Woodingdean Gull
New member
Thanks Easy, it had slipped my mind as to how much quality we had in that side.
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I dont buy this whole 'Adams got lucky with Zamora' thing...
- Thread starter ali jenkins
- Start date
Thanks Easy, it had slipped my mind as to how much quality we had in that side.
There is however one exception to that rule, in the shape of Diego Maradona.
And what an unusual shape he became....
- Oct 17, 2008
- 14,621
I think he got in a number of good players first time around, who were all at their peak.. which helped, rather than a bunch of has-beens and kids...
Watson, Cullip and obviously Zamora were all class acts for us.
Watson, Cullip and obviously Zamora were all class acts for us.
As were Rogers, Morgan, Brooker, FDM
He was lucky with Zamora because he didn't actually want to buy him. He wanted to buy Lorenzo Pinamonte, presumably on the basis that he both looked and sounded like he should be a decent Italian-ish footballer.
Zamora wasn't even on the scene when we were trying to sign Pinamonte. After Pinamonte went back (because Bristol City wanted more than we felt the player was worth) Bobby arrived on loan at this club on the strength of a recommendation from Ian Holloway to Micky Adams (nobody had watched him play - so in a way yes we did get lucky).
Once he was here, Micky (and Alan Cork) did everything in their power to persuade him to join Brighton permanently... and succeeded. Also, those suggesting that the B2B championships were born on Bobby's goals alone are mad... and it is an insult to the likes of Michel Kuipers, Paul Watson, Danny Cullip, Simon Morgan, Andy Crosby, Charlie Oatway, Paul Brooker, Nathan Jones, Paul Rogers, etc. Did he get lucky with them too?
In a recent interview with BZ, he told me:
I DIDN’T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT BRIGHTON ahead of my loan switch there from Bristol Rovers in 1999/2000. Earlier that season I had gone on loan to Bath City and I scored eight goals in six games, and they wanted me to stay on, but I didn’t really want to because I wanted to push on a bit. So I stayed at Bristol Rovers for a couple of months and then the opportunity to join Brighton came along. I was told they wanted to take me on loan and it was a chance to play some regular first-team football.
I said yes straight away. It was ideal for me really. I didn’t really know much about the club but I went down there and it was brilliant from day one. I scored on my debut against Plymouth Argyle and everything just seemed to go on from there. It was great. I remember turning up for my first day at the Falmer training ground and Charlie Oatway saying, “Right, let’s see what you have got,” and that stands out because I thought straight away that he was quite funny.
I was only 18 years old and I didn’t really know too much about the club or any of the players. I knew names and I’d heard of Micky Adams, but I didn’t really know too many faces. It was a whole new world - but it was a brilliant new world. It was so much fun for me to come in and straight away and to be made so welcome. It made things so much easier and I scored six in six – including that hat-trick at Chester City. The Brighton fans took to me straight away and the month was a huge success.
I went back to Bristol and Rovers told me that they wanted me back and we would see how I got on – but I didn’t get used much. I kept in contact with Micky and Corky (Alan Cork) and they told me that they were thinking about putting a bid in and that they would speak to Rovers and see what the initial reaction was.
I was quite lucky that the youth coach at Bristol Rovers Phil Bater was a very good guy and he had always looked out for me, as much as the club. He told me that Brighton had put an offer in for me and that Ian Holloway, the manager, wanted to see me. I think he had already had a chat with the manager and he told me that he didn’t want me to go – but he also said that it was a chance for me to play football at Brighton and that if I wanted to go there then I should just be strong and tell him that. After that chat I just thought “Yes, I’ll go for it.”
He also added of those championship years...
At the end of the first season, we won the first of the back-to-back championships and that was just awesome really. For me to play my first season, score a lot of goals and then be part of the team that won the championship was incredible. We were playing football in a brilliant style as well. We weren’t one of those teams that just bangs it and we had a great understanding as a team. We all knew when someone had the ball exactly where they were going to put it. Every player knew exactly where the other one would be and I had a particularly good understanding with Paul Watson.
Whenever Watto got the ball I knew precisely where I needed to run to and he knew where to deliver it to. It was just such a great connection: Watto has an absolutely wonderful left foot and it made my job as a striker so much easier when you get deliveries like that. Even now, having spent a few seasons playing in the Premiership, I don’t think I have come across anybody with a better left foot than Watto’s. In the current Fulham team there isn’t anybody with a better delivery than Watto at his peak. I was very lucky to have played in the same team as him: he created numerous goals for me; not only with his deliveries but with his intelligent play as well.
It’s hard to pick out individuals from that era – Paul Rogers, Charlie Oatway, Richard Carpenter and Danny Cullip stand out for their obvious qualities, and Nathan Jones and Paul Brooker were great out wide. Not only did those two used to do my running for me, but they were good friends off the pitch too! But to be honest I could go through absolutely every player who played over those two seasons. The whole squad were absolutely brilliant and I wouldn’t want to leave anybody out. A lot of people said without me Brighton were nothing, but that was rubbish. We had some superb players throughout the side; I remember being suspended at Colchester as we closed in on the second championship. I sat in the stand and watched the team absolutely annihilate Colchester 4-1.
