[Football] An open letter from Graham Potter

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Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
10,993
Crawley
You think that it would have stopped him celebrating a fabulous victory and atmosphere if he did?

It all happened much much too quickly for him not to have known imo

I would suggest he knew there was a possibility of it happening, rather than knew it was going happen.
 




Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
A friend is good mates with a Chelsea scout. Apparently Tuchel was a bit naughty with the wife of a physio, said physio confronted Tuchel in the dressing room. If there's any truth in that, could explain his rapid dismissal following the loss of said dressing room

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

If they wanted to keep Tuchel they would have paid that physio dirty money to shut up or made him end up in a body bag or something.

Tuchel was most likely sacked because of shite results and endless moaning about his players and how the club was run.
 


king Wombat

Active member
Nov 9, 2003
2,007
wombat world
Wish him all the best.

He did a great job here and the club and team are far better than when he joined.

He was always going to go at some point, and as for taking his staff with him, that happens quite often. If you're Bruno or Roberts and you get to carry on working with a great manager at a bigger, richer, and more successful club or face an uncertain future under a new unknown boss at the Albion, it's a no brainer.

Some of the people here really need to get a grip.
Potter wasn't and isn't the coaching Messiah, he is irreplaceable, but he did a good job when he was here.
 


Jim in the West

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 13, 2003
4,605
Way out West
So - mixed views. I wonder what it'll be like on October 29th? If there's any wide-scale boo-ing you can bet that the media will have a field day, accusing little old Brighton of disrespecting the guy who took us so far.
 


cjd

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2006
6,116
La Rochelle
Dear Graham,

You are a liar.

FULL STOP.
 




barbus_max bhafc

Active member
Dec 12, 2021
140
Worthing
Can’t really argue with most of what he said - fairly good response. However, when his mob turn up at the Amex next month their sure to get a none too warm welcome from the majority of BHA faithful. Let’s not forget they are all Chelsea now so Potter/Cucurella etc.. should expect it not to be a too pleasant experience (well hopefully so).
 


Klaas

I've changed this
Nov 1, 2017
2,569
I can't wait to see Trossards trickery down the wing, Alexis scoring more screams, Gross doing his Gross-feints, Caicedo just casually stealing the ball from the most expensive and best technical players on the planet. There's a lot more to be excited about than there is to be afraid of.

Good points and all very true. But, to trot out a tired cliche, the premier league has the finest of margins between success (in our case staying up relatively comfortably) and pants down shafted (back to the championship with you).
We really have, only just, started looking like a team that belongs and can give any team a game. And now this. Possibly it won't affect this fantastic group of players too much, but it could just as easily do so.
I'm still gob smacked at Bruno and Roberts going, and a lot of my confidence and enjoyment of this season has taken a big hit.
 


Cowfold Seagull

Fan of the 17 bus
Apr 22, 2009
21,700
Cowfold
Like it or not, it’s a sound recruitment and likely to reap Chelsea plenty of silverware.

Well . . . possibly. It will be far from instant though, Potter and his team will need time to adjust to one another, and for Potter to get his footballing philosophy across to them, plus l think he will need to sort out what l don't think is a very together dressing room at the moment.

I know that Todd Boelhy has said that he will be given plenty of time, but how much is plenty exactly? Will he, and just as importantly their fans, be as forgiving as ours were after such a poor home record in his first season?

I have worked with Americans before, and they have a history of being trigger happy, and won't flinch at firing staff if things, as they see it, start to awry.

Both parties, Potter and Chelsea FC are taking a gamble on each other that this is going to work out. They are high stakes though.
 




phoenix

Well-known member
May 18, 2009
2,605
Looking at that boat, you believe he knew he was off?

That's my point.

No he knew the win would convince Chelsea he was the person for the job.

Joking aside He was a decent manager but i can't forgive him but would never disrespect him.

I doubt he's to bothered what i think to be honest.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
50,773
Faversham
Integrity is about not doing what the mayor of Hamelin did all those years ago.

When Potter and his team negotiated his last contract, a buy-out clause was inserted. It was there to protect both parties. It means that Potter is absolutely free to go whenever he wants (if a club meets the fee) and that we were protected by a clause that contained what would have been considered an absolutely absurd and crazy amount of money when the contract was written. In fact, NSC’s greatest soon tore the idea of that contract to shreds, many questioning our dear leader’s judgment but not one single poster stating that we should have a buy-out clause of more than £21m.

