[Albion] Premier League: your feelings after 3 years?

[Icy Gull]

If the PL experience is a bit meh (I don’t disagree) how can the prospect of a long slog through a Championship season, with the aim of being promoted back to ‘meh,’ hold any appeal at all?

You underestimate the attraction of being a team at the top of the table, occasionally handing out the type of football lessons we have just experienced. This is very likely doable if we get relegated.

I support the Albion and love football for the thrills and excitement it brings me. Sure we have had quite a few uplifting performances this season but how nice would it be to see us thumping rather than being thumped?

I am not a “win at all costs, however ugly” football fan. You need to chat with [MENTION=13272]Teddy Maybank[/MENTION] if you want to have that conversation

 

[southstandandy]

The biggest problem for us in the last 3 seasons has been the lack of goals. I am actually surprised how well we have done this campaign considering our weakness upfront. Maupay keep; Connolly needs to go on loan to a mid Championship team, Murray retire - find a centre forward for £20-£25m. Perhaps we can raid a side that goes down or misses out on the playoffs.

Any spare cash - look at a pact midfielder.

That should keep us going

Agree about Connolly going on loan - needs to play regularly to build up some experience like White has done at Leeds this season, as I don't feel he will currently be a regular starter for us at the moment and he needs continuity and to play 30 or 40 games in a season.

Struggling to enjoy the Prem at the moment with the Americanisation of it all with the game now played in 4 quarters (hopefully this won't continue next season), together with the large numbers of subs now being used, VAR (which I personally hate), and hopefully the TV companies won't bring in ad breaks during future VAR incidents which is apparently being looked at.

The one positive is that as our wins our so infrequent (9 in our first season, 9 in our 2nd season, and 8 so far in this) we can savour the victories more somewhat as they are far less expected. Last week I found myself rewatching the Spurs game from earlier in the season and am still dining out on that result months later.

 

[GOM]

Last season feelings were dismal, this season more enjoyable. Hopefully next season even more so.

 

[Hugo Rune]

If we’d had Danny Ings this season, we’d be top ten. Most of those draws where we played well but missed out on the 3 points would have been converted to wins. Southampton would be relegated without his goals.

We just need to find a top goalscorer.

 

[sparkie]

Absolutely loving it.

Of course the end of last season was grim, though.


However, I really hate wealth fund teams and hope Petrostate City FC lose heavily in the court of arbitration for sport today.

 

[portlock seagull]

I don’t expect us to last forever. I had hoped we’d have more memorable games against the bigger boys, including a win or draw away - freak results if you like. Even a goal would be welcome. Our utter lack of firepower makes us dull to watch. Not exactly swashbuckling Oldham of the early 90s, losing 3-4 every week!

 

[Machiavelli]

In terms of pure entertainment value, the championship was far better and not just because we were one of the top teams who were constantly winning. Much less of an established hierarchy in the championship (maybe because there are 6 new teams each year), and that element of unpredictability really adds excitement across the whole season. also, I've found myself less than impressed at the sickening corporate nature (so called 'modern football') of the PL, at least in the championship there was a bit less of that, though I accept that that's just how it is and will become more and more a part of football as the years go on.

All that said, I'm still thoroughly enjoying our PL adventure. It is truly enthralling to watch a football club that you've supported all your life be in totally new, uncharted territory, especially with an exciting coach like potter, who knows where we may end up!? As depressing as it is sometimes, in the PL I do, by and large, get the feeling that we CAN achieve anything, whereas in the championship it was only the vague notion that we COULD achieve something special, the PL was still too much of an unknown. We are and will be seeing players of such craft and ability at the club, the calibre of which we have rarely seen. I suppose it's optimistic, but I feel we have everything in place to really push on. I would say, I wouldn't want to look back in 20 or so years time and think that we never pushed on in the league (as difficult as that is) and just hung right around the bottom like a bad smell for a few seasons, just making up the numbers, before disappearing again. But I feel like tony shares this thinking with me, hence the new set up he's put in place here.

Ultimately, I think Brighton deserves a team playing top-flight football and I think we as a club have had more than our fair share of tough times, so while we're in the premier league I'll enjoy every second, though I won't be utterly destroyed if we have to go and join our old friends in the championship for a while. However, I firmly believe that what Tony is putting in place here means that we can achieve something truly special, and i'm certainly on board for the ride

Yes, agree with this. In short, the Championship is the most exciting league -- certainly in the UK, and potentially even across the world -- but the PL is an opportunity, however brief, to test ourselves. I'm enjoying watching how the likes of Bloom, Potter, Dunk, etc are getting on against the cream of the crop. The PL is deathly dull and too predictable, however, there's a top six/seven as others have said whose survival and top ten status is more or less guaranteed, and everyone else is living on borrowed time.

 

[Machiavelli]

Assuming we scrape over the line again and enter our fourth season in the PL, what are you feelings about dining at the top table?

To be perfectly honest, I fully expected that we would be straight back down at the end of our first season but at the time that didn't matter. Just getting here and playing 38 games in the top division and being on MoTD (last, obvs) every week seemed reward enough.

But now we have clung on by our fingernails for 3 years, is this enough? Getting battered by Abu Dhabi last night whilst their keeper did the crossword with Connolly wasn't much fun but there have been some good days too. Who doesn't love beating Spurs 3-0 at home or taking 6 points off Arsenal? If we stay up I can't see much changing next season and we'll be looking to dig out 8 or 9 wins from somewhere until one season soon the inevitable happens and we slip back through the trapdoor. Or can we really kick on? Tony's investment in facilities, executives and playing personnel deserves so much more but the nature of PL football these days seems to suggest that no matter how much money you throw at it, it's never enough.