Paul Brooker arrived at the same time as me and we got on very well. Jonesey is also a great character and a great lad – but every single one of us at the club got on really well on and off the pitch. There were obviously flare-ups and bits and pieces from time to time, but that is just competitive football and the fire inside some of the characters that we had at the club – but we had a great togetherness because we all wanted to do well and we wanted to win things. After that first championship, everybody felt the next season was going to be all about survival – but we just carried on where we left off in the Third Division. We continued playing brilliant football, dominated teams and won the Championship again – which was absolutely brilliant.
One man team? I don't think so.
Zamora wasn't even on the scene when we were trying to sign Pinamonte. After Pinamonte went back (because Bristol City wanted more than we felt the player was worth) Bobby arrived on loan at this club on the strength of a recommendation from Ian Holloway to Micky Adams (nobody had watched him play - so in a way yes we did get lucky).
Once he was here, Micky (and Alan Cork) did everything in their power to persuade him to join Brighton permanently... and succeeded. Also, those suggesting that the B2B championships were born on Bobby's goals alone are mad... and it is an insult to the likes of Michel Kuipers, Paul Watson, Danny Cullip, Simon Morgan, Andy Crosby, Charlie Oatway, Paul Brooker, Nathan Jones, Paul Rogers, etc. Did he get lucky with them too?
In a recent interview with BZ, he told me:
I DIDN’T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT BRIGHTON ahead of my loan switch there from Bristol Rovers in 1999/2000. Earlier that season I had gone on loan to Bath City and I scored eight goals in six games, and they wanted me to stay on, but I didn’t really want to because I wanted to push on a bit. So I stayed at Bristol Rovers for a couple of months and then the opportunity to join Brighton came along. I was told they wanted to take me on loan and it was a chance to play some regular first-team football.
I said yes straight away. It was ideal for me really. I didn’t really know much about the club but I went down there and it was brilliant from day one. I scored on my debut against Plymouth Argyle and everything just seemed to go on from there. It was great. I remember turning up for my first day at the Falmer training ground and Charlie Oatway saying, “Right, let’s see what you have got,” and that stands out because I thought straight away that he was quite funny.
I was only 18 years old and I didn’t really know too much about the club or any of the players. I knew names and I’d heard of Micky Adams, but I didn’t really know too many faces. It was a whole new world - but it was a brilliant new world. It was so much fun for me to come in and straight away and to be made so welcome. It made things so much easier and I scored six in six – including that hat-trick at Chester City. The Brighton fans took to me straight away and the month was a huge success.
I went back to Bristol and Rovers told me that they wanted me back and we would see how I got on – but I didn’t get used much. I kept in contact with Micky and Corky (Alan Cork) and they told me that they were thinking about putting a bid in and that they would speak to Rovers and see what the initial reaction was.
I was quite lucky that the youth coach at Bristol Rovers Phil Bater was a very good guy and he had always looked out for me, as much as the club. He told me that Brighton had put an offer in for me and that Ian Holloway, the manager, wanted to see me. I think he had already had a chat with the manager and he told me that he didn’t want me to go – but he also said that it was a chance for me to play football at Brighton and that if I wanted to go there then I should just be strong and tell him that. After that chat I just thought “Yes, I’ll go for it.”
He also added of those championship years...
At the end of the first season, we won the first of the back-to-back championships and that was just awesome really. For me to play my first season, score a lot of goals and then be part of the team that won the championship was incredible. We were playing football in a brilliant style as well. We weren’t one of those teams that just bangs it and we had a great understanding as a team. We all knew when someone had the ball exactly where they were going to put it. Every player knew exactly where the other one would be and I had a particularly good understanding with Paul Watson.
Whenever Watto got the ball I knew precisely where I needed to run to and he knew where to deliver it to. It was just such a great connection: Watto has an absolutely wonderful left foot and it made my job as a striker so much easier when you get deliveries like that. Even now, having spent a few seasons playing in the Premiership, I don’t think I have come across anybody with a better left foot than Watto’s. In the current Fulham team there isn’t anybody with a better delivery than Watto at his peak. I was very lucky to have played in the same team as him: he created numerous goals for me; not only with his deliveries but with his intelligent play as well.
It’s hard to pick out individuals from that era – Paul Rogers, Charlie Oatway, Richard Carpenter and Danny Cullip stand out for their obvious qualities, and Nathan Jones and Paul Brooker were great out wide. Not only did those two used to do my running for me, but they were good friends off the pitch too! But to be honest I could go through absolutely every player who played over those two seasons. The whole squad were absolutely brilliant and I wouldn’t want to leave anybody out. A lot of people said without me Brighton were nothing, but that was rubbish. We had some superb players throughout the side; I remember being suspended at Colchester as we closed in on the second championship. I sat in the stand and watched the team absolutely annihilate Colchester 4-1.
