[Albion] Solly March, local lad and Premier League star, is f***ing brilliant

[pb21]

It's an incredible turnaround and he looks every part a top PL player now - the criticism was always that there wasn't a final product and the team couldn't possibly progress without him/whoever played on the right of the attack scoring and creating goals. He's scoring and creating, game by game.

Is it really an incredible turnaround?

Yes his form has undoubtedly improved recently, but I don’t think it is fair to say it has been incredible, or unbelievable/improbable/far-fetched, or any other synonym you wish. He has been playing very well for a long period of time, just better recently. It certainly suits some to think his current form is incredible or unbelievable though...

Also, his current improved form is relatively recent, however the team has been constantly progressing, with him constantly in it, for the past 10-years. Not fair to say he was holding the team back IMO.

 

[Badger Boy]

Is it really an incredible turnaround?

Yes his form has undoubtedly improved recently, but I don’t think it is fair to say it has been incredible, or unbelievable/improbable/far-fetched, or any other synonym you wish. He has been playing very well for a long period of time, just better recently. It certainly suits some to think his current form is incredible or unbelievable though...

Also, his current improved form is relatively recent, however the team has been constantly progressing, with him constantly in it, for the past 10-years. Not fair to say he was holding the team back IMO.

People will disagree with me, as they have all along - but personally, I would say the difference between the form since Southampton away and before is that there's an end product most of the time now. Beforehand, he would go on mazy runs and be threatening right up until the final ball or having to produce something. In my opinion, that's where his game fell apart. But there's no argument to be made that's the case of late, he's been incredibly sharp and delivering final product again and again and again.

There's only so much he can do in terms of assists, he put in a couple of cracking balls against Bournemouth which on another day would be converted - it's not his fault they weren't on the day. People will point to examples earlier in the season where he put in decent deliveries which weren't profited from but the difference for me, and I might be wrong/blinkered, is that in every game he's directly contributing to our attack and our increased output of goals.

I said in another thread and I'll say it again now, the criticism of Brighton has always been that we play lovely football but don't score enough goals - nobody is saying that any more.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Great stat on MOTD when he scored. He's got 5 goals in his last 7 Premier League games. He'd scored 4 in his previous 156 appearances.

It's amazing what RDZ has done for the lad. Long may it continue, and I thought he'd improved massively under Potter but his lack of goals was always a frustration.

 

[macbeth]

Is it really an incredible turnaround?

Yes his form has undoubtedly improved recently, but I don’t think it is fair to say it has been incredible, or unbelievable/improbable/far-fetched, or any other synonym you wish. He has been playing very well for a long period of time, just better recently. It certainly suits some to think his current form is incredible or unbelievable though...

Also, his current improved form is relatively recent, however the team has been constantly progressing, with him constantly in it, for the past 10-years. Not fair to say he was holding the team back IMO.

generally no, it's not. he's been at a great level for a couple of seasons now.

but in terms of his end product there has been an unbelievable turnaround, that is undeniable

 

[BNthree]

Even funnier when you think as a schoolboy he was at Palace academy but they released him.

 

[fly high]

Even funnier when you think as a schoolboy he was at Palace academy but they released him.

Yes a lucky escape for him & us.

 

[ConfusedGloryHunter]

I think it was more a case of the team holding March back. Now he has Mitoma and Someone-Else on the left flank providing him with decent crosses he is flying.

 

[Guinness Boy]

On the plus side, it's a further endorsement of my assessment that Potter was massively holding back the team. I honestly don't believe he could have extracted this form from Solly, he had plenty of time to and never managed it. In sweeps RDZ to change the focus of the team and all of a sudden, he can't stop performing.

Just on this bit. Potter was playing Solly out of position and often in more than one position in a game. Solly's a great player and I've never been in the "hater" camp but he was basically doing a functional job for Potter who often seemed to treat coaching as an intellectual exercise for players, rather than just using their best attributes. It's true that we didn't have a "proper" left (wing) back for GP's first two seasons but people on here were calling out that we needed a proper left back and to strengthen central midfield. Were he and Kyle pushing that with the top brass or were they quietly smug that they'd got March and/or Burn to play that role adequately?

But even with Cucurella in the side Solly still wasn't given consistency that he has under RDZ. And we can see it's a Potter tactic from his utterly disastrous attempt to play Sterling as a wing back.

 

[Badger Boy]

Just on this bit. Potter was playing Solly out of position and often in more than one position in a game. Solly's a great player and I've never been in the "hater" camp but he was basically doing a functional job for Potter who often seemed to treat coaching as an intellectual exercise for players, rather than just using their best attributes. It's true that we didn't have a "proper" left (wing) back for GP's first two seasons but people on here were calling out that we needed a proper left back and to strengthen central midfield. Were he and Kyle pushing that with the top brass or were they quietly smug that they'd got March and/or Burn to play that role adequately?

But even with Cucurella in the side Solly still wasn't given consistency that he has under RDZ. And we can see it's a Potter tactic from his utterly disastrous attempt to play Sterling as a wing back.

I completely agree with this. I thought Solly was excellent at left wingback because it highlighted his workrate and disciplined attributes to contribute to the team. I think Potter can take a lot of criticism for his usage of several of our players and I think he was, to a certain extent, lucky with the emergence of Caicedo. The turnaround in our form last season which then led into this coincides with Caicedo coming into the team and forming his partnership with Bissouma and then Mac Allister. I'm not sure how much that's due to tactical genius from Potter and how much of that was good fortune.

