We are going down aren't we?

[The Fifth Column]

Fck sake im miserable, sat here watching the football league show and imagining the prospect of a cold and wet December evening hosting the likes of Barnsley, Doncaster Scunthorpe, Oldham, Fleetwood etc etc, rattling around inside the Amex with around 12-15000 other miserable sods.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

The Amex dream is dying. Only Tony can rescue it by sacking Sami and spending big in January.

 

[BensGrandad]

With a successful side in Div 1 we would get 20,000 plus crowds every game but less ST sales but near to sell out most games, all this talk of 13/14000 is rubbish provided the team produced the results.

 

[Working class pride]

Its Brighton, big support, shit team. Nothing changes, maybe one day it will. But yes, we are going down.

 

[T soprano]

We've always been shite even when we were nearly good from 79/83 we were still Shite,and just when we thought we were gonna be better than shite for a bit we've ended up being shite again, oh well

 

[Working class pride]

We've always been shite even when we were nearly good from 79/83 we were still Shite,and just when we thought we were gonna be better than shite for a bit we've ended up being shite again, oh well

spot on. one day we will have a team that will match (top 10 in the country) never mind exceed the support, one day we hope.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

The Amex dream is dying. Only Tony can rescue it by sacking Sami and spending big in January.

Will cinderella go to the ball ? Bunch of jokers , face up to it we've been mugged off
regards
DR

 

[Steve.S]

This time last season Sheffield Wednesday were in the same position as us, they only had 3 wins. They survived, so it can be done, most clubs in the last 10 years have needed at least 12/13 wins to stay in this league( a few exceptions) that means we have to win at least 9 games, lose on Friday and I think our chances will be very slim.

Edit forgot to say, Sheffield Wednesday changed their manager last November.

 

[hart's shirt]

It's the home form that's going to decide Albion's fate this season.

Win most of your home games and get whatever you can away - you'll stay up.

Arguments on whether a point away is or isn't a good result really isn't the main issue for the Albion at this time.

Remaining home games:

26 Dec - Reading (17th)
17 Jan - Brentford (3rd)
24 Jan - Ipswich (2nd)
7 Feb - Notts Forest (9th)
21 Feb - Birmingham (15th)
24 Feb - Leeds (18th)
3 Mar - Derby (5th)
14 Mar - Wolves (10th)
3 Apr - Norwich (7th)
11 Apr - Bournemouth (1st)
14 Apr - Huddersfield (20th)
25 Apr - Watford (6th)

12 home games left, 5 of those being against teams currently in the top 6. Tough.

If we took 1 point per game on average from those 5 games (1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses) and 2 points per game from the other 7, that would bring in 19 points.

We'd need another 7 points or so from the 12 away games to beat the drop, which is not unrealistic.

But we're going to have to start winning games at home.

If we don't take all 3 points against 17th place Reading, it's going to be very, very hard to avoid relegation.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

spot on. one day we will have a team that will match (top 10 in the country) never mind exceed the support, one day we hope.

Why do we deserve to be a top 10 team? Our support is nothing special.

 

[Graham Moseley]

Yes - unless there are drastic changes. We all know Hyypia has no plan B so probably not going to come from him. Tony? Are you reading this - I doubt it...

 

[Working class pride]

Why do we deserve to be a top 10 team? Our support is nothing special.

You dont think. Well list the clubs in the country who would get 29000 for a relegation championship scrap at home to fulham. Then look at that list and think to yourself, when will brighton have a team that is worthy of that list

 

[kevtherev]

I think it's ironic that we are closer to the drop now than we were at 3pm yesterday, yet people think a draw is a good result. Granted it's better than losing, but we are already in a position were draws are just not good enough. We can't always rely on other clubs losing, as Rotherham proved yesterday. We could win two on the bounce and still be in the drop zone. So going on the fact we have only won 3 all season and we have so many loans that the manager thinks someone like Elliot Bennett is not even good enough for the bench. Throw in the fact people like Bruno go in two footed when you have a 1-0 lead and yes we are GOING DOWN.

 

[colonies man]

So waking up on Xmas day to the fact we have won just 3 league games all season, and the club hierarchy seemingly paralysed and blind to the crisis we find ourselves in I can't see any other outcome if the status quo remains.