Tony had made it all but impossible for Potter to leave but left the door open for a clean break based on integrity. Both sides showed integrity. We have received £1m compensation per back room staff member. That really, really hurts now but as with GP’s contract extension 2 1/2 years ago, time will show that the Lizard has played another blinding hand. And maintained integrity at all times. If he didn’t want the pied piper to go, he’d have never put the buy-out clause in. Everyone is replaceable and we have £25m+ in the pot to make sure we get the right man (we compensated the Swans £3m for Graham).

This. On toast. With a little grated truffle.

During Potter's time I have put a couple of posters on ignore for their relentless negativity. "We piss about and have no end product". We have a poster who has never seen us play, but joined because of Potter, and who is still here with no sign of leaving (but he is still attacked, quite offensively, by some posters). Yes, yes Potter may flop at Chelsea and all the naysayers will say "Told you". None of this matters. None of it.

The only thing that matters is that our chairman, our owner, backed his own judgement and played an absolute blinding hand with, frankly, what may turn out be poor cards. Potter, the final card to be turned in the hand may yet turn out to be a one-eyed jack rather than the King of diamonds. But Mr Bloom has already won that hand.

And now, for a few weeks anyway (which is more than we need) Brighton look like a great club, a club where a man can make his name, a club on the up, a club that does things with grace and dignity, a club that can turn players nobody has heard of into internationals. All we need now is another up and coming manager to galvanize the current squad, and . . . . we go again.

Mr Bloom didn't get where he is today by locking his money in a box and burying it, and he didn't shit his pants the first time he lost big.

I'm sanguine. :shrug:
 


BN41Albion

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
6,448
A nice little letter, not too common from ex-maagers... no doubt it means nothing to most. The people wanting a thank you and goodbye are always the same ones who'll see it as empty words.

Anyway, Graham's gone, the club moves on. I can't wait to see Trossards trickery down the wing, Alexis scoring more screams, Gross doing his Gross-feints, Caicedo just casually stealing the ball from the most expensive and best technical players on the planet. There's a lot more to be excited about than there is to be afraid of.

I think, away from an internet message board, itll mean somethimg to the vast majority of fans
 




faoileán

Well-known member
Jan 29, 2021
894
Yeah yeah Graham, whatever... you stitched us right up just as the club were getting somewhere. Goodbye and I hope Chelsea get relegated under you...
 


Cowfold Seagull

Fan of the 17 bus
Apr 22, 2009
21,700
Cowfold
Dear Graham,

You are a liar.

FULL STOP.

No, no he isn't. Graham Potter is looking after Graham Potter, it's as straight forward as that. Cold blooded, yes possibly, but that's modern day professional football, that's modern day business methods come to that.

The man is obviously very ambitious, but what's wrong with that? He wants to manage at the best level possible and Chelsea are a top four club, something that the Albion will almost certainly never be in his managerial lifetime, and they are offering him the opportunity to compete in the Champions League on a regular basis. Plus of course there is the small matter of him probably trebling his salary, and setting himself and his family up for life.

Yes l know he took the cream of our backroom staff with him too but Chelsea probably wanted them as part of the package. I do think that Graham is an honourable man and that we can pretty much believe what he is telling us. Let's face it, without his three years at the helm, where would we be now? Possibly back in the Championship is my reply, but definately not in the top half of the Premier League.

Good luck Graham.
 


Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
10,993
Crawley
No, no he isn't. Graham Potter is looking after Graham Potter, it's as straight forward as that. Cold blooded, yes possibly, but that's modern day professional football, that's modern day business methods come to that.

The man is obviously very ambitious, but what's wrong with that? He wants to manage at the best level possible and Chelsea are a top four club, something that the Albion will almost certainly never be in his managerial lifetime, and they are offering him the opportunity to compete in the Champions League on a regular basis. Plus of course there is the small matter of him probably trebling his salary, and setting himself and his family up for life.

Yes l know he took the cream of our backroom staff with him too but Chelsea probably wanted them as part of the package. I do think that Graham is an honourable man and that we can pretty much believe what he is telling us. Let's face it, without his three years at the helm, where would we be now? Possibly back in the Championship is my reply, but definately not in the top half of the Premier League.

Good luck Graham.

