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[Albion] Watford vs Brighton & Hove Albion *** Official Match Thread ***



BN9 BHA

DOCKERS
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 14, 2013
21,391
Newhaven
West Brom and Huddersfield do spring to mind but I can't say today was better than either of those

I mentioned West Brom because we had a decent win against them at home, also I'm sure they hadn't won for something like 20 games before our visit last season.
I think we had 2 shots , one nearly hit me on the head at the back of the stand :eek:
 

el punal

Well-known member
This must be a first. Nearly 80 pages of the official match thread, admittedly I’ve only read the last 10, but there is almost a universal agreement on how today’s proceedings went and how the problems might be solved. The whole of NSC singing off the same hymn sheet? Now that is remarkable! :drink:
 

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Mar 27, 2013
51,895
Burgess Hill
This must be a first. Nearly 80 pages of the official match thread, admittedly I’ve only read the last 10, but there is almost a universal agreement on how today’s proceedings went and how the problems might be solved. The whole of NSC singing off the same hymn sheet? Now that is remarkable! :drink:

You mean no one is disputing how shit we were ?
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
59,075
The Fatherland
We obviously weren't very good today but I won't be drawing any conclusions from the first away game of the season like many appear to be doing.

It’s the same team as last season, so you have plenty of other Prem away games to draw a conclusion from
 

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
59,075
The Fatherland


BUTTERBALL

East Stand Brighton Boyz
Jul 31, 2003
10,254
location location
Concerning that we played so badly for the first game of the season. there was absolutely no cohesion in our play and Bernardo looked poor playing out of position. Also notable was how frustrated the players were getting with each other. Bissouma looks decent and has to start against ManU even if we have to change the system to accommodate him.
 

Henfield One

Well-known member
Aug 5, 2003
459
1. No width, cutting in far too early into a congested midfield.
2. Poor ball control.
3. No picking up second ball.
4. Once Bruno went off (which started the rot), no apparent leadership on the field.
5. The only threats we caused were when AK got near the byline and attempted to cross.
6. Murray isolated and slow.
7. March very very poor (as he was against FC Nantes - so why start with him?).
8. Locadia - who played barely any minutes in pre-season friendlies and got injured, merits a place on the bench ?
9. Hemed - who scored 3 goals in psfs - doesn't get a place on the bench. Why?
10. Have all the signings unsettled the squad to the point where their natural game is affected?
11. Hughton's challenge (as it always has been) will be to integrate the new signings (gradually no doubt) and to motivate those not in the starting 11. The difficulty is that those not in the starting 11 will include many multi million £ players, and they can cause unrest.
12. Our worse performance in the Premiership by far.

We have to hope that we won't see another shambolic display like that again this season. Utter rubbish. Credit to Hughton, as he came as close as he could to saying that post-match - in his measured way.

37 matches to go....40 points the target. 111 available. UTA.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Having watched most of MOTD, including the three promoted teams ours was the most worryingly inept performance by a distance. We didn’t look like a Premier League team in any way. Not to have a single shot on target is unacceptable and I am struggling to understand why we were so shit in every department except goalkeeping. Thank God for Ryan and some woeful finishing from Watford after they had carved us open time and time again.
 

Deadly Danson

Well-known member
Oct 22, 2003
3,922
Brighton
It was just one of those awful performances that we have 2 or 3 times a season. Hopefully it gets it out of the way nice and early. Sometimes there is just no explanation. My fear is that we may well go into the Fulham game on zero points and that becomes a must win. Lose against Fulham and we are under real pressure and will be rock bottom. I predicted 17th and I would still be pleased with that.

I would just add that anyone who cheered Solly being subbed (and there were plenty) is an idiot. He had a shocker but doing that just makes a bad situation worse.
 

Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
It was just one of those awful performances that we have 2 or 3 times a season. Hopefully it gets it out of the way nice and early. Sometimes there is just no explanation. My fear is that we may well go into the Fulham game on zero points and that becomes a must win. Lose against Fulham and we are under real pressure and will be rock bottom. I predicted 17th and I would still be pleased with that.

I would just add that anyone who cheered Solly being subbed (and there were plenty) is an idiot. He had a shocker but doing that just makes a bad situation worse.

