Tommy Elphick 'best decision I made'

[Bold Seagull]

Funny I don't recall a massive outcry when they were sold or the threads wishing we still had them during the years we had one of the best defensive records in the championship.
Its never nice to lose home grown players but a call had to be made and at the time it was correct. Who's to say if either cook or elphick would have progressed as much playing second fiddle to Greer, Upson and maybe dunk.

Why don't you have a look?

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?270464-Tommy-Elphick&highlight=Tommy+Elphick
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?276488-tommy-elphick/page2&highlight=Tommy+Elphick
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?252170-Tommy-Elphick-%A3200-000-according-to-the-Echo&highlight=Tommy+Elphick

 

[chaileyjem]

We didn't really need the Upson short term quick fix in the first place..

Who knows but Upson was probably more of a factor in us making 2 play-offs in a row than Ulloa in 2013/14 and for that second part of the season where our form was the best in the league; Bridge/Bridcutt in 2012/13.

 

[KZNSeagull]

We didn't really need the Upson short term quick fix in the first place. Gus was always looking to where he thought the grass looked greener.

Didn't we? He was our best defender last year. Could have done with him this year as well.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Funny I don't recall a massive outcry when they were sold or the threads wishing we still had them during the years we had one of the best defensive records in the championship.
Its never nice to lose home grown players but a call had to be made and at the time it was correct. Who's to say if either cook or elphick would have progressed as much playing second fiddle to Greer, Upson and maybe dunk.

The reason there wasn't a massive outcry was because the clubs and the fans were stargazing at the big names we were bringing in to mount a genuine promotion challenge - Vicente, Kuszczak, Bruno, Bridge, Crofts, Orlandi, Dobbie, Hammond, Spanish Dave.

 

[brightonrock]

It's funny...nobody thought it was a bad decision to let them go when we were qualifying for back to back play-offs and Bournemouth were in League 1. Only now we're having a shit season, does it become an apparent example of our club's poor decision making. They were both behind 3 or 4 more senior players. They were surplus to requirements. The fact that FOUR YEARS later they're riding the crest of a wave and we've ****ed it, does not make our backroom staff idiots. It was the right decision, at the right time, for the right reasons. Neither would have progressed as they have if we'd have kept them because they'd still be 4th in line with little experience.

 

[The Large One]

Interesting that Adam El-Abd left for not being a first or second-choice defender, yet people aren’t screaming - principally because his career has nose-dived.

Acknowledging the differences in the reasons that led to El-Abd and Elphick leaving, it seems to be it’s not the decision to release Tommy that has upset so many people who wish to knock the club, it’s the fact that Elphick has done well.

Imagine if El-Abd’s career has re-ignited; some would have gone apoplectic, and people were more upset when he left than when Elphick left.

 

[Bold Seagull]

If Cook and Elphick were playing in week in week out as many on this thread seem to think they should have been why would the club have been so keen to keep hold of Dunk and Greer to be reserve centre backs. Dunk would have wanted to leave for the same reasons Elphick was let go. First team football. Greer, likewise.
And if Cook/Elphick were here to be reserves to Dunk/Greer/Upson ? then hang on a minute they would have wanted to leave ? No ?
How big a squad do you think we should have. ?

NB: Aaron Hughes is at the end of his career so happy, i assume, to be 3rd or 4th choice and Halford is likewise keen to play for a contract either with us or another Champ club and also a lot older than the Bournemouth pair.

4 centre halves is pretty normal for a squad isn't it? You can always send someone out on loan. Dunk has happily sat on the bend for the past 2 seasons (12/13 - 13/14), only this season he's gone into double figures so your argument falls down there.

 

[chaileyjem]

4 centre halves is pretty normal for a squad isn't it? You can always send someone out on loan. Dunk has happily sat on the bend for the past 2 seasons (12/13 - 13/14), only this season he's gone into double figures so your argument falls down there.

Dunk missed a lot of 2012/13 for non football reasons.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Interesting that Adam El-Abd left for not being a first or second-choice defender, yet people aren’t screaming - principally because his career has nose-dived.

Acknowledging the differences in the reasons that led to El-Abd and Elphick leaving, it’s not the decision to release Tommy that has upset so many people who wish to knock the club, it’s the fact that Elphick has done well that makes them wish to impart such wisdom upon us.

Imagine if El-Abd’s career has re-ignited; some would have gone apoplectic, and people were more upset when he left than when Elphick left.

Well of course that is the whole point isn't it!?

The club let all sorts of players go, but you only ever learn whether that decision was a good one through a) who you replace them with and go onto achieve, and b) what those players who went go onto to do and achieve themselves.

Football is about managing a team and forming a squad that you think is going to do well. You have to make the judgements.

I'm not knocking the club, I'm saying that we appear to be consistently making incorrect judgements and these are only proved with what we go onto do, and what the players we let go, go on to do. There is no other way of reviewing it.