This is why his leaving is so disappointing, it proves that a club like us will never be consistently a top 4 club, because the existing ones will buy all the things that you have that makes you a top 4 side, either the minute you achieve it, or the moment it looks like you might achieve it.
I don't blame him or any of the coaches for going, I would have loved for them all to have stayed and said they think they can achieve those same top 4 ambitions here. I believe they could have, I know its hard to keep the most talented players here, but the example of the manager staying, and saying to his squad I stayed because I think this group can win trophies, would have gone a long way to being able to extend at least some of those players time here.
I understand his decision, I don't hate him, I am just very disappointed. We all invest emotion into our club, the players and the manager, it hurts when someone whose name you were chanting on Saturday, joins someone else on Wednesday.
 




LamieRobertson

Not awoke
Feb 3, 2008
46,935
SHOREHAM BY SEA
This is why his leaving is so disappointing, it proves that a club like us will never be consistently a top 4 club, because the existing ones will buy all the things that you have that makes you a top 4 side, either the minute you achieve it, or the moment it looks like you might achieve it.
I don't blame him or any of the coaches for going, I would have loved for them all to have stayed and said they think they can achieve those same top 4 ambitions here. I believe they could have, I know its hard to keep the most talented players here, but the example of the manager staying, and saying to his squad I stayed because I think this group can win trophies, would have gone a long way to being able to extend at least some of those players time here.
I understand his decision, I don't hate him, I am just very disappointed. We all invest emotion into our club, the players and the manager, it hurts when someone whose name you were chanting on Sunday, joins someone else on Wednesday.


Those jeers of ‘’you’re getting sacked in the morning’’ to Rodger’s last Sunday seem rather ironic now

PS slight amendment for you :)
 
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tronnogull

Well-known member
May 17, 2010
558
I could almost forgive Potter for leaving for a much bigger job. And would have done even more easily if it had come in between seasons and he had only taken the same team he brought here.

But Bruno has torn a hole in my heart. Of all the people in the world who I had looked up to and believed in their integrity he was at the top. Now I know that truly everyone has their price. If Bruno had gone post season to another club for development that would have been fine. But leaving us in the lurch is incredibly painful.

So, under the conditions in my first sentence i would have believed Potter. But doing it the way he did and taking Bruno and Ben Roberts completely clarifies that his words are utterly worthless.
 


LamieRobertson

Not awoke
Feb 3, 2008
46,935
SHOREHAM BY SEA
A nice little letter, not too common from ex-maagers... no doubt it means nothing to most. The people wanting a thank you and goodbye are always the same ones who'll see it as empty words.

Anyway, Graham's gone, the club moves on. I can't wait to see Trossards trickery down the wing, Alexis scoring more screams, Gross doing his Gross-feints, Caicedo just casually stealing the ball from the most expensive and best technical players on the planet. There's a lot more to be excited about than there is to be afraid of.

I see this letter as far more genuine than the statement issued under his name when appointed by Chelsea…commenting on their fantastic fans…I’d also say its unfair to dump everyone into one category as you have done, not sure you are in a position to judge.
 


Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
18,927
Born In Shoreham
No, no he isn't. Graham Potter is looking after Graham Potter, it's as straight forward as that. Cold blooded, yes possibly, but that's modern day professional football, that's modern day business methods come to that.

The man is obviously very ambitious, but what's wrong with that? He wants to manage at the best level possible and Chelsea are a top four club, something that the Albion will almost certainly never be in his managerial lifetime, and they are offering him the opportunity to compete in the Champions League on a regular basis. Plus of course there is the small matter of him probably trebling his salary, and setting himself and his family up for life.

Yes l know he took the cream of our backroom staff with him too but Chelsea probably wanted them as part of the package. I do think that Graham is an honourable man and that we can pretty much believe what he is telling us. Let's face it, without his three years at the helm, where would we be now? Possibly back in the Championship is my reply, but definately not in the top half of the Premier League.

Good luck Graham.
:sick:
 




sparkie

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2003
12,565
Hove
I would suggest he knew there was a possibility of it happening, rather than knew it was going happen.
It's this.

I don't think he knew the timing until after the Leicester game. The suggestion he lied about this is unnecessary and sour speculation in my opinion.

I prefer to celebrate Potter as the man who delivered our best ever finish.

Anyway, it's all about our future king now.
 




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