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[Albion] Have Albion progressed this season?
- Thread starter Bozza
- Start date
albionalex
Well-known member
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Yeah, you’re one of the “never good enough” posters. Not hard to spot as there aren’t that many, but I amuse myself by looking out for the negative posts after a bad result and pretty well feck all after a good one.
It’s a mixed picture.
In my view, despite loving what Hughton did for us, by the end I felt we could only improve with a different manager.
Have we improved after Potter’s first season? Probably, yes. But it has been small baby steps since last season and we are still far too predictable to set up against. And boy do we blow hot and cold.
So I would say, yes. Just. Next season we have to do better.
Who knows, we may win the next 4. Let’s hope so, but let’s put performances together when it matters earlier in the season.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In my view, despite loving what Hughton did for us, by the end I felt we could only improve with a different manager.
Have we improved after Potter’s first season? Probably, yes. But it has been small baby steps since last season and we are still far too predictable to set up against. And boy do we blow hot and cold.
So I would say, yes. Just. Next season we have to do better.
Who knows, we may win the next 4. Let’s hope so, but let’s put performances together when it matters earlier in the season.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The ‘hot & cold’ thing is very valid but with retrospect, is very consistent and can be tracked. This season we have struggled against the bottom and top 3 sides. Most other sides have found it very tough against us. The Sheff Utd & Leeds results were easy to predict because we have been recording those results all season.
The ‘hot & cold’ thing could also be thrown at our finishing as well as our results, although mostly cold.
What is definitely not ‘hot and cold’ is the overall level of our performances (and I am clearly excluding finishing which is beyond us this season). Out of 34 games, I’d say that in 28, we’ve been very good or brilliant. Even games such as the Sheff Utd home match would have produced enough good chances for a front 3 of, say, Kane, Son & Bale to win it 6-0.
Potter also has stunning bouncebackability. We rarely go on a bad run and usually put an amazing performance on in the next game or the one after that following a disappointing result. It’s always entertaining to watch the short-termist and emotional fires of the alarmist and highly reactive Potter-Out-Campaign extinguished as we go from a poor performance against a bottom 3 to beating a team like Spurs, Liverpool or Leeds. Hughton got us in a tailspin at the end of the 2018/19 season and was unable to pull out, Potter never allows a bad run to flourish.
Potter needs to find a way through the low block. It’s simple to set-up against us, and with the lowest shooting accuracy in the EPL, the opposition know they can play the percentage game and most likely get a draw or with luck (Palace & West Brom) get a win. The two Newcastle matches show you what ‘top six’ shooting gets you against a low block, I can’t think of any other fixture this season where our finishing was anywhere near that mark but if it had have been, we’d be fighting for a European place.
However, if you’re not prepared to play a low block and think that Potter should be setting his team around how you play, you normally get totally outperformed. No one disputes that Biesla is the greatest manager on the planet (and probably all time), yet because he won’t employ the low block, his teams don’t stand a chance against Potter’s unless they get super lucky. Even Klopp got out-thought twice.
That’s progress of sorts.
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Washie
Well-known member
One of the top 20 clubs in the world apparently, so yes, we have progressed.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/global-club-soccer-rankings/
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/global-club-soccer-rankings/
albionalex
Well-known member
Obviously you have selective vision as this is from just this weekend.
Maybe because when we win a game I don't start a love in, you think that's feck all?
brighton_tom
Well-known member
- Jul 23, 2008
- 5,508
Our best games this year are an improvement on last years. But the consistency of them needs to be better.
The Sock of Poskett
The best is yet to come (spoiler alert)
- Jun 12, 2009
- 2,836
You can't argue with points and finishing position as a solid, statistical measure of progress. No problem.
But as others have stressed, there are lots of additional measures that to me are significant:
- potential. We look like a squad that can, and will, perform better. We've shown adaptability and flexibility in shape shifting to GP's tactical changes that has seen us outthink masterminds like Klopp (4 points) and Bielsa (6 points), as well that titan of the whiteboard Steve Bruce
(6 points)
- depth. For a club of our size, we have developed a squad that has been able to cope with injuries to two of our top performers from the first part of the season (Lamptey, March), seen our first choice keeper replaced by a young U23 keeper who wasn't even third choice at the start of the season, and managed when two of last season's breakthrough talents (Alzate and Connolly) have struggled.
- performances. We've had a handful of bad games where the team has played poorly. The rest have been about those "fine margins", where generally we've played well or really well, and only failed to pick up more points due to patchy game management and the enduring frustration of poor finishing. We're great to watch - certainly the most entertaining I've seen in my 45 years of watching the Albion.
- youth. We are developing talent in-house, and have fielded one of the youngest teams seen at the Albion for many a year, and one of the youngest in the Premier League. Pretty much all these players can improve further, particularly if the likes of Lallana and Welbeck stick around and share their experience.
By all these yardsticks we are progressing. We also have one of the most promising younger English managers to have emerged in recent years.
Hope we finish with a flourish (above Palace with 42 points will do me), but even if we don't, next season is looking really exciting.
UTA
But as others have stressed, there are lots of additional measures that to me are significant:
- potential. We look like a squad that can, and will, perform better. We've shown adaptability and flexibility in shape shifting to GP's tactical changes that has seen us outthink masterminds like Klopp (4 points) and Bielsa (6 points), as well that titan of the whiteboard Steve Bruce
(6 points)- depth. For a club of our size, we have developed a squad that has been able to cope with injuries to two of our top performers from the first part of the season (Lamptey, March), seen our first choice keeper replaced by a young U23 keeper who wasn't even third choice at the start of the season, and managed when two of last season's breakthrough talents (Alzate and Connolly) have struggled.
