Strength In Depth - The Big Test

[el punal]

Tomorrow's match against Cardiff could be our barometer for the rest of our season. Since August, the Albion have performed wonderfully, surprisingly, well against all expectations. In the league, so far, we have shown the commitment necessary to be in top spot - and well deserved.

However, following the Bolton game, our good fortune seems to be evaporating. I wasn't at the match so I can only comment on reports - a possible foul by Madine for Bolton's late, late goal. The unfortunate sending off of Murphy and subsequent suspension (both rightly or wrongly) and lately, the injury to Lua-Lua.

These incidents are the sort of thing that can disrupt a team tactically or psychologically. So, which Albion team will play tomorrow? The "everything's going wrong, feel sorry for ourselves" outfit of last year or "we're Brighton, we're top of the league and we don't give in" team of this year.

My feelings? I genuinely think Chris Hughton is a very astute manager. He has brought in players and set up the team to cope with these mishaps. The proof will be in tomorrow's match, and for the rest of the season.

Let's hope my feelings come true.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Tomorrow's match against Cardiff could be our barometer for the rest of our season. Since August, the Albion have performed wonderfully, surprisingly, well against all expectations. In the league, so far, we have shown the commitment necessary to be in top spot - and well deserved.

However, following the Bolton game, our good fortune seems to be evaporating. I wasn't at the match so I can only comment on reports - a possible foul by Madine for Bolton's late, late goal. The unfortunate sending off of Murphy and subsequent suspension (both rightly or wrongly) and lately, the injury to Lua-Lua.

These incidents are the sort of thing that can disrupt a team tactically or psychologically. So, which Albion team will play tomorrow? The "everything's going wrong, feel sorry for ourselves" outfit of last year or "we're Brighton, we're top of the league and we don't give in" team of this year.

My feelings? I genuinely think Chris Hughton is a very astute manager. He has brought in players and set up the team to cope with these mishaps. The proof will be in tomorrow's match, and for the rest of the season.

Let's hope my feelings come true.

yep, all of this. Any team that has serious aspirations of a top 2 spot has to overcome adversity. Tomorrow's game is an excellent indicator of whether we have the cojones.

PS How weird is it that I typed "....aspirations of a top 2 spot...." without either being pissed or rolling around on the floor laughing at my joke? Long may that continue...

 

[Bozza]

However, following the Bolton game, our good fortune seems to be evaporating.

I'd suggest our good fortune began evaporating after the Rotherham game.

 

[nwgull]

For me our key attacking partnership has been Baldock and Hemed - both play better together - and this has been disrupted in the last 2 games. The fact that both are supposed to be available is a huge boost.

 

[Simster]

I'd suggest our good fortune began evaporating after the Rotherham game.

You say that, but we were awarded a penalty and then had a one man advantage for half an hour over Wolves. Doesn't seem like bad fortune to me.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I wonder when the Scottish wunderkind will get a chance. They hype around him choosing us over a host of world class teams suggested that he was the next Ronaldo.

Maybe with injuries and suspensions, he might get on t'bench

 

[Bozza]

I wonder when the Scottish wunderkind will get a chance. They hype around him choosing us over a host of world class teams suggested that he was the next Ronaldo.

Maybe with injuries and suspensions, he might get on t'bench

No chance. He's not even featured for the U-21s yet because he's not fit yet.

 

[Diego Napier]

I'd suggest our good fortune began evaporating after the Rotherham game.

?

No post match cheese and onion pasties?

 

[Moshe Gariani]

To compete successfully at the top we have to pick up points consistently until the end of the season at a rate of around 2pts per game.

Win one, draw one. Win three, draw one, lose one in a set of five games.

My analysis of the next seven or so games is that we really need to continue our above 2pts per game run during this period as coming up after that it gets much harder for a few weeks.

We need to win on Saturday - and we need to be able to do it while missing a couple of players as that is a normal situation.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Strength in depth looks good in most areas, except we are 1 striker missing.

We even have an available #21 shirt to be filled.

 

[KZNSeagull]

The spine of the team is unchanged so I have no doubt that tomorrow we can get a positive result - the Greer/Uwe, Kayal/Stephens and Hemed/Baldock partnerships are the most important ones for us..

