SOME HOME TRUTHS - and you ain't gonna like it...

[CHAPPERS]

Agreed.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[Lammy]

One crap result and we're crying into our pints! Whilst I agree that a lot of our players a past their best (Watson??!?!?!?!!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
If I thought like Easy 10 I wouldn't bother to re-new my season ticket next year!

We were utterly shite last night and a shadow of the team that beat Plymouth a few days before. However, I'm not going to sit back and accept that this is the best it can ever get! We were cruzing this division when Coppell was here but as it has been proved before our squad don't like change. Adams needed aseason to turn things around. I have faith that McGhee will dump the dead wood and start forming his own squad for the future. We are easily worthy of Div 1 football AT LEAST and we should all be aspg to that. Lets get back into the first Division and THEN start thinking about mid table obscurity for a few year whilst Falmer is being sorted. Then in front of 22,000 screaming Albionites we can then aspire to the Prem! It's a long road people but that is what support is all about! It's a marathon not a sprint!! One day, just maybe we can even have a pop at Europe! If Ipswich can do it! If Barnsely can get in the Prem, If Charlton can hold their own ANYONE CAN!!!!

Seeeeeeeaaagullllllsss!!!!

 

[El Presidente]

This season is going to the wire as far as the Albion is concerned, so long as we are still in with a chance of the play offs with 3/4 matches to go I will be more than happy. It does not matter tht we are not playing football that resembles the beaches of Rio this season, for a club with one hand and foot tied behind our backs financially we are producing adequate, if not spectcular, fare.

I have been watching the Albion for nearly 30 years, and we have had more ups and downs than most clubs in that time.

6 promotions
7 relegations
twice finishing once above the Conference trap door
3 different 'home' grounds
3 visits to Wembley

Victories against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle

Defeats to Leatherhead, Sutton United, Walton and Hersham

Brilliant (Ward, Zamora, Lawrenson, Foster, Stevens, Gotsmanov, Worthington) and crap (Ashley Neale, Willie Young, Mickey Bennett, Mark Farrington) players in equal measures, the same for managers, for every Adams, Mullery, Taylor, Cattlin there has ben a Hinshelwood, Jeff Wood, Jimmy Case.

This is why I love the club, I live in Manchester and could watch a team play and win every week if I so desired (in fact I was a United fan when I was younger), but whats the point. With the Albion I get true value for money, for every high there is a low, for every cherished memory an embarrasing one. I would not swap places with any fan with any other club.

Keep the faith

 

[rool]

God, when did we beat Arsenal, I missed that one, BUGGER

 

[y2dave]

This season is going to the wire as far as the Albion is concerned, so long as we are still in with a chance of the play offs with 3/4 matches to go I will be more than happy. It does not matter tht we are not playing football that resembles the beaches of Rio this season, for a club with one hand and foot tied behind our backs financially we are producing adequate, if not spectcular, fare.

I have been watching the Albion for nearly 30 years, and we have had more ups and downs than most clubs in that time.

6 promotions
7 relegations
twice finishing once above the Conference trap door
3 different 'home' grounds
3 visits to Wembley

Victories against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle

Defeats to Leatherhead, Sutton United, Walton and Hersham

Brilliant (Ward, Zamora, Lawrenson, Foster, Stevens, Gotsmanov, Worthington) and crap (Ashley Neale, Willie Young, Mickey Bennett, Mark Farrington) players in equal measures, the same for managers, for every Adams, Mullery, Taylor, Cattlin there has ben a Hinshelwood, Jeff Wood, Jimmy Case.

This is why I love the club, I live in Manchester and could watch a team play and win every week if I so desired (in fact I was a United fan when I was younger), but whats the point. With the Albion I get true value for money, for every high there is a low, for every cherished memory an embarrasing one. I would not swap places with any fan with any other club.

Keep the faith

Spot on

 

[chips and gravy]

I agree with El Presidente. Let's face it, we've been spoiled over the past few years with our meteoric rise from the depths of Div 3 to Div 1 in a couple of years. I have been watching the Albion for 25 years now and apart from a few memorable victories along the way, most seasons have been flattery to deceive. We are up for and beat the good teams, but look very ordinary against lower teams.

