Why are albion unable to take the final step and ever get promotion to the PL ?

[Icy Gull]

ICY - you also were convinced Derby would romp it this season. Hows that going ?

I'm not quite sure how being wrong about Derby winning the league somehow nullifies my point that we were a big striker short from January

 

[Da Man Clay]

We were the divisions top scorers mind. All this talk for having a goal scorer is all well and good but part of the way we play means a number of our players chip in with decent goal tallies. 17 for our top scorer isn't a bad effort in such a side.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

We were the divisions top scorers mind. All this talk for having a goal scorer is all well and good but part of the way we play means a number of our players chip in with decent goal tallies. 17 for our top scorer isn't a bad effort in such a side.

we went into a play-off semi final last night with only two fit strikers. one of whom was a young lad on loan who has played the last few months as if he has an underlying fitness problem and the other rarely scores any goals. Hemed's had a good season but given the chances he's had could have easily scored more than 20 goals. He'll be an important part of next season but we need to be more clinical in front of goal and that must be the priority this summer.

 

[beorhthelm]

Murray was the only player who would have suited us.

what, literally the only possible player to suit us? or maybe we haven't signed him because someone (championship manager of the year) isn't sure he'd suit the side and play. again for the record, he had 1 (one) very good season after leaving us, and little to suggest he can instantly recreate that now in another place and time.

 

[symyjym]

what, literally the only possible player to suit us? or maybe we haven't signed him because someone (championship manager of the year) isn't sure he'd suit the side and play. again for the record, he had 1 (one) very good season after leaving us, and little to suggest he can instantly recreate that now in another place and time.

At the time of the last loan window the club tried to get Murray there were no other experienced proven strikers out there who were available. Eddie Howe blocked Murray's loan to us. Not sure what you are trying to say other than making the point that you are anti Murray.

 

[beorhthelm]

At the time of the last loan window the club tried to get Murray there were no other experienced proven strikers out there who were available. Eddie Howe blocked Murray's loan to us. Not sure what you are trying to say other than making the point that you are anti Murray.

im not anti-Murray. not believing he is a football messiah is not being anti-Murray. i wouldn't have a problem with him returning and expect he'd do well as a squad striker, im sure he'd get games and get a half dozen to 10 goals. fact is he hasn't made a great mark since one season 3 years ago. my opinon is im not convinced we tried very hard to get him in the window or how much Howe wanted to keep him, given the few games he played since (or was he injured, im not signed up to Murraywatch)

 

[Swillis]

Yep, he has a good footballing brain which makes up for lack of pace. Can use both feet, head, and is a team player.

I just hope he goes to a team where he gets a lot of game time. I truly believe he can still contribute goals, if given the right delivery.

 

[B.W.]

The lack of a good Championship striker was the ONLY squad deficiency this year. The club recognised this problem in the summer, but consistently failed to plug this hardest of gaps to plug. Yet, somehow, the dullards on here fail to recognise this squad shortcoming. I find that astoundingly stupid. Here's hoping we finally sign the striker we so clearly need this summer...

 

[symyjym]

im not anti-Murray. not believing he is a football messiah is not being anti-Murray. i wouldn't have a problem with him returning and expect he'd do well as a squad striker, im sure he'd get games and get a half dozen to 10 goals. fact is he hasn't made a great mark since one season 3 years ago. my opinon is im not convinced we tried very hard to get him in the window given the few games he played since (or was he injured, im not signed up to Murraywatch)

Warren Aspinall said we were trying to get him. I'm not going to debate how hard we were trying just to split hairs.

He spent over a year out injured and has had several manager changes. He started 18 games and scored 8 for Reading, and he started 6 games and scored 3 for Bournemouth.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The lack of a good Championship striker was the ONLY squad deficiency this year. The club recognised this problem in the summer, but consistently failed to plug this hardest of gaps to plug. Yet, somehow, the dullards on here fail to recognise this squad shortcoming. I find that astoundingly stupid. Here's hoping we finally sign the striker we so clearly need this summer...

Another top class striker would always be welcomed (by any squad), but to bang on about a lack of goals, when we were the TOP SCORERS in the league, is actually 'astoundingly stupid'. Clearly if we scored MORE GOALS than everyone else, goal scoring was not the reason we failed. Yes, even MORE goals would have seen us up, but actually the fact that we conceded more than the top two, and failed to close out a number of games in which we led (three times by 2) suggests that you are wrong.