Good thread, good questions

 

[vagabond]

If we’d had Danny Ings this season, we’d be top ten. Most of those draws where we played well but missed out on the 3 points would have been converted to wins. Southampton would be relegated without his goals.

We just need to find a top goalscorer.

[emoji122] this.

Feels like we’ve been a striker short this season. Not replacing Andone.

Get a clinical striker and we are jumping up the table.

 

[amexer]

PL is what we all wanted and have enjoyed up to now. Seen some of worlds best players and in a funny way enjoyed the master class that City dished out as best team performance have ever seen against us. However so much frustration about PL Including winning so few games may grate soon . Spending millions on players on 3/5 year contracts that are not deemed good enough , Income of £140m yet take subsidy from seagull travel, Have to pay £50 to take guest, Outrageous wages to players and senior staff mean even with income of £140m still lose £20m. Have supported club for many years and so many of these have felt your money is making a difference to club. Not now
Have said what keeps our enthusiasm for club is Tony Bloom and wouldnt feel same with a foreign owner . Find it sad how our income jumps from £25ish m in championship to what it is now and still lose money because stupid amounts go out in wages. In most normal business Bloom would have been payed back a lot by now.

 

[Grombleton]

without SIGNIFICANTLY better players in every department we're always going to be 5 points away from Blackburn Rovers away on a Tuesday night.

That won't happen. Timmy will get it called off due to Fog.

 

[m@goo]

Assuming we scrape over the line again and enter our fourth season in the PL, what are you feelings about dining at the top table?

To be perfectly honest, I fully expected that we would be straight back down at the end of our first season but at the time that didn't matter. Just getting here and playing 38 games in the top division and being on MoTD (last, obvs) every week seemed reward enough.

But now we have clung on by our fingernails for 3 years, is this enough? Getting battered by Abu Dhabi last night whilst their keeper did the crossword with Connolly wasn't much fun but there have been some good days too. Who doesn't love beating Spurs 3-0 at home or taking 6 points off Arsenal? If we stay up I can't see much changing next season and we'll be looking to dig out 8 or 9 wins from somewhere until one season soon the inevitable happens and we slip back through the trapdoor. Or can we really kick on? Tony's investment in facilities, executives and playing personnel deserves so much more but the nature of PL football these days seems to suggest that no matter how much money you throw at it, it's never enough.

I have mixed feelings. On one hand I miss the lower league days when supporting the club was like a roller coaster but it was a bloody good laugh at least, especially away days. Some of the best laughs I've had were on away days with mates and hearing some of the songs that were made up.

But on the other hand it is fantastic to be competing with some of the best teams and best players in the world. We'll probably never be one of them but I can see us being a permanent fixture in the Prem and getting into Europe in the next few years. If we can hang on in the Prem then we become a more attractive option for the better players that will keep us up.

 

[blue-shifted]

To me the point of playing in a league system is to get as high as you can. It's better to lose more than you in in the Premier, then it is win more than you lose in the Championship.

The other thing that's important to me is that we're looking down at Palace not up, it grates me immensely how many points they've skanked this season.

In any case, relegation fights are thrilling in their own way

 

[jimhigham]

Tough, innit?

 

[vagabond]

I do miss the Championship in someways, such a crazy league every game winnable. And possibly you feel you can relate to the players a bit more.

But I wouldn’t go back, I think we’re building something special in this Premier League. Going to be an interesting next few years.

 

[jackanada]

My feeling at the start of this season was very much that if we could survive again next season may well be entertaining and successful (my definition of successful is 14th I'm not going palace and talking about Europe probably ever).
As for joys of being PL in general I very nearly left the ground part way into our first match as it became immediately obvious VAR had made attendance close to pointless. Decided to give it the season before pulling trigger on cancelling the season ticket, only for the distraction of Covid19 to leave me auto renewing.
Oh well another season it is. Will hope communication improves enough to make Var bearable as going back to only seeing Football on TV has confirmed to me that even ignoring the joys of atmosphere (cough) and tribalism actually being there is the only way I can watch a game unfold that really holds my attention. The ball following and close ups of tv coverage totally miss a lot of what I find interesting to watch.

 

[LamieRobertson]

To me the point of playing in a league system is to get as high as you can. It's better to lose more than you in in the Premier, then it is win more than you lose in the Championship.

The other thing that's important to me is that we're looking down at Palace not up, it grates me immensely how many points they've skanked this season.

In any case, relegation fights are thrilling in their own way

Aye an no guarantee of winning more either....look at Huddersfield last season in the PL....now fighting against relegation to L1

 

[Simster]

The main reason I prefer being in the Premier League to the Championship is that it enables the club to have a squad with sufficient depth to compete in cup competitions. We might even have a great league season (like Burnley, Wolves etc) that gets us into a European competition. Week in week out though, the Championship is FAR more interesting, and for that reason you wouldn't find me grizzling on the telly if we got relegated.

 

[matbha]

Loving the prem life ,think of all the multiple shit times we have had.This is what we have been fighting for

 

[Mackenzie]

I don’t think that Tony Bloom is content with relegation battles every season, and that’s what I find exciting. It still feels to me like we’re trying to improve, trying to move up, building something. The training ground plans, houses, Ikea, extra seats in the stadium, hotel, hospital, giving the academy players loans to accelerate their learning, scouting youth players from around the globe, hiring an inventive manager......it all smacks of a club looking forward.

It won’t always work out, but from where we’ve come from as a club these are glory days. I think we’ve got a lot to look forward to.