The Guardian's Assessment - From nowhere to the Premier League

[The_Viper]

They're just a bunch of bed wetters am I right lads? We're finishing top 4 easy this season with this squad.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I've noticed a lot of journalists don't tend to look at the state of a particular club at the moment of promotion when assessing their chances for the season, they tend to go on history.

When Reading got promoted for the first time under Coppell, pretty much every journalist predicted their immediate crash and burn. Meanwhile, the fans could see that they were a well-run (if slightly plastic) club who'd blown away the second tier by 20-odd points, with a manager who knew what to do in the top division. Predictably, Reading has a good first season in the top flight.

There is a lot to be said for going up with momentum. Reading stormed that division and started that top flight campaign brimming with confidence. They had a tight, well managed squad with no prima donnas. Their big mistake was not investing at Xmas in their second season. Madejski pulled in the purse strings ( admittedly, there wasn't the same level of money in the PL then ) and gambled they would stay up. They very nearly did, winning 4-0 at Derby on the last day but were scuppered by a late Danny Murphy goal at Pompey, who, sadly for Reading, were going through the motions.

 

[crabface]

I think you should change your team, if you think we can compete at that level.

Im off, see you at the emirates.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

For me an impossibility with our current squad. We are so short of pace and strength it's laughable, especially with the start of the season just around the corner.

I didn't see any shortage of that last season. We ripped teams apart with pace on the break, particularly out wide and to say our players lack strength is doing a number of them a grave mis-service.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Team spirit doesn't amount to much at what will be our end of the division.

I disagree. If we are to stay up this season it will almost completely be down to our team spirit and the fact that we are a well organised, hardworking outfit. Take either of those two things away and we're getting relegated.

There are plenty of teams in the bottom half of the premier league who on any given day rock up and play as a disorganised, disinterested rabble. Those are the games where we will pick up points and it won't be down to us having better quality, player for player.

 

[Weststander]

Give me belief, team spirit and a sustainable future for BHAFC over panic buys any day. The Premier League needs to be awarded two special caps - a transfer fee cap and a salary cap. Oh, and well done Tom for the video

Palace, Bournemouth and Stains all spent heavily, immediately bringing in many players and are very much sustainable. Now enjoying £100m of extra income, year after year.

Invest or fail.

 

[Weststander]

I didn't see any shortage of that last season. We ripped teams apart with pace on the break, particularly out wide and to say our players lack strength is doing a number of them a grave mis-service.

yes we were bloody good in most games last season, but the PL is a class above. Think Hudd or Newc away last season, but better still.

This squad needs top flight quality pace, power, know how and goals. Not a complete overhaul but in several key positions.

Perhaps TB has it all in hand, come the end of the window?

 

[DFL JCL]

If we got 10 - 13 goals out of our top striker next season that would be a result. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/top-scorers. personally i think Murray is capable of achieving that.

 

[Lush]

This is where I'm at:

We might stay up.
We will probably go down.

This is where I'm at:

We will probably stay up
We might go down

 

[Mackenzie]

I'm not surprised we're tipped to finish last, it's the easy thing to do. I sure we can use this "it's only Brighton" to our advantage and surprise a few teams along the way, I'm quite pleased we're being talked down it should help us.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

There are posters on here making out that the other 19 teams in the PL are world beaters. I'm sorry but the overall quality of the division is not getting better. The leading clubs are getting stronger, the gap is widening and they are finding it even easier to roll over lesser sides on a regular basis. Just because transfer fees have rocketted doesn't mean quality goes up in equal measure.

The PL attracts a lot of average players from around the world, all paid vast salaries and still reliant on the few really world class players dotted around, who carry their teams. These are the standout players and we all know who they are. We don't have any of these and we know we can't afford them. They belong in the top 6-7 clubs, the elite, maintaining their position.

The rest of the division, on any given day, is beatable. If our workrate is right, we will more than match a number of these teams. We know we have an inner strength, a core strength, running through the squad and teams will not out battle us. At times, higher quality skill may prevail. We can't do anything about that. But if we keep a level of consistency ( not all PL teams do ) we have a good chance of picking up enough points. All this doom and gloom before we have even kicked a ball is depressing and totally unnecessary. It was the same last summer, with posters on here predicting mid-table mediocrity. Oh...there is Norwich and Villa and Newcastle and Wednesday and Derby and so on...they will all be stronger...we haven't strengthened...our position flattered us... etc etc.

Well, we came back stronger than before and went up comfortably and the doom-mongers went quiet. Lets just wait and see how the early games pan out. We might all be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Mackenzie]

yes we were bloody good in most games last season, but the PL is a class above. Think Hudd or Newc away last season, but better still.

This squad needs top flight quality pace, power, know how and goals. Not a complete overhaul but in several key positions.

Perhaps TB has it all in hand, come the end of the window?

It is a class above, it will be more difficult. It is also vastly overhyped and still a team game of 11v11 and our 11 are alright.

