[Albion] Perspective

[Bold Seagull]

Are people blaming the running of the club? Are people saying we should change how we run the club? Genuine questions. I've not trawled through all the threads.

I know there is a thread titled something along the lines of 'lack of depth will cost us'. It's a view point I have some sympathy with. We've lost, and not replaced, three senior players this season - Bissouma, Mwepu and Trossard.

Bissouma and Trossard have been replaced in the team by Caicedo and Mitoma but their place in the squad hasn't. If we still had all three of those players I am convinced not only would we have more points but we'd be in the top four.

So in that sense I think it's fair to say that a lack of depth is hurting us in the context of a European push. In the larger context of what our club is historically and where we were 25 years ago it's incredible to be able to say we lack depth when we have teenage Paraguayan, Argentinian and Swedish internationals on the bench.

In the big picture arc of history it's mind blowing where we're at. Likewise it's o.k to be disappointed if we fall short of Europe when you consider our history. It's undreamed of success and might not come around again. I don't think that constitutes entitlement.

I replied to a quote yesterday saying we’re held back because TB refuses to break the model of how the club operates. Last night the manager was blamed, spending was blamed etc.

The squad is the thing that got us here, the target being steering clear of relegation and competing in the top 10.

15 months ago that target seemed a long way off. Now squad depth is going to cost us Europe (it might not…) even though squad depth has meant we will exceed our set targets. Europe is only there because we’ve exceeded expectations, it’s a funny turn of phrase to say squad depth will then cost us.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I replied to a quote yesterday saying we’re held back because TB refuses to break the model of how the club operates. Last night the manager was blamed, spending was blamed etc.

The squad is the thing that got us here, the target being steering clear of relegation and competing in the top 10.

15 months ago that target seemed a long way off. Now squad depth is going to cost us Europe (it might not…) even though squad depth has meant we will exceed our set targets. Europe is only there because we’ve exceeded expectations, it’s a funny turn of phrase to say squad depth will then cost us.

I fully agree that Bloom shouldn't break the model of how we run the club. It's a sure fire way to balls things up long term. If that's a common thought among the fanbase then I'm with you. I've not encountered it though(although my contact with the albion fanbase is NSC and my friends back home).

And I get the point about it being a funny turn of phrase. Would 'we might miss out on a previously unexpected European campaign because our squad could do with another two or three senior players' be better?

It is unexpected but nevertheless it's there and has been for a large part of the season. We've never been in Europe, it would be a dream scenario for most of us and the players and manager have openly talked about it being their goal. If we fall short(and I don't actually think we will - I'm still pretty optimistic on that front) we can still say what a great season but what an incredible one it could have been.

Why might we miss out? I don't think putting squad depth as a reason for missing out is either wrong or particulalry critical. To quote a former manager: it is what it is.

The players we have have done fantastically well to get us in this position. If we had two or three more players capable of stepping into the first team we'd have done even better.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

We cannot expect to have the squad depth of the Mega clubs. We are a relatively small provincial club on a budget that is limited . Good players will not come here to sit on the bench as they might for ...them.

In my opinion we stop talking about Europe now. It is a dream but the team has hit a run of poor results. If we finish in the top ten, fine .That will be another great season in a stop start year of interrupted football. Nb most of our good players were still playing internationally and World Cup So how many games have they had already?

 

[Bold Seagull]

I fully agree that Bloom shouldn't break the model of how we run the club. It's a sure fire way to balls things up long term. If that's a common thought among the fanbase then I'm with you. I've not encountered it though(although my contact with the albion fanbase is NSC and my friends back home).

And I get the point about it being a funny turn of phrase. Would 'we might miss out on a previously unexpected European campaign because our squad could do with another two or three senior players' be better?

It is unexpected but nevertheless it's there and has been for a large part of the season. We've never been in Europe, it would be a dream scenario for most of us and the players and manager have openly talked about it being their goal. If we fall short(and I don't actually think we will - I'm still pretty optimistic on that front) we can still say what a great season but what an incredible one it could have been.

Why might we miss out? I don't think putting squad depth as a reason for missing out is either wrong or particulalry critical. To quote a former manager: it is what it is.

