Brighton & Hove Albion Post Match Thread

[Dr The Singh]

Let's hope the game and result was a minor blip, and we'll resume normal service this weekend!!!!

Yes, there's weakness and failings in our team, but on another day we could have won by atleast 2 goals and even with our injury list etc, too good for this division! So let's not panic!!!

[mikey54]

Given our size and our resources, out current top of the league position is no more than par for the course and in terms of what they have achieved this season (from where they started) MK Dons have got us beat hands down

Leeds and Forest would both have expected to be in this position in their first season in this league - both I would consider to be 'bigger clubs' than us. It took Forest a while to dig themselves out - and Leeds are still trying. All credit to the likes of MK Dons - and as my missus says - 'Size isn't everything - its how you use it' <_<

[5waller5]

like in pe at primary school,

And with the black plimmies that didn't fit from the lost PE box!!!

You'd think Micky Adams of all people would have known which kit he'd need tho .... surely he could remember what kit we wear!?

[James.]

That was primarily due to appalling team management. A competent manager would have kept us up.

We are financially way better off than most in this division, a £14m loss would put many of them out of business!

That still doesn't make 10 points clear "par for the course".

Anyway I just can't be arsed to argue with anyone. As far as I'm concerned we extended our lead at the top, we didn't concede any goals and we maintained our unbeaten record.

If people want to focus on negatives and moan in a way that suggests it's unacceptable for a side to have weaknesses then go ahead. Whatever. Pearson is building something here and he knows as well as any other fan with a bit of perspective that the work isn't finished.

10 points clear.

[marbelladave]

Typical Leicester fan over reaction, to a game we could have won by about 3 goals on another day.

There are a few issues, but every team can have an off day. Lets hope this result is a timely reminder to fans, players and bookies that there is a long way to go yet.

If we hadn't just posted a loss of £14m we would be going out and getting the 3/4 players we need, but we have, so the money isn't there to do that. We have to make do with what we've got, and use it wisely.

We did not just 'have an off day', we showed that if the Howard / Fryatt partnership is disrupted we have not got a clue going forward. This has been obvious for some time and not just a reaction to last night.

I agree that we are unlikely to spend big in this window and this does not really bother me, even blowing hot and cold (as we are) we are almost certain to go up.

What does bother me is your final point, we are not making the best of what we have got, that is the point.

No plan B going forward, reluctant to use subs to try and change the game, very little threat from set pieces (before last saturday), fringe players not given a chance etc etc.

Far from disastrous, but areas in which we should and can improve.

[reynard]

In the context of the evening that was a miserable result. It is exactly these type of matches we need to win if we are to go up automaticaly.

Ok so we are ten points clear of 2nd and 11 clear of third and it is the latter which really matters. Before last night we were 13 points clear of third. No need to panic yet but the last two games have shown some big areas in need of improvement.

Basically our squad is big in numbers but woefully short of quality and balance. We are overly dependent upon 5 or 6 players and without them we look decidedly ordinary at times.

The loss of Tunchev means we have a much reduced ability to build from the back in an organised sensible way. (morrison last night just kept punting the ball forward and though Hobbs tried to play the correct pass his long range efforts were kisnorboesque in their execution).

Up front we appeared to have no plan B. Howard was a huge loss and we really need another striker. Without Howard we lack physical presence and height as well as pace (which we lack anyway). Dickov looks finished, Hayles has no long term future here and our youngsters don't appear to have the faith of the manager that they are yet upto the task.

Yet it is the midfield which concerns me the most. last night was crying out for midfield players to run from deep with the ball or to run off the ball and draw defenders away. They did not do that. Here the loss of Davies is a big one. King was anonymous for much of the game yet he has played every league game, scored goals and has the confidence of the manager yet he fails to stamp his authority on a game even against weaker teams. He clearly need a strong player with him and Cleverley does not seem to be that player. On top of this the form of Dyer is poor so our wide play is limited. basically he has no right foot and opposition teams have worked tis out. Adams is out on loan and this leaves Gradel who probably does not offer as much defensively as Dyer.

Again our cover is poor and an injury to Oakley would probably be very bad news.

Given our financial loss and the fact that we are being asked to fork out by the end of March would seem to indicate a potential financial problem which may mean we can't sign new players. However, if we are to go up we do need them.

All the top teams have tough games to come but it could well be down to the games the top 7 play against each other that count but we can't afford to drop any more points agains teams in the bottom 7 or 8 places.

Though we beat Huddersfield I feel we only won because they continued to play an open game at 2-1 which allowed us the space we needed. Yes we played well for 30 minutes but we didn't for an hour and last night was the same.

It is now about how we react to a dissappointing result. The next three games will tell us a lot about the manager and the players 7 points are the least we need.

[Babylon]

We did not just 'have an off day', we showed that if the Howard / Fryatt partnership is disrupted we have not got a clue going forward. This has been obvious for some time and not just a reaction to last night.

We hit the post umpteen times and missed countless chances... on another day we could have hammered them even without playing great. Hardly a cause for hitting the panic button because Howard was out.

