[Brighton] Graham Potter

[Falmer Wizard]

We’ll never know but I suggest Klopp and Pep would struggle to do more than keep us up with our choice of forwards

Its all we can afford!!!!!!!

 

[albionalex]

[emoji106] our club is at the apex moment in its history to date. We’re playing better football then has ever been seen in the lifetimes of some of our younger fans.

Our squad is ever improving and is full of exciting young talent. Our academy is starting to pay dividends and we have some genuine elite players in our first team. Captained by one of our own, Biss and Sanchez potentially can go all the way. We have a forward thinking manager who’s not afraid to go at any team and who’s own reputation is starting to blossom in this country. And of course we have the best chairman in the league.

Aside from the lack of a new striker(!), I continue to be perplexed how anyone could be negative about anything going on with our club right now.

Man City might win the quadruple this year. Are their fans not allowed to make valid observations that might not be positive?

 

[vagabond]

I’m not picking on you. I’m making an educated guess on how the likes of [MENTION=19]Icy Gull[/MENTION], [MENTION=38362]vagabond[/MENTION] and [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION] process an Albion draw where we played well, but a load of half chances were missed. [Typical this season].

Instead of focusing on how Potter allegedly caused that catastrophic failure to tuck away the chances, instead I think they might dwell on the quality build up play, metrics showing we’re far more creative than we used to be and how next time out we might improve.

It’s a lucky trait. Not saying I have that, but I don’t know why .... I feel the club’s in a good place on every level.

I think it’s also looking at the long term trends, the improvements are all there to see across the club. GP has no qualms putting faith in young players and we’re dominating most games. We can now give anyone a game.

The challenge is to turn some of our many draws into wins. It’s fine margins and we’re close.

 

[Icy Gull]

I’m not picking on you. I’m making an educated guess on how the likes of [MENTION=19]Icy Gull[/MENTION], [MENTION=38362]vagabond[/MENTION] and [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION] process an Albion draw where we played well, but a load of half chances were missed. [Typical this season].

Instead of focusing on how Potter allegedly caused that catastrophic failure to tuck away the chances, instead I think they might dwell on the quality build up play, metrics showing we’re far more creative than we used to be and how next time out we might improve.

It’s a lucky trait. Not saying I have that, but I don’t know why .... I feel the club’s in a good place on every level.

For me, we are at the pinnacle of my time watching the Albion. I hope it gets better still but it’s the best it’s ever been for me and it could just as easily go downhill again I know. I am loving watching us, warts and all, I make no apology for it but struggle to comprehend the negativity of some. We have no divine right to be an established PL team, but I believe we have a good shot at becoming one. Slowly slowly catchy monkey

 

[andy1980]

I’m not picking on you. I’m making an educated guess on how the likes of [MENTION=19]Icy Gull[/MENTION], [MENTION=38362]vagabond[/MENTION] and [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION] process an Albion draw where we played well, but a load of half chances were missed. [Typical this season].

Instead of focusing on how Potter allegedly caused that catastrophic failure to tuck away the chances, instead I think they might dwell on the quality build up play, metrics showing we’re far more creative than we used to be and how next time out we might improve.

It’s a lucky trait. Not saying I have that, but I don’t know why .... I feel the club’s in a good place on every level.

I 100% believe Potter is the right man for now. I don't think he will take us down and I haven't seen anything to suggest he can take us anything higher than 13th on a good season. We play good football and he is doing a good job giving our youngsters a chance.

Our long term aim is to be in the top 10. We ain't a big enough club to have a top 10 budget. Long term we need a manager who is good enough to give us those extra few places in some way. That is what makes a very good manager. I have not seen that in Potter yet. Infact he doesn't seem to have the fire in his belly to push himself that little bit further.

I believe that is a balanced view looking at his pros and cons. Hes a decent manager but nothing special so far.

 

[Icy Gull]

Man City might win the quadruple this year. Are their fans not allowed to make valid observations that might not be positive?

Yes because they can buy any player they wish to, and generally do. They also have the pick of managers, should they wish. Expectations are through the roof because of that. We have to make do with what’s left after the big boys have had their pick so need to be more realistic in our expectations of what our manager should be achieving.

