[Albion] "We Don't Need to. We Finished 17" - Glenn Murray

[Stat Brother]

Just as well CH did, else we'd be looking forward to Championship football next season. Lest we forget, our next nearest top PL scorer was Shane Duffy. Which is pathetic.

Playing 2514 verses the 872 league minutes of his 'only' positional competition will do that for a player.
Esp as he started all but 11 league games to Andone only starting 5.

 

[Stat Brother]

Excluding pens, he scored 9 in 38 appearances in the PL (6 from open play, 1 counter and 2 set piece) and had 1 assist - and we relied on him to stumble over the line and stay up. Including pens it's a goal every 3hrs+. IMO we are utterly ****ed if he's leading the line next year. Not a dig at Glenn who has been fantastic for us since he came back but we simply have to improve (and I realise it's not just him but the chances we create for whoever is up front, goals from midfield etc etc)

 

[Gazwag]

And therein lies the ingrained mentality that Bloom is attempting to move us on from.

It was noticeable from interviews before the important matches like Cardiff, Southampton and Bournemouth, each time Murray was quoted it was "its not a match we must win, and losing wouldn't be a disaster"

Compared to when we played Fulham away, it was reported at the time from the Fulham management that the game was a "must win" and look what happened in the second half

 

[father_and_son]

Just as well CH did, else we'd be looking forward to Championship football next season. Lest we forget, our next nearest top PL scorer was Shane Duffy. Which is pathetic.

But, you must see this is a cyclic argument... GM scored more because he started more... Had CH had more faith in Andone/Locadia, they might have scored more than they did, but at the very least we could expect them to have scored twice as many if they had twice as many minutes.

If GM is the first choice striker and you play everyone else out-of-position or leave them on the bench then of course Glenn becomes top scorer.

Not saying he wouldn't have been anyway, but you don't know what anyone else would have done because they didn't get the minutes.

 

[Easy 10]

It was noticeable from interviews before the important matches like Cardiff, Southampton and Bournemouth, each time Murray was quoted it was "its not a match we must win, and losing wouldn't be a disaster"

Compared to when we played Fulham away, it was reported at the time from the Fulham management that the game was a "must win" and look what happened in the second half

Along with Hughton's CONSTANT bigging up of the opposition, its little wonder that we went into so many games, particularly away from home, with a negative mindset and lack of confidence that inevitably resulted in the abject, fearful performances we all saw for more than half a season.

 

[Arthur]

If our ambition is to simply stay in this division every season then I for one hope we go down from time to time so at least we have season(s) where we might win some games.

 

[Stat Brother]

If our ambition is to simply stay in this division every season then I for one

wish we'd kept Hughton.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Well he's right. We want to improve, but we don't have to improve.

This! I can't believe so many people are reading too much into an off-the-cuff remark and interpreting it in completely the wrong way...

 

[chaileyjem]

and the intransigents and blind faith shown in GM has gone some way to costing the Albion's greatest ever manager his job.
No new manager will be pinning his future to Murray.

Yep . He’s 35. So now you’re rowing back from “never playing again” to not “pinning his faith” in GM. So a few goals from the bench then ?

 

[dazzer6666]

This! I can't believe so many people are reading too much into an off-the-cuff remark and interpreting it in completely the wrong way...

Not correct though is it.......I know TB is a gambler but not improving will give us 36 points. Might not be enough. So we might not 'have' to improve but doubt he'll want us skating so close to the edge as we did this season.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

It was noticeable from interviews before the important matches like Cardiff, Southampton and Bournemouth, each time Murray was quoted it was "its not a match we must win, and losing wouldn't be a disaster"

Compared to when we played Fulham away, it was reported at the time from the Fulham management that the game was a "must win" and look what happened in the second half

Which club is still in the PL and which one got relegated...?

 

[chaileyjem]

Along with Hughton's CONSTANT bigging up of the opposition....

Bloom would have saved everyone a lot of bother if he’d just mentioned to Chris before now to please make his press conferences a little less bland. Oh well. Too late now !

