Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

Martin Samuel in The Mail today - Brighton Beware



Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-s-failure-shows-bad-happens-good-people.html

By common consent, Steve Gibson is an excellent person to run a football club. At a time when it seems poor or rogue owners are causing havoc, Gibson is a shining light.

Local, doesn't interfere, rescued the place from extinction, invests, builds, listens, keeps down ticket prices, has strong links with the community, his nephew is the best player — every club should have a man like Gibson in charge.

And did you see what happened to Middlesbrough on Monday? Relegated. For the fourth time in the Premier League era, too — a record shared with Sunderland, Norwich and Crystal Palace.

That is the problem with football. Bad things happen to good people. It doesn't need Venky's in charge to end up in the Championship. With the best intentions, a good owner can go down.

Those now hailing Brighton as 'the perfect football club' — as one headline had it this weekend — need to remember this, as they step into the Premier League for the first time. Outside the elite, where 11 points currently separate eighth place from relegation, a lot can go wrong; or a little.

It doesn't take much to relegate a club of the stature of Brighton or Middlesbrough. A spate of injuries in the same position, two or three misjudgments in the transfer market, a raid on your best player, a manager who unexpectedly struggles with the pressure.

That is what happened at Middlesbrough. Aitor Karanka organised the defence well, but Middlesbrough could not score. The fans grew frustrated. Karanka bit back. Then he criticised the transfer policy. The mood deteriorated, results suffered. Ultimately, Karanka alienated too many people.

It was a similar story at Manchester City under Roberto Mancini. A high- maintenance coach, causing conflict behind the scenes. By the time he left, he had few allies.

The difference being that, when this happens at Manchester City, they still come second and reach the FA Cup final because that is the quality of the squad. When it happens at Middlesbrough, they go down. Again.

At Stamford Bridge on Monday night, with 87 minutes gone, trailing 3-0 and as good as in the Championship, a remarkable thing happened: the travelling fans sang Gibson's name.

They remembered. They remembered that he built a stadium, a training ground, and a modern club and that, no matter how it felt in that moment, this still constituted the most successful, exciting period in Middlesbrough's history.

They have won a first trophy, the League Cup in 2004, reached a European final and an FA Cup final, they have seen some proper players and produced England managers. Most importantly, they have never been given reason to doubt that, successful or not, the owner had the interests of their club at heart.

And that simple acknowledgement is what we wish for Tony Bloom at Brighton, too. Already, his club are next season's even-money favourites to go down.

Yet he is another Gibson. Built the stadium, built the training ground, forged wonderful community links, looks after the staff, a true supporter whose investment totals in the region of £250million.

There are some lovely additional touches, too. Brighton light up the concourse used by away fans in the colours of their team, to make them feel welcome. They don't have to do that but isn't it marvellous that they do?

Yet will it help them if Chris Hughton loses three centre halves the week before he plays Manchester United or if Anthony Knockaert gets his head turned by a much bigger club two days before the transfer window closes?

When Knockaert's father died in November, Hughton cancelled training and took the entire squad to France for the funeral.

It was an incredibly supportive, respectful act, one that Knockaert says he will never forget. Yet this is football. This time last year, could anyone imagine that Claudio Ranieri, having won the title with Leicester, would be sacked by them the following February?

Bad things can happen, even in perfect stories, or to perfect clubs. It is to be hoped that, whatever the future holds for Brighton, nobody is expecting a perfect season in the Premier League.



Good article. Doesn't tell us anything WE don't already know, but decent nonetheless.
 

Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
23,683
GOSBTS
Gibson doesn't interfere? Really? Wasn't it him that signed a load of players Karanka didn't want?
 

rocker959

Well-known member
Jan 22, 2011
2,802
Plovdiv Bulgaria
All true .
 

Frutos

.
Helpful Moderator
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
May 3, 2006
35,477
Northumberland
Decent indeed - for me at least, relegation next season would do nothing whatsoever to dent my appreciation for what Tony Bloom has done for this football club to even the tiniest degree.

I'm pretty sure that's also the case for anyone with half a brain among our support.
 


Finchley Seagull

New member
Feb 25, 2004
6,916
North London
Gibson doesn't interfere? Really? Wasn't it him that signed a load of players Karanka didn't want?

