[Albion] “It’s exciting to be a Brighton fan at the moment”

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I'm pretty sure that if you sat any proven EPL defender down and asked them (under cloak of anonymity) whether their preference is to clear their lines or dick around at the back, then the vast majority would opt for the former. It's what every defender always got taught all the way through their formative years until it's instinctive. Fair play to them tho for following orders to the contrary, even tho dicking around at the back clearly goes against the grain and few look comfortable doing it

Yes but if, under the cloak of anonymity, you asked them if they'd like to shag the wife's sister. . . . .

 

[Swansman]

In fairness there is a time and a place, for both.

The dicking about is great until we concede.
Then it really wasn't that good an idea for about 8 minutes.
Then it's great again.

Need to look at how we managed to make them look competent for the time around their goal as for the rest of the game they were woeful.

I think they managed to make themselves look competent. They looked ok until the first goal, when it seemed they started to think "we're shite" which also turned them into shite. When they scored the goal they might have thought "maybe we're not shite", which usually has the effect that they turn less shite until they find a reason to believe they're shite again.

 

[Beanstalk]

You never witnessed the Albion at Withdean. This was early 2000's. Poyet literally taught T.Elphick and Adam El-Abd not to hoof, but to at least play the ball on the ground. It was pitifully painful to watch. They'd play the ball ever-so-tentatively sideways to each other, (in H block we used to openly take the piss "To YOU Tommy! To YOU Adam!"). After they'd done that half a dozen times to satisfy Poyet, clearly hating every uncomfortable minute, they'd pass it back to Ankergren, who would then of course hoof it upfield as far as he could. Total football right there!

I’m not sure how you could ever describe Poyet’s Brighton side as pitifully painful to watch? Really does question what you want from football if you didn’t enjoy that period (especially in the first season and a half at the Withdean!)

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Dicking around at the back is just about the first thing you get taught not to do in junior school football. It's all risk, minimal reward. Not a lot has changed since junior school football

This explains why Scotland rarely get into the World Cup

 

[wellquickwoody]

What is rather pleasing is how people you would not expect now actually want to talk ’BHA’. I was at my local BottleO getting the Xmas booze and the lad behind the till kept looking in my direction with a quizzical eye. When I went to pay he immediately asked what the crest was on my baseball cap? When I began to give the obvious answer he immediately began to enquire if it was the hitherto unheard of team doing so well in the EPL. Omce confirmed he asked more questions about how long the club had existed, where had it been until now, and how amazing we were doing against the might of the Big 6.

This has happened rarely since I have been here but it is becoming more commonplace. I think some of the younger Aussies who are really beginning to appreciate ‘soccer’ want an English club to follow without falling for the obvious choices from the colonial past. Just needs the two Mr Bs to put a bit more enthusiasm into converting the new interest over here.

 

[The Fits]

Against the grain, I'd rather we'd beaten Charlton. We are comfortablely mid table and I'd rather we won something - which we had a decent chance of doing - rather than hanging on the big 6's coat tails for a possible 7th.

That said, it was a fantastic afternoon in the pub today. Much better than standing in a never ending queue at Charlton. On rail strike TV days, there is something to be said for being an armchair fan.

You'd rather we beat Charlton, earning an away tie at Old Trafford, with Man City still in the cup, than beat Southampton in the league and (possibly) finish 7th?

 

[dwayne]

What is rather pleasing is how people you would not expect now actually want to talk ’BHA’. I was at my local BottleO getting the Xmas booze and the lad behind the till kept looking in my direction with a quizzical eye. When I went to pay he immediately asked what the crest was on my baseball cap? When I began to give the obvious answer he immediately began to enquire if it was the hitherto unheard of team doing so well in the EPL. Omce confirmed he asked more questions about how long the club had existed, where had it been until now, and how amazing we were doing against the might of the Big 6.

This has happened rarely since I have been here but it is becoming more commonplace. I think some of the younger Aussies who are really beginning to appreciate ‘soccer’ want an English club to follow without falling for the obvious choices from the colonial past. Just needs the two Mr Bs to put a bit more enthusiasm into converting the new interest over here.

When I was in Cali last Easter I got 3 separate people raving about Brighton when I had the top on. One guy even said he chose Brighton as his team and caciedo was his favourite player and this was after caciedo had played three or so games.

Wear a Brighton top anywhere outside of Sussex in miserable old England and you will just get abuse.

 

[Seagull58]

Sorry, but I absolutely despise that dicking-around-at-the-back shit. Always have done, always will

We don't dick around at the back like we did under Potter. We usually pass forward to the midfield pivot then back on a diagonal and then forward again either out wide to a wb or centrally to a CM, thus playing round or through the opposition's first line (or lines). This is quite different from passing back and forth across the back line for minutes at a time.

 

[Bodian]

What is rather pleasing is how people you would not expect now actually want to talk ’BHA’. I was at my local BottleO getting the Xmas booze and the lad behind the till kept looking in my direction with a quizzical eye. When I went to pay he immediately asked what the crest was on my baseball cap? When I began to give the obvious answer he immediately began to enquire if it was the hitherto unheard of team doing so well in the EPL. Omce confirmed he asked more questions about how long the club had existed, where had it been until now, and how amazing we were doing against the might of the Big 6.

This has happened rarely since I have been here but it is becoming more commonplace. I think some of the younger Aussies who are really beginning to appreciate ‘soccer’ want an English club to follow without falling for the obvious choices from the colonial past. Just needs the two Mr Bs to put a bit more enthusiasm into converting the new interest over here.

