[Albion] Lack of squad quality

[Icy Gull]

How about this approach: Flying out of the traps, push them back so on the occasions they get the ball, they're so deep we have time to get back and defend and repel their attacks, setting up for a breakthrough to go 1-0 up, keep that momentum going pushing for a second and making it 2-0 knocking the confidence out of our opponents, keep our discipline, control the game, get a third to go 3-0 up, sit back, knowing the job is effectively done, showing confidence and discipline as our opponents try to get a consolation pick them off on the break to make it 4-0. That's what can happen when you're playing one of the many other teams in the premier league that don't have a Galactico squad.


I really don't get this attitude from fans that seem to make it an either/or situation. "If we attack, they'll cut through us and score and we'll lose" Well howTF are we going to ever get a goal? Of course there are teams we can't go all out against, but there are also teams that we can, because they're not world class either. Those are the teams around us. Like Southampton. They only managed to score one goal and it came during a period of defensively, patiently passing it around at the back, not while trying to attack

Bingo!

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Well howTF are we going to ever get a goal?

Set up the way we are, using the players we have, I often wonder...

 

[Ninja Elephant]

We have plenty of attacking talent in the squad. It's no accident that it's been assembled, we haven't been buying players DESPITE their attacking prowess. We've signed a whole raft of quality football players but our tactics haven't changed. The formation has changed to become even more conservative and get the best out of absolutely nobody in the side. It's incredibly frustrating to watch the best collection of Brighton players ever assembled be used in such a wasteful manner. We have a whole raft of players not being used to their strengths and there's no excuses for it.

I haven't enjoyed this season, I don't think I've hidden that at any stage. We're a results team only. Which is fine when you're getting the results but when you're not, and people start to look at the performances which are being put in, there's a problem. I think Wembley will suit us next week because there's no question of us having to be the aggressors, we can play the 4-3-3 to counter attack and, providing Gross isn't rushed back in to play out of position (again), we should actually be quite good at it. The celebrations after sneaking through against Millwall suggest that the players actually do want to win the Cup so let's see it from the start. And not if we go 1-0 down and have to start playing.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

We have plenty of attacking talent in the squad. It's no accident that it's been assembled, we haven't been buying players DESPITE their attacking prowess. We've signed a whole raft of quality football players but our tactics haven't changed. The formation has changed to become even more conservative and get the best out of absolutely nobody in the side. It's incredibly frustrating to watch the best collection of Brighton players ever assembled be used in such a wasteful manner. We have a whole raft of players not being used to their strengths and there's no excuses for it.

This......................

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

As you say, Hughton is naturally cautious. In the Championship, when he knows we're better than the opposing team and we're not really likely to get punished if we make a mistake, he sets up to attack. This is what he did. Great attacking football against some dire sides with lots of wonder-goals.

However, we're in the Premier League now. One single mistake from one single player can cost us three points. A bottom six club can beat a top six club on any given day, and nothing is 'guaranteed' (maybe Man City v Huddersfield, I'll give you that - but you know what I mean.)

How about this approach : Flying out of the traps, f*cking up, going one down, going gung-ho and chasing the game, leave ourselves open, two down, heads go down, players get frustrated, three down, lots of yellow cards, lack of discipline, four down... That's what happens when you don't have a Galactico squad in the Premier League.

As for CH 'taking us as far as we can go' - Yes! So, who do we get in who can do better? Pochettino? Ancelotti? How about we try for Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp? These are the managers we'd need to take us to this hallowed 'next level' - Oh, and about £500m for new players please, thank you very much TB.

We are still in the PL and we're in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup. If we were bottom of the PL, relegated already, and out of all competitions we'd be whittling on about having a manager of CH's calibre. Give it a rest!

Yeah, ok.

I'm not advocating buying galactico's. I'm not advocating replacing Hughton. I'm not advocating going gung ho. I'm not even talking about your 'next level'.

What I'm asking is why the change in performance levels and attitude? Not just from the championship - I understand that we went for it when we had to and when we were clearly better- but from last year in the premier league too. I'm not sure if you read the whole post or skipped over the first half but I pointed out that we are a team, a team that requires all of its parts to be firing in order to be effective. I said that we can't rely on one or two players - a la Zaha - to dig us out of trouble, it's all or none for us.