What does bother me is your final point, we are not making the best of what we have got, that is the point.

How do you know? Just because you THINK Chambers or Gradel would have made a difference doesn't mean it would.

Fringe players not given a chance etc etc.

So are you suggesting we disrupt a winning team, ten points clear of out nearest rival... just so the fringe players get a go?

[Alexikokopops]

The way some people are posting in this thread you'd think we'd just lost and were embroiled in a relegation battle. It's quite amusing to be honest. Especially since people love to have a go at WACCOE for being fickle and going from Championship Contenders to Relegation Fodder with every below par performance. But then again, we have no dropped 6 points since the end of October. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

Bubble burst now, you watch Leeds fly right up now.

I be happy with a play off spot at this rate.

I love you Ash.

[marbelladave]

That still doesn't make 10 points clear "par for the course".

Anyway I just can't be arsed to argue with anyone. As far as I'm concerned we extended our lead at the top, we didn't concede any goals and we maintained our unbeaten record.

If people want to focus on negatives and moan in a way that suggests it's unacceptable for a side to have weaknesses then go ahead. Whatever. Pearson is building something here and he knows as well as any other fan with a bit of perspective that the work isn't finished.

10 points clear.

The point I am making is simple, if you have greater resources, you should expect to do better. While what we have achieved is absolutely fine, I still maintain that the Dons performance is all the more impressive given their more modest means.

Focusing on and dealing with your weaknesses is the way forward. All teams have weaknesses, it is how the address them that is important. Of course it is a work in progress but if debating your teams performance and pointing out areas where we need to do better is moaning, then so be it.

For Example; I (and others) have pointed out in recent months that we have posed no real threat from set pieces and I am very pleased to say that the issue is being addressed. We have done rather better in recent weeks, culminating with a display on saturday that produced 4 goals from set pieces with Hobbs and Morrisson getting their first league goals. I am very pleased with this improvement even though it took a long time coming and look forward to our other weaknesses being addressed in a similar manner.

[Corky]

The point I am making is simple, if you have greater resources, you should expect to do better. While what we have achieved is absolutely fine, I still maintain that the Dons performance is all the more impressive given their more modest means.

They've done very well, but the pressure on Di Matteo isn't as great as the pressure on Pearson. We have seen what he has to contend with- any slightly below-par performance and there are boos, complaints and knee-jerk reactions. Listen after the matches on the radio after a result that wasn't the best- "we won't go up, Pearson and players are rubbish".

He has big expectations to cope with, and so far he's done it admirably. We do need strengthening in certain areas, it's not totally perfect, but the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses and that is a good thing.

We should expect to do better than other teams, but it doesn't work like that. We've been professional and consistent so far and one result isn't going to ruin our season and our future.

[breadandcheese]

Such pessimism.

Brighton came to frustrate us last night so it was always going to be a tight game. As a team, Brighton were well organised and could only really muster anything on the break.

If you look back over the game, we had 5 or 6 good chances. We've hit the bar, the post, their keeper pulled off one great save from a Dickov header, one outstanding save (after the ball came off the bar in the first half) and Fryatt's hit a sitter over the bar at the end. In amongst those chances, we've got into decent positions, but the ball just didn't break and we couldn't get that first goal which would have opened up the game.

It was also reassuring to see Martin maintain his concentration seeing as most of the play was in the Brighton half. When he was called into action on the odd Brighton counter attack, he made a few good saves, to ensure Brighton didn't nick it.

I also thought Cleverley looked a useful player. He always looked to receive the ball, got stuck in, had a decent understanding with King (so that when one went forward the other hung back) and tried to thread some nice passes through. Hopefully, when he's played a few more games and his understanding between the rest of the team grows, he'll be excellent.

If I had a criticism, it would be that I'd like to see our fullbacks overlap more. All in all though, on another day, it could have been a great little victory.

[marbelladave]

We hit the post umpteen times and missed countless chances... on another day we could have hammered them even without playing great. Hardly a cause for hitting the panic button because Howard was out.

How do you know? Just because you THINK Chambers or Gradel would have made a difference doesn't mean it would.

So are you suggesting we disrupt a winning team, ten points clear of out nearest rival... just so the fringe players get a go?

I was talking generally, not just about last night, of course things even out, saturday we were lucky to win so decisively, last night unlucky not to scrape a win. The fact remains that if Howard and Fryatt do not do the business, no-one else does.

We have had plenty of opportunities this season where positive substitutions could have been used to change the game and I can barely recall any occasions when they were tried. If you don't try, you don't find out.

In moderation, that is exactly what I an saying! Without competitive reserve team football we have to get our squad players some game time to keep sharp, otherwise they will have no chance when the opportunity does come up.

[Alexikokopops]

I bet people will still complain if we win the league with a record points total. I don't think we can ever have a go at WACCOE for being knee-jerk reactionary idiots again.

[Corky]

I was talking generally, not just about last night, of course things even out, saturday we were lucky to win so decisively, last night unlucky not to scrape a win. The fact remains that if Howard and Fryatt do not do the business, no-one else does.

