[Albion] The undropable Dale Stephens

[Bold Seagull]

No he can’t. But our wingers are weak.
Perhaps the formation is all wrong.

We also have MacAllister.


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Agree about the wingers, really got to a) start taking the full back on and b) getting decent balls into the box.

It’s all very well people saying only Murray in there, but no ones in there as the ball so rarely makes it over. Think we’d have a few more players taking the gamble if more balls were played in.

 

[sagaman]

Get him back Mr Potter

We need him as Pivot with Davvy Potter

Then chose from Biss/ McA/Mooy/Gross/ Alzate

 

[Perkino]

I'm not his biggest fan but since he missed the Palace game at Smelhurst we have been woefully inconsistent and cannot finish off games

 

[Hugo Rune]

Sadly, I think it’s time to move Dale on. An amazing servant to our club but perhaps his limitations won’t suit our top ten target. Bissouma is our present and future in that position.

He’ll also be nearing the end of his contract, I’d be very tempted to cash in.

He is a top Championship midfielder but would probably be a regular starter for most bottom 10 Premier League teams.

So what are our options without the fella?

We could certainly look to Bournemouth for Billing or Lerma or shop at West Ham for Souček if both teams are relegated but we might already have the answer.

Alzate:
I thought he was great against Spurs at home playing deeper in central midfield box. He’s not had that many chances since but I really excited by this chap.


Molumby:
Runs the show at ‘wall. Reports indicate that he is adept at the simple stuff, he is strong and aggressive with a good engine. But interestingly, he seems to be very progressive in terms of forward passes.


Băluță:
This 6”3 DM really excites me. I’ve watched a few U23 Romania games and I have to say, he looks good. Again, loves a forward pass but also has the height advantage that defensive midfield players like Viera, Billing, Souček & Berge use so well.

Dale is at a point in his career where 1st team starts are important, like Duffy, he’d be advised to search for new pastures if he wants to be first on the team sheet as he has been previously.

 

[Sheebo]

Billing and Lerma?! Do not rate either of these and Bmuff fans certainly don’t Billing. We need to go a step up...

 

[Gwylan]

Billing and Lerma?! Do not rate either of these and Bmuff fans certainly don’t Billing. We need to go a step up...

Billing is number one hate figure for Plucky fans: I can't see us going for him.

Personally, I think you're right and we'll stick with what we have. Brighton's priorities will be strikers and wide players

 

[sparkie]

Sadly, I think it’s time to move Dale on. An amazing servant to our club but perhaps his limitations won’t suit our top ten target. Bissouma is our present and future in that position.

He’ll also be nearing the end of his contract, I’d be very tempted to cash in.

He is a top Championship midfielder but would probably be a regular starter for most bottom 10 Premier League teams.

So what are our options without the fella?

We could certainly look to Bournemouth for Billing or Lerma or shop at West Ham for Souček if both teams are relegated but we might already have the answer.

Alzate:
I thought he was great against Spurs at home playing deeper in central midfield box. He’s not had that many chances since but I really excited by this chap.


Molumby:
Runs the show at ‘wall. Reports indicate that he is adept at the simple stuff, he is strong and aggressive with a good engine. But interestingly, he seems to be very progressive in terms of forward passes.


Băluță:
This 6”3 DM really excites me. I’ve watched a few U23 Romania games and I have to say, he looks good. Again, loves a forward pass but also has the height advantage that defensive midfield players like Viera, Billing, Souček & Berge use so well.

Dale is at a point in his career where 1st team starts are important, like Duffy, he’d be advised to search for new pastures if he wants to be first on the team sheet as he has been previously.

I think I read a while back that Souček is on loan - with a buy clause only if West Ham stay up.


I think Kayal and Stephens will move on. Molumby and Băluță look to have potential to replace them, but we may well want to buy another player in this area as well.

 

[HantsSeagull]

Billing Christ alive. Not a chance. He makes Stephens look like Pele.

 

[timbha]

Was a big Stephens fan and often stuck up for him when he came in for criticism, often using the lazy response of “well Hughton/Potter seem to rate him”. His job is done at the Albion. He has helped consolidate us as a PL team but doesn’t have the pace/speed of thought and decision making to take us further. He’s been a good servant and could play a similar role at a promoted or top 6 Championship team.
My only regret is his behaviour when we got promoted with the threat of a move to Burnley. I thought the timing was out of order although it might have just been his agent/press stiring things up.

