[Albion] Time to drop Murray?

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I would still start Murray vs. Palarse, simply because it is Palarse and his former club, etc, etc. But I would look to be replacing him after an hour (no longer) with Locadia or even Baldock - a striker with pace, and not a like-for-like Ulloa.
Several of our last matches are 'free hits' - in other words we don't expect diddly-squat from any of them, so that is the time to start trying out the alternatives to Murray - all the possible combinations too; we can still keep him on the bench to come on for the last twenty minutes if we need to change something.

Stop being so sensible. You're making me feel inadequate.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

pssst! I do the elderly 'comedy' round here. OK?

Every comedian needs a straight man/person to set them up. Morecambe & Wise, Cannon & Ball, etc.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Yes. I had an epiphany yesterday. I had a picture in my mind half way through the game of exactly what would happen. How the game wouldn't change. Yes, we will probably stay up and it will be a great achievement. But for a while yesterday I started feeling disgruntled. OK, today I feel more sanguine. Maybe the prospect of limping back to the car was getting me down a bit yesterday. And I was still seething over the back pass. Yes.....lost my shit a bit. My bad. Bring on the Palarse.

It's the poor games that make us appreciate the great games more. I felt like going home yesterday after that backpass. I thought, what am I doing here watching this rubbish.
But, as you and I know, we love our team and we'll be back for more, and loving it again.

 

[Bwian]

No, he won everything in the first half, worked hard, but seemed isolated. he has experience and advice to others on the pitch in a team that is lacking in character and leadership.

Perhaps Dunk isn't captain material? It's great to see him rewarded with the captain's armband but I can't recall many times when I've seen him organising and geeing up the team. We definitely need an on field leader for games like yesterday's. I'm not trying to take anything away from his own performance(s) but perhaps I might also be over exaggerating the role of a captain these days?

 

[GT49er]

Understandable . It can definitely be frustrating watching Albion and hughton’s not exactly dynamic when things need changing.
On balance he’s still miles in credit though.
The bigger question is , what is our upper limit? Staying up ? Seventh ? Europe? Champions ?
Hughton’s generally cautious style would probably only get us so far up the table. Say 12th?
To get a different manager in with a more expansive style may take us to the next level, or it might all go to sh*t.
It’s a tricky one.

The main thing is, I think, let's not be too hasty. Two or three seasons of 12th. or thereabouts will not only consolidate us as a PL club, but the revenue brought in would be considerable - allowing us to make slight improvements to the team each season. Just need to make sure we don't suddenly go stale, like West Brom and Stoke have done this season.
Then might be the time for TB to review the options for 'the next level' (and you never know, CH might be taking us in that direction very nicely) - but let's not run before we can walk.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Signing Locadia and Ulloa lit a fire under him and he went from lazy to putting in a shift and a goal run.

But we are clearly back to a situation where he is feeling his spot is safe and CH shows no sign of thinking differently.

Surely it's time to drop him for the remainder of the season? He certainly won't be fired up against Palace next week (he wasn't at home against them) and the rest of the season is about scraping a point or two.

Time to start letting Locadia settle into the role he clearly has next season?

I thought he was far from lazy yesterday, in fact one complaint I heard at HT was that he was doing too much running and should just stay between the shoulders of the centre backs.

It hasn't gone for him last 2 games, but I honestly cannot see where your accusations of not putting in a shift in comes from. He ran himself all over the pitch trying to get involved, back defending at times. Players are allowed an off day, and rightly taken off imho, but far from lazy. I fail to see why he wouldn't be fired up on Saturday simply based on the home game when it was a stalemate and not the best day for many of our side.

Ulloa came on and did well yesterday (as he has done on previous sub appearances), and his touch and through ball to Jose should have won us the game. I would be really tempted to start him as he does look like he has that little more craft to create things for others.

 

[father_and_son]

I would still start Murray vs. Palarse, simply because it is Palarse and his former club, etc, etc. But I would look to be replacing him after an hour (no longer) with Locadia or even Baldock - a striker with pace, and not a like-for-like Ulloa.
Several of our last matches are 'free hits' - in other words we don't expect diddly-squat from any of them, so that is the time to start trying out the alternatives to Murray - all the possible combinations too; we can still keep him on the bench to come on for the last twenty minutes if we need to change something.

Although we disagree on his suitability for our next game, this is the exactly the right answer to my original question.