The players we have have done fantastically well to get us in this position. If we had two or three more players capable of stepping into the first team we'd have done even better.

I would put VAR errors, fixture postponements and subsequent congestion, world cup break, FA Cup run - all as potential reasons for falling short of Europe (if that happens) ahead of squad depth.

I just don't think we are a football club that can realistically have players or genuine first XI quality that aren't getting game time. It's all happened at once unfortunately, but if Ferguson, Welbeck, Lallana, Veltman, Lamptey, Webster, Sarmiento. Moder were all fit, we'd have threads about how Enciso, Buonanotte etc. aren't getting a look in. The injuries have hit us all at once all at the wrong time - I agree with you, it is what it is.

The squad is feeling the strain I agree, but on the other hand it is fantastic Ferguson and Enciso have broken through, Buonanotte and Sarmiento been getting their chances to play - too much squad depth and that doesn't happen. A more experienced striker on the books and we might not have seen Ferguson much yet.

Swings and roundabouts for me. Think the squad has coped really well tbh. Like you, still optimistic we will finish top 7.

 

[Weststander]

And West Ham are right on the edge of that list having spent nearly £600m over 5 years.

Plus Everton £811m over 10 years.

 

[A1X]

Some say the squad does not have enough depth. This is a statement without context. By which standard are we measuring depth ? At present we are 8th in one of the top leagues in the world, but running one of the lowest budgets in that league. The depth of the squad should, in theory, reflect the budget. So by such a standard we are succeeding. But it would seem that the question of depth therefore defaults to comparison with the clubs above. All of those clubs have considerably more resources than us, Villa being the anomaly, perhaps, but they have spent hugely- something Albion are sensibly uninclined to do. Albion don’t do that because they look at the future as well as the present.

Assuming this is a dig at my thread, I clearly articulated where we’re struggling. I’m not expecting us to be able to operate a squad at Man City levels (who could field a B team which finished in or around the top 4) but we have one key area (LB) with NO first team cover whatsoever, forcing Estupinian to play every game, and lost two first teamers on a permanent basis in the first half of the season (Mwepu and Trossard) while replacing neither properly.

If you think that opinion is “entitled” then your perfectly entitled to that opinion, I personally see it more as a statement of the facts.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I would put VAR errors, fixture postponements and subsequent congestion, world cup break, FA Cup run - all as potential reasons for falling short of Europe (if that happens) ahead of squad depth.

I just don't think we are a football club that can realistically have players or genuine first XI quality that aren't getting game time. It's all happened at once unfortunately, but if Ferguson, Welbeck, Lallana, Veltman, Lamptey, Webster, Sarmiento were all fit, we'd have threads about how Enciso, Buonanotte etc. aren't getting a look in. The injuries have hit us all at once all at the wrong time - I agree with you, it is what it is.

The squad is feeling the strain I agree, but on the other hand it is fantastic Ferguson and Enciso have broken through, Buonanotte and Sarmiento been getting their chances to play - too much squad depth and that doesn't happen. A more experienced striker on the books and we might not have seen Ferguson much yet.

Swings and roundabouts for me. Think the squad has coped really well tbh. Like you, still optimistic we will finish top 7.

Yeah, I can't and won't disagree with too much of what you say.

There's never, or rather rarely, just one reason for something. Var decisions and cancellations/postponements have put a strain on us for sure. The squad is just two players down on what it started the season with and with those two players we could have dealt better with the var robberies and fixture congestion.

I don't think they would have impeded the development of either Enciso or Buonanotte based off of how they've been used so far. They just would have given us a number of extra options and fresher legs.

Edited to add: Those extra two players(Trossard and Mwepu) were budgeted for so I don't think bringing in cover for them over the summer would be breaking the model. Especially as that cover could come from within the club(for example Adringa) or as a seasoned freebie/cheapo like Veltman/Welbeck/Lallana.

 

[banjo]

P30 points 49. Great season so far.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yeah, I can't and won't disagree with too much of what you say.

