[Albion] Stand or fall? Pah! The night Brighton & Hove Albion simply didn't bother

[spanish flair]

And also demonstrated by Brighton who dominated Arsenal, converted their chances, scored late in the 84th minute and won away from home - only a few weeks ago.

Since when we have won one game in ten, nothing like a bit of consistency is there?

 

[BN9 BHA]

Being pedantic, we have lots of trophies in our cabinet. I’ve seen them Div 2 champions, Div 1 champions, Play Off winners, League 1 champions, Div 3 South champions.

2017 Championship runners up.
Obviously it was a massive achievement getting promoted to the PL , but if there had been a chance to lift the Championship winners trophy

 

[Dave the OAP]

I'm not sure when Brighton & Hove Albion became so choosy about which trophies we want in the cabinet? Never came close to the Auto Windscreens/whatever either.

How very dare you...we have third and fourth division trophies all over the place.

One of the benefits of being in the premier league is that we don’t have to worry about any cup competitions to tire out our players. We can concentrate very hard on being one place above the relegation spots at the end of the season.

I love modern football!

 

[JBizzle]

To be fair to that new breed of fan they have been led to believe by the owner and the club CEO that everything is in place to be a top club in the Premier League
Only this season the chairman has told the world that a top ten club is now the ambition, I didn’t realise that he meant in the Championship and like many who are new breed he raised the expectations of the fans. So what do you expect?

Spot on. "Chaps, we just want to not get relegated every season and simply "exist" in the Premier League to cream off more money" is exactly what the fans want... Jeez.

Is it really that much of a shock that being top 10 didn't happen immediately? Were you expecting it to? We still have largely the same squad as last season and although we're going through a rough patch, we're actually still only 5 points off the top 10.

Amazing how often "keep the faith" is replaced by "lose all faith" in football.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I agree, I think Villa have more than enough about them to stay up, especially with Grealish and expect them to finish well clear of us on current form. Let’s hope Cup euphoria leads to more lack lustre league performances, although I doubt it.

Not being able to finish teams off, or at least get a decent cushion when we are so on top is indeed a worry and seems to be a recurring pattern. We are vulnerable early in the second half and late in the game. Potter is definitely struggling like the team coming to terms with what is turning out to be a worrying trend of not being able to put in a 95 minute performance

Maybe it’s just a bit of tweaking or finding a goal scorer in the next two days or a combination of both.

I have loved this season but I am getting very twitchy about the next two games. Currently we are very definitely in the mix and the team in the joint worst form at the bottom apart from Bournemouth and West Ham. Bournemouth beat us, let’s see what happens with West Ham who are in only marginally worse form than us.

Need one win from the next two games and it may have to be Watford. WHU, if they lose to Liverpool tonight, will be treating our game like a Cup Final, given their following fixtures ( City A Livpool A Soton H Arsenal A Wolves H Tottenham A Chelsea H )....No pressure then!!!

 

[Mo Gosfield]

And also demonstrated by Brighton who dominated Arsenal, converted their chances, scored late in the 84th minute and won away from home - only a few weeks ago.

My definition of late is beyond the 90th minute. Giving the opposition little or no chance of coming back. Scoring in the 84th minute still leaves a good ten minutes left to play. A lot can happen in that time.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Welcome back Chailey, we have missed your reasoned optimism [emoji106]

We need posters like Chailey to balance the White Flag waving gloom and doom on here which has ramped up since the Bournemouth game.

 

[spanish flair]

We need posters like Chailey to balance the White Flag waving gloom and doom on here which has ramped up since the Bournemouth game.

I wonder why that could be

 

[Dave the OAP]

Spot on. "Chaps, we just want to not get relegated every season and simply "exist" in the Premier League to cream off more money" is exactly what the fans want... Jeez.

ll.

...and you don’t think that is our business model? Why do you think we don’t turn out full first teamers in cup competitions? It is because we don’t want them injured or knackered for more important league games.

How many people on here go on about staying in this division? The model must be to stay here or we are financially effed, as most teams who drop out find out if they don’t bounce straight back.

