[Albion] The first crack in Graham Potter's calm demeanour?

[twickers]

It's the second time he's sarcastically said maybe he needs s history lesson about the club. I get he might be frustrated, but if he's honest his real frustration is not scoring. There's no point stating the boo fans don't understand the technical and tactical dimensions of the game...of course they don't, what ticket holder does? If he flips it and sees the boo as an expectation we can do more that's a positive thing. There's ni need for him to give it sanction as a negative. We still need a striker though.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I find the idea of Potter purposely weakening our team 'to send a message' a bit distasteful. Are we seriously saying the relationship between coach and owner has broken down that much?

Agree, would he purposely risk a home game to make a point?

Locadia was the only striker on the bench and we have a game on Wednesday, the first of 9 in 37 days, this is squad rotation, all be it not M&S squad rotation.

Maupay bell start start against West Ham and I suspect Gross will not.

I suspect Duffy will also start ahead of Veltman.

I don’t see Locadia being on the bench unless there is no alternative via injury

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

You’re so right. If he put Locadia on “to send a message” then quite frankly I would lose any respect for him - how childish is that?Mind you, if he put Locadia on because he thought it was a brilliant tactical move, then I have to question his judgement. Tough one.

I’d say he was put on as a wild card, anything is possible.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

For once, I DIDN'T STAND when he went off. I feel that sent a message.

Was quite cold to be fair

 

[OzMike]

Down to 9th now and will probably be between 12th and 14th by the end of the week.
Now is where we rue the losses and missed chances.

 

[Sir-Len]

To quote Naylors updated article from the Athletic this evening, Potter quoted as saying ‘They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately’. Are we just an inconvenience?

 

[Wozza]

To quote Naylors updated article from the Athletic this evening, Potter quoted as saying ‘They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately’. Are we just an inconvenience?

Does he really say "unfortunately"?!

 

[albionalex]

Does he really say "unfortunately"?!

The new quotes are;

"They're entitled to their opinion, I'm entitled to mine, I totally disagree. Obviously, I'm sorry that we're only eighth in the Premier League at the moment and we're playing young players and we're drawing with Leeds United. I have to apologize for that...

Perspective is sometimes hard for people, the emotion of the game. They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately.

I have to defend the players. The players were fantastic. Anybody who watches or knows anything about football will know the performance the players put in. If our supporters cannot see that, there is nothing I can do to control that. I can still air my views and defend the team. If they want to have a go at me they can. I've got no problem with that. We will disagree,

To get a point in the Premier League, above Manchester United and when I look at the history of this football club, I find it hard to understand."

 

[Robinjakarta]

Maybe because I have a high opinion of him, been a big supporter of his since he came here, and have defended him when others were losing patience, that I found him dismissing any criticism on account of having been worse in the past, as disrespectful, is it only fans of clubs that have won stuff that have the right to be frustrated at a lack of goals/wins?
Apparently I have to understand the game, understand who we played against and that we are eighth in the Premier league, and then I won't feel frustrated at seeing the ball go over the oppositions crossbar repeatedly or scuffed wide.

If you weren't booing, he wasn't including you in that.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

What a crock of shit.

Pants pissing all round.

 

[Icy Gull]

To quote Naylors updated article from the Athletic this evening, Potter quoted as saying ‘They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately’. Are we just an inconvenience?

Not hard to read between the lines and realise that he is talking about the people who booed the team on Saturday. I agree with him but maybe he could have also thanked the majority for their support on a nasty November evening. How many of us would have been rational and level headed if interviewed immediately after that game though?

Potter is normally very level headed and calm whatever the result so give him some slack, he must have been pissed off we didn’t win but to hear the performance booed he couldn’t just ignore it, it seems.

We, as fans, can get a bit precious. Murray at Brentford was the last time I remember so much outrage on here though about a current player or manager. (Poyet post play off semi excepted)

 

[sparkie]

To quote Naylors updated article from the Athletic this evening, Potter quoted as saying ‘They pay their money and they can say and do what they want, unfortunately’. Are we just an inconvenience?

The entitled few who boo the team when we were 8th in the league are "an inconvenience" for sure. He put it politely.

 

[super-seagulls]

What has the current league position or history of the club got to do with it? No one was feeling frustrated and booing at being eighth, no one was frustrated and booing that we created chances and defended well, they and I were frustrated that we failed to score from the numerous good chances created, weren't you?
I am not anti Potter, I am anti him referencing the history of the club as a reason for the fans to not have higher hopes than drawing or losing in games we are dominating. I have always been a Potter in guy, throughout the period where many were not so happy with him and some were suggesting we should get rid.
To be honest, it was a bit of an effort to leave the house Saturday, and venture out into the cold with disrupted trains and the expectation of being disappointed by the result, I didn't boo, but I was frustrated, even more so after seeing Potter suggest there is nothing to complain about, you don't need an emotional intelligence degree to understand why there was some booing.

This, if he starts mentioning ceilings, I’m out.

