[Albion] We would be top 6

[zefarelly]

Because our forwards are poor to crap at EPL level. They really are.

Not just in tucking away more of the chances or half chances, but in failing to provide assists (damning stats) and screwing up the final pass.

A genuine question, who would you recruit as our new manager for the final 12 games and in the Championship/EPL next season?
[Has to be a realistic choice of someone who’d join us and who’s willing to work with TB’s three-line-whip of not spending on the wages/fee demanded by elite strikers].

Replacing him obviously is not a viable option, for many reasons. He just needs a head wobble, temporarily abandon his football fantasy and play the players and play in a way that gets the results we need. Or adopt a Hughtonesque style of result first!

 

[martin tyler]

Replacing him obviously is not a viable option, for many reasons. He just needs a head wobble, temporarily abandon his football fantasy and play the players and play in a way that gets the results we need. Or adopt a Hughtonesque style of result first!

Not sure why he would abandon his style. The style has created 60 plus shots in last 3 games alone and we should have scored 10 plus goals. We should be getting the results we need. I don’t think changing to creating 1-2 chances a game with back to the wall defending is going to help us here. If we can’t score from 20 shots a game we won’t score again this season if we revert to a CH back to the wall job.

 

[keaton]

Where would be if we didn't let poor goals from corners?

 

[Seasider78]

Imagine Tony is thinking that giving the recruitment team more money is like sending the Mrs out with your credit card, they will blow a shit load of money and have **** all to show for it.

Imagine the feeling of pumping £60+ million into the side on transfers and having the continued failures of Ali J, Locadia, Trossard, Wellbeck, Lallana , Maupay and others to show for it. All of whom will have minimum re-sale value to add to the misery.

Can we retain the current recruitment team for defenders and midfields and get some others in to select the attacking players?

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Potter should quit if we go down or stay up.The idea of bringing him in was fantastic but as we can’t give him the quality he needs up front his style of play can’t work here. It’ll be the same next season. Sad to say we need to go back to Hughtonball football on our budget. He won’t be backed if we stay up so best for all parties if he goes to a club who can give him the players he needs to play Potterball, be it here or abroad.

Gutted to write that but our strikers are not good enough at this level to play expansive football

Why would another tactical model work if you can’t score?

That makes no sense whatsoever.

Our team has shown consistently all season they can play the type of football Potter wants. However, with Hughton-like pragmatism we would still have lost yesterday, just without as many clear cut chances. Why on earth do we need to go back to a type of football where for 15 games we barely looked like scoring.

Your argument makes no sense.

We don’t need to spend £40m+ either, just move on and try someone different. 1 striker would make the difference as once you have 1 player who is consistently dangerous, the opposition have to focus on them, giving others a bit more space.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Not sure why he would abandon his style. The style has created 60 plus shots in last 3 games alone and we should have scored 10 plus goals. We should be getting the results we need. I don’t think changing to creating 1-2 chances a game with back to the wall defending is going to help us here. If we can’t score from 20 shots a game we won’t score again this season if we revert to a CH back to the wall job.

Exactly, I should have just quoted this.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Imagine Tony is thinking that giving the recruitment team more money is like sending the Mrs out with your credit card, they will blow a shit load of money and have **** all to show for it.

Imagine the feeling of pumping £60+ million into the side on transfers and having the continued failures of Ali J, Locadia, Trossard, Wellbeck, Lallana , Maupay and others to show for it. All of whom will have minimum re-sale value to add to the misery.

Can we retain the current recruitment team for defenders and midfields and get some others in to select the attacking players?

Welbeck and Lallana were on free transfers weren’t they so hardly expect to have a re-sale value.

Locadia and Ali J, yeah £30m wasted but you can’t win them all in the transfer market.

Trossard is our main attacking threat. Think of all of them he’s at least retained what we paid.

Maupay has goals, I suspect he too would likely get most of his transfer fee back even if he dropped back to the Championship.

Meanwhile, White, Webster, March, Bissouma, Alzate, Burn, Sanchez, Connolly have all added value likely far in excess of what has dropped in the above.

 

[Seasider78]

Welbeck and Lallana were on free transfers weren’t they so hardly expect to have a re-sale value.

Locadia and Ali J, yeah £30m wasted but you can’t win them all in the transfer market.

Trossard is our main attacking threat. Think of all of them he’s at least retained what we paid.

Maupay has goals, I suspect he too would likely get most of his transfer fee back even if he dropped back to the Championship.

Meanwhile, White, Webster, March, Bissouma, Alzate, Burn, Sanchez, Connolly have all added value likely far in excess of what has dropped in the above.

Wellbeck and Lallana are on big wages and can barely play 45min before breaking down

Ali J and Locadia yes they happen but when you add them to the loss we will see on Izquierdo it adds to a significant loss with no return.

Trossard flatters to deceive he has one good game in about 8 and do not agree that anybody would be looking to pay what we paid for him.

Maupay used to have goals maybe he could remind us all of what that looks like sometime soon

We look at our players through very blue and white tinted spectacles but the continued failure of our attacking players can no longer be put down to bad luck and points to poor quality.

As for the other players you mention like I said recruitment for defence and midfield has been decent but our track record on attacking players is pretty shocking

 

[OzMike]

3 wins will keep us up

9 draws it is then.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Wellbeck and Lallana are on big wages and can barely play 45min before breaking down

Ali J and Locadia yes they happen but when you add them to the loss we will see on Izquierdo it adds to a significant loss with no return.