Especially in Melbourne I suspect. I still have my early 90s photo of me and my mate stood under the Brighton roadsign!

Wear a Brighton top anywhere outside of Sussex in miserable old England and you will just get abuse.

Not really true though. My BHA oven gloves have gone down a treat round here, with Man Utd fans complimenting me.

 

[BadFish]

I was a decent keeper when I was younger playing for teams that were pretty good.

Guess what I got taught?

Keep it short where you can, play out from the back as it will pull opposition out of position and keeping the ball is better than hoofing it.

Quite, I've been coaching a bit of junior football in the last few years and every model encourages playing out from the back as much as possible. At every level.

Keep possession and, as you say, move the opposition around.

Hoofing it and clearing lines is yesterday's man and I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would prefer it. Better to watch, more effective and propelling us to unimagined heights. What's not to love!.

 

[Swansman]

We don't dick around at the back like we did under Potter. We usually pass forward to the midfield pivot then back on a diagonal and then forward again either out wide to a wb or centrally to a CM, thus playing round or through the opposition's first line (or lines). This is quite different from passing back and forth across the back line for minutes at a time.

This is a myth obviously.

It is a myth that the boys just spent all games passing it around among the defenders with GP in charge. Very clear from the statistics. It is also a myth that the team never spends a long time passing it around at the back with RDZ, as seen in the games against Villa and Nottingham.

We'll see a lot of passing between the defenders and central midfielders again - because it is unavoidable (unless you are City and have players EVERYWHERE that can just easily carry the ball past 2 or 3 players) against teams that just sit deep. You have to circulate the ball to find spaces or a free player and sometimes that just takes time if the opponent is focused on covering all the spaces with 9 or 10 players.

 

[Oh_aye]

What is rather pleasing is how people you would not expect now actually want to talk ’BHA’. I was at my local BottleO getting the Xmas booze and the lad behind the till kept looking in my direction with a quizzical eye. When I went to pay he immediately asked what the crest was on my baseball cap? When I began to give the obvious answer he immediately began to enquire if it was the hitherto unheard of team doing so well in the EPL. Omce confirmed he asked more questions about how long the club had existed, where had it been until now, and how amazing we were doing against the might of the Big 6.

This has happened rarely since I have been here but it is becoming more commonplace. I think some of the younger Aussies who are really beginning to appreciate ‘soccer’ want an English club to follow without falling for the obvious choices from the colonial past. Just needs the two Mr Bs to put a bit more enthusiasm into converting the new interest over here.

Indeed. My partner is Israeli and they are premier league mad. Its amazing how all of her family suddenly kow everything about Brighton and are chuffed to have some form of affiliation with them.

 

[schmunk]

Not sure if already mentioned in the thread, but I saw what giving in to "not dicking about at the back" pressure did to Everton today when they launched it forward at 90+3, and conceded a counter-attack winner at 90+4.

#teamdicking

 

[abc]

I agree with your post, but Chris Cattlin never managed us in the top flight. I was very disappointed when he left, I always felt he was a decent chap and that he was a very good manager.

You’re right but I had to look it up before I believed you! Could have sworn he was between MB and Melia!

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Quite, I've been coaching a bit of junior football in the last few years and every model encourages playing out from the back as much as possible. At every level.

Keep possession and, as you say, move the opposition around.

Hoofing it and clearing lines is yesterday's man and I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would prefer it. Better to watch, more effective and propelling us to unimagined heights. What's not to love!.

I do love the occasional long pass from the goal keeper to catch the opposition out.
One end to the other in about 20seconds, smack it over the bar into row z past the goalkeeper to be 1-0 before the other team know what's going on.
They key to that, obviously, is it's not just hoofing it out, it's taking advantage of the other team being out of position (partly because they're not expecting it).

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Not really true though. My BHA oven gloves have gone down a treat round here, with Man Utd fans complimenting me.

The only issue I've ever had was some kid in a pub toilet in Leeds telling me "Brighton are the worst" a couple of years ago. Even the other Leeds fans there thought that was a weird reaction.

 

[BadFish]

I do love the occasional long pass from the goal keeper to catch the opposition out.
One end to the other in about 20seconds, smack it over the bar into row z past the goalkeeper to be 1-0 before the other team know what's going on.
They key to that, obviously, is it's not just hoofing it out, it's taking advantage of the other team being out of position (partly because they're not expecting it).

I agree, when they are convinced you always play it out, lob one long over the top so they don't know what you are going to do.

 

[BN41Albion]

When I was in Cali last Easter I got 3 separate people raving about Brighton when I had the top on. One guy even said he chose Brighton as his team and caciedo was his favourite player and this was after caciedo had played three or so games.

Wear a Brighton top anywhere outside of Sussex in miserable old England and you will just get abuse.

That's bullshit - never happened once to me all the years I lived outside of Sussex and had many great chats about BHA with strangers. Bit different half way round the world though anyway- can't really compare

 

[Iggle Piggle]

You'd rather we beat Charlton, earning an away tie at Old Trafford, with Man City still in the cup, than beat Southampton in the league and (possibly) finish 7th

Yes.

And the really boring answer is that I modelled the scenarios prior to both games and winning the Carabao was the more likely of the 2 you mention. I don't run a paid service in case you were thinking of subscription.

 

[portlock seagull]

We dominated and beat a bottom 3 side today. Potter could rarely say that.