Paul Brooker arrived at the same time as me and we got on very well. Jonesey is also a great character and a great lad – but every single one of us at the club got on really well on and off the pitch. There were obviously flare-ups and bits and pieces from time to time, but that is just competitive football and the fire inside some of the characters that we had at the club – but we had a great togetherness because we all wanted to do well and we wanted to win things. After that first championship, everybody felt the next season was going to be all about survival – but we just carried on where we left off in the Third Division. We continued playing brilliant football, dominated teams and won the Championship again – which was absolutely brilliant.
One man team? I don't think so.
I was nearly filling up reading that
Common as Mook
Not Posh as Fook
- Jul 26, 2004
- 5,643
This is the key issue here. Let's not tarnish our memory of Adams with cheap digs and character assasinations. I prefer to remember him for bringing the soul back to my football club.
Papa Lazarou
Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Quite. The contribution of all of these players was immense. You could argue (though I disagree) that he was lucky to have a plethora of good players he could call on - Adams had worked with nearly all of the above players elsewhere, but Zamora alone was just the icing on a very nice cake.
Dick Knights Mumm
Take me Home Falmer Road
Insider - we don't want facts on NSC - blind prejudice sits so much better with us.
Bevendean Hillbilly
New member
It just shows the current situation more clearly than ever.
We have some quality in our squad now, although it appears that the cameraderie that BZ describes is absent, the on pitch bickering and shoving is there for all to see and that is down to the fact that we lack a really potent striker and therefore can't put teams, who we have bossed, to the sword. That sort of situation leads to frustration and indiscipline.
The only positive is that the players we have who do have some potential to play at a higher level will not be on anyones radar because our performances are so shit at the moment and IF we can get someone scoring regularly and providing a focus up front we will turn it around. No doubt in my mind.
We have some quality in our squad now, although it appears that the cameraderie that BZ describes is absent, the on pitch bickering and shoving is there for all to see and that is down to the fact that we lack a really potent striker and therefore can't put teams, who we have bossed, to the sword. That sort of situation leads to frustration and indiscipline.
The only positive is that the players we have who do have some potential to play at a higher level will not be on anyones radar because our performances are so shit at the moment and IF we can get someone scoring regularly and providing a focus up front we will turn it around. No doubt in my mind.
Dick Knights Mumm
Take me Home Falmer Road
Funny how we all look at things differently I read it as BZ being the icing on the cake. We had a good solid team - that became championship winning when we had a great striker.
We need to build the team - as I am sure MA is trying to do - then worry about whether our strikers are good enough. We may already have the strikers we need - but they are not getting the service.
Spiros
Well-known member
I think the post from Insider only goes to emphasise how much of a building job Adams really has this time round - not just the tweaking that so many think was needed. It was a difficult job last time and it will be this time, as all there is to attract players here is the promise that the stadium will be here in 2 years time. In the meantime they have to put up with a shit ground and fans who want to slag off the team and manager even before kick-off - how's that going to get anyone of any quality to come here?
When Adams was here first time around we had only just moved to Withdean and it was an unknown quantity. Numerous managers came here and lost because they weren't prepared for how crap it is. Now everyone knows. The away teams know that it's crap, and so do any players we try to tempt here. It's this that makes Adams' job so much harder - if not impossible - this time.
When Adams was here first time around we had only just moved to Withdean and it was an unknown quantity. Numerous managers came here and lost because they weren't prepared for how crap it is. Now everyone knows. The away teams know that it's crap, and so do any players we try to tempt here. It's this that makes Adams' job so much harder - if not impossible - this time.
I think that only reinforces my point - if Adams had managed to pick up Pinamonte to fill the gap up front, as he tried to, we'd not have been sniffing about for A.N.Other striker which is when Zamora came into view.
(Not sure about the returning to Bristol City, other than to pick up some clean pants and socks - my recollection is he signed for Brentford the day after his loan to the Albion ended)
Smythe
Active member
What a great article, that seems to sum up everthing that is missing at the Albion now. Come on Micky sort it out!!!!
Bevendean Hillbilly
New member
I think you may be right (indeed that is what I was saying) fact is though that we have seen a team this season who started strongly and were looking like a challenging side, since we started misfiring the wheels have come completely off which is a confidence/morale issue IMO.
Adams is well capable of building a competitive squad at this level. I just hope he gets the time to sort the confidence back and push on. We need some men in the team and thats that.
Russell Slade's hat
New member
Zamora was quality, no doubting that, People thought we had found a replacement in Murray but clearly not atm
Smythe
Active member
Im not saying Murray is the new Zamora but i think he is being let down by the team. Hes not got Zamoras ability to make something out of nothing, he needs a much better service than hes had all this season.
After reading that article you remember what a brilliant all round team we had then......sadly were nowhere near that at the moment.