Russell IN

[1066familyman]

Well said TBC

 

[skipper734]

 

[dougdeep]

I'm with you badger. Time will tell.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

A very good post TCB. Well put forward. Time will tell.

 

[dougdeep]

I said it first.

 

[jordanseagull]

Agreed. Slade, must, stay, .

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

Do you still think Palace will go down tho Badg?!

 

[brakespear]

 

[Driver8]

League 2 beckons then.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Don't agree with the midfield being the problem anymore, I think it's the defence and the forwards.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

For the first time today I really lost patience with the whole thing... especially the red cards which I do think is something Slade needs to address. However, your email spoke common sense and shows that, apart from your blind spot ( a certain Dutch marine) you really are a rather sensible kind of guy.

Great post and spot on the money. Thank you for restoring my faith.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Just to redress the balance......

Nothing that went wrong today was Russell's fault. Has everyone forgotten it's only 13 matches since King Russ saved us from certain relegation? Had you offered anyone walking out of the away end at MK Dons in April the chance to be 19th in the third division come October they'd all have taken it because, quite simply, without Slade we'd be a lot nearer 19th in the FOURTH division right now. Surely that alone has earnt him a bit of time before the idiotic hounding of a manager that we seem to love so much starts?

For what it's worth, I look at our team and I see a lot more good players on the pitch than we've had for a number of years. What we LACK is leaders/experienced pros in the key positions, hence we concede silly goals. We desperately need a top drawer central midfielder to run the game for us and we need a striker who knows where the goal is regularly. Reliance on a 37 year old is not good - as brilliant as he is, he can't do it for 46 games. Murray needs to go, Hart needs to retire and Dickinson has talent but isn't a prolific scorer - I'd trade the lot of them for someone we could depend on in front of goal. Today I thought we played far superior football to anything Tranmere could offer - in fact, we're a much better side than them full stop. The problem is our weak midfield means we get bullied a bit in the most important area and that allows even shite like Tranmere to dominate us at times. We haven't got anyone who stands up to be counted in there - as good a player as Dicker is he's no ball winner.

But we ARE progressing from the last couple of years. It just doesn't happen overnight. We are attracting better players and we are becoming a more professional club. We are, without doubt, going in the right direction, but it's a long process. Changing the manager puts us back to square one in that. So what we have to do is back someone through some tough times and hope he can complete the job in the long-run. Going on what I've seen this season, I think Russell can

Agree with most of that. We are lacking a leader, the yeovil result proved that.

As much as I like Dicker and Crofts as players, neither of them can controll a game from the middle. I don't think they have been bullied (not from what I've seen anyway) like last seasons midfield was, but they haven't got it in them to bully the other team like Carpenter and Oatway used to.

As much as I like Virgo, Elphick, Tunnicliffe and Wright as players, none of them is a leader and it is costing us by leaking silly goals at shit times. Cut out the needless mistakes at the back and we'd probably have another 8 points now.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

TCB, are you incapable of mentioning a manager without calling them 'king'?

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

See Uncle Spielberg, you're exactly the sort of person I'm trying to appeal to. You kick off about Slade regularly and I'd never say you shouldn't have an opinion. Anyone who pays their money as you and I do can say what they like. But what I think people lack is PERSPECTIVE. Yes, the results aren't great at the moment. The performances aren't much better. We have frailties at the back, we have a few players of insignificance in midfield and our entire attack is based around an old man. BUT you cannot, in any division, go from what we were last season (a f***ing disgrace) to promotion winners the next.

I know it's frustrating and I know a lot of us will pay money to watch mediocrity this season, but in the long-run this is a NECESSITY. Unless we have a transfer budget of £5m waiting no new manager will do any better long-term. I believe the playing side of this club declined so much after we were relegated in 2006 that we basically became rotten to the core. At one point I think we were just as bad as the team King Micky took over in 1999. And rebuilding that is a really gradual process. Teams like Brighton don't just walk the division overnight. Backing a manager is the only way to do it and, whether you like it or not, we ARE making progress under Russell. He said himself we would get better as the season goes on and I believe him. We've got some cracking players in place - two or three more in the right positions and we're there. I'm promising you that



Haha well I am surprised by how well you're doing I have to admit. I've always said you've got a fantastic manager in Neil. I just felt the off-field problems would cause you to struggle this season but, fair play to the guy, you're not doing badly.

Pretty top posting

 

[murraymints4brighton]

UP THE SLADE, UP THE ALBION!!!!!!!!!!!! Great post.

 

[wigman]

Russell IN for me.