[Albion] Simplistically, what do you think is our biggest problem?

[DavePage]

Fans expectation

 

[Acker79]

How do penalties play into this? I Get a little annoyed when people try to make forwards look less effective by discounting any penalties they score (it feels like we're traditionally bad at penalties, so someone being able to put one away isn't something to discount, imo), but we've scored 4 penalties so far, if we take them away our goal scoring record isn't as great.

There's also the idea that if we're really good at defending we keep our opponents out, maybe they get demoralised and their attacks become less effective. If we're really good at scoring goals, we demoralise them and all the while we're attacking and scoring, it's harder for them to score and makes it more likely we win. Defending well doesn't improve our attack, scoring well can improve our defence.

Regarding the question of funding, I don't think the issue is how much we spend on transfers, it's the wages as a reflection of quality. It's been noted many times before that the clearest indicator of finishing position is wage bill. But simply paying a bottom five quality player a top five wage won't make him a top five player. It's about finding players good enough to earn the better wages. I'm not going to tell the club they have to spend the money for me or the fans, but if they want a top 10 finish, as they say they do, it isn't about transfer spend, it's about wage bill. We need to sign players who are worthy of a top 10 budget. If the club isn't willing to do that, maybe it would be wise to not tell fans they want top 10 - it raises expectation and pressure.

 

[Luke93]

Presumably you'll be piling in some of your millions to take our spending even higher than our position of the 5th highest net spenders in Europe?

Needing to buy “PL quality” is a myth too. Firstly Brighton have recruited players with experience in Lallana and Welbeck. We’ve also recruited Lamptey with almost zero experience and I think we can all agree he’s more than capable at this level. Buying experienced players is no guarantee of success. Just ask Stoke. Or Villa. Or Newcastle (twice) and so on. As you say it’s easier to spend someone else’s money.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Missed this yesterday but good poll. I answered "stopping the opposition from scoring" but really it's much more than that. It's stopping the opposition scoring at the wrong time or in the wrong way.

So many goals conceded to set pieces. Too many scares in the last 10 minutes. And a tendency early in the season to concede as soon as we'd scored.

I think our style of football makes us tired at the end of games. I think our concentration is shocking. I think, too often we put a nice move together and see GP applauding and think "ah, job done".

However, these arguably would not be issues if we regularly take a couple of early chances. We're a side that needs to be two goals up because we've always got an error at the back in us. It's what makes Potterball exciting, frustrating and, at times, far too risky for all of us.

 

[darkwolf666]

We don't score enough from the amount of possession we often have, which in turn puts pressure on our fragile defence...

 

[Palacefinder General]

Crodo not understanding the old maxim 'less is more' seems to be the biggest problem on NSC currently.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Crodo not understanding the old maxim 'less is more' seems to be the biggest problem on NSC currently.

Yeah, but had you noticed he's acquired a not-even-as-funny deputy?

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?384261-Christmas-Day-Games

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

Me and thee and just about everybody else knows full well that we're just about hanging on in there. At current levels of EPL investment, it's only a matter of time til we don't. Then watch the EPL 'fanbase' evaporate overnight

Agree it's only a matter of time. The bottom teams in EPL are getting stronger. Sheff Utd at home is going to be a tough tough game. The last transfer window was weak for us. A permanent left wing back, attacking midfielder, striker, goalkeeper never came in. I just don't see the top 10 ambition making progress

 

[TugWilson]

Hello all on NSC , i have been enjoying your site for years and thought it was about time i joined in the fun . I saw my first Albion match in late 73 at age 11, cant remember who we were playing , it was when they let the kids in at half time for free in the " Chicken run " , so a mate and myself went in and i have never looked back , although he now follows Chelsea , nough said .

I think our finishing has to be the main concern , were making the chances , albeit we take too many touches half the time , but sloppy finishing is killing us . I dont know what`s happened to Maupay and Connelly but we need it sorted quick smart . Potter`s style is light years ahead of Hughton`s , but one thing i miss from Chris` play was the set pieces from the big lads , especially corners , we seem to have completely forgotten how to work them . Personally i would like to see GP leave Tariq at the halfway line when were defending a corner . Sorry for stating the painfully obvious for my first post , but that tends to happen when you agree with the majority . UTA SoF

 

[hans kraay fan club]

As always I find myself agreeing with you, simply put if we converted fifty percent of our chances in front of the goal we would be richer by at least 6 points now, simple as that

Fifty percent!?

