[Albion] Paul Winstanley joins Chelsea as Director of Global Talent and Transfers

[Bold Seagull]

Apparently Tony has a spreadsheet with 3 or 4 potential candidates for every senior role in the club, scouring the world of football for what is happening in coaching, scouting, medicine, analytics, management, fitness, nutrition. It’s no surprise really that our manager and 5 or 6 senior staff leave and almost instantly they are replaced.

Welcome to the world of top flight football. It’s taking some longer than others to adjust, but there isn’t many sunshine and rainbows in a happy universe of imaginary loyalty and job security.

Tony runs a tight ship, and knows he cannot compete with salaries banded about - so he takes a business stand and has a wage structure in place. That means the big fish can flash the cash.

But Bloom doesn’t get all teary eyed about staff departures, he consults the spreadsheet and gets the best person on the list in.

Dry your eyes people, he knows what he’s doing.

 

[Invicta]

I don't do booing but they can all xxxx off. Potter and the rest of his hangers on.

 

[nicko31]

Potter rapidly descending for hero from zero...

 

[Steve in Japan]

I'd quite like to read "Chelsea denied permission to approach". What's there to lose?

 

[Surf's Up]

GP (and the others) kept the team in the league while being the only team making a net transfer profit since the pandemic started. There was no guarantee for that to work out. TB gave him the chance and it paid off. I don't think mr Bloom will be booing on Saturday.

Swansman - time to f*** off mate

 

[Bold Seagull]

Spoken like a true non Brighton fan.

TB took Potter into the Premier League, extended his contract after only a few weeks, constantly talked him up and stuck by him when he was delivering results that were just as bad as Hughton with far better players.

Bloom, in general, sticks with his Head Coach through thick and thin. Clearly the reverse doesn't apply.

TB got Potter on a cheap deal by PL standards, realised almost instantly he had a nugget on his hands and slapped a contract down that had a big fat release clause that would mean a sizeable recompense if he went.

2 disrupted seasons during Covid saw a transformation of approach and tactics that although results lagged behind, barely a game passed without the Albion attacking home and away regardless of opponent. Then got us the top ten finish ahead of any imaginary schedule.

TB could have offered GP a new improved contract in the summer, so instead GP remained in the bottom 2 or 3 managers in the league. Which is fine, I like our approach to strict wages, but it’s the reason we get poached from and mainly the reason we don’t sign strikers easily - they’re the highest paid.

This isn’t Potter’s, Bloom’s, or anyone’s fault, it’s football. Sorry, but you’d have happily seen Potter sacked in February, but that he isn’t or didn’t show any loyalty back just seems a case of wanting to have your cake and eating it (not that I’ve ever understood that expression).

Chelsea have handed over a player on loan, a potential talented signing, and what £80m in fees - who should be crying on Internet forums right now, I don’t think it’s us…

 

[A1X]

GP (and the others) kept the team in the league while being the only team making a net transfer profit since the pandemic started. There was no guarantee for that to work out. TB gave him the chance and it paid off. I don't think mr Bloom will be booing on Saturday.

COVID kept Brighton in the league 2019/20 as the club were dropping like a stone before lockdown, then managed to rally in the summer. They were kept in the league by there being three (much) shitter teams 2020/21.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

Timing interesting

Re the timing. Chelsea were in for RB Salzburg's DoF the day before they played them at Stamford Bridge. He was offered the job and said piss off no.

 

[Bold Seagull]

COVID kept Brighton in the league 2019/20 as the club were dropping like a stone before lockdown, then managed to rally in the summer. They were kept in the league by there being three (much) shitter teams 2020/21.

On the 01 Feb 2020 we were 15th, we went into lockdown 15th and after the break finished 15th. 20/21 4 teams finished below us and we had 13 more points than the 3rd relegated team. Perhaps we were kept in the league but having loads more points.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

COVID kept Brighton in the league 2019/20 as the club were dropping like a stone before lockdown, then managed to rally in the summer. They were kept in the league by there being three (much) shitter teams 2020/21.

On the 01 Feb 2020 we were 15th, we went into lockdown 15th and after the break finished 15th. 20/21 4 teams finished below us and we had 13 more points than the 3rd relegated team. Perhaps we were kept in the league but having loads more points.

We passed 40 points in both those seasons as well, which would normally be considered the benchmark for staying up on merit rather than by fortune.
Some clubs came back from the covid break and were much worse. It's a credit to all involved, not just Potter, that we came back and did well.

