BUTTERBALL
East Stand Brighton Boyz
Kayal just shaded man of the match for me last night. Looks right back to his player-of-the-season best.
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Kayal
- Thread starter London Irish
- Start date
London Irish
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #42
Spot on - the story of the season is just how well we've done without this dimension - fair play to Sidwell who has been solid. The main reason though has been the incredible talent of Knocky, the goals of Murray and last but not least Baldock finally adding goals to his game
surlyseagull
Well-known member
- Aug 23, 2008
- 839
Cant agree with your comment on Stockers being immense old boy ,as he hardly touched the ball and at one stage I thought he was going to put on his shades and bring out a deck chair and a glass of pimms .
Sorry couldn't resist ...yes they were all immense
Finchley Seagull
New member
As with Rosenior, Kayal was fantastic last night and he and Stephens were back to their partnership of last season. Hopefully they will both be available for the last 9 games, as that will help us massively.
And Skalak is fast and tenacious. And a little bit nasty. Last night he was frightening. If he can keep the apparently newfound Flair coming (someone has been coaching him hard I would guess), he will be immense for us as the season finale unfolds.
Back to the thread title: yes, we were all looking at each other where I sit, nodding with aproval and pleasure: the man Is Back, and for the first time this season we have the Kayal/Stephens team back together, properly (Stephens' mind notwithstanding, and he seems fine to me).
Skalak slow . . . cautious? Were you at the game last night? This bloke, this is Skalak, the one who ran very fast, did some nifty Flair moves, and was very very frightening (like thunderbolt and lightening):
Machiavelli
Well-known member
I don't rate Skalak as highly as you do, perhaps prompted by my Solly March-tinted spectacles. Skalak's certainly got numerous positive qualities, especially his work rate and his delivery, but he often seems one dimensional. I think you go too far when you say that he was excellent in the second half of last season: he was good, no doubt, but I wouldn't go further than that. He really wasn't up to too much in the first third of this season, and most discussions of him focused on his lack of pre-season, tiredness, etc. He was great against Norwich, granted, but I can't remember too many other games when he shined.
Last night, however, he was brilliant. He barely put a foot wrong, made all the right decisions when he had the ball, was tactically astute, dovetailing brilliantly with Calde mark 2, who he covered for when he bombed forward. Skalak's usual delivery and passing was up to his very best, but he also had a bit of variety to his game, and actually decided to take on defenders at just the right moment.
I can see why he was given MotM, although I'd have just given it to Kayal who was back to his regal best.
Machiavelli
Well-known member
Agree with the bit about Bruno at least, and hope the rest comes true. Bruno was also walking around the pitch, clapping the fans at the end of game, and was moving easily. CH has said he expects the back four that finished last night to start against Leeds. I suspect that there's a good chance that Bruno and Pocognoli might be available too for Leeds, but if not, we've got a couple of weeks thereafter for them to recover.
Machiavelli
Well-known member
You and I will have to differ on Skalak's pace.
I don't think he's that quick to be honest. But he's a tenacious player who works hard and is capable of some brilliant deliveries. I think the key point in the last 2 games is that he helps us be stronger defensively than an out and out winger like Solly. And it doesn't matter that he tends to cut in on to his right foot when he's playing with Rosenior, because Liam will overlap on the outside all day long. In fact, it makes it a double nightmare for the opponents. Some people (like the tiresome dick behind me every week) can't seem to understand that not every player has to be able to beat people like Knockaert to be making a big contribution to the team.
Tom Bombadil
Well-known member
It's the same people that used to shout at Ashley Barnes, don't understand it myself. They were after Baldock last season but thankfully they've virtually given up with him, but that does mean they've had to move on to someone else.
Watched the game on TV last night, Skalak looked excellent from start to finish, going forward and defending. Keeping him in and bringing Solly and/or Murphy on with 20-30 mins to go against tired defenders will probably be the way we see out the season. No-one comes close to Skalak's ability to cross a ball - absolutely puts it on a plate for the strikers time and again.
hampshirebrightonboy
Well-known member
- Sep 3, 2011
- 971
I don't think we have another player who wins possession as much as the King. At this level, the football is so fast that possession is normally won as a result of closing down and players making mistakes. You don't see the same number of 'ball winners' that you did 20 or 30 years ago. Kayal seems to be able to buck this trend and win possession through his tackling and physical strength.
He also gives real drive forwards to the centre of midfield that we seem to have been missing at times.
Welcome back
Agreed. He seems to have a turbo boost. Especially on the rare occasions when he gets caught in possession. He invariably wins the ball back.
I make you 100% right. That's exactly the same pattern as the bloke I have to listen to with his full volume constant whining week in, week out. Used to be Barnes. Then Baldock. The other week for a while it was Jamie Murphy, complaining that he wasn't doing enough and had hardly touched the ball. We were three minutes into the game. THREE minutes. He was even whingeing BEFORE kick-off a few seasons ago.... at the play-off semi-final...
I finally lost my rag with him last night and told him to can it. One of his (Barnes-hating) mates took exception but tough crap. It did at least have the desired effect as the whinger was mercifully quiet for the rest of the match. Mildly embarrassing getting the red mist with someone like that but I'll tell you what, he can wait the rest of his life for an apology. Sick to death of it. These are the best times by far in my 37 years watching the Albion and it's so annoying to have a negative **** take the edge off it, week in, week out. We all groan and grumble sometimes at individual moments in a match where a player might have done better/something different, but that's not the same as criticising everything a player does and branding them 'shit'.
Well done fella........I don't get why there are a few that can do nothing but criticise. Had the same at Brentford - father and (young) son, moaning every time Skalak or Stockdale kicked it. The 'he's sh*t' thing every time a player makes a mistake does my head in.
Papa Lazarou
Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
And put in some beautiful crosses, both from open play and dead ball situations.
Marshy
Well-known member
Stephens and Kayal are our best central pairing.
Having said that I love sidwell and Norwood too
Having said that I love sidwell and Norwood too
Probably fair. I also probably over-defend him, as some of the scapegoating he gets is miles over the top imo. He is limited to an extent, but what he can do, he is better than any of our other wingers at.
My brother said that last night someone in front of him muttered "shit game" at the end. Laughable and maddening in equal measure. These are INCREDIBLE times to be an Albion fan.