Ps. I Won’t for give Knockaert for singing “give him the money” at the promotion celebrations

 

[GT49er]

Billing is number one hate figure for Plucky fans: I can't see us going for him.

Personally, I think you're right and we'll stick with what we have. Brighton's priorities will be strikers and wide players

Wide players? I don't think so, not as a priority - I think Potter looks for the width to come from the full backs/wing backs. A striker, certainly, plus a quick string aggressive CM who knows where the goal is and isn't afraid to kick the ball into it. Maybe a LB if Potter is convinced that Bernardo isn't up to it.

 

[scooter1]

I think Stephens would be sitting out these last games with Ali J if Alzate was fit. He needs an op, and hopefully this can be done in the summer and he will be fit for pre-season. Stephens should move on, and we should take what we can get for him before he can go on a free. He has been great for us in the past, but he isn’t part of the future

 

[Blackadder]

Certain players have a reputation for relegation. Billing fits that category.

 

[Stat Brother]

Was a big Stephens fan and often stuck up for him when he came in for criticism, often using the lazy response of “well Hughton/Potter seem to rate him”. His job is done at the Albion. He has helped consolidate us as a PL team but doesn’t have the pace/speed of thought and decision making to take us further. He’s been a good servant and could play a similar role at a promoted or top 6 Championship team.
My only regret is his behaviour when we got promoted with the threat of a move to Burnley. I thought the timing was out of order although it might have just been his agent/press stiring things up.

Ps. I Won’t for give Knockaert for singing “give him the money” at the promotion celebrations

I'm sure we'll have plenty of 'just look at him now' threads mocking Stephens in the future, despite everything he has done for the club.

 

[Thompson720]

Billing and Lerma?! Do not rate either of these and Bmuff fans certainly don’t Billing. We need to go a step up...

Agree with that, I think we have better options from our Youth setup. Lerma has sparks here and there, Billing I just don't see it. Best of the worst at Huddersfield and then even more so average at Bournemouth

 

[Gwylan]

Wide players? I don't think so, not as a priority - I think Potter looks for the width to come from the full backs/wing backs.

I'm not convinced of this. Burn pushes up but he's not got the pace to be a quality WB. Lamptey was tried there against United and didn't look the part. If Potter doesn't want wingers, why does March get so much game time?

From what we've seen of Potter, he likes flexibility and the ability to change formation and I'm sure he'd like the option to go 4-4-2 with two wide players - he can't really do that now.

 

[Rogero]

Perhaps in these next few games some young players will be given a chance as we really need pace .

 

[Machiavelli]

I'm not convinced of this. Burn pushes up but he's not got the pace to be a quality WB. Lamptey was tried there against United and didn't look the part. If Potter doesn't want wingers, why does March get so much game time?

From what we've seen of Potter, he likes flexibility and the ability to change formation and I'm sure he'd like the option to go 4-4-2 with two wide players - he can't really do that now.

Solly has had very little game time as a winger, especially of late. He plays because he's versatile, solid and dependable. His problem is that he just can't score at this level (two in nearly three PL seasons), so his outings as a winger will be few and far between in the future, I suspect.

 

[martin tyler]

As you progress you have to be careful at the same time not to get rid of too much at once. Potter has been clever this year in my opinion moved or eased players out slowly. Stephens has still been a big player this year. However more mobility in CM is what he would like hence Bissouma. Players that come in still need to have the mentality of players like Stephens and Duffy. We do t need players like Billings who isn’t prepared to put in the hard yards. I’d rather keep Dale over him any day of the week or bring Mulomby into the 1st team set up

 

[jackanada]

I believe Dale's "game intelligence" is the quality both CH and GP have stated as the, to many of us, intangible quality that gets him in the team so often.
Doesn't seem a quality you can be certain of until you work with a player so DS is not going to be immediately replaced by a signing. The question is more which of the other options already available in the middle of the park does GP think already have this quality or he can engender this quality in.

That said I'm sure at minimum the phasing out of Dale has just started, and will take less than a season

 

[Silverhatch]

Fabulous footballer often hugely maligned by the (NSC) Albion fan base...

But now at the point where better, younger footballers are now knocking at his BHA door. He folds or gets in their faces.