[Albion] Great read, where do you stand on the subject?

[GT49er]

This is all fine and dandy, providing we don't get relegated!

The facts of what has happened remain the same. If we go down we'll only have £45M to play with, I understand, so yes, the future strategy would have to be different. That, however, is a contingency I'm not thinking about at the moment.

 

[Acker79]

I dunno, there's something about xG stats that really put me off an argument. It's essentially a statistical version of 'my gran could've scored that!' argument (usually uttered by some oaf who has zero appreciation for how difficult some shots are) and giving the statistical avatar unearned importance.

Then there's this line

"Their main priority for now is to stay in the Premier League, and their next three or four league games look like they will either rescue them or keep them in danger" ​

Way to go out on a limb, there, Steven. I too predict we will either win, lose, or possibly draw those games.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Palace

 

[Turkey]

Winstanley was responsible for bringing in Duffy, Ryan, Bong, Skalak, Knockaert, Murray, Gross, Izquierdo and Propper, who were all upgrades on existing players.

The problem has been pushing on from there. Bernardo looks like an improvement on Bong, and Bissouma has fantastic potential if no defined role as yet but Locadia, Ali J, Montoya, Balogun and Burn have only expanded the squad rather than improved it. Andone has scored two valuable goals but also looked utterly anonymous in many matches. Jury still out on him. As has been said, we've improved the squad but not the first team.

It's not like improving the squad means we have spent poorly though? Would we really wanted to have used Skalak, Baldock, Hemed, Sidwell, Rosenior, Murphy & Hunemeier if called upon this season?

Bruno and Murray are not getting any younger and I think Montoya and Andone have been good signings in their positions. Jahanbakhsh has suffered through injury and international duty so hasn't really had the opportunity yet to bed into the team. With Goldson/Hunemeier leaving we needed new centre-backs. I don't think anyone would suggest we should have spent all of our budget on centre-backs to improve on Duffy and Dunk? Because they'd go for a lot of money, so to get better wouldn't exactly be cheap!

 

[Weststander]

The other club this 'writer'/'analyst' identified was Muff, who bought Brooks in the last window -- arguably the buy of that window -- and Ake a few before that. He doesn't know what he's talking about.

Bmuff have made some quality signings in more recent seasons, but their early PL windows contained many duds. A Bournemouth fan who posts on here says Ibe at £15m has been a waste of money.

 

[raymondo]

Is that not the point. We are supposed to be improving the squad, not getting players as back up to what we have, if we want to kick on and be a mid table club

Exactly. Nobody should be too 'precious'to be dropped. CH always said he wants competition for each position, but the new buys seem to be integrated sooooo sloooowwwlllyyy... that we may run out of time to find out if they can actually compete better than the 'first eleven'

 

[Stato]

He says we spent £77m this season on players over 23. Presumably he got his figure from Transfermarkt. A brief glance shows that we didn't. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/brighton-amp-hove-albion/transfers/verein/1237

About £32m of that figure was on players under 23 or players signed and loaned out that could not possibly have played for us. Bissouma is the only one bought to play in the first team squad this season.
The remaining £45m has gone on AJ, Bernardo, Montoya, Andone, Button and Burn.
Three out of these six have had injuries that have kept them out of the team for prolonged periods. One joined in January, one is mentioned in the article as playing enough minutes and the other is a reserve keeper, signed as cover for Ryan. He has done what he was signed for.

In other words, the bloke came up with a theory and misread the data to support his theory. Next week, Football365 explains the links between vaccinations and Brighton's recruitment team.

 

[Weststander]

So many people still confusing improving the squad and improving the team - there is a world of difference. For our first season in the PL we improved the team; anyone think it wouldn't have gone tits up had we not signed Ryan, Propper and Gross? They were upgrades on what we had, and played pretty much every minute of every match. We were, however, lucky with injuries and suspensions - adequate cover was very thin on the ground, but thankfully we didn't need it.

For this season, we've spent money to improve the squad - we've now got adequate cover all over the pitch, but what we haven't done is improve the team. Whether that was the intention or not, I cannot say, but that is undoubtedly what has happened. Now (in the summer) we need to improve the team (not the squad; the squad's OK, sod improving the squad); that means buying maybe 2 or 3 players (not a small hopeful army like last summer) who are considerably better than what we have and who will instantly and permanently replace names which are currently pretty much automatic starters.

And yes, they will cost (but we have got £100M coming our way).

Excellent summary.

Must buy 3 or 4 PL quality first teamers in key weak areas this summer.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

But we have bought nobody who has set the world alight, or even looked better than those we already had. Strengthening the squad means buying better players, not just mire of the same.

Need to do better, but maybe too late given current form.

 

[Bry Nylon]

But we have bought nobody who has set the world alight

Calling Arson Wenger

 

[portlock seagull]

But we have an identity, we do things the Brighton Way I.e. bedding in periods of 12-15months. Sure, no other club does this. But they’re ALL wrong with their ready for action signings...