 

[Weststander]

And this is why I very much dislike the binary camps of "Potter Ins" and "Potter Outs".

If the guy can turn the nice football and the clearly high esteem he's held in, to more wins next season then happy days. And, as a Brighton fan before a fan of any individual manager, coach or player I hope he does.

But another season of "33 points after 31 games, 16th place" would only confirm a theory that I have that, in terms of the men's first XI you could probably put any other current Premier League coach of sides around us in charge and, with three exceptions, get the same place in the table,

I'll take Heckingbottom out of that, because new and currently trying to turn an agricultural, overlapping Sheffield United side into Barca. Oops. I'll take Bruce out because no one rates him apart from, seemingly, Mike Ashley. And Dyche would never work here. But I reckon Allerdyce, Hasenhüttl, Smith, Parker and even Roy would have us about where we are right now. And probably Arteta too. Obviously your Klopps and Peps are not realistic, but when people on here state "who would you have instead?", if you could poach anyone from in and around us the question quickly becomes "who wouldn't you have?".

Which is a very long winded way of saying I don't hold for a minute with THPP's suggestion that he's another Sami but I also do not hold with the Cult of Potter that he's irreplaceable.

In the winter when we were loss specialists and in fact not playing that well (second halves against WBA and Stains spring to mind, etc), I concurred with your posts.

Essentially, we all want to see wins. There’s no greater football feeling of a Friday evening or Saturday win, setting up an amazing weekend.

Those who don’t mind losses too much because “they’re pinching themselves that BHAFC arr part of the greatest show on earth and isn’t it wonderful seeing Eden Hazard in the flesh” ..... are a new phenomenon and a minority imho. Winning is everything, second is nowhere.

Allardyce may well have got more wins out of this squad this season, who knows. A very experienced campaigner, he knows how to chisel out unlikely wins. Hodgson is the same. But it comes across as short term, their fans moan about the crap on show.

I see that TB has set us on course with a longer term project. The strategy; to play more attractive football, play youth, be closer to financial sustainability, to have a distinctive style of play from kids to seniors.

My instinct is that next season, should we stay up, Potter will deliver far more of those happy weekends.

 

[Guinness Boy]

We’ll never know but I suggest Klopp and Pep would struggle to do more than keep us up with our choice of forwards

And as per my other post they are unrealistic hires, and the counterpoint is that Parker, Smith, Hasenhüttl et al would do no worse.

However, I would expect, if we magicly hired Klopp or Pep, is for them to sit on the recruitment team until they landed the sort of player that could regularly finish the sort of chance they wanted to create. Just because a Head Coach doesn't have full recruitment responsibility does NOT absolve him of responsibility for poor recruitment.

Klopp and Pep also give the lie to the trope that [MENTION=1647]b.w.2.[/MENTION] and others come up with about a big name "proper" striker. They don't have one. False 9s all round. Yet they score plenty.

 

[albionalex]

Yes because they can buy any player they wish to, and generally do. They also have the pick of managers, should they wish. Expectations are through the roof because of that. We have to make do with what’s left after the big boys have had their pick so need to be more realistic in our expectations of what our manager should be achieving.

So we cannot say anything factual about Potter that might not be positive because we don't have the biggest budget. Interesting.

 

[Weststander]

For me, we are at the pinnacle of my time watching the Albion. I hope it gets better still but it’s the best it’s ever been for me and it could just as easily go downhill again I know. I am loving watching us, warts and all, I make no apology for it but struggle to comprehend the negativity of some. We have no divine right to be an established PL team, but I believe we have a good shot at becoming one. Slowly slowly catchy monkey

I agree, although Jan 2015 to Easter 2017 was near perfection for me.

Aug 79 to May 83 was a bit rubbish really. Two or three wins over Liverpool, seems the only fond league memory for everyone. We struggled from that very first day Brighton 0-4 Arsenal, even the Mike Bailey season, everyone moaned like hell about awful football. We were basically outgunned on finances and squad quality .... some things never change.

I’ve found the last few months under Potter overall very satisfying. Despite key injuries, I think things are finally coming together.