I'm sure it will be ever thus.

As for this season, most of it has been dross but there have been a few memorable games. QPR, Sheff Wed and Plymouth at home and Rushden away. Do we expect to be world beaters every week? Most teams will have only a handful of games where everthing clicks and they look unbeatable. They will also have a handful of games where they look utterly hopeless. Unfortunately, we had one of those nights last night. From what I understand from a Luton fan I know, they had a similar day down at our place.

Ultimately, our away form has been nowhere good enough this season. I can't put my finger on why this should be the case.

 

[Jim D]

Although it was clear to see that Luton were up for it, I thought we battled well yesterday. We challenged all over the pitch and didn't let our heads drop - even when all the important decisions were going against us.

On BBC local radio for Luton the commentary team were calling this their best performance of the season. On that basis I think we can consider ourselves very unlucky last night to have come up against them in this form, as well as a 'dodgy' ref.

Although I agree that there's a lot less talent in this division than the last time (Reading, Wigan, Cardiff, Stoke all gone) we've had key players out (which, except Zamora, didn't happen last time).

This season, as ever, the key is our home form. With 8 home games left an average of 2 points per game (which I believe is a conservative expectation) will raise our total to 62. This means that we'll need about 10 points from the 8 away games to make the play-offs. Given our present away form this could be a problem. However, 3 of our next 4 away games are against strugglers (Grimsby, Stockport & Cheaterfield). If we can average 2 points against them our target becomes 4 from 5.

Even if we fall just short of this target then we should be on the edge of the playoffs - and certainly keep the excitement going to the end. Unless we have a sudden and dramatic loss of home form I see nothing to suggest that our season will end until the playoffs - and remember we should have Piercy (and Blackwell) back soon.

 

[rool]

That's a good point about the injuries, we had a remarkable two seasons virtually injury free. Is it also just bad luck that three of Coppells signings have spent more of their contracts with us injured than actually playing for us, or was it case that all we could afford was senior pros who were starting to creak a bit?, and then we had Hinshelwood to thank for Kitson.

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

A wise man once said “no-one goes to Luton for a good night out except people from Bedford”. How true. Last night contained all the essentials of an away game with the Albion this season.
Thameslink were up to their usual standard, thus keeping up the tradition of a rubbish train journey to the game. I seemed to have boarded the 17:07 Thameslink Magical Mystery Tour of South London train. SEE the delights of Streatham! MARVEL at the station at Tulse Hill! WONDER at the bustle of Elephant & Castle! The wisdom of running a 4 carriage train was soon revealed when we got into London and every commuter in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire seemed to want to get on the train. And they turned the heating up meaning my leg was gently toasted after we left Kings Cross, pinned as I was, next to someone with their mp3 player turned up to full.
Luton? Seems like the wise man was right. A large billboard stood over the road leading to the stadium displaying Tottenham ticket details and exhorting people to cheer on the Spurs. Charming.
The match? Well I’d put it on a par with the Bournemouth game. Set pieces weren’t up to much, Chippy and Oatway battled in midfield, Mayo was taken apart by the opposing striker, we barely had a shot on goal. Pretty standard away game fare. The fact that the best player on the pitch was essentially an amateur footballer doesn’t say much for the standard of professional football in this division. The ref was almost prosser-like in his inability.
Sitting on the Thameslink on the way home, head in hands, I wondered why I do it. Why don’t I support a club who own their own stadium for one thing? I don’t know, Millwall or something?
Then I thought (as I find myself thinking after most away games) no. No, you made this decision years ago and you’re going to stick with it. It’s the thought that we might win the next game 4 nil even though all the evidence points to contrary. It’s the memory of Mayo blasting in that last minute winner against Derby last season. It’s the feeling I got when we thrashed Wolves last season, when we’d shown no signs of doing anything like it in the weeks before that game. It’s the scenes at Wycombe that make me remember why I do it. I support this club because the buzz when it goes right, when everything falls into place, when a Carpenter free kick does go into the net, that feeling is one of the best things in the world and no other team could replace that feeling. I’ve done too many years, I’ve seen too much of the rough, for anyone else to even compare.
See you at Port Vale!

