[Albion] Saudi regime buying Dan Ashworth: the undelying cause for our collapse in form?

[KZNSeagull]

I would be surprised if DA leaving was the only reason for our poor recent form. I guess that he has lost a sounding board hence a reluctance to play Roberts in place of Burn or giving Caicedo a go. But losing Webster is a bigger blow as is the form of Biss and the odd decision to either take Moder off early or not start him at all.

 

[GT49er]

Strange thread - I agreed with the OP and gave it a thumbs up, but I also agreed with HK and THPP and others that the loss of BDB was a much bigger factor. Yes, the loss of Ashworth will, I think, hurt us in the longer term, although I keep hoping that perhaps his work here was done; he'd set all the things up that needed to be set up and now we just need to carry them on. Maybe......................

Losing BDB though, that is something which has definately hurt us in the immediate term, along of course with the coincidental collapse of our CB resources.

 

[Lenny Rider]

I am not surprised by reports that the Albion management and board was shocked to the core by Ashworth's resignation, given the apparent closeness between him, Potter and Barber and the essential role he was playing at the club. We were (hopefully still will be) creating something a bit special, navigating the financial challenges of competing with the ridiculous Premier League plutocrats with aplomb, but for one of the core staff to leave in such a way just drove home the reality that, seemingly even for us, the only thing that counts in this league is money, anyone/anything can be bought and ultimately all the fruits of our magnificent efforts on or off the pitch can be cherrypicked by whichever crook, oligarch or foreign despot regime chooses to make a PL club his latest plaything or sportswashing exercise.

I suspect (I may be wrong) that the board thought we were a bit different, creating something not entirely driven by pound signs, given the large remuneration packages already in place, and that this has sent shockwaves through the club of a kind that players demanding transfers would never do. Results at the moment seem entirely predictable, and Potter sounds, dare I say it, a little bit defeated by it all.

I, like many of you, am behind him 100%, think he is the best manager we have ever had and am confident that we can pick ourselves up, gain the five or so points we need to finish in our financially predetermined 15th place again and regroup ready to do the same next season - unless the disgusting Abramovich fiasco finally triggers legislation forcing clubs to adopt the German model, which it won't.

Up the Albion.

Down with modern football.

Sorry Attila, can’t agree, Ashworth is one individual in 121 years of the club, they all come and they all go eventually, the fans are the only constant.

He is actually part of the blame but in another factor, that he didn’t get the proven striker we so badly need, all those draws earlier in the season when were supposedly ‘punching above our weight’, what a difference a decent striker would have made?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

My view is that all the recent departures, Ashworth Morley and Burn, has affected morale within the club and in turn the squad and team; it’s a contributory factor to our recent down turn.

 

[Weststander]

I honestly do not get the same feeling of excitement and anticipation going to watch the Albion anymore at the Amex.
Every time I now set foot, and bum on seat, in the stadium after parting with hard earned cash, I feel my love dying for the club.
I wonder do I still go out of a sense of loyalty to the club and this wonderful area of the country, my heart that was once so passionate about it's survival, beats now to the rhythm of frustration.

The crowd in anticipation of defeat, wait with baited breath, and seem to hold that breath a full 85 minutes before rushing off to catch the bus or the train that never comes, occasionally a burst of ALBION or SEAGULLS, breaks the monotony of a weak performance both on and off the field.

Oh for the good Ol'days...

Yeah, but no, Archer, Priestfield, Withdean, even The Goldstone, the violence, Ashley Neal....
They had there flaws, and I have no wish to recreate the emptiness, anguish some of those years inflicted.

I am sadly conflicted with love for the club and seemingly Cashless & soulless machine it seems to have become.

Fantastic, heartfelt post.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

My view is that all the recent departures, Ashworth Morley and Burn, has affected morale within the club and in turn the squad and team; it’s a contributory factor to our recent down turn.

Morling.