With the above plus Manu, March and Rosenior, we have enough to create and stick away chances, that is for sure. Murphy was an unknown and we are already talking about missing him. Manu is our next unknown who's only chance to shine so far resulted in him getting a boot in the gob after 2 minutes, but I am confident he will do well.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Tomorrow is another game. If we lose, we lose, it doesn't tell us a great deal about the rest of the season to be honest, teams lose football matches. The biggest indicator will not be tomorrow if we lose, it will be how we react to that defeat in the following game.

If we win or draw, we continue our unbeaten run, but again, it doesn't really tell us what is install long term. We could go on to lose 3 on the bounce, then win 4 on the bounce, you're still getting the 2 pts per game.

Lets place no special or heightened expectation on any particularly fixture. It is another game we want to win. I won't be panicking that it signifies our season will collapse if we lose it though.

 

[Bozza]

You say that, but we were awarded a penalty and then had a one man advantage for half an hour over Wolves. Doesn't seem like bad fortune to me.

And letting go a two-goal lead whilst losing a wouldn't-hurt-a-fly player to a red card obtained when he slipped is also something we should consider good?

 

[Honky Tonx]

Give Colunga a chance. He wants to prove himself so now is his time.

 

[StonehamPark]

I wonder when the Scottish wunderkind will get a chance. They hype around him choosing us over a host of world class teams suggested that he was the next Ronaldo.

Maybe with injuries and suspensions, he might get on t'bench

No chance. He's not even featured for the U-21s yet because he's not fit yet.

I'm sure I remember reading that he was (if all went well) supposed to start training sometime in October and eventually get some game-time around November-December. But this would be with the U21/Reserves.

I can't see him playing for the first team until at least Jan/Feb if everything goes to plan.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Tomorrow is another game. If we lose, we lose, it doesn't tell us a great deal about the rest of the season to be honest, teams lose football matches. The biggest indicator will not be tomorrow if we lose, it will be how we react to that defeat in the following game.

I.

Totally this

 

[Simster]

And letting go a two-goal lead whilst losing a wouldn't-hurt-a-fly player to a red card obtained when he slipped is also something we should consider good?

Obviously not.

But you contradicted the OP (who suggested our luck ran out against Bolton) by saying it all went wrong after Rotherham. If you agree with him that Wolves is where it finally went a bit wrong, why did you say it went wrong after Rotherham?

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Tomorrow is another game. If we lose, we lose, it doesn't tell us a great deal about the rest of the season to be honest, teams lose football matches. The biggest indicator will not be tomorrow if we lose, it will be how we react to that defeat in the following game.

If we win or draw, we continue our unbeaten run, but again, it doesn't really tell us what is install long term. We could go on to lose 3 on the bounce, then win 4 on the bounce, you're still getting the 2 pts per game.

Lets place no special or heightened expectation on any particularly fixture. It is another game we want to win. I won't be panicking that it signifies our season will collapse if we lose it though.

Mostly correct. I want to see against Cardiff how we react to dropping points in consecutive matches and having Boro breathing down our necks now. If it is with a home defeat then I'll be a bit disappointed.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

All runs come to an end....law of averages....its how you bounce back afterwards....how strong your belief and desire is.
The spine of our team is unaffected tomorrow. Stockdale/ Greer +Hun or Dunk/ Kayal + Stephens/ Baldock + Hemed. Only in the wide areas are we missing people. We can readjust. Rosenior can push up, Baldock drift wide, March come on.
No reason for lack of confidence other than law of averages. We will probably lose in October but we might win 2-3 games as well.

 

[Bozza]

Obviously not.

But you contradicted the OP (who suggested our luck ran out against Bolton) by saying it all went wrong after Rotherham. If you agree with him that Wolves is where it finally went a bit wrong, why did you say it went wrong after Rotherham?

The OP said "following the Bolton game, our good fortune seems to be evaporating" which could be taken, literally, to mean that our luck has only changed since Bolton. It could also mean it changed at Bolton (i.e. after Wolves). I still consider that it changed after Rotherham. Forest missed a penalty as did we that, if both had gone in, would see our lead over Middlesbrough at 5 points.

Had we also held on against Bolton, and the Murphy sending off was clearly a key moment in that game, then we would be 7 points clear of 'boro and 10 (ten) points clear of third place right now.

I've no interest in debating when our luck changed, if indeed it has at all. Everyone agrees we've had an amazing start to the season and some, but maybe not all, will be thinking "...and it could have been even better still."

Jesus.