There's never, or rather rarely, just one reason for something. Var decisions and cancellations/postponements have put a strain on us for sure. The squad is just two players down on what it started the season with and with those two players we could have dealt better with the var robberies and fixture congestion.

I don't think they would have impeded the development of either Enciso or Buonanotte based off of how they've been used so far. They just would have given us a number of extra options and fresher legs.

That's the breaks though. How do sides like us cope with Moder doing a cruciate when just getting to a really good PL level, or Mwepu having to retire, a manager change, a world cup in winter. It's like the Covid seasons - some sides coped better than others.

The squad has done brilliantly is the flip side of the conversation. Nothing more exciting than seeing genuine talent emerging this season as we have with Ferguson, Enciso, Sarmiento, Buonanotte. It almost makes you feel like MacA, Caicedo are old experienced pros in the side.

30 games 49 pts 14 wins 55 goals. I mean, had you said that to me March 2022, even with my rose tinted glass always half full I might have
spluttered my drink out.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Assuming this is a dig at my thread, I clearly articulated where we’re struggling. I’m not expecting us to be able to operate a squad at Man City levels (who could field a B team which finished in or around the top 4) but we have one key area (LB) with NO first team cover whatsoever, forcing Estupinian to play every game, and lost two first teamers on a permanent basis in the first half of the season (Mwepu and Trossard) while replacing neither properly.

If you think that opinion is “entitled” then your perfectly entitled to that opinion, I personally see it more as a statement of the facts.

Well, the facts are in January Buonanotte came in as an attacking player, and Ayari as a central midfielder.

 

[The Mole]

It’s always good to keep things in context. However the results turn out at the end of the season, it has been exceptional this year. One of the best things is that we appear to be the most popular club in the premier league due to the way we play and the way we are run. We must enjoy the good times because one of the wonderful things about sport is that nothing is constant; for every winner there is a loser.

And for those older supporters like myself, maybe we should cut some slack on those who don’t want to look back on the dark days and want to look forward. Also for the younger supporters you have to take into account the pain we went through. We almost lost our club a few times. The campaign for Falmer seemed to go on forever. One of the reasons we come across as pessimists is that we don’t want any of our supporters to go through that again.
So lets rejoice in this season.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I fully agree that Bloom shouldn't break the model of how we run the club. It's a sure fire way to balls things up long term. If that's a common thought among the fanbase then I'm with you. I've not encountered it though(although my contact with the albion fanbase is NSC and my friends back home).

And I get the point about it being a funny turn of phrase. Would 'we might miss out on a previously unexpected European campaign because our squad could do with another two or three senior players' be better?

It is unexpected but nevertheless it's there and has been for a large part of the season. We've never been in Europe, it would be a dream scenario for most of us and the players and manager have openly talked about it being their goal. If we fall short(and I don't actually think we will - I'm still pretty optimistic on that front) we can still say what a great season but what an incredible one it could have been.

Why might we miss out? I don't think putting squad depth as a reason for missing out is either wrong or particulalry critical. To quote a former manager: it is what it is.

The players we have have done fantastically well to get us in this position. If we had two or three more players capable of stepping into the first team we'd have done even better.

I think the posts you have missed over the last few weeks have been the ones saying that RDZ needs to be backed in the transfer market in purchasing ‘PL ready’ players. That would be a radical departure from the business model.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

After 120 minutes on Sunday and the emotional impact of that tonight's result surely wasn't unexpected....it doesn't mean we are not a great team - the best team we've had in my lifetime

Absolutely this.

And if we hadn't conceded a very unfortunate goal right on HT I believe we would have won the game.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think entitlement needs to be defined. It gets thrown about quite a bit.

The clubs stated aim as said by Bloom and Barber is to be a top half club. RDZ and the players have openly talked about qualifying for Europe.

I think it's fair within that context to discuss our chances good or bad of that and to be disappointed if things don't fall our way in pursuit of it this season.

We don't need the extra context of Doncaster/Hereford/the loss of the goldstone/Gillingham for extra context for this season's potential success. That history is for the bigger picture context.