I'd also argue that Karanka not coping with the pressure was not that surprising. He had stormed out before a game last season and looked set to leave before he changed his mind. Didn't he miss a game they lost at Charlton in the process? Don't think Hughton will have the same issue.
 

pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,152
West, West, West Sussex
A lot of decent observations in there. Evens to go down.... sounds about right. 50% chance of staying up. Should be an exciting challenge!

Actually quite chuffed the bookies have us at evens to be honest. Half expected us to have been odds on.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
Just seen this in the comments section:

with regard Brighton,well I think we all remember that they nearly got into the prem a few seasons ago,then they sacked their manager for trying to find out who defecated in the away dressing room, a tactic not seen for years in sunday pub football,still water under the bridge

:facepalm:

Depressing that various versions of this myth are still out there with the ignorant. An enduring legacy of Palace's utterly snide classlessness at the time. I suppose we shouldn't have expected any better of that club though. Riddled from top to bottom with spivs, liars and thieves.
 

cocamalia

Member
Jan 1, 2011
98
I don't really rate the article to be honest. Bit of a non-story. And yes our 'right way of doing things' may not bring us massive success in the Premier League. But what it will bring us is long term consistency, and that even if we are relegated, we're in a good position to challenge again, rather than enter into freefall.

Clearly we have a reasonable chance of getting relegated, but as with Middlesborough it is not an indication of us being too sort, perfect or nice. And there is an implication that we have not experienced these things already. Yes the standard will be higher, but player discontentment, managerial egotism, media play, tough competition - we've experienced this for the past few years anyway.

The article he's referring to was not implying that we're on a journey to further success, but merely acknowledges that we have a rather well run football club. Which we do.

I'm afraid we're going to get a lot of these kind of column inches - over-reaction, speculation, story-making etc. but as a club I'm sure we'll be doing things in much the same way, and whatever our results on the pitch, our long-term strategy must continue.
 


Finchley Seagull

New member
Feb 25, 2004
6,916
North London
Just seen this in the comments section:



:facepalm:

Depressing that various versions of this myth are still out there with the ignorant. An enduring legacy of Palace's utterly snide classlessness at the time. I suppose we shouldn't have expected any better of that club though. Riddled from top to bottom with spivs, liars and thieves.

It is impressive for someone to get the facts so spectacularly wrong. Not sure there is anything in that statement which is correct.
 

sydney

tinky ****in winky
Jul 11, 2003
17,701
town full of eejits
Just seen this in the comments section:



:facepalm:

Depressing that various versions of this myth are still out there with the ignorant. An enduring legacy of Palace's utterly snide classlessness at the time. I suppose we shouldn't have expected any better of that club though. Riddled from top to bottom with spivs, liars and thieves.

i know palace fans who still deny knowledge of that little train of events......flanges...!!
 

mejonaNO12 aka riskit

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2003
21,456
England


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,592
Eastbourne
Just seen this in the comments section:



:facepalm:

Depressing that various versions of this myth are still out there with the ignorant. An enduring legacy of Palace's utterly snide classlessness at the time. I suppose we shouldn't have expected any better of that club though. Riddled from top to bottom with spivs, liars and thieves.

If Parrish and Holloway would have had any class, they would have made a public apology for their unfair and lying accusations about the perpetrator. They are the lowest of the low.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
If Parrish and Holloway would have had any class, they would have made a public apology for their unfair and lying accusations about the perpetrator. They are the lowest of the low.

Yep.

Instead they accepted a grovelling public apology from BHA, whilst fully in the knowledge it was one of THEIR employee's who had done the dirty deed. Meantime, the club conducted an internal enquiry that could quite conceivably have led to the sacking(s) of innocent individuals. And all the while, Holloway and Disney stood bye, sniggering behind their hands.

Just par for the course for that festering rats nest of filth up the road I suppose.
 

spring hall convert

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2009
9,608
Brighton
"It doesn't need Venky's in charge to end up in the Championship. "

Yeah but what about League One?

I think what the article fails to acknowledge is that relegation to the Championship really isn't the end of the world for fans of Boro or Brighton, precisely because they have the comfort of knowing the club is in good hands.
 

Albion and Premier League latest from Sky Sports

Paying the bills

Latest Discussions

Paying the bills

Paying the bills

Paying the bills


Top
Link Here