 

[keaton]

I honestly do not get the same feeling of excitement and anticipation going to watch the Albion anymore at the Amex.
Every time I now set foot, and bum on seat, in the stadium after parting with hard earned cash, I feel my love dying for the club.
I wonder do I still go out of a sense of loyalty to the club and this wonderful area of the country, my heart that was once so passionate about it's survival, beats now to the rhythm of frustration.

The crowd in anticipation of defeat, wait with baited breath, and seem to hold that breath a full 85 minutes before rushing off to catch the bus or the train that never comes, occasionally a burst of ALBION or SEAGULLS, breaks the monotony of a weak performance both on and off the field.

Oh for the good Ol'days...

Yeah, but no, Archer, Priestfield, Withdean, even The Goldstone, the violence, Ashley Neal....
They had there flaws, and I have no wish to recreate the emptiness, anguish some of those years inflicted.

I am sadly conflicted with love for the club and seemingly Cashless & soulless machine it seems to have become.

Very much this.
I've been once this season, could have gone a few times but (even when things were going better) it just didn't seem like an enjoyable way to spend a day. I still care about the club, read about them, watch/listen to them on TV and radio, count down the last minutes if we're scraping a win/draw but actually going to a game has none of the excitement it used to. As I've said on other threads non League football is a welcome relief and you actually feel valued and involved, and the beer is much better

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Just seen Everton's goal from last night. Hard to pin that entirely on him, but not great.

But, yes, losing him left us short at a very bad time. Has really restricted Potter's options at the back.

Sure. I deliberately chose 'at fault for' rather than 'entirely to blame'!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The German league is also a closed shop with one club winning pretty much every game and buying whoever they want for whatever price they want from the other clubs as no one else can really compete except Red Bull who are hated.
Just because they have the fan based rules doesnt mean it isnt corrupt either.

The title is, but there’s a decent churn of teams realistically able to aspire to European places.

 

[sydney]

Nope. Not having it at all. I know they are disappointed with his leaving, and obviously if he is as good at his job as his reputation suggests then it will have an effect on us. But that effect will be felt later - in regards to recruitment, contract negotiations, etc.

He’s not the manager. He’s not a coach. He’s not a player. Hanging the current run of dreadful form on his leaving, is a lazy cop out.

Perhaps it underlines what a bunch of lightweights we have in the squad , fragile individuals rendered inert by the departure of someone they all assumed was part of the #together icon , until some cashed up twatt came and turned his head , this is now applicable to a number of playing staff and the manager who has been "linked" to just about every recent , vacant managerial position apart from the Ukranian Dairy Corporation.

we seem to have lost any idea of how to get the ball in the net and lets face it , we new never had the firmest grip on that concept in the first place.

 

[BNthree]

Cashworth leaving isn't the underlying cause of it but I'd say is a contributing factor even if just in a tiny way. Add in not replacing Dan Burn and Dunk/Webster not being around as other contributing factors too.

 

[sydney]

I honestly do not get the same feeling of excitement and anticipation going to watch the Albion anymore at the Amex.
Every time I now set foot, and bum on seat, in the stadium after parting with hard earned cash, I feel my love dying for the club.
I wonder do I still go out of a sense of loyalty to the club and this wonderful area of the country, my heart that was once so passionate about it's survival, beats now to the rhythm of frustration.

The crowd in anticipation of defeat, wait with baited breath, and seem to hold that breath a full 85 minutes before rushing off to catch the bus or the train that never comes, occasionally a burst of ALBION or SEAGULLS, breaks the monotony of a weak performance both on and off the field.

Oh for the good Ol'days...

Yeah, but no, Archer, Priestfield, Withdean, even The Goldstone, the violence, Ashley Neal....
They had there flaws, and I have no wish to recreate the emptiness, anguish some of those years inflicted.