Last year (and in the championship) we were a team where everyone put in a shift and did their jobs. This year, too many times that hasn't happened.

That's the point I was trying to make and then I asked why is that happening and how do we change it?

The part of the post that you have quoted was merely trying to guess where the problem is. Do we need a shake up of the coaching staff? This doesn't mean sacking Hughton, I mean of his assistants. Are Nevin and Trollope up to the job? Has over familiarity or staleness crept in? Could we get someone else in to help out?

Are too many of the players feeling too comfortable in their positions? Premier league football and a fat paycheck? do we need to ship some of them out and bring in hungrier players? That's nowhere near saying spending 500million on galacticos.

I don't know what the answers are, that's why I was asking questions rather than stating facts(or my opinion dressed as fact).

 

[GT49er]

What we need is a couple of strong midfield players with pace

.....and with goals in them.

 

[doogie004]

Bruno, Bong, Stephens, & Murray need to be replaced with higher quality replacements in the summer.

Add March and locadia to that list
And a one trick pony manager reached his ceiling


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Weststander]

Ali J looks exactly what he is. An international with a poor to minor country in the grand scheme of things who has been a big fish in a small pond in Holland. Bundles of technique and nice tricks but has neither the pace nor strength for English football.

This. The bulk of £17m down the Swannie.

 

[Weststander]

You forget just how many games in the Championship where we took the lead and then defended. The last 20 mins of most games were real nailbiters, but it worked out because we are very organised at the back.

We then totally ****ed up winning the league....

An unusually negative footballing post from you. I enjoyed the majority of our Championship 29 months under CH, up there with the greatest Albion memories for me. In a division with a stack of clubs at times such as Villa, Newcastle, Derby, Boro and Massive who’d spent far, far more than us. I loved it.

 

[drew]

.....and with goals in them.

Both Stephens and Propper have excellent scoring records as midfielders before they came to us!

 

[GT49er]

Both Stephens and Propper have excellent scoring records as midfielders before they came to us!

Yes, and if they'd both chipped in with 5 or 6 goals per season we'd be doing a lot better than we are.






They haven't......... and we're not. That's where we need to send our money (or rather the PL money) in the summer. If we get a midfield that starts setting up chances for the attacking players, and chipping in with a few goals of their own that will make all the difference next season - if we spend £60M plus on two such players in the summer, the rest of the positions can take care of themselves until 2020-21.

 

[supaseagull]

Both Stephens and Propper have excellent scoring records as midfielders before they came to us!

Yes but one in a crappy Dutch league which is on par with the SPL and the other in league one.

It’s incomparable

 

[Bodian]

Yeah, ok.

I'm not advocating buying galactico's. I'm not advocating replacing Hughton. I'm not advocating going gung ho. I'm not even talking about your 'next level'.

What I'm asking is why the change in performance levels and attitude? Not just from the championship - I understand that we went for it when we had to and when we were clearly better- but from last year in the premier league too. I'm not sure if you read the whole post or skipped over the first half but I pointed out that we are a team, a team that requires all of its parts to be firing in order to be effective. I said that we can't rely on one or two players - a la Zaha - to dig us out of trouble, it's all or none for us.

Last year (and in the championship) we were a team where everyone put in a shift and did their jobs. This year, too many times that hasn't happened.

That's the point I was trying to make and then I asked why is that happening and how do we change it?

The part of the post that you have quoted was merely trying to guess where the problem is. Do we need a shake up of the coaching staff? This doesn't mean sacking Hughton, I mean of his assistants. Are Nevin and Trollope up to the job? Has over familiarity or staleness crept in? Could we get someone else in to help out?

Are too many of the players feeling too comfortable in their positions? Premier league football and a fat paycheck? do we need to ship some of them out and bring in hungrier players? That's nowhere near saying spending 500million on galacticos.

I don't know what the answers are, that's why I was asking questions rather than stating facts(or my opinion dressed as fact).

I think it's something to do with the mindset. We ground out a lot of good results, then people starting saying things like 'are we safe now then?'. If we think that way, then so must the players. They relax and we end up with a run of bad results. It then looks as though we're in the relegation struggle again, and the team seems to collectively pick-up and put the extra 5-10% of effort in, and we get a couple of wins. We look sort of safe again, and get to the semi-final, and I bet the players thought 'don't have to do so much now', and we get yesterday.

