games. In May 2009 Tony Bloom, whose poker face propelled Brighton into the Amex Stadium last year, had become chairman, five months before Carson Yeung completed his takeover of City. When Poyet was appointed that November, Brighton were 20th in League One. Two years ago this weekend they were playing Tranmere as City met Everton.
Last season City's average attendance fell from 25,461 to 19,126. Brighton's rose from 7,351 at the Withdean to 20,027. On Saturday it was 26,121 as capacity increases towards 30,000. "This club is unrecognisable since Gus has come through the door," said Clark (there barely was a door at the Withdean). With luck on Monday evening, there is more to come as the club learn whether plans for a £29m training ground and academy are approved by Adur District Council. Martin Perry, managing director, calls it "our biggest match of the season". What would City give for such prospects?
On Tuesday they go to Cardiff as Brighton host Ipswich, dangerously 23rd in a table in which 18 of the 24 clubs have tasted the Premier League and 11 points cover the top 23. Poyet, invited to complain about a penalty possibility, said: "I'm not going to get upset with one foul in 90 minutes. It was one of the quietest games on the bench, which says enough." Grace and generosity have not given up on the Championship.