 

[Miami Seagull]

No doubt in my mind that our inability to secure a good striker in the last transfer window impacted our run in. It was a stated objective of the club at the beginning of January and for whatever reason it just didn't happen. It has cost us, as it has before. We were so close, and extra couple of goals and/or points would have made all the difference.

 

[Icy Gull]

In retrospect maybe paying 2 million for a season's loan for Vydra wouldn't have been as daft as most made it out to be at the time? Can't imagine he'd have contributed less goals than Baldock or Wilson and in the end that is what it came down to.

 

[b.w.2.]

Another top class striker would always be welcomed (by any squad), but to bang on about a lack of goals, when we were the TOP SCORERS in the league, is actually 'astoundingly stupid'. Clearly if we scored MORE GOALS than everyone else, goal scoring was not the reason we failed. Yes, even MORE goals would have seen us up, but actually the fact that we conceded more than the top two, and failed to close out a number of games in which we led (three times by 2) suggests that you are wrong.

I think not. Are you so arrogant that you think our Manager and Chairman are wrong in recognising that we were missing a top striker!!? As I said, you are astoundingly stupid.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think that Tony has to bring in the best striker his budget will allow.

What I'd also say is in a season beset by injuries and with us letting a few go out on long-term loans there are still a good number of players in the squad that hardly played. It seems as though we were carrying 3-4 players more than we needed.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I think not. Are you so arrogant that you think our Manager and Chairman are wrong in recognising that we were missing a top striker!!? As I said, you are astoundingly stupid.

You said we lacked a 'good championship striker'.

Hemed was amongst the top scorers in the league, for the season, and top scorer of all in 2016. So quite clearly a 'good championship striker'.

You blame a lack of goals for our failure, when we were the top scorers in the league. If it were just our goal tally that hurt us, then by extension NOBODY should have been promoted. How does that work?

 

[Bold Seagull]

No doubt in my mind that our inability to secure a good striker in the last transfer window impacted our run in. It was a stated objective of the club at the beginning of January and for whatever reason it just didn't happen. It has cost us, as it has before. We were so close, and extra couple of goals and/or points would have made all the difference.

Yeah, because Knockeart didn't really do much as a January signing really...

I think it is a misconception that it was just a striker. Not seeing out games out from a winning position - Bolton, Reading, Derby, QPR, Burnley to name a few off the top of my head was more pertinent on why we didn't quite make it. Burnley had a habit of getting a lead and keeping it. We turned too many 3 points into 1 over the season.

 

[murraymints4brighton]

Glenn Murray not coming on loan cost us. If we had signed him, and I can't remember why we didn't, we would have gone up. No doubt in my mind.

Aside from that Ref's decisions, It's sad but true. I said this would happen, called it months back. Ref's are less likely to give 'little Brighton' decisions when you have 5 Live's biggest tosser Joey Barton down your ear and Sky's money men willing 'the sleeping giant' Leicester on to promotion.

That all said, this isn't the same team that has lost two previous play offs. Its a new set of players bar a few old heads. I think that is majorly important. We also have the best manager in the league. We can go up next year, just not via the play offs!

 

[Diego Napier]

I'm not quite sure how being wrong about Derby winning the league somehow nullifies my point that we were a big striker short from January

A goal scoring surely striker, I'm not sure we needed a big striker?

Last night on the walk home, we were going through all the ifs and maybes, critical moments and bad luck we suffered during the season and someone pointed out that it's reasonable to expect a good striker to score 20 goals a season and support striker to get 10.

I've always been a big supporter of Baldock and defended his selection but it's true that even if he had only doubled his 4 goal tally for the season we would probably have gained automatic promotion.

 

[Swillis]

Another top class striker would always be welcomed (by any squad), but to bang on about a lack of goals, when we were the TOP SCORERS in the league, is actually 'astoundingly stupid'. Clearly if we scored MORE GOALS than everyone else, goal scoring was not the reason we failed. Yes, even MORE goals would have seen us up, but actually the fact that we conceded more than the top two, and failed to close out a number of games in which we led (three times by 2) suggests that you are wrong.

Looking at it from the outside, I think your problem was lack of goals.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Looking at it from the outside, I think your problem was lack of goals.

So, every single club in the division had this 'lack of goals' problem, then?