[Albion] Lallana On Brighton Departure

[Uh_huh_him]

However he averaged more mins per appearance in his second season.

23-24 - 951 mins played (32m per appearance)
22-23 - 835 mins played (46m per appearance)

It was this factor that was the most telling.
There was a clear trajectory of reduced minutes per performance.
Think it went from 60 to 45 to 30 across 3 seasons.
Doesn't take a genius to work out why that was.

De Zerbi loved him and decided to treat our/his last match of the season as a testimonial.
AL lasted 60 minutes, but failed to run to pick up 3 or 4 potential turnovers during those 60 minutes.
His legs have gone.

Glad he hasn't taken us for another playing contract.

 

[BiffyBoy]

How do you know it doesn't? They're not just here to play so how do you know they haven't helped our younger signings enough?



That is clearly not what happens here

As I mention in my post, I personally don’t think Milner or Lallana justified their wages and I’m putting weight on both playing performance and them both having maximum impact on the younger players (the latter being an assumption)

Top players that become coaches get paid a fraction of a players contract for a reason. If we want to bring in Lallana/Milner types (i.e model pros) to help the younger players, do it as coaches rather than players.

If it worked would we have not offered a contract extension?

 

[Uh_huh_him]

As I mention in my post, I personally don’t think Milner or Lallana justified their wages and I’m putting weight on both playing performance and them both having maximum impact on the younger players (the latter being an assumption)

Top players that become coaches get paid a fraction of a players contract for a reason. If we want to bring in Lallana/Milner types (i.e model pros) to help the younger players, do it as coaches rather than players.

If it worked would we have not offered a contract extension?

Personally I think these appointments served a different purpose.
Lallana, Milner and Welbeck have raised the profile of the club.

There has definitely been more respect given from the media, to the club since these players have arrived.
This has a knock on effect when it comes to recruitment.

The benefit to the younger players is around the culture at the club.
That has been established now and doesn't need famous names to keep it going.
Pascal, Dunk, Solly, Welbeck and others will keep it going and hopefully players like Hinshelwood, Gilmour and others will keep it going.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

As I mention in my post, I personally don’t think Milner or Lallana justified their wages and I’m putting weight on both playing performance and them both having maximum impact on the younger players (the latter being an assumption)

Top players that become coaches get paid a fraction of a players contract for a reason. If we want to bring in Lallana/Milner types (i.e model pros) to help the younger players, do it as coaches rather than players.

If it worked would we have not offered a contract extension?

We did.
But we assume it was based more on his current value as a player.
He rejected it, for "family reasons"

 

[BiffyBoy]

Personally I think these appointments served a different purpose.
Lallana, Milner and Welbeck have raised the profile of the club.

There has definitely been more respect given from the media, to the club since these players have arrived.
This has a knock on effect when it comes to recruitment.

The benefit to the younger players is around the culture at the club.
That has been established now and doesn't need famous names to keep it going.
Pascal, Dunk, Solly, Welbeck and others will keep it going and hopefully players like Hinshelwood, Gilmour and others will keep it going.

Fair and valid points.

I still don’t believe Lallana’s bloated wages make the off pitch stuff justified, but I get why we tried it.

 

[Triggaaar]

As I mention in my post, I personally don’t think Milner or Lallana justified their wages and I’m putting weight on both playing performance and them both having maximum impact on the younger players (the latter being an assumption)

Top players that become coaches get paid a fraction of a players contract for a reason. If we want to bring in Lallana/Milner types (i.e model pros) to help the younger players, do it as coaches rather than players.

If it worked would we have not offered a contract extension?

I think there is a difference in the impact a player can have on young players, and a coach. Players like Enciso have to listen to coaches barking orders at everyone all day, but it's different when they get advice from a player who a) they respect and b) is playing alongside them. Younger players also learn how to behave from the senior players, so if the senior is getting new instructions from the manager, and they say 'ok, that's how you want it, that's what we'll do', then the younger players are more likely to follow, even when they're not convinced by what the manager is asking. That's not something an extra coach can do.

With Lallana, he was here for both his playing and his influence on other players. As he's got older, slower, and more prone to injury, he can no longer offer so much on the field. That's why his contract has not been extended.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

- think Dean Hammond when he left Brighton.

I sat directly in front of him this time last week at Twickenham during the cup final. We were both there celebrating sons / nephews achievements for Haywards Heath Under 12s. I didn't go down the 'fanboy' route and say anything Brighton-related however.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

Fair and valid points.

I still don’t believe Lallana’s bloated wages make the off pitch stuff justified, but I get why we tried it.

I felt the same, still do to some extent.