- performances. We've had a handful of bad games where the team has played poorly. The rest have been about those "fine margins", where generally we've played well or really well, and only failed to pick up more points due to patchy game management and the enduring frustration of poor finishing. We're great to watch - certainly the most entertaining I've seen in my 45 years of watching the Albion.
- youth. We are developing talent in-house, and have fielded one of the youngest teams seen at the Albion for many a year, and one of the youngest in the Premier League. Pretty much all these players can improve further, particularly if the likes of Lallana and Welbeck stick around and share their experience.
By all these yardsticks we are progressing. We also have one of the most promising younger English managers to have emerged in recent years.
Hope we finish with a flourish (above Palace with 42 points will do me), but even if we don't, next season is looking really exciting.
UTA
SweatyMexican
Well-known member
- Mar 31, 2013
- 4,155
Only 9 posts in 5 years, but a very good one.
Steve Foster
Well-known member
You can't argue with points and finishing position as a solid, statistical measure of progress. No problem.
But as others have stressed, there are lots of additional measures that to me are significant:
- potential. We look like a squad that can, and will, perform better. We've shown adaptability and flexibility in shape shifting to GP's tactical changes that has seen us outthink masterminds like Klopp (4 points) and Bielsa (6 points), as well that titan of the whiteboard Steve Bruce
- depth. For a club of our size, we have developed a squad that has been able to cope with injuries to two of our top performers from the first part of the season (Lamptey, March), seen our first choice keeper replaced by a young U23 keeper who wasn't even third choice at the start of the season, and managed when two of last season's breakthrough talents (Alzate and Connolly) have struggled.
- performances. We've had a handful of bad games where the team has played poorly. The rest have been about those "fine margins", where generally we've played well or really well, and only failed to pick up more points due to patchy game management and the enduring frustration of poor finishing. We're great to watch - certainly the most entertaining I've seen in my 45 years of watching the Albion.
- youth. We are developing talent in-house, and have fielded one of the youngest teams seen at the Albion for many a year, and one of the youngest in the Premier League. Pretty much all these players can improve further, particularly if the likes of Lallana and Welbeck stick around and share their experience.
By all these yardsticks we are progressing. We also have one of the most promising younger English managers to have emerged in recent years.
Hope we finish with a flourish (above Palace with 42 points will do me), but even if we don't, next season is looking really exciting.
UTA
Can’t disagree - although I disagree about our current side being the most entertaining in 45 years. The side in 81/82 finishing 13th with 13 wins & 13 draws finishing on 52 points was certainly a notch up on the current team .... unfortunately that was only for one season! Who knows next year maybe we can move forward & upward. If I was the Manager I would have a large fixture list & table of that season in the dressing room to incentivise our squad to be the best BHA team so far.
With the exception of the words brilliant and amazing, I agree with a lot of this post.
I think Potter is still learning his trade and it will be interesting to see if he can progress as well. He is sometimes found out - but then again, all coaches are. The second half of the season - probably since after the Spurs game - we have been much better. Up until that point, I was thinking that Potter did not have what it took to make us a safe Premier League side. Now, for me, the jury is out. We'll see. But the signs are good.
This.
I don't think a lot of us are very far apart. The second half of the season was far better than the first so credit there, but we have to acknowledge our weaknesses and not brush them under the carpet.
What will be interesting is if we're having this exact same conversation once again this time next year.
Seasidesage
New member
I think its too soon to know. If as I suspect this is the early days of the emergence of our best ever side, then next season we will punch on and finish much higher. If not we have still improved the style, lowered the average age, produced young players who we can resell so yes its an improvement. Time will tell how significant of one it is.
My money is on huge...
My money is on huge...
Weststander
Well-known member
The top 10 discussion, is unfair when talking about whether GP has been a success or not.
To my knowledge he wisely never claimed we’d be in the top 10.
It was purely TB and/or PB mentioning it as their mission or aspiration for the club.
Separately, the after-timing accusation is made in the wrong context in pro/anti-Potter threads.
After-timing would be someone lying that they’d always been pro Potter, when not so long ago they’d said the opposite.
Shirley analytical football supporters can shift their opinion if won over?
AZ Gull
@SeagullsAcademy @seagullsacademy.bsky.social
Let us just imagine for a moment that this time next year we are in EXACTLY the same position.
Would you be calling for Potter to be sacked?
The team certainly weren’t ‘up a notch’ in their last 14 games winning just two and scoring only 10. This year’s vintage has already surpassed that in terms of victories and equalled the goals scored with four games to go in a more competitive era.
However, we all have our own ways of measuring entertainment. An interesting comparison of the two different eras is here. Which match do you find more entertaining?
I suspect many will pick the ‘82 game as being the more entertaining despite the obvious drop in pitch quality, skill, fitness, tactics, shots, control, passing and goals compared with the fixture this season because there was no crowd.
https://youtu.be/fCsrc7zLmWE
https://youtu.be/_2t489AY06k
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Sid in the Sharknado
New member
If we do progress up the table next year, there'll be people complaining that a different manager could have got us into the Europa League.
For that matter, even if we come second there'll be somebody who thinks Steve Bruce could have got us past Man City by shouting at the players more.
I think we'll all be much happier having those arguments than trying to divine progress from a record shortfall against xG and an unchanged points tally though.
Sheebo
Well-known member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 29,319
Judging if we’ve made progress just on the points tally is absolutely offensive to both my eyes!