Agreed, nothing wrong with being relieved when a player, who you think has played badly is subbed it’s normal, but to cheer it is childish and a little pathetic, it just worsens the situation for the player concerned. It can only demotivate, there are very few players who will come back stronger when their own support turns on them
 


Hyperion

New member
Nov 1, 2010
5,314
I’m sure we’ll bounce back soon enough but watching Bernardo casually halt to a stop after being passed for the 2nd goal is concerning. Doesnt matter that he was playing out of position, his lack of urgency to defend once passed was terrible. I hope that’s knocked out of him soon enough.
 

Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
I’m sure we’ll bounce back soon enough but watching Bernardo casually halt to a stop after being passed for the 2nd goal is concerning. Doesnt matter that he was playing out of position, his lack of urgency to defend once passed was terrible. I hope that’s knocked out of him soon enough.

I thought he looked casual even when playing left back, guess he needs time to adjust to our system and yesterday was a baptism of fire for him.
 

Hyperion

New member
Nov 1, 2010
5,314
I really think it is. You’re right, he probably needs 5/6 games under his belt but he made no effort for that 2nd goal. I didn’t think he was all that against Nantes defensively but friendlies are not a fair platform for judgement
 

Mo Gosfield

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2010
6,268
It was just one of those awful performances that we have 2 or 3 times a season. Hopefully it gets it out of the way nice and early. Sometimes there is just no explanation. My fear is that we may well go into the Fulham game on zero points and that becomes a must win. Lose against Fulham and we are under real pressure and will be rock bottom. I predicted 17th and I would still be pleased with that.

I would just add that anyone who cheered Solly being subbed (and there were plenty) is an idiot. He had a shocker but doing that just makes a bad situation worse.


....but how many of us looked at yesterdays team when it was announced and felt totally and utterly uninspired. Its not as if we don't know what to expect away from home. Time and time again, we have had to put up with poor displays from the same players away from home and predictable, paceless line-ups from the manager that play into opposition hands.
To start with Knockaert and March was frankly risible. These two are complete liabilities away from the comfort of the Amex. Knockaert hasn't got the stomach for a fight on our travels, over plays constantly and recklessly gives the ball away, over and over again. He gifted Watford the second goal yesterday by an attempt at an extravagant drag-back. We have to accept now that Solly March isn't good enough at this level. He is lightweight and cannot provide any service to forward players. Knockaert has to be played sparingly at home only and I'm afraid Solly has to be loaned out to a Championship club.
We had little or no pace through the whole centre of the team, from the lumbering Duffy, through Propper and Stephens, onto Gross and finally, the ageing Murray. We keep going away and watching us failing to put the opposition on the back foot. Quick balls forward had us in trouble all day yesterday, with our lack of pace constantly exposed. CH cannot persist with playing two of the slowest players in the PL in advanced positions. Bissouma showed what we need just behind the striker and CH will have to have a rethink re Gross/Stephens/Propper. Bernardo is not a RB, the evidence was plain to see yesterday.
Watford are one of the teams that we expect to be around/just below or just above in the league. Yesterday, they were quicker, sharper, stronger and more clever in all respects. We failed to get a single effort on target in 90 mins. It was woeful. CH seemed puzzled how it happened. It happened because he picked the wrong team, persists with a slow and predictable line-up and keeps showing loyalty to players who don't put a shift in away from home and keep making the same mistakes.
You can describe it how you like...' a wake up call '....' just one of those awful performances '....' bad day at the office '.....the buck stops with the manager, who, predictably waited until we were out of the game before introducing two expensive acquisitions, who, surprise, surprise immediately lifted the team, showed energy and aggression and looked better than those around them.
We all knew the first 6-7 games were going to be difficult. Its clear now, that we are going to be in the bottom three and playing catch-up from an early part of this season.
 


Super Steve Earle

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2009
8,300
North of Brighton
Where did you see his interview? Do you have a link?



Agreed - defense looked suspect but tbh, the whole team looked out of sync and struggled to get in any kind of rhthym. I think the squad just needs time to gel together more than anything though. If its not too late to bring in a player on free transfers Morteza Pouraliganji is still available :D from what I saw today I'd rate him higher than both Duffy and Dunk

Hughton said at the forum on Thursday, that the club would lodge a squad list of 25 on Friday. So too late for Morteza even if we wanted him.
 

chaileyjem

#BarberIn
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jun 27, 2012
13,751
If Chris Hughton is as pissed off as we are with the players performances today I reckon that the proverbial knife will come out and a bit of chopping and changing will be the order of the day.

My son sat in the Watford seats yesterday (he doesn't support Brighton) within earshot of Hughton on the touchline.
He said he was "going mad...shouting" all through the game.
 

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