The wisdom you talk about is the difference between one club winning a promotion and another struggling. The foresight and wisdom on critical decisions in the formation of a squad are what make a club successful or not. We've clearly got it wrong over the last few years, the sackings of Burke, and changing of managers proves this is not just me knocking the club, it is acknowledged by TB himself.

 

[GT49er]

Why don't you have a look?

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?270464-Tommy-Elphick&highlight=Tommy+Elphick
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?276488-tommy-elphick/page2&highlight=Tommy+Elphick
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?252170-Tommy-Elphick-%A3200-000-according-to-the-Echo&highlight=Tommy+Elphick

No gnashing of teeth there - the gist in all of them is, good move for Tommy, he'll do well in League 1, and good luck to him. No rants about us selling him.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The question is, would Cook and/or Elphick have played regularly last season with Greer and Upson in the side? The answer is most definitely no.

Just be pleased that the club brought through 2 ambitious, decent centre backs that, due to circumstances at the time, could not play regularly in our first team. We are going to have to get used to this if our academy brings through the quality of player that we hope it does - not all of them are going to get to play regular first team football for us.

Neither Cook nor Elphick had any Championship experience when they left. El-Abd had from when we were previously playing at this level.

 

[Rookie]

Why don't you have a look?

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?270464-Tommy-Elphick&highlight=Tommy+Elphick
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?276488-tommy-elphick/page2&highlight=Tommy+Elphick
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?252170-Tommy-Elphick-%A3200-000-according-to-the-Echo&highlight=Tommy+Elphick

A quick look at those would not suggest an outcry and more wishing him well

 

[Bold Seagull]

No gnashing of teeth there - the gist in all of them is, good move for Tommy, he'll do well in League 1, and good luck to him. No rants about us selling him.

A quick look at those would not suggest an outcry and more wishing him well

Quite amusing though some of them. There is no outcry because it was at a time when we thought the decisions being taken were pushing us forward. As I said in my first post, fans aren't best placed to really know if those decisions are right.

Interesting comments I thought from those that had him as just a League One defender, and those who had a feeling we were letting a very good player go.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I talk with Tommy every now and again and one of the factors that brighton were worried about was his fitness.

He had a long layoff with an Achilles tear, which I had too, and there is always the nagging doubt that it is going to go at some point again...or normally the other one!

The opinion at the time was that albion were being over pessimistic, especially as we had cover, but for Tommy it has worked out brilliantly and a lot of us thought at the time that he was a decent player.

I have always wished him well as it is great to see local youngsters doing well, and who knows, with the academy and all these youngsters around in our development and u21 squads, there must be more than just the Center back who are any good Shirley?

I think the view around the club at the time of his departure was that we were a buying club apart from the occasional player stepping up. Certainly brighton fans and to be fair most teams fans want better players to be brought in...there are very few who have teams crammed with local youngsters.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Will tonight be Tommy's first competitive game at the Amex?

Edit - no I realised we played them last season on New Year's Day with the famous Hoops as referee.

 

[Bozza]

Will tonight be Tommy's first competitive game at the Amex?

Nope.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Nope.

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You just put that on to depress us with the team we had last year! Jeez how far have we fallen from that team!

 

[East Preston Gull]

Elphic was the golden boy and was predicted to have a good career in football and Cook was very good when he had his chance. Many were disappointed when they left.

This isn't about hindsight, this was lack of foresight from a manager who thought Bridcutt was Real Madrid quality, Buckley was better than Saha and Murray wasn’t Championship material..

Poyet couldn’t see beyond his own nose let alone the future and left chaos in his wake.

Absolutely this

 

[Icy Gull]

I would have kept Cook and let Elphick go

Quite right, should have loaned him out not sold him. Looked quality in the game against Saints too just before he left.

Elphick has surprised me, I didn't think he was good enough for the Championship, I was wrong.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I talk with Tommy every now and again and one of the factors that brighton were worried about was his fitness.

He had a long layoff with an Achilles tear, which I had too, and there is always the nagging doubt that it is going to go at some point again...or normally the other one!

The opinion at the time was that albion were being over pessimistic, especially as we had cover, but for Tommy it has worked out brilliantly and a lot of us thought at the time that he was a decent player.

I have always wished him well as it is great to see local youngsters doing well, and who knows, with the academy and all these youngsters around in our development and u21 squads, there must be more than just the Center back who are any good Shirley?

I think the view around the club at the time of his departure was that we were a buying club apart from the occasional player stepping up. Certainly brighton fans and to be fair most teams fans want better players to be brought in...there are very few who have teams crammed with local youngsters.

He had to have his achilles operation done twice, as it broke down the first time which kept him out of the game for longer than normal. I believe the Finnish doctor who did the second op was the same guy that operated on Beckham.