 

[vagabond]

Might be surprising to some of his critics here, but I do consider myself balanced with our manager. There’s undoubted weaknesses I’d like to see him address in the team. There’s a mental fragility in our players. An inability to hold leads. Last gasp conceded equalisers. Late substitutions. And being overly loyal to Maupay (although that may be more an issue with recruitment).

The good thing about this manager is I believe he recognises and will be working on improving these weaknesses. He does come across as overly nice at times, but has been utterly ruthless with the squad and casting aside any players he feels are detrimental. Matty Ryan being one obvious example, and the decision to bring in Sanchez turned our season around.

 

[Guinness Boy]

In the winter when we were loss specialists and in fact not playing that well (second halves against WBA and Stains spring to mind, etc), I concurred with your posts.

Essentially, we all want to see wins. There’s no greater football feeling of a Friday evening or Saturday win, setting up an amazing weekend.

Those who don’t mind losses too much because “they’re pinching themselves that BHAFC arr part of the greatest show on earth and isn’t it wonderful seeing Eden Hazard in the flesh” ..... are a new phenomenon and a minority imho. Winning is everything, second is nowhere.

I'd like this framed and put on my bathroom door. There is bugger all point in being in this league and being happy to be here. Maybe I've misread other posts but they come across as "I'm perfectly happy for us to lose so long as we play well, after all we can't compete with XYZ". It makes me want to scream.

My instinct is that next season, should we stay up, Potter will deliver far more of those happy weekends.

However, that's where I am now and why I've warmed (back) to him.

 

[Icy Gull]

So we cannot say anything factual about Potter that might not be positive because we don't have the biggest budget. Interesting.

If “factual” means blaming him for the inadequacies of our bargain basement strikers, then no. Moan all you like but don’t blame the manager blame TB

 

[andy1980]

Might be surprising to some of his critics here, but I do consider myself balanced with our manager. There’s undoubted weaknesses I’d like to see him address in the team. There’s a mental fragility in our players. An inability to hold leads. Last gasp conceded equalisers. Late substitutions. And being overly loyal to Maupay (although that may be more an issue with recruitment).

The good thing about this manager is I believe he recognises and will be working on improving these weaknesses. He does come across as overly nice at times, but has been utterly ruthless with the squad and casting aside any players he feels are detrimental. Matty Ryan being one obvious example, and the decision to bring in Sanchez turned our season around.

So what do you see that makes him that something extra special?

 

[vagabond]

For me, we are at the pinnacle of my time watching the Albion. I hope it gets better still but it’s the best it’s ever been for me and it could just as easily go downhill again I know. I am loving watching us, warts and all, I make no apology for it but struggle to comprehend the negativity of some. We have no divine right to be an established PL team, but I believe we have a good shot at becoming one. Slowly slowly catchy monkey

The magic of seeing us at the Goldstone as a kid is pretty hard to beat. And our promotion season with Hughton was very special.

But seeing us go toe to toe with the big boys of English football is something else.

 

[Icy Gull]

I'd like this framed and put on my bathroom door. There is bugger all point in being in this league and being happy to be here. Maybe I've misread other posts but they come across as "I'm perfectly happy for us to lose so long as we play well, after all we can't compete with XYZ". It makes me want to scream.



However, that's where I am now and why I've warmed (back) to him.

we are now competing with everyone rather than shitting ourselves and sticking everyone behind the ball. Would I rather end up 16th and stink the division out or would I rather be entertained and give ourselves a chance but still end up 16th. Feck yeah, but you go ahead and scream away.

I think TB needs to get some of the flak if you really feel the need to complain about the speed of our improvement. From my perspective I have no complaints about either, we’ll get there.

 

[albionalex]

If “factual” means blaming him for the inadequacies of our bargain basement strikers, then no. Moan all you like but don’t blame the manager blame TB

Got it, Potter can do no wrong.

 

[Weststander]

So what do you see that makes him that something extra special?

Potter can down these with the best of them.

 

[andy1980]

Potter can down these with the best of them.

View attachment 135916

No wonder he is being touted for the England job, thats world class

 

[Icy Gull]

Got it, Potter can do no wrong.

Well it beats moaning about how much he does wrong, in your opinion, given the complete turnaround in how we play. I love watching us and look for the good, you just seem to look for the negatives. We are all different

In short, he’s not done too much wrong imo