Trossard flatters to deceive he has one good game in about 8 and do not agree that anybody would be looking to pay what we paid for him.

Maupay used to have goals maybe he could remind us all of what that looks like sometime soon

We look at our players through very blue and white tinted spectacles but the continued failure of our attacking players can no longer be put down to bad luck and points to poor quality.

As for the other players you mention like I said recruitment for defence and midfield has been decent but our track record on attacking players is pretty shocking

How do you know they’re on big wages? We bought in 2 players with injury history - it’s not been a great surprise, and suspect their contracts if they are big wages is more likely linked to appearances.

Trossard was £15m, pretty sure he’d still be worth that.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

£20m should get you players good enough to put a penalty away or hitting the target from 6 yards.

Not buying this argument that the players aren't good enough.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

£20m should get you players good enough to put a penalty away or hitting the target from 6 yards.

Not buying this argument that the players aren't good enough.

A £250k player in League Two should be able to put a pen away.

I’m not sure it’s about quality or ability at this point - it’s about mentality. The challenge our players face I think is currently a mental one. I have no doubt Connolly, Maupay, Gross, Trossard, Bissouma, Lallana, Welbeck all have the quality and are good enough to finish the chances they’ve had last 2 games, but have they got the mental fortitude to survive the examination and pressure they’re under?

Murray struggled in the PL with Palace and Bournemouth and had to drop down to us to revitalise his career. Only when he had the belief did he prove himself PL quality in those 2 seasons. It wasn’t his ability that changed, it was his mentality and belief.

 

[Seasider78]

How do you know they’re on big wages? We bought in 2 players with injury history - it’s not been a great surprise, and suspect their contracts if they are big wages is more likely linked to appearances.

Trossard was £15m, pretty sure he’d still be worth that.

Lallana has been widely reported to be on big wages which you would expect as players who run down contracts cash in on signing on fees and wages in absence of transfer fee. He did not join us as it was his dream to play for Brighton that’s for sure. Three year deal as well and appearance based contracts are a very rare thing and I would suggest it is highly unlikely either player are on one.

Depending on which source you use Trossard was reported as £15-18m and his record so far this season is about on par with Knockaerts under Hughton who everyone felt was not good enough so needed to be moved on.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Lallana has been widely reported to be on big wages which you would expect as players who run down contracts cash in on signing on fees and wages in absence of transfer fee. He did not join us as it was his dream to play for Brighton that’s for sure. Three year deal as well and appearance based contracts are a very rare thing and I would suggest it is highly unlikely either player are on one.

Depending on which source you use Trossard was reported as £15-18m and his record so far this season is about on par with Knockaerts under Hughton who everyone felt was not good enough so needed to be moved on.

I’m not saying Trossard is great, all I’ve countered with is that he’s probably still worth £15-18m. That probably does put him in recently promoted team or Championship side. I’m not arguing he’s been great.

 

[hoof hearted]

It's not Potter's fault the players are missing sitters, penalties and chances they are expected to put away. So I wouldn't say that Potterball isn't working entirely. I don't think he can go to a Hughtonball system, as we don't have a Murray type player who is good in the air and can hold the ball up well.

The only change in playing style I'd like to see is higher tempo and more width and pace in the team (Karbownik could certainly help with that, maybe Tau as well and obviously Lamptey will when he's back) and give the fringe players more game time (e.g. Moder and maybe even Caciedo) to create more competition for places. And start Zeqiri, he's young and inexperienced but i see more potential there than with Connolly and I think he's more suited to the lone striker role than Maupay is.

 

[RossyG]

If I looked and acted like Daniel Craig I’d be James Bond and that’s a fact.

But I’d don’t and I’m not.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

3 wins will keep us up

I love your optimism, we’ve won 5 all season, seems unlikely that we’ll win 3 of the remaining 12.

9 draws?

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

9 draws?

I’d take that deal immediately.

 

[GT49er]

Sad to say we need to go back to Hughtonball football on our budget.

That's going to get our strikers scoring more goals?

 

[peterward]

We would be top 6 with 2 decent strikers and that is a fact.

Rub is Tony has to put in £ 50 m plus to secure this and fulfill Potter's plan. Feel sorry for Potter he has the plan but does not have the quality upfront to deliver it.

We are so close to being a top 6 side. We will stay up no chance we will be relegated but he must take a punt for next season but it will cost. £ 20 m in this league does not cut the mustard I am afraid

Thats just wishful thinking and has no basis in fact, squad or performances. We are not top 6, we are relegation battlers on merit. And watching both Newcastle and Fulhams draws this weekend theres enough quality and fight in both of those teams.

Fulham imho, wont go down and what a transformation from the hopeless rubbish performances they started season with.

There's a lot of variation to your general theme, we should be this, we should be that, look at our XG, we're too good to go down etc. All of it is bollocks.

Pre WBA Potter was blowing smoke up the arse of fat sam, and what he said was spot on....... Technical styles are not the most important thing nor possession stats its just about finding a way to score 1 goal more than the opposition....... Thats the blatantly obvious fact and for all the above stuff about coulda, shoulda, woulda.... we cant do that.

Champagne football, stats, XG's, if only we had this or that..... is ultimately all meaningless if we cant score 1 more than the opposition and this season is again proving we cannot.

for that reason we are where we are on merit, we deserve to be there on merit and we are 100% in another relegation fight and very vulnerable to relegation.

We gambled on going with what we had and its not good enough, end of. 1 of 4 teams who will go down third bottom, though I genuinely believe Fulham isnt the one who will.

Mentally our attacking players are very weak and none are good enough.