 

[GT49er]

But we have bought nobody who has set the world alight, or even looked better than those we already had. Strengthening the squad means buying better players.

No. Haven't you been following this (and other) threads? Strengthening the team means buying better players. Strengthening the squad is filling in gaps so that we have adequate cover in all positions (which is pretty much what we have done for this season). The recruitment team may have meant to do more than that, but at the end of the day, all they have done is just to strengthen the squad, nothing more. FWIW, I think Bissouma and Bernardo - and maybe even Andone - may ultimately improve the team, but they haven't yet.

 

[Peter Ward]

Calling Arson Wenger

Any one who has already been identified as likely to set the world on fire is not going to be coming to us with our wages budget and purchasing power. I think our recruitment has been very good and we've still to see the best of the squad.

After the first goal last night we were definitely the better team and deserved a draw in an away game. All of the team, including Bong, performed well. We just needed to be more clinical in converting the numerous good chances that we created.

We're staying up.

 

[The Gem]

Do you really think that the squad hasn't improved? OK mate, can't help you.

So called superior squad results season 2018/19

P W D L GD PTS
Brighton 27 7 6 14 -12 27

So call inferior squad results season 2017/18

Brighton 27 6 10 11 -14 28

Now, dont get me wrong I thought a superior squad would be having a superior standing in results, and points?? We have lost more games this season with a superior squad and have less points go figure eh !!!!!

 

[West Upper Seagull]

It's an oversimplistic article. Izquierdo has been injured most of the season. Andone arrived injured and Murray was in decent form when he finally recovered. Then, as Murray declined, he managed to get himself banned for three games. Propper has been more or less ever present when fit, Montoya and Bruno have traded the shirt and are really horses for different courses given their respective strengths and weaknesses. Burn and Balogun were bought as back up. On their day Duffy and Dunk are one of the best pairings in the league and this was certainly the case pre-Christmas. Ditto the two keepers were always back up. A new signing at the start of last season (Gross) is keeping out a new signing from the start of this season (Bissouma) though I personally hope that's about to change.

There are areas where we have bought poorly. Locadia is just not good enough. Ali J has shown very little (though, again, there was an injury issue). These two have been a massive dissapointment so far. The constant selection of Bong in place of Bernardo is absolutely baffling. It makes zero sense to me.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that injuries and suspensions seem to be ending at about the same time (and the new one we picked up is Gross, out of form and hopefully replaced by Bissouma). We could go out on Saturday with genuine pace and excitement. Bissouma in the middle. Bernardo at LB. A front three of Andone, Knockaert and izquierdo (though, of course, March will predictably play instead). If we fail to use these sorts of players when the old guard are failing then the writer will have a point. But, right now, not only does the article ignore injuries, it ignores the fact that many of these signings were only ever signed as back up.

You make some decent points but your final comment is pretty damning if true as it begs the question as to why we’ve spent money on back up players when we should have been focused on buying better quality players ! Having said that I do think that we have bought some better players but Hughton’s loyalty to longer serving players has contributed to our plight. Bernardo is better than Bong and should be a regular starter now he is fit again, while Bissouma is better than Gross and Ali J is better than Locadia in the 4-3-3 formation we’re playing.

 

[BN41Albion]

But we have an identity, we do things the Brighton Way I.e. bedding in periods of 12-15months. Sure, no other club does this. But they’re ALL wrong with their ready for action signings...

And buying tens of under 23s from here there and everywhere that you never hear of again!

 

[Machiavelli]

Excellent summary.

Must buy 3 or 4 PL quality first teamers in key weak areas this summer.

Which are?
We might disagree on this, as I'd put DCM in there. Up-front definitely, right back. Maybe an ACM/winger too.

 

[Steve in Japan]

I think our recruitment has been very good and we've still to see the best of the squad.

I say that's bullshit. We have signed 3 or 4 prospects at around £10 to 15m a pop. We have not signed anybody who represents a real upgrade on the squad because that would have cost us dearly and probably broken the wage structure.

So far, not really arguable. So, whose decision? Hughton? Partly, probably, but not a major voice I think. He's not the money man, he's a decent coach doing his absolute best.

 

[Javeaseagull]

So called superior squad results season 2018/19

P W D L GD PTS
Brighton 27 7 6 14 -12 27

So call inferior squad results season 2017/18

Brighton 27 6 10 11 -14 28

Now, dont get me wrong I thought a superior squad would be having a superior standing in results, and points?? We have lost more games this season with a superior squad and have less points go figure eh !!!!!

OK I'll play. Improving the squad means improving the back up players not the team. A team consists of 11 players on the pitch at any one time hence similar results to last season. This season we had cover when needed. Last season we didn't need so much cover. I think that should explain it.

 

[Weststander]

Which are?
We might disagree on this, as I'd put DCM in there. Up-front definitely, right back. Maybe an ACM/winger too.

1. Murray/Mitrovic type CF
2. DM
3. ACM similar to Maddison/Pereyra
4. RB