[Albion] I wonder, AT THE TIME, which one was the most exciting?

[JBizzle]

think luck certainly was against him- you had the likes of Kuszscak, Ward, Upson, Ulloa, Andrews, Orlandi, Lopez, Buckley from the previous campaign all leave that summer....all senior pro's and a lot of quality that Garcia had (although he had a lot of injury problems in the squad of course) that weren't available to Hyypia.

For whatever reason the recruitment team had an absolute nightmare that summer as well. Some really poor/ill fitting players. Stockdale ended up being a success but took a while to really get going, Aaron Hughes was (I suspect) supposed to replace Upson but was nowhere near as good. Joe Bennett has ended up having a good career but that season wasn't up to what Hyypia was demanding of his full backs at the time (and wasn't as good as Ward), Gardner was a very poor signing, McCourt was great fun but in reality wasn't very good, then you have the strikers- Colunga, Baldock and O'Grady. Baldock of course, ended up working out but had a stop/start season, Colunga was ultimately too similar to Baldock and struggled physically and O'Grady was never going to score many. Teixeira was the only signing that worked that summer and I'm not sure how much of that was Hyypias fault

Hyypia was also a young manager who tried to get an experienced number two to help him (Sammy Lee) who ended up letting him down not long before the season started

Don't get me wrong, Hyypia really struggled and some of his decision making was poor, but I wonder what would have happened if he'd had a bit more help

I posted similar on another thread. The club were making efforts to comply with FFP (before everyone realised that no-one actually gave a ****). We needed to balance the books

 

[Swansman]

Even I as a distanced football news reader remember thinking "hmm! what are they brewing in there?" about the Poyet appointment.

Today I wouldnt be surprised by any EFL club doing a move like that but at the time it definitely stood out as unusual to appoint some pretty unproven foreigner.

 

[Pevenseagull]

When it was announced Hyypia as someone who's managed a Champions League club.

Actually the most exciting announcement for me was the return of Micky Adams.

 

[Miximate]

Good point made on the recent Seagulls podcast with JC & WA re Sami Hyypia and whether he was ahead of his time with players of limited ability available to him at that time. I recall him trying to play wingbacks with Calde standing out on the touchline and not really being involved.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Good point made on the recent Seagulls podcast with JC & WA re Sami Hyypia and whether he was ahead of his time with players of limited ability available to him at that time. I recall him trying to play wingbacks with Calde standing out on the touchline and not really being involved.

I think JC and WA were being very generous to Hyypia there.

 

[British Bulldog]

Good point made on the recent Seagulls podcast with JC & WA re Sami Hyypia and whether he was ahead of his time with players of limited ability available to him at that time. I recall him trying to play wingbacks with Calde standing out on the touchline and not really being involved.

Always felt Hyypia was let down big time, as much as his tactics were a bit strange he was let down by the recruitment that summer with Burke in charge of it. If I remember rightly he signed Nzuzi Toko early then nothing until a very late rush of sub standard signings. No wonder Burke was swiftly outed after Hyypia left.

 

[zamora the merrier]

think luck certainly was against him- you had the likes of Kuszscak, Ward, Upson, Ulloa, Andrews, Orlandi, Lopez, Buckley from the previous campaign all leave that summer....all senior pro's and a lot of quality that Garcia had (although he had a lot of injury problems in the squad of course) that weren't available to Hyypia.

For whatever reason the recruitment team had an absolute nightmare that summer as well. Some really poor/ill fitting players. Stockdale ended up being a success but took a while to really get going, Aaron Hughes was (I suspect) supposed to replace Upson but was nowhere near as good. Joe Bennett has ended up having a good career but that season wasn't up to what Hyypia was demanding of his full backs at the time (and wasn't as good as Ward), Gardner was a very poor signing, McCourt was great fun but in reality wasn't very good, then you have the strikers- Colunga, Baldock and O'Grady. Baldock of course, ended up working out but had a stop/start season, Colunga was ultimately too similar to Baldock and struggled physically and O'Grady was never going to score many. Teixeira was the only signing that worked that summer and I'm not sure how much of that was Hyypias fault

Hyypia was also a young manager who tried to get an experienced number two to help him (Sammy Lee) who ended up letting him down not long before the season started

Don't get me wrong, Hyypia really struggled and some of his decision making was poor, but I wonder what would have happened if he'd had a bit more help

Thanks you have answered the question I was going to ask. For some reason (probably because of the horror of it) I have little or no recollection of the huge outgoings and poor incomings of that summer - i thought he had inherited largely the play off squad

 

[Badger Boy]

Always felt Hyypia was let down big time, as much as his tactics were a bit strange he was let down by the recruitment that summer with Burke in charge of it. If I remember rightly he signed Nzuzi Toko early then nothing until a very late rush of sub standard signings. No wonder Burke was swiftly outed after Hyypia left.

There is no doubt at all that Hyypia was totally blunted by the tools given to him. If you look at the team under him it was just rubbish and packed with players who haven't had careers since leaving. As much as I liked Vitalijs Maksimenko's name - he wasn't up to it and I really don't think I've ever seen a player look more out of place on a pitch than Shamir Fenelon. He looked like he had absolutely no idea what was happening around him.

The excitement when we hired Gus was incredible. Since then it's been a steady decline in excitement I think but I am very keen to see how RDZ gets on.

 

[Simster]

When it was announced Hyypia as someone who's managed a Champions League club.

Actually the most exciting announcement for me was the return of Micky Adams.