 

[Guinness Boy]

I have to admit he'll probably be either gone (to the Championship - Chris will take him to West Brom) or he'll be very much a bit part player in the cups. I love GM to bits, but so do the Premier League defenders who don't even break stride trying to catch him.

I'd be very surprised if he went to WBA.

Not because Chris wouldn't want him but because it is so far from Brighton. He's completely settled here with his Mrs and all his transfer and loan moves have been within a reasonably commutable distance from Brighton. People who pillaried him for moving to Palace didn't understand he was just commuting to South London as many of us do.

His father in law is a cabbie and took me and my mate to Brighton station before THAT game at Boro. He was regularly drving Glenn to and from Bournemouth but even then it was taking so long out of his day that he jumped at the chance of coming back to us, allowing F-I-L to go back to regular cabbing.

He wouldn't move the family to Birmingham for one season and it's definitely not commutable. If we send him on loan, as we might, I would look at clubs like QPR, Charlton etc

 

[beorhthelm]

And therein lies the ingrained mentality that Bloom is attempting to move us on from.

does indeed. seems target is "just enough". not enough for elite group in a competitive sport.

 

[Lower West Stander]

If our ambition is to simply stay in this division every season then I for one hope we go down from time to time so at least we have season(s) where we might win some games.

That's the thing for me.

When I go to see Albion, I go wanting to see them win. If the attitude is that all we have to do is win a few to see us safe then its not a lot of fun going to watch. I'm paying a fair amount of money for my season ticket and I'd like to see a bit more desire than that. The home games in 2020 have been painful to watch and I haven't enjoyed it at all. Next season I don't want to see us scrape a few 1-0s at the start of the season to get some points and then get pasted in latter matches because we're staying in the top division.

Who wants to pay to see that?

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Not correct though is it.......I know TB is a gambler but not improving will give us 36 points. Might not be enough. So we might not 'have' to improve but doubt he'll want us skating so close to the edge as we did this season.

Well yeah, it is, technically speaking. Avoiding relegation will still be the main aim next season and finishing 17th will achieve that goal. He's not saying that the squad won't improve - he's making the point that if they finish in 17th again, they will still be in the PL next season. It's semantics, but he's not talking about the points total or the quality of the performances, he's on about finishing 17th.

He knows what will REALLY happen – he even clarifies it:

“We don’t need to. We finished 17th.
“If we finish 17th again, it doesn’t matter how many points it is by.
“But the hierarchy of the club will be working hard and looking at players and that is the nature of the beast at all levels of the game.
“Squads and clubs want to keep improving and we will be no different.”

 

[chaileyjem]

Not correct though is it.......I know TB is a gambler but not improving will give us 36 points. Might not be enough. So we might not 'have' to improve but doubt he'll want us skating so close to the edge as we did this season.

He’s just stating the bleeding obvious - and a little tongue in cheek I guess irked perhaps at the suggestion that staying up wasn’t an achievement - that we don’t *need* to do better that 17th.
Whether we aspire to, or would like to “do better” is another question.

 

[Stat Brother]

Yep . He’s 35. So now you’re rowing back from “never playing again” to not “pinning his faith” in GM. So a few goals from the bench then ?

That should have been this season.
Murray should have also received a 'hero's goodbye' on Sunday.

If the new manager names GM in his 25, he and a fair few on the recruitment side, would have failed the club.
In the unlikely event Mr Bloom doesn't make the funds available to replace GM, (again) then there was no real point in sacking Mr Hughton.

 

[Wellesley]

I'm very surprised and disappointed by that ridiculous comment from Glenn. Thank God we are freshening things up this season.

 

[Easy 10]

That's the thing for me.

When I go to see Albion, I go wanting to see them win. If the attitude is that all we have to do is win a few to see us safe then its not a lot of fun going to watch. I'm paying a fair amount of money for my season ticket and I'd like to see a bit more desire than that. The home games in 2020 have been painful to watch and I haven't enjoyed it at all. Next season I don't want to see us scrape a few 1-0s at the start of the season to get some points and then get pasted in latter matches because we're staying in the top division.

Who wants to pay to see that?

Did you mean WILL be painful to watch ?