If we scored fifty percent of our chances, we’d be top of the league, and have the most efficient strikers in the history of world football!

 

[OzMike]

Being slightly mismanaged if I may make so bold.

 

[tigertim68]

The last 4 home games , we have scored 2 penalties and our other goal was an own goal , that tells you where the problem is

 

[Nobby]

Where's the option for 'Ongoing lack of investment in proven EPL-level quality players'?

Amazing how the wages table is so close to the League standings

1Manchester United F.C.£183,455,000
2Chelsea F.C.£138,700,000
3Manchester City F.C.£135,177,000
4Arsenal F.C.£133,381,273
5Tottenham Hotspur F.C.£131,815,200
6Liverpool F.C.£118,130,000
7Crystal Palace£92,550,000
8Everton F.C.£90,547,000
9Leicester City£79,445,000
10West Ham United F.C.£63,600,000
11Newcastle United F.C.£56,686,200
12Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.£54,741,000
13Aston Villa F.C.£53,752,396
14Fulham F.C.£52,408,824
15Southampton F.C.£50,066,000
16Brighton & Hove Albion£47,101,333
17Burnley F.C.£35,474,000
18West Bromwich Albion F.C.£28,036,200
19Leeds United F.C.£21,624,600
20Sheffield United F.C.£19,708,800

Funny ol’ game

 

[Simster]

The last 4 home games , we have scored 2 penalties and our other goal was an own goal , that tells you where the problem is

Indeed,and 1 goal in home games against Burnley and West Brom. But this isn't entity a striker issue. We pose no arial threat from set pieces, and our midfielders don't seem to score many, nor our defenders from set pieces.

Equally, our defending from set pieces has been woeful, and that isn't entirely down to our defenders. That is team organisation.

My own answer to the question in the OP is that we need to be better at set pieces at both ends, and the easiest thing to fix without spending millions.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Amazing how the wages table is so close to the League standings

1Manchester United F.C.£183,455,000
2Chelsea F.C.£138,700,000
3Manchester City F.C.£135,177,000
4Arsenal F.C.£133,381,273
5Tottenham Hotspur F.C.£131,815,200
6Liverpool F.C.£118,130,000
7Crystal Palace£92,550,000
8Everton F.C.£90,547,000
9Leicester City£79,445,000
10West Ham United F.C.£63,600,000
11Newcastle United F.C.£56,686,200
12Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.£54,741,000
13Aston Villa F.C.£53,752,396
14Fulham F.C.£52,408,824
15Southampton F.C.£50,066,000
16Brighton & Hove Albion£47,101,333
17Burnley F.C.£35,474,000
18West Bromwich Albion F.C.£28,036,200
19Leeds United F.C.£21,624,600
20Sheffield United F.C.£19,708,800

Funny ol’ game

I thought our wage bill was closer to £100 million per year ?

Those figures look like they are from 3 seasons ago.

 

[DFL JCL]

Solly Webster [emoji6]

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[richinlondon]

Old football adage, if you don't shoot, you don't score. Too much possession football, playing it around and around, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Just get it in and around the box and whack it. It is amazing how many PL goals are deflections.

 

[warmleyseagull]

Why defence, and not goal keeper though?

Surely if we’re conceding few chances but a high percentage of said chances go in it indicates an issue in goal.

I include keeper in defence, but It would be unfair and oversight to look only there.

 

[Acker79]

Focusing on expected stats.

We don't win or lose based on how often something might have happened if we played that game 100 times, it's won or lost on what did happen the one time we are ever going to play it. We lose 2-1 and people focus on xGs that show we should have won 2-1 as if that proves anything. It ironically blinds us to the fact we concede more than we should and don't score as often as we should. Focus is put on what could be so we ignore what is and there's seemingly little effort to improve. The 'just keep doing what we're doing and it'll all work out' attitude that seems to be remarkably similar to the 'definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results' attitude.

 

[NooBHA]

Trying to ''shoehorn'' a few players into the side in order to fit a ''Narrative'' but who just aint good enough at PL Level