It would take a complete turnaround of unprecedented proportions to see us pull ourselves out of and away from the bottom 3 now, the manager will need to undergo a form of personality and skills transplant, we will need to sign at least 5-6 quality experienced players and the team will need to discover some strength and backbone from somewhere!

Being in the bottom 3 at Xmas generally is a good indicator that you will be there or thereabouts come April. This club needs to wake the f#ck up and realise the disaster unfolding before our eyes.[/Q

Relegation can be avoided but action is needed now before it becomes mission impossible.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Last season 45 points would have avoided relegation, however the season before it was 55 points

We are still in charge of our own destiny. 50 points won't be easy, but ought to be achievable - however 55 is starting to look a tad optimistic. However any more slips ups will make us increasingly dependent on the form of our rivals.

Blackpool aren't out of it yet, but do look doomed. Realistically we are now scrapping with Wigan, Millwall, Rotherham and maybe Leeds. Maybe Wigan and Leeds will turn it around, so we have to hope that Millwall and Rotherham slide, while we somehow find some proper form. Not a scenario that anyone envisaged back in August.

There were encouraging signs yesterday, but draws are not really a great help. If we do not start gaining regular wins then we will lose control of our fate.

 

[nwgull]

It's the home form that's going to decide Albion's fate this season.

Win most of your home games and get whatever you can away - you'll stay up.

Arguments on whether a point away is or isn't a good result really isn't the main issue for the Albion at this time.

Remaining home games:

26 Dec - Reading (17th)
17 Jan - Brentford (3rd)
24 Jan - Ipswich (2nd)
7 Feb - Notts Forest (9th)
21 Feb - Birmingham (15th)
24 Feb - Leeds (18th)
3 Mar - Derby (5th)
14 Mar - Wolves (10th)
3 Apr - Norwich (7th)
11 Apr - Bournemouth (1st)
14 Apr - Huddersfield (20th)
25 Apr - Watford (6th)

12 home games left, 5 of those being against teams currently in the top 6. Tough.

If we took 1 point per game on average from those 5 games (1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses) and 2 points per game from the other 7, that would bring in 19 points.

We'd need another 7 points or so from the 12 away games to beat the drop, which is not unrealistic.

But we're going to have to start winning games at home.

If we don't take all 3 points against 17th place Reading, it's going to be very, very hard to avoid relegation.

I think that we'll get more points from our remaining away games. We play better away, and, as a logical inverse to your point about 5 of our remaining homes being against top 6, we only have one remaining away against a (current) top 6 side: Middlesbrough on the last day of the season!

 

[APACHE]

I hate to say it but the suits have got us into this and although SH must carry some of the blame I really believe it's been coming since the middle of last season. Last Dec. the club sat in a good position in the league, it was clear the squad needed a couple more quality players and they could have grabbed a top 2 place but the signings didn't happen and the manager somehow got us into the play-offs where the squad was exposed. Then we had the clearout, another new manager(again new to this league) late signings and numerous loanees(most of poor quality) nearly all of them missing pre-season. Put it all together and you can see 12 months of the club cutting back on the quality in the 1st team and frankly I can't believe it when the club saids the wage bill is higher as the skill and the fight has been transfered out of the team and if we go down the same pattern will be repeated again. At the moment the club on the pitch is in freefall and it's going to take something special to get us out of it.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

What do the bookies reckon? They are right more often than not.

 

[Tooting Gull]

It's a huge moment in the development of this club. If we go down - and as we know we have struggled to make the numbers work in the Championship - there will be a fire-sale/clearout of all the bigger earners, make no mistake about that. Then you are talking about a complete rebuild of the squad that is left (after any young players that are any good are cherry-picked off) and I would say setting the 'project' back by at least five years to get back to the position of say 18 months ago, and probably 10 years.

With that at stake - why on earth wouldn't you want a better manager, and some better players?

 

[hart's shirt]

I think that we'll get more points from our remaining away games. We play better away, and, as a logical inverse to your point about 5 of our remaining homes being against top 6, we only have one remaining away against a (current) top 6 side: Middlesbrough on the last day of the season!

That's a fair point, nw. Let's hope that we're safe by the time 'Boro comes around!