Anyway, I think RDZ is doing a better job with the squad we have available than Potter did in his time with us. I didn't really enjoy the art project Potter was overseeing but I'm very much enjoying Roberto's wild ride and I suspect Solly might agree as well.

 

[Nobby]

I don't think I've ever been shut up as dramatically, loudly and comprehensively as Solly has managed over the last month and a half. I thought the missed penalty at Charlton was just about the final straw. I had basically given up on him at that point and then all of a sudden he absolutely trousers in a beauty at Southampton and has been on fire ever since. It's an incredible turnaround and he looks every part a top PL player now - the criticism was always that there wasn't a final product and the team couldn't possibly progress without him/whoever played on the right of the attack scoring and creating goals. He's scoring and creating, game by game.

On the plus side, it's a further endorsement of my assessment that Potter was massively holding back the team. I honestly don't believe he could have extracted this form from Solly, he had plenty of time to and never managed it. In sweeps RDZ to change the focus of the team and all of a sudden, he can't stop performing.

Every single time that Solly has started to get into the zone with the Albion he has got injured. Every single time. And he takes a while to get back to full speed like anyone else.
He's always been a top player with a lot of injuries. Just needed full fitness and a manager that believes in him.

 

[Stato]

Credit to RDZ for sticking with him. He's missed chances, but he saw the good he was doing and had faith that the goals would eventually follow. His previous best run for us was just before he got injured at Anfield and we were generally playing a flexible 3/5 at the back with him and BDB as wingbacks. Given that he was also used as an option on Burn's side, he's probably played more top tier games for us in defensive roles than he has as a winger.

This year he has had far more of a run playing in attack and it's lovely to see him go past EPL defenders with the same ease that he did when he played there in the Championship. On his day he can be unplayable and he gave the lauded Tyrick Mitchell a terrible time on Saturday. Mitchell has of course been capped by Southgate. Ironically, Solly not only made him look a poor left back, but he's also probably a better option than Mitchell if England were stuck for a left back. When playing in his preferred position of RW this season, Whoscored.com has him as the top rated Englishman to have played there more than 5 times, with a rating of 7.59, ahead of Saka's 7.40. He's now only two goals short of Saka too.

 

[BNthree]

Solly himself is quoted as saying he plays best when he is played consistently in the same position. So it seems Potter’s chopping and changing really didn’t suit him.

 

[Weststander]

Credit to RDZ for sticking with him. He's missed chances, but he saw the good he was doing and had faith that the goals would eventually follow. His previous best run for us was just before he got injured at Anfield and we were generally playing a flexible 3/5 at the back with him and BDB as wingbacks. Given that he was also used as an option on Burn's side, he's probably played more top tier games for us in defensive roles than he has as a winger.

This year he has had far more of a run playing in attack and it's lovely to see him go past EPL defenders with the same ease that he did when he played there in the Championship. On his day he can be unplayable and he gave the lauded Tyrick Mitchell a terrible time on Saturday. Mitchell has of course been capped by Southgate. Ironically, Solly not only made him look a poor left back, but he's also probably a better option than Mitchell if England were stuck for a left back. When playing in his preferred position of RW this season, Whoscored.com has him as the top rated Englishman to have played there more than 5 times, with a rating of 7.59, ahead of Saka's 7.40. He's now only two goals short of Saka too.

Imho Hughton/Potter/RDZ all respected Solly's many attributes, regardless of whether he was a goal scorer or not.

The recent goals have been a surprise and the icing on the cake.

 

[Easy 10]

In The Times today:

"A conversation on board an aircraft paints a neat story of why Solly March is in the most prolific form of his career. BHA were flying back from Merseyside last month when the midfielder was asked how many League goals he might get this season. RDZ listened and added 2 more to the target, to push March into taking a bigger leap. On Saturday he scored his 5th goal in his past 7 PL games, 1 more than he managed in his previous 156.

In 15 matches playing for RDZ he has managed a combined 9 goals and assists, more than under any previous BHA manager. No player at the club has improved under such a short time. The small touches from RDZ extend to texts late at night and pep talks. 'The gaffer has a lot of faith in me, says good things about me and speaks in a way that makes me confident. Maybe its just a mentality thing and believing in yourself'."


RDZ is a genius. Solly is now 3x the player he was under anyone else.

 

[Weststander]

This will be THE test of whether Southgate is fair and open minded.

Solly offers everything at this moment, shirley a dream for an international manager.

 

[Motogull]

This will be THE test of whether Southgate is fair and open minded.

Solly offers everything at this moment, shirley a dream for an international manager.

No chance. I'd have in any other manager but not the waistcoatwanker.

 

[oldboyroy]

This will be THE test of whether Southgate is fair and open minded.

Solly offers everything at this moment, shirley a dream for an international manager

Don't think that's ever going to happen

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Best player on the pitch on Saturday. A flawless display apart from that corner which was shocking but so lols it's hard to criticise.

I have to say that corner was a classic. Everyone up in the box. Away fans excited , only to see it dribble behind the goal on about the third bounce. I loved the way Solly examined his boots afterwards.

 

[oldboyroy]

I have to say that corner was a classic. Everyone up in the box. Away fans excited , only to see it dribble behind the goal on about the third bounce. I loved the way Solly examined his boots afterwards.

That corner just epitomises Solly, brilliant but can miss or make a howler.

 

[dazzer6666]

That corner just epitomises Solly, brilliant but can miss or make a howler.

….and plenty of chuckles about it on his thread……unlike poor old Rob down the other end who is a ‘moron’ and we need to ‘get rid’ for his single error in the game. Who’d be a keeper eh ?

Interesting to see where his he is now vs others in the division