 

[Wozza]

Beautiful words from Tooncgull in the comments on that article - go tell him, here: https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ue-2017-18-preview-brighton#comment-102999267

"Well - here at last!
Its been a journey - personally, a lifelong committed fan of my original Home"toon" club when I arrived as a 29 year old "Mature Student" at Sussex Uni in 1992, met a local girl, married, settled ...
With the Goldstone literally streets away from where we lived in the mid 90s, and having been to as many games as I'd been able to attend , the period from 95 to 97 was the forging of a fierce love for Brighton and Hove Albion. I defy anyone not to go, week in week out, to your new local club, streets away, a club gasping for breath at the foot of the entire football league, and not emerge a passionate fan of that club. There was no danger of a clash of interests. Newcastle were top of the 92 regularly under Keegan at this point - Brighton were clinging on to life in 92nd..
I was there for most of the Build a Bonfire season - the Mansfield "boycott" match in which we stood in Hove Park instead of going in, the Fans United 5-0 v Hartlepool as the sea mist rolled in, the 4-4 with Leyton Orient, - missed the final game v Doncaster as I didn't have a ticket and stood with my 2 year old in Hove Park listening to the crowd instead.
So, committed fan now, the return to WIthdean saw me clutching a season ticket in 1999 for the first match v Mansfield... 6-0 in front of about 5000 in the trees...
3-4 with Rochdale in the sleet, Booby, Brooker and Nathan Jones, Cheaterfield coming to town and Cullip rising like a salmon at the Railway Bridge end to win the title "properly"...
My son's first match - a grey December v Burnley in 2002, the Albion 2 down and dreadful, me praying for something to give the little lad something to enjoy - and lo and behold, Sidwell pops up to score 2 in the last 2 minutes - we bounce home, ecstatic. ! 4 promotions in 12 years amongst the trees, including the M4 route to the 2nd tier in 2004: - Swindon, Bristol then Cardiff.
Pennies scraped, and finally the Gus Bus arrived - we hopped on to see where that would go - it almost got there, but stalled.
By now, the Falmer stadium - quirkily, I couldn't make the first game v Doncaster due to work commitments - my father, whose hand Id clutched as a 6 year old at St James Park back in 1969, took my seat instead for that Doncaster game - in advanced stages of cancer by now - he died 3 weeks later.
So, from the same seat, I will sit down and contemplate a journey taken, and gaze in astonishment at Premier League football.. ... we may go straight down - but that's not the point."

 

[Poyningsgull]

There are posters on here making out that the other 19 teams in the PL are world beaters. I'm sorry but the overall quality of the division is not getting better. The leading clubs are getting stronger, the gap is widening and they are finding it even easier to roll over lesser sides on a regular basis. Just because transfer fees have rocketted doesn't mean quality goes up in equal measure.
The PL attracts a lot of average players from around the world, all paid vast salaries and still reliant on the few really world class players dotted around, who carry their teams. These are the standout players and we all know who they are. We don't have any of these and we know we can't afford them. They belong in the top 6-7 clubs, the elite, maintaining their position.
The rest of the division, on any given day, is beatable. If our workrate is right, we will more than match a number of these teams. We know we have an inner strength, a core strength, running through the squad and teams will not out battle us. At times, higher quality skill may prevail. We can't do anything about that. But if we keep a level of consistency ( not all PL teams do ) we have a good chance of picking up enough points. All this doom and gloom before we have even kicked a ball is depressing and totally unnecessary. It was the same last summer, with posters on here predicting mid-table mediocrity. Oh...there is Norwich and Villa and Newcastle and Wednesday and Derby and so on...they will all be stronger...we haven't strengthened...our position flattered us... etc etc.
Well, we came back stronger than before and went up comfortably and the doom-mongers went quiet. Lets just wait and see how the early games pan out. We might all be pleasantly surprised.

Well said....excellent post.

 

[Weststander]

It is a class above, it will be more difficult. It is also vastly overhyped and still a team game of 11v11 and our 11 are alright.

9 times out of 10 a far better eleven win, unfortunately.

 

[Notters]

This is where I'm at:

We might stay up.
We will probably go down.

Why? Over 60% of promoted teams stay up. Why should going down be a probability?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I post a well reasoned and totally objective opinion on this Guardian article. You post this. Hmmmm.

Ha Ha, thought I may get a response.

 

[El Presidente]

We might go down

You've got no idea how long I've been waiting for you to ask

 

[El Presidente]

If Gross and Ingersoll had cost £8 million each, and Stephens had been allowed to go and replaced with a player of equal ability but costing £12 million, I suspect a lot of people would be happier.

The club need to make some signings, with central midfield and up front a priority, but according to all the managers who are interviewed, as well as those who work in the game such as PB, it's not easy at present. Why not give those people a modicum of credit as they might know what they are talking about?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

The thing is, I don't think there's enough Premier League quality throughout the squad but that we have players good enough to cover a lack of quality. And we have a team ethic which shouldn't be underestimated. We have a stable and settled squad with a manager who has either signed all these players, or overseen their contract extensions. Every player is here because the manager wants them to be, and the mood around the squad has been good the last couple of years. I don't see the mood changing, even with the inevitable stream of defeats to come. I think the team ethic and unity will be what sets us apart from the other strugglers, because other squads will splinter and factions will form. It doesn't look like ours will do, so they'll keep fighting for each other and when you've got a good defence you're not really too far off.

What we need to avoid is the chronic lack of goals which relegated boring, boring Middlesbrough.