We have a chance to bed in our new signing before next season with a few games where defending will be more lightly to steal a point than attacking is to win us 3, so give the new boy a chance. See how the team work around him and see what we need over the summer to tweak the best out of the new setup.

I mean, it's radical but let's play to the advantages of our (soon to be) first choice striker rather than playing him out of position!

 

[BensGrandad]

I thought that Ulloa did ok when he came on but we did miss out on the headers that GM won although nothing came of them

 

[Colonel Angus]

Every comedian needs a straight man/person to set them up. Morecambe & Wise, Cannon & Ball, etc.

Parish and Hodgson?

 

[Brighton Mod]

Perhaps Dunk isn't captain material? It's great to see him rewarded with the captain's armband but I can't recall many times when I've seen him organising and geeing up the team. We definitely need an on field leader for games like yesterday's. I'm not trying to take anything away from his own performance(s) but perhaps I might also be over exaggerating the role of a captain these days?

I don't think you are exaggerating at all, we do need a leader on the pitch to inspire others at all times. Having watched Bournemouth v Palace on MOtD, I saw passion, endeavour, character and a will to win. Bournemouth don't score late goals because they're lucky, they score them because they play for 90+ minutes and their manager makes brave decisions with his substitutes. Go through the team sheet from yesterday and pick out a leader, I can't.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Parish and Hodgson?

They're both clowns which is why it doesn't work.

 

[portslade seagull]

I thought that Ulloa did ok when he came on but we did miss out on the headers that GM won although nothing came of them

Nothing came of them because the midfield had lead boots on and just didn't support him. Even a world class striker would've struggled with that lack of support yesterday

 

[NooBHA]

I am not the biggest fan of Murray but no one can deny the worth of his goals this season. So when fighting Relegation you don't drop your top goal scorer.

On top of that, you want the match against Palace to be a stop/start type of game. You don't want a high tempo type of match when they have someone like Zaha in their side. And on that note I am not overly confident of Schelotto dealing with Zaha on his own so I would be playing Schelotto right midfield with Bruno at full back so that they have a double up on him because Schelotto still has a decent defending and attacking option in that role. Palace game is about coming away with a 0-0

 

[Weststander]

Nothing came of them because the midfield had lead boots on and just didn't support him. Even a world class striker would've struggled with that lack of support yesterday

True. The 3 in CM and Izquierdo had poor games. I gave DS the benefit of him possibly not being 100% fit. But the other 3 spent the last hour of more second to everything in mind and body ... making Hudd’s midfield looking like they’ve recently torn the PL apart.

 

[twickers]

It's a well proven formula for success. When you need points most, drop your leading goalscorer.

 

[BensGrandad]

I am not the biggest fan of Murray but no one can deny the worth of his goals this season. So when fighting Relegation you don't drop your top goal scorer.

On top of that, you want the match against Palace to be a stop/start type of game. You don't want a high tempo type of match when they have someone like Zaha in their side. And on that note I am not overly confident of Schelotto dealing with Zaha on his own so I would be playing Schelotto right midfield with Bruno at full back so that they have a double up on him because Schelotto still has a decent defending and attacking option in that role. Palace game is about coming away with a 0-0

Would you play Schelotto further forward and Bruno as you say to double up on Zaha rather than Goldson as a 3rd CB to cover Dunk Duffy and Schelotto as required. which would still allow ES to get forward from right back as the opportunity arises.

 

[Weststander]

Would you play Schelotto further forward and Bruno as you say to double up on Zaha rather than Goldson as a 3rd CB to cover Dunk Duffy and Schelotto as required. which would still allow ES to get forward from right back as the opportunity arises.

Will Hodgson vary the wing Zaha plays down?

 

[BensGrandad]

Will Hodgson vary the wing Zaha plays down?

Him and Townsend often interchange. So if he attacks down their right Bong and Dunk deal with him and Duffy and Goldson move more central if he attacks down their left Schelotto and Goldson take him and Duffy and Dunk move more central. We are covered on either wing.

 

[NooBHA]

Would you play Schelotto further forward and Bruno as you say to double up on Zaha rather than Goldson as a 3rd CB to cover Dunk Duffy and Schelotto as required. which would still allow ES to get forward from right back as the opportunity arises.

No extra centre half. Bruno right back and Schelotto right midfield and sacrifice a right winger

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

No extra centre half. Bruno right back and Schelotto right midfield and sacrifice a right winger

That went well at Huddersfield...