I can't believe anyone felt that way about Adams returning. As I recall, he was backed heavily in his first stint and his side was utter toilet in his first season. As much as he was responsible for attracting Rogers, Brooker, Watson and so on, it doesn't change the fact he massively lucked out in getting Bobby Zamora. As soon as he got us promoted, he was touting himself around to every Premier League club. I know they're all ambitious, but he was particularly unsavoury - and we didn't miss him anyway, as Peter Taylor actually improved the team and won the league at a canter. He also had the decency to then resign over the summer after the job was done.

Adams came back because he wasn't up to the job at Premier League Leicester, and then he did a shit job at Coventry. I bet he couldn't believe his luck when he was offered the Brighton job. Well most of us knew he'd be shit; and he was.

 

[stewart12]

I can't believe anyone felt that way about Adams returning. As I recall, he was backed heavily in his first stint and his side was utter toilet in his first season. As much as he was responsible for attracting Rogers, Brooker, Watson and so on, it doesn't change the fact he massively lucked out in getting Bobby Zamora. As soon as he got us promoted, he was touting himself around to every Premier League club. I know they're all ambitious, but he was particularly unsavoury - and we didn't miss him anyway, as Peter Taylor actually improved the team and won the league at a canter. He also had the decency to then resign over the summer after the job was done.

Adams came back because he wasn't up to the job at Premier League Leicester, and then he did a shit job at Coventry. I bet he couldn't believe his luck when he was offered the Brighton job. Well most of us knew he'd be shit; and he was.

I don't know, I may be mis remembering but I'm sure there was excitement on here when Adams was appointed second time around- it was misguided but I'm sure it was there

 

[Simster]

I don't know, I may be mis remembering but I'm sure there was excitement on here when Adams was appointed second time around- it was misguided but I'm sure it was there

You're right, it felt like at least a third of this board was ridiculously excited. I could never understand it.

 

[British Bulldog]

There is no doubt at all that Hyypia was totally blunted by the tools given to him. If you look at the team under him it was just rubbish and packed with players who haven't had careers since leaving. As much as I liked Vitalijs Maksimenko's name - he wasn't up to it and I really don't think I've ever seen a player look more out of place on a pitch than Shamir Fenelon. He looked like he had absolutely no idea what was happening around him.

The excitement when we hired Gus was incredible. Since then it's been a steady decline in excitement I think but I am very keen to see how RDZ gets on.

Felt totally deflated in our first game that season with Fenelon and O'Grady leading our line, I agree that Gus was the biggest excitement given we managed to attract a name like that to Withdean.

 

[Taybha]

Wasn't that keen on Zebedee tbh but I've spent ages on Tube watching his teams play and I'm really liking what I see, we're going to get smashed out the park in a few games but I reckon we'll win more than we lose,the 1 nil down scenario in games is well worth watching,the football becomes Benny Hill being chased around the park by 10 strikers with the word Shooooooot ringing in their ears.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

At the time it HAS to be Gus.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

There is no doubt at all that Hyypia was totally blunted by the tools given to him. If you look at the team under him it was just rubbish and packed with players who haven't had careers since leaving. As much as I liked Vitalijs Maksimenko's name - he wasn't up to it and I really don't think I've ever seen a player look more out of place on a pitch than Shamir Fenelon. He looked like he had absolutely no idea what was happening around him.

The excitement when we hired Gus was incredible. Since then it's been a steady decline in excitement I think but I am very keen to see how RDZ gets on.

Fenelon now plying his trade at Horsham!

 

[Lenny Rider]

Poyet, as it represented comfimration of the changing of the guard in the boardroom as well.

Whilst Barry Lloyd as far back as August 2004 had said to Hawesy and I on our way up to Derby, "Dick Knight will be Chairman of the Albion, as long as Tony Bloom wants him to be." TB had sat back and let his predecessor enjoy the limelight, it was the 'supposed' botched return of Micky Adams* that had been the straw that broke the camels back for TB.

Russell Slade was only the little boy with his finger in the dyke, a stop gap appointment, Poyet was TB's first appointment, a long time target and was a clear statement of intent.

*Micky was a dead man walking unfortunately from his arrival, I love Dick Knight but the 'demotion' of Dean Wilkins was handled with all the tact and charm as a Regimental Sergeant Major on a parade ground, Micky was having to answer to a divided board almost from Day One, but I still maintain he wouldn't have taken us down that year, but with the bloodless boardroom coup two days after the final game probably wouldn't have survived the summer.

Just out of interest was Gus out of work in May 2009?

 

[We're the Stripes]

I don't know, I may be mis remembering but I'm sure there was excitement on here when Adams was appointed second time around- it was misguided but I'm sure it was there

Agreed, also I don't know why the 4 signings from that summer are forever ingrained in my memory but they are: Adam Virgo, Colin Hawkins, Kevin McLeod & Dave Livermore. (and I'll say no more on them)

 

[stewart12]

You're right, it felt like at least a third of this board was ridiculously excited. I could never understand it.

I'm not sure Wilkins was that popular at the time which may have added to the excitement re: Adams. Perhaps Wilkins came across as a bit cold with the media etc and I remember some OUTRAGE that he released Hart and Mayo. But with very limited resources and losing several key players mid way through the season he took us to 7th.

When Adams took over he (I think) quickly re-signed Mayo and Hart, signed Virgo and brought in Livermore and Mcleod who seemed like good signings at the time but turned out to be shit. NSC was gripped with Adams FEVER for sure as you say- a good number of this board (who probably hadn't followed much of his career post-Brighton)

 

[Brok]

'AT THE TIME' was last week when RDZ was appointed.

Carpe diem, and all that...

 

[Mancgull]

Roberto, shortly followed by Gus.
Garcia was so uninspiring as a communicator and I never saw him get carried away until that winner at Forest.