Naylor on the button for once

[Kevlar]

ulloa was always going to be a tough act to follow
the championship will always be a tough league.
Serendipity plays a massive part with all transfers
more so with strikers because of our very understandable
reluctance to pay ridiculous sums which still might not come of
Yes ulloa turned out to be a bargain and CMS less so.
IF CMS and Baldcock's injuries are likely to take time to resolve
a loan might be a good idea but how many gifted no 9's are
actually available?
Our problems scoring come down to more than just the central striker
Attacking midfielders need to score as well
If tex and colunga are not scoring paddy and Lua Lua deserve their chance
The system we play makes it harder for the rest of the midfield to make
runs into the box because they have to cover behind the full backs
which they have been doing better lately.
Yes with a striker of the calibre of ulloa we could score more goals
but such a player would still need a better service and we would still
need more goals from elsewhere in the team to make a charge up the table.
Having said all that I do see a very real improvement in the team
especially defensively .We have made the system work better
but would we score more goals if it was attacking wide strikers instead of
full backs delivering balls into the box and forward running midfielders
and the opposite wide attacking striking joining the central forward in the box
trying to get on the end of them?

 

[BBassic]

Naylor created a problem for himself by appearing to "side" with Oscar Garcia against the club. Before that he seemed to be allowed some insight into the club and as a result his readers were better informed. Since his apparent fallout he seems to have struggled but this is by far and away the best article from him in a long time.

I think this can only result in better journalism. Rather than being fed info by the club he's got to go out and put together great pieces like this.

That's not to say I ever thought he was just a mouthpiece for the club but I think being viewed as an "outsider" by the club might just work in favour of his output.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

If we can eliminate the silly defensive lapses and become more clinical with our own finishing then we really ought to be competing in the top 10. We could easily have nicked all three points at Watford.

I was pleased to see COG get a run out on Saturday and it was very encouraging to see an improvement in the quality of our crosses, which have been pretty poor this season. So it was a pity that COG did not get his head on the end of that beautiful cross late in the game.

Ironically those two low hard crosses from KLL across the face of the Watford goal late on were absolutely crying out for a more mobile striker like CMS or Baldock to bury them, yes, even from point blank...... or maybe one of our midfielders to break into the opposing 6 yard area.

Can't say that I'm bowled over by Colunga's contributions to date. He seems too peripheral, maybe it will come.

Stephens and March to return at some point.

I was a tad annoyed when KLL would not let Holla take that free kick from about 25 yards out - my instinct at that moment suggested that a carefully placed shot from Holla stood a better chance than KLL hoofing it at the wall, which is what happened. I love to see a thunderbolt from KLL break the onion bag but I sensed that Holla wasn't best pleased.

 

[Luke93]

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/11515420.Albion_Analysis__Time_for_an_attacking_re_think/?ref=twtrec

Good piece by Andy. Two seasons ago was not dissimilar - we played very well but didn't have a clinical striker to put chances away. After 14 games we were 10th. We signed Ulloa in the January and the last 17 games yielded 35 points. This time, I agree we can't wait until January.
The good news is, as yet, there is no outstanding team and lots of draws. It's not too late to put a run together.

PG

You could say, he hit the Naylor on the head

 

[Rookie]

Maybe taking the breaks of the midfield would help.
Crofts and JFC have hardly been seen in ten oppositions box (at least until the Cardiff game when JFC seemed to get forward more).

 

[Grapes of Wrath]

Last season at this time after playing 11 league games we had scored 11 goals, had 13 points and were in 15th position. This season after 11 league games we have scored 10 goals, got 11 points and are in 19th.
I think we are probably suffering from the same problem this season, new manager and new players still needing to gel and find their form etc. Last season turned out ok, so hopefully this one will also, but I agree we could do with that big robust striker option.

 

[Brighton Mod]

Would like to see the midfield making more of a difference in terms of scoring goals. In the last home match we saw many shots, too many wayward and bad choices of when to shoot and when to pass.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Naylor created a problem for himself by appearing to "side" with Oscar Garcia against the club. Before that he seemed to be allowed some insight into the club and as a result his readers were better informed. Since his apparent fallout he seems to have struggled but this is by far and away the best article from him in a long time. Bloom, Barber, Hyppia et al should have it pinned to their notice boards and reading it should be obligatory for the players. - maybe get Brian Owen to translate it into Spanish?.
I believe we have the quality but lack the confidence to exploit it in front of goal. Time to import that confidence via the loan market? Yes, for me anyway, if it is available but that's another debate.

He didn't 'side' with Oscar, he ran an interview with the ex-manager of the football club that he is tasked to cover. Absolutely nothing wrong with that and I, for one, appreciate a lack of bias in his reporting, and the insight into the other side of the argument. What is the point – in this day and age – of the local paper being the mouthpiece for the club? That's what Paul Camillin and his team are for.

Maybe some people think that this isn't right, and they would like to see someone with the passion – if not the writing ability*– of HB&B in the role, and that is why they don't like Andy Naylor. That, to me, would be too much like propaganda. It's not as if he's got an Anti-Albion agenda - which seems to be what some people think – he just says it how it is and, ironically, how many of the fans see things.

Back to the original piece and I think he makes a good case. It was noticeable against Cardiff that from all the shots we had on target, few (if any) were by the front players. I'm sure it will come good eventually, but someone needs to step up - hopefully Baldock.