We are never going to compete with the majority of the teams in this division in gates, standard of players and exposure and therefore for us and a few others in this division it is one long slog to stay in the division. That is the reality of this division.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

And still strengthening in this window

Precisely.....they have brought in, so far, Drinkwater, Barry and Soumatta ( £8.5M ) WHU have spent £13m on Soucek and Watford £7m on Pussotto. Newcastle already have brought in two loanees.
Has our budget gone on Mooy? Very good signing, I accept, but if we don't strengthen in the striking department, we all know we are a Maupay injury away from being in the manure.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

...and you don’t think that is our business model? Why do you think we don’t turn out full first teamers in cup competitions? It is because we don’t want them injured or knackered for more important league games.

How many people on here go on about staying in this division? The model must be to stay here or we are financially effed, as most teams who drop out find out if they don’t bounce straight back.

We are never going to compete with the majority of the teams in this division in gates, standard of players and exposure and therefore for us and a few others in this division it is one long slog to stay in the division. That is the reality of this division.

Yes..... and despite club statements about ' top ten ' ambitions, every season is all about finishing 17th or better. If we manage it for 5 seasons, I would suggest that is pretty good. Eventually, our time will run out.

 

[Is it PotG?]

.....but if we don't strengthen in the striking department, we all know we are a Maupay injury away from being in the manure.

With our current squad, form and position, we are already facing a considerable struggle to survive this term.

 

[Icy Gull]

With our current squad, form and position, we are already facing a considerable struggle to survive this term.

I imagine that it will always be thus, we are here on borrowed time but I am enjoying it!

I’ll soon get over a relegation although It’s not what I want. Life does go on.

Top ten is a complete pipe dream unless you throw crazy money at the squad, I think we all know that is not going to happen.

Actually enjoying going to watch Brighton is the most important thing to me, regardless of the division.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Precisely.....they have brought in, so far, Drinkwater, Barry and Soumatta ( £8.5M ) WHU have spent £13m on Soucek and Watford £7m on Pussotto. Newcastle already have brought in two loanees.
Has our budget gone on Mooy? Very good signing, I accept, but if we don't strengthen in the striking department, we all know we are a Maupay injury away from being in the manure.

Bad news : We recently announced a significant loss.

Good news : Andone's £40k - £50k per week was clearly budgeted for before he left after the transfer window shut. Galatasaray is now paying it all.

So there is some budget slack for wages, even if there is not much for a big fee to be paid out.

 

[Wozza]

New breed of Brighton fans = worries about what every other club does, thinks we’re relegated, thinks the atmosphere is crap despite not wanting to sing the easiest of old classic chants as one, made GOSBTS way to complicated that just kills any kind of atmosphere afterwards, and now jealous of Villa who beat a load of reserve sides and granted one well fought game which might send them the same way as it did Birmingham. Unbelievable.

Clueless.

 

[Justice]

Clueless.

Yes you are

 

[Wozza]

We got to a Cup Semi-final only last season. And now you're p*ssed of we haven't made another one? Isn't that just, like, a little f*cking entitled?

It’s not about entitlement.

It’s about expectation. That when Brighton & Hove Albion puts out a football team, it does so with the intent to win.

It was a Brighton & Hove Albion XI that night.

With zero first-teamers on the BENCH, it must have been one of the weakest League Cup teams of ALL-TIME. Any club, that is.

Stand or fall - or roll over if we don’t fancy it. Shameful.

 

[blue-shifted]

Oh, but Wozza …. Don’t you remember? …. we were in the midst of a crippling injury crisis …. (But managed to put out a full strength team to play the following Saturday)

 

[A1X]

With zero first-teamers on the BENCH, it must have been one of the weakest League Cup teams of ALL-TIME. Any club, that is.

The only comparison I can think of is when Liverpool played their kids when the first team were off at that glorified friendly in the middle east back in December (another Villa benefit game).

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Oh, but Wozza …. Don’t you remember? …. we were in the midst of a crippling injury crisis …. (But managed to put out a full strength team to play the following Saturday)

Well, 'full strength' but with Bernardo, Pröpper, Izquierdo, Balogun, March and Trossard on the treatment table.