But my thinking was changed somewhat during a train journey up to Leicester last autumn. Long story short, I was sat directly opposite a journalist who'd been given an access-all-areas golden ticket (with Jason Burt from the Daily Telegraph) by the club to report on EVERYTHING and interview anyone they wanted. There were huge written and internet pieces in both the Mail and Telegraph about how well the club was being run last year.

When I was slagging off the Lallana signing to friends on the train as a complete waste of money he piped up and said he's been unbelievable in improving the culture and professionalism around the club and was highly valued by Bloom and Barber. I still think it was a partial waste of (high) wages though!

 

[AZ Gull]

When was the last time he played 90 minutes?!

February 12 2022 (in the 2-0 win at Watford, he was subbed off in the first minute of added time at the end of the match).

 

[Machiavelli]

Fair and valid points.

I still don’t believe Lallana’s bloated wages make the off pitch stuff justified, but I get why we tried it.

I don't know what AL's wages were last season, but doubt they'd have been 'bloated', but if you have concrete information that they were, do share.

 

[Machiavelli]

February 12 2022 (in the 2-0 win at Watford, he was subbed off in the first minute of added time at the end of the match).

How many full games did he play for us?

 

[BiffyBoy]

I felt the same, still do to some extent.

But my thinking was changed somewhat during a train journey up to Leicester last autumn. Long story short, I was sat directly opposite a journalist who'd been given an access-all-areas golden ticket (with Jason Burt from the Daily Telegraph) by the club to report on EVERYTHING and interview anyone they wanted. There were huge written and internet pieces in both the Mail and Telegraph about how well the club was being run last year.

When I was slagging off the Lallana signing to friends on the train as a complete waste of money he piped up and said he's been unbelievable in improving the culture and professionalism around the club and was highly valued by Bloom and Barber. I still think it was a partial waste of (high) wages though!

That’s a great story.

I’m not surprised Lallana made an impact in that sense, but I am surprised it was such a big impact for the club. I didn’t realise we had issues around culture and professionalism and would have thought senior players like Dunk would have been good in that department. It’s been mentioned a few times so I definitely take it on board.

I’d still have liked to have seen lower wages and more on the field performance.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Fine.

He’ll be earning a lot more than he would here as a player/coach under Hürzeler.

I’ve got feeling that the ‘veteran’ we get in to replace him will blow folks minds.

Just got a postcard from the cleaner of an ex-colleague's second cousin twice removed - who lives on the outskirts of Buenos Aries - that read: 'Things in Brighton are about to get Messi...'

Make of THAT what you will.

 

[BiffyBoy]

I don't know what AL's wages were last season, but doubt they'd have been 'bloated', but if you have concrete information that they were, do share.

We’ll never know. All guess work. If we use websites like sportrac, salary sport etc it’s between 75-95k a week.

The only consistency on those websites is that he was our second top earner.

I’d bet anything he was in the top 5 earners, so based playing performance I’m going to say he was on bloated wages.

 

[Machiavelli]

We’ll never know. All guess work. If we use websites like sportrac, salary sport etc it’s between 75-95k a week.

The only consistency on those websites is that he was our second top earner.

I’d bet anything he was in the top 5 earners, so based playing performance I’m going to say he was on bloated wages.

I think that's way way off.

 

[BiffyBoy]

I think that's way way off.

What would you guess he was on a week? And where in terms of top earners at the club?

 

[AZ Gull]

How many full games did he play for us?

If you include matches where he started and wasn't subbed, or was subbed in added time (like that Watford match) - 19.

 

[Seagull58]

When was the last time he played 90 minutes?!

Between 1st March and the end of May he played just over 90 minutes (at walking pace).

 

[AZ Gull]

I remember some excellent performances from Lallana, one at Wolves especially, with a goal and a superb cross for Mitoma. And you could hear him urging the players on in many games during lockdown, for example the 1-1 draw at Palace with Ally Mac's late equaliser.

And so many people within the club have spoken about the attitude and professionalism he brought behind the scenes.

It is a very sad coincidence that you mentioned that game on the day that the Wolves substitute goalkeeper that afternoon - Matija Sarkic - was reported to have passed away at the dreadfully young age of 26 - Millwall goalkeeper Sarkic dies aged 26

 

[Bridcutt]

Going to be controversial here but was he really any good for us ?

Scored 3 goals in 95 appearances

Don’t remember many man of the match performances ?

Always injured ?

Rumoured to be 100k a week ?

His best contribution to BHAFC was not as a player but his excellent contribution managing/coaching the team with crofts between Potter and RDZ

Thoughts ?

You're 100% correct