 

[Turkey]

What do people expect when we lose... Zamora, Brooker, Rodger, Blackwell, Barrett, Ingimarsson...

 

[Easy 10]

A wise man once said “no-one goes to Luton for a good night out except people from Bedford”. How true. Last night contained all the essentials of an away game with the Albion this season.
Thameslink were up to their usual standard, thus keeping up the tradition of a rubbish train journey to the game. I seemed to have boarded the 17:07 Thameslink Magical Mystery Tour of South London train. SEE the delights of Streatham! MARVEL at the station at Tulse Hill! WONDER at the bustle of Elephant & Castle! The wisdom of running a 4 carriage train was soon revealed when we got into London and every commuter in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire seemed to want to get on the train. And they turned the heating up meaning my leg was gently toasted after we left Kings Cross, pinned as I was, next to someone with their mp3 player turned up to full.
Luton? Seems like the wise man was right. A large billboard stood over the road leading to the stadium displaying Tottenham ticket details and exhorting people to cheer on the Spurs. Charming.
The match? Well I’d put it on a par with the Bournemouth game. Set pieces weren’t up to much, Chippy and Oatway battled in midfield, Mayo was taken apart by the opposing striker, we barely had a shot on goal. Pretty standard away game fare. The fact that the best player on the pitch was essentially an amateur footballer doesn’t say much for the standard of professional football in this division. The ref was almost prosser-like in his inability.
Sitting on the Thameslink on the way home, head in hands, I wondered why I do it. Why don’t I support a club who own their own stadium for one thing? I don’t know, Millwall or something?
Then I thought (as I find myself thinking after most away games) no. No, you made this decision years ago and you’re going to stick with it. It’s the thought that we might win the next game 4 nil even though all the evidence points to contrary. It’s the memory of Mayo blasting in that last minute winner against Derby last season. It’s the feeling I got when we thrashed Wolves last season, when we’d shown no signs of doing anything like it in the weeks before that game. It’s the scenes at Wycombe that make me remember why I do it. I support this club because the buzz when it goes right, when everything falls into place, when a Carpenter free kick does go into the net, that feeling is one of the best things in the world and no other team could replace that feeling. I’ve done too many years, I’ve seen too much of the rough, for anyone else to even compare.
See you at Port Vale!

A SUPERB post, Shelton.
Not going to Grimsby though ? Bloody part-timer.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

this team is poor we dont create anything ho knight has scored 20 this year is beyond me our midfield must be one of the worst in the league

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

Yes I am indeed a true FOOTY fan. In truth i've decided it's in the teams best interests if I don't turn up. My record so far this season reads:
Watched - 11
Won - 0
Drawn - 3
Lost - 8
Goals For - 8
Goals Against - 21

So it's Jeff Stelling and the lads for me on saturday. I can picture it now.

Rodney Marsh "I tell ya what Jeff, Anelka must be kicking himself there. How he's missed that target from there I do not know"
Jeff "And there's been another goal at Blundell Park, which ways it gone?"
Reporter "It's Grimsby 0, Brighton 3. Lovely turn from Virgo on the right, whipped ball in caused confusion in the Grimsby defence and Groves got the final touch to put the ball in his own net. It's nearly all over now for Grimsby, it's Grimsby 0, Brighton 3.
Jeff "Paul Groves's week goes from bad to worse. Sacked as manager on monday, now he's scored an own goal too."

Astral projection that is, I scare myself sometimes.

 

[Storer68]

what midfield ?

Carpenter and oatway

 

[Mental Lental]

What do people expect when we lose... Zamora, Brooker, Rodger, Blackwell, Barrett, Ingimarsson...

Barrett?