 

[Blue3]

It might be just the thing that starts to make GP to consider other jobs

 

[DJ NOBO]

It might be just the thing that starts to make GP to consider other jobs

Firstly, if he’s going to go, he’s going to go. Like at Swansea.
But he hasn’t done well enough to get offered something a lot better than his very long contract at Progressive Brighton, living in a nice place.
He’s lucky to have us, as much as we him.

 

[Nitram]

Get a grip everyone, a few bellends making a noise and GP overacting in the heat of the moment after he was as frustrated as us at the team not finding the back of the net.
I bet on reflection GP will be embarrassed with his loss of self control and reaction to a minor incident that has been blown out of all proportion.

 

[wellquickwoody]

All of which skirts round two rather awkward issues.

I don't think it's "where we are" that is an issue as much as "how far back do you want to go"?

Now, I want to make something clear. I've been following the club since 1980 and many of the people around me in the WSU are of that age and era too. No one booed where I was and I certainly didn't. I don't believe in it. People might point to posts I've made that they regard as negative but that's in debate between fans of the club. Potter and players don't have to read NSC - in fact I'd suggest they don't. But booing in the ground is unavoidable for them so you'd better do it for a good reason, and frustration isn't good enough.

But - it seems from on here and what I heard that quite a bit of the booing was from the North Stand and that's where a lot of our younger fans are. Hereford was 24 years ago and counting. Many NS fans would not have been born when that game was played. And many aged t24 or younger will only ever remember the Amex. So all they can remember is nice stadium, good football and (Hyypia apart), winning season being in or around the playoffs or doing ok in the Premier League.

And - the club have expressly come out and said Top Ten is the target this season. It seems there has been a flip of perspective. Last season those of us saying we should have a better league position were told to be patient and it was part of the long term plan. See what's coming. Now we are in that top ten, which is great, but many can see that barely lasting to Christmas with our lack of goals and wins recently.

So - fans who weren't even alive when Hereford happened and only remember the Amex, a real hiatus in our season's progress and Potter trying to give some old boys a history lesson. Are we really surprised.

At some point, maybe we have to accept that to meet TB's stated ambition for the club we need to forget being little old Brighton who are just pleased to be here and actually become ruthless new Brighton putting away sides who are patently worse than we are,

Spot on. I remember where we came from being perhaps just a few years older than you. But I have never wanted anything more football wise than to take it to the ‘big boys’. I do not do reverence to the altar of footballing history, I respect the achievements of Liverpool, United etc etc, but I want nothing more than to go toe to toe with them on a level playing field. We are not there yet, but we are getting closer season by season. I am grateful for where we are now, and even more so to TB for enabling it to happen, but we have to keep pushing forward and wanting more. If we accept mid table anonymity then we will be overtaken by the next medium sized club that shows real ambition. We can be as big as Villa, we can build a history to be proud of, we could do a Leicester with a big slice of luck, but only if we refuse to accept always being the bridesmaid.

 

[pb21]

No one was feeling frustrated and booing at being eighth, no one was frustrated and booing that we created chances and defended well, they and I were frustrated that we failed to score from the numerous good chances created, weren't you?

I was frustrated, I'm sure most were, but I didn't boo, or even think about booing, it is a pathetic, unreasonable and disproportionate reaction. Thankfully the vast majority felt the same way.

As you say, Potter is well versed in 'emotional intelligence' so will appreciate the kind of effect that has on the team, i.e. completely counter-productive. That's why he reacted the way he did, he has the teams best interest in mind, as should we do as fans.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

We can't live in fear of Potter deciding to leave us. If he does, fine, there will be plenty of good applicants to manage a club in the top half of the PL.

This whole thing highlights to me a disconnect between what the fans want from a match and what GP etc want from a match. The fans want goals to celebrate and home wins. Potter is more metrically minded. Possession, domination and chances created seems enough to judge a match a success

 

[Bold Seagull]

Agree, would he purposely risk a home game to make a point?

Locadia was the only striker on the bench and we have a game on Wednesday, the first of 9 in 37 days, this is squad rotation, all be it not M&S squad rotation.

Maupay bell start start against West Ham and I suspect Gross will not.

I suspect Duffy will also start ahead of Veltman.

I don’t see Locadia being on the bench unless there is no alternative via injury

It would have been hard for any manager to have left Neal on tbh. His head was gone. Around 60mins there was a particular what looked like training ground tactic of a Dunk, Webster, Sanchez triangle that passed to each other way too many times, but as expected drew Leeds completely out and left a gapping hole through the middle of the park, Dunk lasers a pass straight to Maupay and we have them completely turned around, only it just bounces off Maupay's shin. He just wasn't in the game. Part of me could see the logic bringing Locadia on, just that weird freaky chance or twist of fate that after all this time he takes a chance. He didn't of course, but then March fluffed a couple as well as Bissouma, as well as Trossard. Each shot seems to bring with it an extra bit of pressure.