We have one prolific scorer, and the rest of the goals are spread around. We'd won three league matches and scored seven goals without Fryatt finding the net.

We need a back-up striker, a good quality one, but goalscoring this season hasn't been a problem at all. Yesterday was the fourth time in 27 league matches that we've failed to score.

[Lillehamring]

No plan B going forward, reluctant to use subs to try and change the game, very little threat from set pieces (before last saturday), fringe players not given a chance etc etc.

yet the tactical switch against huddersfield was spot on.

as i have said elsewhere, i'm not convinced 'lack of pace' was the problem - i suspect NP was hoping that hayles and dickov had the experience to now how to get goals against teams that sit back

[marbelladave]

Such pessimism.

Brighton came to frustrate us last night so it was always going to be a tight game. As a team, Brighton were well organised and could only really muster anything on the break.

If you look back over the game, we had 5 or 6 good chances. We've hit the bar, the post, their keeper pulled off one great save from a Dickov header, one outstanding save (after the ball came off the bar in the first half) and Fryatt's hit a sitter over the bar at the end. In amongst those chances, we've got into decent positions, but the ball just didn't break and we couldn't get that first goal which would have opened up the game.

It was also reassuring to see Martin maintain his concentration seeing as most of the play was in the Brighton half. When he was called into action on the odd Brighton counter attack, he made a few good saves, to ensure Brighton didn't nick it.

I also thought Cleverley looked a useful player. He always looked to receive the ball, got stuck in, had a decent understanding with King (so that when one went forward the other hung back) and tried to thread some nice passes through. Hopefully, when he's played a few more games and his understanding between the rest of the team grows, he'll be excellent.

If I had a criticism, it would be that I'd like to see our fullbacks overlap more. All in all though, on another day, it could have been a great little victory.

Agreed, more or less. Last night was one game and as we all know, anything can happen.

I was talking generally and simple pointing out areas that can be improved. When Howard and Fryatt are not firing we look toothless, we need alternatives, we do not use substitutes as well as we could, we do not give our backup players enough game time, all issues that can be addressed and will make us a better team if they are.

[marbelladave]

I bet people will still complain if we win the league with a record points total. I don't think we can ever have a go at WACCOE for being knee-jerk reactionary idiots again.

I will not be one of them! I think NP is doing a good job overall and am tremendously impressed by by our progress this season and have said so many times.

However I do like to keep my feet firmly on the ground and I do want my team to do better. I don't pick the side, so discussing our performance and debating our strengths and weaknesses is the next best thing!

[marbelladave]

We have one prolific scorer, and the rest of the goals are spread around. We'd won three league matches and scored seven goals without Fryatt finding the net.

We need a back-up striker, a good quality one, but goalscoring this season hasn't been a problem at all. Yesterday was the fourth time in 27 league matches that we've failed to score.

Of course we have other goal scorers, but if Howard and/or Fryatt are missing or of form we struggle to get anyone to score. As you point out it has not been a big problem so far but as the season goes on and players lose form or get injured it could be a worry!

"could be a worry"......I know, might never happen, but after last years collapse in the second half of the season.......

[ScubaBlue]

I think we've got used to winning a little too much!

We are bound to have games like this, esp with such a hectic run of games. The team have been doing amazingly well recently, we shouldn't worry to much about a 0-0 draw with a team that sat 11 men behind the ball.

Yes we missed howard... he'll be back.

As for the boo boys, you really are nobs, sorry but you are... whoever you may be. Really productive.

[Bert]

Shit game.

Shit atmosphere.

For the people that slate Howard - this game goes to show how much we miss him.

[GLC]

Shit game.

Shit atmosphere.

For the people that slate Howard - this game goes to show how much we miss him.

agreed!

[marbelladave]

Shit game.

Shit atmosphere.

For the people that slate Howard - this game goes to show how much we miss him.

The loss of Howard or Fryatt hits us hard, much more than it should. I know it is difficult but we need alternatives who pose a goal threat and are match sharp. Without competitive reserve team football this means they have to get game time by rotation with or substitution of Howard and Fryatt.

Look at the facts, Gradel was outstanding for Bournemouth last season playing down the left or in a central role, never gets the chance to play there this season, Campbell gets very few chances, is incredibly over anxious and cocks things up. Goes to Blackpool, in the Championship FFS, scores twice and is playing really well.

Reflect on this.

[Maybes]

Terrible game, 23 quid well spent. Dickov has had it and Dyer is useless. Not sure why the manager didnt bring Gradel on. We had no pace all evening and the only bloke who has some was sat on the bench.

Ah well, 10 clear.

He is clearly not. Just having a bad patch of form at the moment and should be dropped for a few games.

[JoeyB]

We need a replacement for howard, someone who is going to fill his boots.

Yesterday just showed how good Howard is, people may slate him but he throws his body in, wins headers and is a great player. we need someone who is prepared to fill the void left by howard when he is injured/ suspended.

poor game yesterday, but its time to move on.

[Tilley]

After thinking about it, we could have done without dropping two points last night going into two pretty tricky away games.

But still, I would be a happy man if we come out of Walsall & Northampton with four points.