 

[Titanic]

We seem to have 'lost' the real FDM and OGH this season too - and Watto sometime last season.

Play-off contention is fine by me; it would be really nice to make it, but not the end of the world if we don't.

This season is all about - anything else is a short-term sideshow.

 

[Goring Gull]

It pains me to say it, but I think there are some home truths that we have all got to accept, and learn to come to terms with over the coming weeks and months.

1. This is an average Division Two team which is simply not equipped for promotion, even in a very poor division. Leon has weighed in with a decent goals tally this season, but without him, we'd already be mid table or below. Too many players in the squad are now way, way past their sell-by, and I'm talking about Jones, Hart, Oatway, Carpenter, Mayo, Watson, Pethick. They're not going to get any better now. The Championship years are behind them, and they are no longer a force at this level. They don't even look up for it most weeks any more. I like the look of Virgo, El Abd and Robinson, but outside of them, the other youngsters are, at best average, and I'm talking about McPhee, Harding, Hammond and Marney. With the best will in the world, they are not just not going to be good enough to take us forward. The County League beckons for them I fear.

2. Expectations are basically too high. We've been spoilt for the last few years. Given the state the club is in, and the joke of a "stadium" we call a football ground, it is nothing short of a frigging miracle that we brought a season of First Division football there. That was achieved through a legendary goalscorer, and a rock solid defence. We had absolutely NO RIGHT to expect First Division football then, and to aspire to be a First Division club right now is simply unrealistic. Micky Adams was able to do a complete overhaul of the squad, which was desperately needed after finishing 91st two seasons running. The drain of playing at Withdean, and the Falmer application, means that McGhee is not in a position to do the same, and frankly, its not as urgent, as we are not in imminent danger of dropping into the Conference. People have got to be realistic and lower their expectations at the moment. Pointless moaning at McGhee, cos there's feck-all he can do about inheriting a sub-standard squad of players.

3. We are victims of our own success, and we've flattered to decieve. Frustration with the team and McGhee is building because we've had Division One football last season, and we managed to hit the top of the table early this season, but we're now witnessing it slowly slide away. Be honest. Can you recall even half a dozen really good performances this season ? Cos I can't. We've been good in fits and starts, maybe a half here and there. But I can barely recall a sustained performance where we've really played bloody well for 90 minutes. The odd game here and there where we've racked up a score (Wycombe, Blackpool, Grimsby), but the vast majority, and I'm talking 80% of the games this season, I'd say we've been pretty much piss poor. Thats because, basically, its not a very good team any more, and we have to accept that. Its only cos this division is so rubbish that we somehow find ourselves in 6th place.

As I said, I don't like saying it, but I think its been plain to see for a while now. I've accepted that right now, we are at the very best, an average Division Two club. We cannot expect any more than that unless, or until, we get Falmer. Anyone expecting anything better than that in the meantime is just deluding themselves. Like it or not, you'd better get used to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brentford, Oldham Peterborough and Hartlepool, cos it AIN'T gonna get any better than that for a few years yet...if at all.

Learn to live with it - cos thats the reality my friends. If anyone can argue the toss on any of that and tell me I'm talking out of my arse, then step right up. But sadly, I think I am right on this one.

At last someone else agrees that Marney is a crock of shit who couldn't hit a cows arse witha banjo.



Agree with the rest.

 

[Goring Gull]

We seem to have 'lost' the real FDM and OGH this season too - and Watto sometime last season.

Play-off contention is fine by me; it would be really nice to make it, but not the end of the world if we don't.

This season is all about - anything else is a short-term sideshow.

And as for Kuipers should've flogged him to Hull when we had the chance.

Oatway -- What the Fcuk is he still doing here?

 

[perseus]

Luton always raise their game against the Albion on their home turf.

It is a good test though, just like visiting Oldham on a January afternoon. Even promotion teams would be wise to take extra precautions and avoid the luxury of too many smaller players.

We failed about as I expected.

 

[Easy 10]

Luton always raise their game against the Albion on their home turf.

Always ?
We hadn't played there in 20-odd years !