What we don't need is the insinuations (by others) that somehow we have dropped a bollock by deliberately not buying more players during the Christmas break when we had willing recruits available out there to buy and that the owner needs to be held to account. Which is being repeatedly insinuating by people who start out by saying that "we have had a great season but....". Anyway, that's just my own valueless opinion.

 

[Mellotron]

TLDR

I don't think it's entitlement to be disappointed that a season that promised so much, is in danger of fizzling out.
Fans are emotionally immature creatures. Football makes us like that. I wouldn't read to much into the outbursts of a football fan.

We want to believe our heroes can overcome insurmountable obstacles.
And we have a tendency to overreact when they turn out to be human beings after all.

it's the hope.... don't you know.

We also know how well run this club is, which makes us possibly expect on field success slightly more quickly than we should.

There's also the - understandable - fear of our club being ransacked of its best players if we don't make Europe this season.

 

[5Ways Gull]

This has been a monumental season. We have shown an unbelievable level of resilience, losing key players, the manager, key backroom staff (to clubs whose fans are entitled), and having a really good prospect have to retire much too young, whilst still continuing an amazing level of progress. I'm confident for the future because one of the strengths of my club over the last 10 years or so has been their ability to learn from the bad stuff that happens. I am so proud of everyone involved.

Re the whole squad depth thing, this has been a completely bonkers season. We've played 39/40 games so far this season with 8 still to go (at the end of April!!). A big chunk of our squad played between 3-7 games at the WC. on top of all that there have been the requirements involved in the ridiculous number of international breaks. Interesting that 2 of our most consistent, reliable players, Caicedo and Estupinan had poor games by their standards last night. Just last month they were dragged to the other side of the world for 2 completely meaningless international friendlies, which also deprived us of Sarmiento's services!

The history is important I think it keeps us grounded.

I am positive for the future!

 

[Monkey Man]

We've over-achieved this year in terms of our playing budget and as fans we've seen world-class football, the best we've ever experienced as Brighton fans.

If we end up coming up slightly short in terms of European qualification, that will ultimately be because other teams are better. (Though we'll always think about the VAR decisions that went against us.)

The thing is, whatever level we reach, there'll always be a higher level that we miss out on. Let's just celebrate what's already been achieved this season and get behind the players for this exhausting final push.

 

[DJ NOBO]

First off, the history doesn’t matter.Whatever we were, we are now a premier league club. Get over it.
It is 2023, and we have a squad with exceptional players. Surely the best ever side in the club’s history.
Those players were/are close to achieving something exceptional - reaching a cup final and reaching europe.
Over the last week those ambitions have sadly taken a big hit.
We know These chances don’t come around often.
It doesn’t make a fan entitled to be disappointed if the season falls away.

 

[nwgull]

Another one that thinks we should stop dwelling on the past here. Gillingham etc. was a literal lifetime ago for many of our fans and certainly a long time in sport however old you are. I personally think that the progress we've made in the last 3 years has been the most dramatic.

I'm sure squad depth will be addressed this summer. Based on last season's profit of 24m with 68m of transfer income, this season's profit should easily be over 100m. Easy to say that we should have spent more of this season's transfer income in January, but that's not our MO. The recruitment team will have had dozens of potential deals cooking over the last 9-10 months, most of which we won't know about until the player is already holding the shirt at Lancing sometime in July.

 

[kevo]

After 120 minutes on Sunday and the emotional impact of that tonight's result surely wasn't unexpected....it doesn't mean we are not a great team - the best team we've had in my lifetime

Yes - and what will be interesting is how we play on Saturday. Yesterday was an understanable blip but hopefully they won't be still suffering from the Wembley hangover. I think the team will be up for it and if we win we'll be back on track with a good chance of European qualification.

I think the reason people have been quite despondent on here is that this in a sense is our 'golden generation' of players. There has never been a better Brighton team and some players will inevitably leave in the summer, especially if we don't secure Europe.

Can we continue to replace them with players equally as good? Although we've done it so far, losing the likes of Moises, Ali Mac and Mitoma will have an impact. So there is a feeling this season is our chance to actually achieve something. Sunday put an end to one dream and it's possible we may be denied another.