 

[glasfryn]

Emil Heskey yes you might all laugh but he would cause bedlam in the opposing area along with dunk and a short term contract would not cost a fortune.
the teams crying out for him or someone like him
Naylor is only saying whats been around on here for a while now

 

[sydney]

two pivotal moments on saturday.....ince's pussy cat impression on the end of the wall and no-one being in the box to put kaz's cross away late on.Having said that vydra could have scored and bruno could have had an early bath.......it's a funny old game.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Good piece by Naylor. We haven't seen much of Baldock but worryingly it looks like Colunga, COG and CMS will struggle to muster 20 goals between them, and I wouldn't bet against Dunk finishing with more goals than all of those.

Moreover, all of our big Championship rivals have better options upfront. We need a decent loan option.

 

[sydney]

[QUOTE
Naylor is only saying whats been around on here for a while now[/QUOTE] exactly , we were screaming out for a target man before Len came and now he's gone for 6.5 mill , we have tried to replace him with cog for .5 ........would have been fantastic business if it had worked out but it hasn't ....yet.

 

[Mellotron]

I actually think Andy Naylor is a decent journalist. Don't know why he gets so much stick to be honest.

I think most of it is silly but I have two genuine issues with him/The Argus:

1. The utterly disgusting way they "handled" the assault case.

2. The incredibly childish way he refers to NSC/The Internet. It clearly sticks in his craw that non-professionals beat him to scoops constantly. He should just accept that's how the internet works nowadays but he always comes across churlish and bitter when this subject is raised.

 

[Mackenzie]

He's certainly better for not having to toe the club line. A bit of distance between the local journalist and club is a good thing.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Good piece by Naylor. We haven't seen much of Baldock but worryingly it looks like Colunga, COG and CMS will struggle to muster 20 goals between them, and I wouldn't bet against Dunk finishing with more goals than all of those.

Moreover, all of our big Championship rivals have better options upfront. We need a decent loan option.

Agree with much of this. By giving him a whopping 4 year deal, the club clearly have got great faith in Baldock. He now must deliver. Otherwise hard to see where the goals are going to come from.

 

[Miami Seagull]

I think this is a good article for a change...however here's what I dislike about his routine sports journalism skills:

1. No inside knowledge of things going on at the club - after all the years he has covered the Albion he has to rely on the crap interviews on Player for almost all of his stories
2. His questioning technique - just poor, no depth to any questions and rarely a decent follow up question when the interviewee avoids the original point.

Most writers at local rags do have contacts within the clubs, although they use information received carefully for obvious reasons. But honestly, if you watch the after match and pre match interviews on player, you'll have all of Naylor's stories for a week.

 

[father_and_son]

I am not sure this is even true, though people are keen on saying it.
From what I can work out Kaz, this season down the middle as people describe it, gets an assist or a goal at a rate of 0.31 a game. Before this season (including our time in League 1) this rate was 0.25. If you exclude the time in League 1 this is around 0.22.
Does this not imply he is, if anything, more effective in the middle?

I won't argue with the stats but that's not what it looks like on the pitch. STH and admit I don't watch all our away games (only gone to Watford so far and watch streams when I can), but from the games I have seen, Kaz certainly SEEMS better on the wing, he has more of the opposition committed to him when he makes a run.

I don't know how you could measure it accurately (I'm sure someone does), but I guess for every assist of a shot on goal he doesn't make from the wing, he frees up two for other players by being a problem for the opposition.

 

[Arthur]

I think most of it is silly but I have two genuine issues with him/The Argus:

1. The utterly disgusting way they "handled" the assault case.

The Argus are there to sell papers. Not win a popularity contest. For every Brighton fan reading said paper I expect there were equally as many Disgusted From Tunbridge Wells types who passed judgement on "4 young men, paid too much money, thinking they can do what they like to girls" etc etc. It's a Sussex paper not a BHAFC one and lets face it 4 footballers in sex scandal is a pretty juicy story compared to the usual write up of the Lye Green village fete!

They were VERY supportive of the Falmer campaign which people seem to have forgotten. Had they have been found guilty would you have still felt the same way?

2. The incredibly childish way he refers to NSC/The Internet. It clearly sticks in his craw that non-professionals beat him to scoops constantly. He should just accept that's how the internet works nowadays but he always comes across churlish and bitter when this subject is raised.

In the blokes defence look at the abuse he gets on here. I agree with you, it is unprofessional and he should rise above it but I'd do exactly the same thing if I were in that position.

 

[somerset]

Lazy stereotyping & people jumping on the bandwagon, at a guess?

Indeed, sheep....

 

[Brighton TID]

Anyone who has actually seen the last two games will not be as worried as someone who just looks at the table and 7 Championship games without a win.

Brighton were very good against Cardiff, 4-1 would not have flattered them at all.

And they were pretty good against a Watford team that have always been my promotion favourites this season, they have got the best squad bar none. Not many teams could have coped with the 7 players out Watford had on Saturday, but they have two quality players in every position which is rare in this division. The Albion never gave up, and could easily have nicked the win.

Obviously just playing better isn't enough and that win can't come soon enough but performances are an indicator, and they indicate we are getting there. As said above, to complete this picture a goalscorer is essential. It could still be Baldock but he needs to be back quickly or we look elsewhere.

This is completely correct.

I'm backing Baldock to become our fox in the box.

My only frustration is McCourt not starting. He is our main man in my eyes.