We'll be okay. I think when the chips are down this squad do pull together and get the job done.

The secret is to try and get that effort when we don't 'need' it.

 

[portlock seagull]

I think our club dna mentality is all wrong. Of course money talks but we’re so soft, and that includes us the fans. Our expectations are so poor, our excuses are exhausting to read or listen to and we’re just in awe all the time. We look and play like a bunch of first dates, I’d love to see a nasty fighting element to our play, especially midfield, and I don’t mean clumsy yellow cards and stupid penalties but some real steel and clever play. I’m afraid our players only look good enough for shampoo adverts or wethers originals. Can’t see any of them getting a Pepperami deal soon.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I think it's something to do with the mindset. We ground out a lot of good results, then people starting saying things like 'are we safe now then?'. If we think that way, then so must the players. They relax and we end up with a run of bad results. It then looks as though we're in the relegation struggle again, and the team seems to collectively pick-up and put the extra 5-10% of effort in, and we get a couple of wins. We look sort of safe again, and get to the semi-final, and I bet the players thought 'don't have to do so much now', and we get yesterday.

We'll be okay. I think when the chips are down this squad do pull together and get the job done.

The secret is to try and get that effort when we don't 'need' it.

Yeah, I think we will be safe too.

It's just unusual under Hughton to have a team that over the course of the season has had multiple examples of not turning up. And it's slightly worrying if it is purely down to the players relaxing because they think they're safe. It's unprofessional on their part and isn't a positive sign for future seasons if we put our feet up the moment we think we're safe.

Still, a result against chelsea and everything will be much rosier.

 

[drew]

Yes but one in a crappy Dutch league which is on par with the SPL and the other in league one.

It’s incomparable

I would suggest it is because they are being asked to play much deeper and stick to the shape although Propper does now get further forward than he did last year!

 

[zefarelly]

I said to my son watching the other week, If they spent as much time on football as they do on personal grooming we'd be in the top 10.

on the bus home from Brighton a month or so ago we saw Isquierdo relaxing in a barbers chair on Western Rd. He certainly wasn't after something for the weekend!

I think our club dna mentality is all wrong. Of course money talks but we’re so soft, and that includes us the fans. Our expectations are so poor, our excuses are exhausting to read or listen to and we’re just in awe all the time. We look and play like a bunch of first dates, I’d love to see a nasty fighting element to our play, especially midfield, and I don’t mean clumsy yellow cards and stupid penalties but some real steel and clever play. I’m afraid our players only look good enough for shampoo adverts or wethers originals. Can’t see any of them getting a Pepperami deal soon.

 

[casbom]

I think it's been said before, but we don't have someone out there who can get hold of our players and tell them to up their game. We have a lot of quiet players and no one who can yell at other players to gee them up etc. I only saw Duffy trying to tell the others to up their tempo but it that happened only once.

I was trying to shout my encouragement in the East Stand in E1H by saying stuff like "C'mon Albion" and "get into them", and would you believe I got looks from people in front as if I dared to shout anything! As if I should have sat there quietly whilst we capitulated!

In the summer (if we stay up) we need to get some players who are vocal out on the pitch, some leaders.

 

[zefarelly]

at the Goldstone a regular chant was 'get into them, **** em up'

you'd probably get banned for that now.

 

[portlock seagull]

I think it's been said before, but we don't have someone out there who can get hold of our players and tell them to up their game. We have a lot of quiet players and no one who can yell at other players to gee them up etc. I only saw Duffy trying to tell the others to up their tempo but it that happened only once.

I was trying to shout my encouragement in the East Stand in E1H by saying stuff like "C'mon Albion" and "get into them", and would you believe I got looks from people in front as if I dared to shout anything! As if I should have sat there quietly whilst we capitulated!

In the summer (if we stay up) we need to get some players who are vocal out on the pitch, some leaders.

Fair play to you but Brexit will happen before you get the East stand singing! I can see it now, lots of spoilt kids called Sebastian and Tobias (not Toby!) stuffing their faces and starring over their shoulders at you as Dad pretends you’re not there and has a quiet word not to follow the behaviour of the strange man! Football atmospheres suck in 2019...