 

[Popeye]

We have the best owner in the Premier League and this doesn't change that. Keep that in mind.

 

[Weststander]

Regarding Winstanley himself, if he moves (or stays), imho he deserves much praise.

Taking over from the hapless Burke, I think Kayal was his first bit of business and we’ve not looked back. Unlike half the EPL, working on a strict wages budget, he’s delivered over and over again.

Thank you.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Chris Hughton would never have done this to Brighton.

 

[Baldseagull]

Oh yeah I get it.

Brighton fans want to treat the manager and players like shit, while demanding that the managers and players treat them those very same fans as if they are are Gods gift to mankind.

I got it around that Sheffield Wednesday game in GP season 1. Booing Dale Stephens, 200+ games for Brighton, when he had the ball. You might think those things happen everywhere... They don't.

Letters/programme notes from the owner and the CEO in early 2020 pretty much saying "could you please try to support the team?". Only a couple of weeks ago Dunk said in an interview, after a game, that he'd like the Brighton fans to be more patient when playing out the back. And we all remember Grahams comments from Leeds. Little more than three years and the owner, CEO, manager and club captain all had to go out and beg the fans to support the teams in times when things go not so well. It doesn't happen everywhere.

Burn, Ashworth, Maupay, Bissouma, Cucurella, GP, the other coaches, maybe Winstanley... none of them could wait to pack their bags at the first best opportunity. All of them kind of saying; "I'd like to thank the chairman, the gaffer, my teammates for this... oh yeah, the fans as well umm... for this great time". And now booing the team in the second home game of the new manager. Yes, there's split opinions on what was actually booed: the ref? Nottingham? the team? Regardless, If you don't know what you were booing then how should RDZ know?

Treat people like shit and then hope they'll treat you like saints, over and over again. Good luck with that. Must be incredibly annoying for the parts of the fans who are actually sensible, and for Tony Bloom, that the progress of the club is held back by unsupportive entitled people in the stands.

Maybe the fans that feel a bit let down by Potter, and hoped for a bit more (however unrealistic) loyalty, and less poaching, are not the same ones that booed Dale Stephens, or are impatient about playing out from the back? For me, never booed any Potter team, player or moment, only dissatisfaction with him was his toys out of the pram moment in response to another disappointing result after pulling Maupay off for Locadia with 20 minutes to play.

This thread is weird, a few a bit humpy with Potter, a few bizzarely glad and acting vindicated that they were in the Potter out brigade when results were not matching performances, after he has been poached by 2021 Champions League winners, after they sacked the guy they won it with and wanted Potter as an upgrade. Most fairly accepting but annoyed that Chelsea seem to lack much ability to look further than Brighton for non playing staff, and then you, telling us all those that left could not wait to pack their bags because Brighton fans are such a whiney bunch, nothing to do with vast wage increases.

It's easy to be relaxed about results having travelled the distance from your bedroom to your living room to watch a game, but some will have left work early or taken a half day and travelled several hours on packed commuter trains to get to an evening game, and some will have made some noise expressing their frustration at the ref, at Forest players time wasting, or the lack of f***ing pies having missed their dinner to be at the game.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

GP wasnt sacked he left, so not sure how the first point is relevant

The point is, there's no point expecting loyalty from any manager when they get offered an opportunity, when the vast majority of us are happy to see them sacked when we think a better manager is available.

All of them leaving was down to Chelsea and the individuals concerned - again, really not sure what point you’re trying to make?

That Potter can't be held responsible for other people leaving, when that's their decision. Which I'll accept isn't an argument you were making.

If you don’t understand some of ‘the reaction people have had‘ to that and are having at the prospect of loosing another key staff member and possibly 2 or even 3 players to Chelsea in January,

If the players are good enough to be signed by the top 4/6 teams, they will be, whether it's Chelsea or not. They'll cost an absolute mint to buy in January.

then you really don’t understand the depth of loyalty and passion some fans have towards their home team and why our particular history as a club makes some of us older fans overly sensitive to asset stripping.

Save that line of argument for Swansman.

PS we are all realistic enough to know that this is how football works but as I said in my previous reply, I dont have to like it.
PPS. I never once lost faith in GP or wished him gone (until now)

I don't get anything out of getting angry on an Internet message board. I am interested in thinking about why we react to things the way we do.
As I wrote originally, realistically the club's best option is to give people a platform and let them go if/when they're offered a better opportunity. I don't like that but I'm not going to criticise the club for taking that approach.