I am sadly conflicted with love for the club and seemingly Cashless & soulless machine it seems to have become.

fair play ....nail on head. When you have 50 +year old female stewards telling people who are standing up and singing to " sit down and shut up" you know the tide has turned ....strange and sad.What sort of environment is "the club" trying to achieve ...?? library like...?? will there be tv screens in the back of the seats showing adverts during the game next ...?? when does this stop becoming a corporate exercise and start becoming a game of football again , on a saturday afternoon , at 3.00pm.??

 

[nwgull]

I would very much hope that our players aren't that mentally fragile that the loss of a bloke who they probably don't even have much day-to-day contact with has affected there form on the pitch. In terms of causes, my suspicion is that the current run of losses has got more to do with having our best defender getting injured, second best suffering a sever loss of form and our (joint) third best being sold. And let's not forget that the run was started by us having to play an entire half with 10 men away at Man Utd.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I'll take weird as opposed to taking myself seriously.

(He says, pompously.)

I think you're taking yourself too seriously, Perry, my old fruit.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with Sky showing more games of football which is why I didn't mention. All of those things have got far worse in my opinion, if you think it's not an issue that fine but then I'm not sure your point about it being an escape makes much sense unless you've just decided to shut it all out

Got far worse when? You make it sound like these are new things. I'm saying they're not.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Funny, there was a thread about DA being the reason for the bad form in CHs last season.

Before you joined the board or, indeed, knew where Brighton was. And you wonder why you might be considered obsessive.

I think there is little to no relation. Selling BDB had more impact. Having a bunch of players with 3-15 months left on their contract, some of them probably thinking they will move in the summer and wont have to bother much is also not a good thing for the club and things must be done to prevent similar situations in the future... cant have half a squad with contracts nearing the end.

Well, Palace did last season and it's allowed them to rebuild, have some genuine options with pace up front and probably finish above us again.

 

[zefarelly]

Losing our player of the season had more of an impact than a snakey consultant ( who I said at the time was the down fall of CH and a flake, IMHO)

I'm in exactly the same boat as Psychobilly freakout . . . I don't much care for it all any more

but deep down I really do, its all ****ed up.

 

[Questions]

A nonsense opening post. The loss of DA may well prove to be a big loss in the future but to think the players have regressed because of it in the last month is ridiculous.

 

[sydney]

Before you joined the board or, indeed, knew where Brighton was. And you wonder why you might be considered obsessive.



Well, Palace did last season and it's allowed them to rebuild, have some genuine options with pace up front and probably finish above us again.

And Southgate has just given Gehui and the little blond decker their Engerlund call ups....

 

[Originunknown]

I am not surprised by reports that the Albion management and board was shocked to the core by Ashworth's resignation, given the apparent closeness between him, Potter and Barber and the essential role he was playing at the club. We were (hopefully still will be) creating something a bit special, navigating the financial challenges of competing with the ridiculous Premier League plutocrats with aplomb, but for one of the core staff to leave in such a way just drove home the reality that, seemingly even for us, the only thing that counts in this league is money, anyone/anything can be bought and ultimately all the fruits of our magnificent efforts on or off the pitch can be cherrypicked by whichever crook, oligarch or foreign despot regime chooses to make a PL club his latest plaything or sportswashing exercise.

I suspect (I may be wrong) that the board thought we were a bit different, creating something not entirely driven by pound signs, given the large remuneration packages already in place, and that this has sent shockwaves through the club of a kind that players demanding transfers would never do. Results at the moment seem entirely predictable, and Potter sounds, dare I say it, a little bit defeated by it all.

I, like many of you, am behind him 100%, think he is the best manager we have ever had and am confident that we can pick ourselves up, gain the five or so points we need to finish in our financially predetermined 15th place again and regroup ready to do the same next season - unless the disgusting Abramovich fiasco finally triggers legislation forcing clubs to adopt the German model, which it won't.

Up the Albion.

Down with modern football.

Legend, great post too. I've seen first hand how well respected colleagues leaving can destabilise and cause subtle changes in mood and culture from within.

Ashworth doesn't mind a beheading or two, or 81.