 

[Easy 10]

I'll forgive the poetic license and drama because its you.
Ultimately I'm a dull, logical, pragmatist.
I just see this all as a by product of our success and see it as something that allows us to continually challenge ourselves, keep us fresh and dynamic. It means those with the financial clout to make decisions in the interest of their club can do so (to our detriment) but to their cost. It wasn't so long ago that many here were advocating for us to go after Knudsen and Potter and his team were being vilified, yes, I'll take the £21m, thanks.

I'm sure we'll have learnt from this and put stronger provision in contracts but the reality is as a club we don't stand in the way of the opportunity to develop your career. The key thing is to continue to look to strengthen the club. For example, Mac Allister signing is great news but if anyone thinks there isn't a good release clause in his contract which means we'll be saying goodbye when the money comes calling, then they are naive.

Prepare to be disappointed, or look at these things as opportunities and enjoy people whilst they're here. I know where my head is at and how I see the world.
I'm sorry that doesn't fit the narrative of Chelsea and Hove Albion but

I don't disagree with the cold logic of your post, and I know full well I am howling at the moon over this saga. But I'm too invested in BHA NOT to be annoyed (to put it mildly) at how this has played out. I can accept Potter moving on to bigger and better things for his career, and him taking some of his staff with him. He's a professional, he owes us no loyalty, and thats the business he's in. But to me, its gone beyond him just moving on, because under his prompting - and it WILL be his prompting - Chelsea have returned again and again to basically gut the club of its resources. Its caused us damage, which unfortunately looks like will take a long, long time to repair.

They are leeches, who at a stroke, and mid-season, have lazily extracted so much of what BHA gradually built to bring us success, so they can plug it straight into to their own vile Frankenstein monster of a club.

I just can't shrug at that with an "it is what it is". Its really pissed on my Cheerios.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Better take a spare team bus when we play up there.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Get to the promised land > consolidate > progress > quality players, manager backroom staff all picked clean by the mega rich clubs = inevitable decline .... what's the frigging point?

If you need a gun to shoot yourself with, happy to source you one

 

[Baldseagull]

I don't disagree with the cold logic of your post, and I know full well I am howling at the moon over this saga. But I'm too invested in BHA NOT to be annoyed (to put it mildly) at how this has played out. I can accept Potter moving on to bigger and better things for his career, and him taking some of his staff with him. He's a professional, he owes us no loyalty, and thats the business he's in. But to me, its gone beyond him just moving on, because under his prompting - and it WILL be his prompting - Chelsea have returned again and again to basically gut the club of its resources. Its caused us damage, which unfortunately looks like will take a long, long time to repair.

They are leeches, who at a stroke, and mid-season, have lazily extracted so much of what BHA gradually built to bring us success, so they can plug it straight into to their own vile Frankenstein monster of a club.

I just can't shrug at that with an "it is what it is". Its really pissed on my Cheerios.

I get how you are feeling, but there is another way to look at this. Every vacancy created is an opportunity to get a better person in the role, PB and TB will be trying to do that, and I think they may have done that with De Zerbi for Potter, time will tell, but for me the signs look good.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I don't disagree with the cold logic of your post, and I know full well I am howling at the moon over this saga. But I'm too invested in BHA NOT to be annoyed (to put it mildly) at how this has played out. I can accept Potter moving on to bigger and better things for his career, and him taking some of his staff with him. He's a professional, he owes us no loyalty, and thats the business he's in. But to me, its gone beyond him just moving on, because under his prompting - and it WILL be his prompting - Chelsea have returned again and again to basically gut the club of its resources. Its caused us damage, which unfortunately looks like will take a long, long time to repair.

They are leeches, who at a stroke, and mid-season, have lazily extracted so much of what BHA gradually built to bring us success, so they can plug it straight into to their own vile Frankenstein monster of a club.

I just can't shrug at that with an "it is what it is". Its really pissed on my Cheerios.

Yes, but we live in a capitalist society and this is simply the exercise of capital in the free market.

I am unaware of any wider clamour about changing the rules.

If we are victims of our success, then this may be because we are successful. The architect here is the owner. If he thinks things may need to be done differently. then on we go.

As a club that has never won anything, ever, there is no point exaggerating our entitlement expectations. We need to win a few things before we can start thinking we are Aston Villa or Everton.