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Hemed to Reading?



Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,110
Surrey
to be honest Harry I am not comfortable at dismantling a squad that we have grown to love over the last few years at all. I appreciate they may not be good enough as individuals in the premier, but it appears we have gone out to get new players in a lot of positions...yes we had no choice with Stockers, but those who got us up seem to be discarded to get in untried players who know nothing about us and just want a crack at the premier.

I know this is naive thinking, but I am saddened by all of this
You're not alone, mate. That said, I think it feels worse than it actually is - we've only brought in about 5 or 6 players who will expect to be in the 25 man squad, and one of those was an absolute necessity because Stockdale left.
 


Blue Valkyrie

Not seen such Bravery!
Sep 1, 2012
32,165
Valhalla
to be honest Harry I am not comfortable at dismantling a squad that we have grown to love over the last few years at all. I appreciate they may not be good enough as individuals in the premier, but it appears we have gone out to get new players in a lot of positions...yes we had no choice with Stockers, but those who got us up seem to be discarded to get in untried players who know nothing about us and just want a crack at the premier.

I know this is naive thinking, but I am saddened by all of this
Stockdale->Ryan
Ankergren->**new**
Pocognoli->Suttner
Tomori->**new**
Norwood->Pröpper
Akpom->Dwamena
(Will be) Towell->Groß
LuaLua->Izquierdo

Not too many changes given most were leaving anyway.

Now we are just in the phase where perhaps just 1 or 2 more move on - and we are really looking at those with just 1 year left on their contracts eg. Hemed.
 


goldstone

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
7,108
to be honest Harry I am not comfortable at dismantling a squad that we have grown to love over the last few years at all. I appreciate they may not be good enough as individuals in the premier, but it appears we have gone out to get new players in a lot of positions...yes we had no choice with Stockers, but those who got us up seem to be discarded to get in untried players who know nothing about us and just want a crack at the premier.

I know this is naive thinking, but I am saddened by all of this

I'm with you on this. It's a shame if we have to ditch a number of players who got us to the Prem before they've had an opportunity to bed down in this league and play against teams who are likely to be in the lower half of the division. But I guess that's football ... and similar things happen after promotions in the lower divisions. Like Norwood crowd surfing down a train carriage while celebrating promotion and then being shipped out on loan before he has had an opportunity to play even part of a game in the Premier League.

Probably another reason why I have a nagging doubt as to whether I am going to really really enjoy watching my team full of foreign imports playing (and probably getting regularly beaten) at this level. We may well look back and agree that being a successful Championship club was far more fun.
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Jul 23, 2003
33,818
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Is it just me or is it not somewhat distasteful to be talking about one of our players, someone who always leaves it all on the pitch, like he's already gone? We may now be 'premier league' but our players have not just tured into cattle overnight :facepalm:

Have some respect.

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to be honest Harry I am not comfortable at dismantling a squad that we have grown to love over the last few years at all. I appreciate they may not be good enough as individuals in the premier, but it appears we have gone out to get new players in a lot of positions...yes we had no choice with Stockers, but those who got us up seem to be discarded to get in untried players who know nothing about us and just want a crack at the premier.

I know this is naive thinking, but I am saddened by all of this

You're not alone, mate. That said, I think it feels worse than it actually is - we've only brought in about 5 or 6 players who will expect to be in the 25 man squad, and one of those was an absolute necessity because Stockdale left.

Must admit I feel very conflicted. There's the bit of me that writes things like "Hemed looks out of his depth at this level" that knows we need better and then there's the bit of me that wanted us to do well this season with pretty much last season's squad, firstly because they all deserved it and secondly because we all have a little bit of man love for all of them.

Ruthless business football, and we have to compete, but last season's team are going to remain my favourite ever Brighton team for a very long time, even if we stay up this season.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patreon
Oct 8, 2003
49,337
Faversham
Must admit I feel very conflicted. There's the bit of me that writes things like "Hemed looks out of his depth at this level" that knows we need better and then there's the bit of me that wanted us to do well this season with pretty much last season's squad, firstly because they all deserved it and secondly because we all have a little bit of man love for all of them.

Ruthless business football, and we have to compete, but last season's team are going to remain my favourite ever Brighton team for a very long time, even if we stay up this season.

To this, and [MENTION=20]Publius Ovidius[/MENTION] and [MENTION=232]Simster[/MENTION], yes; if Tomer leaves the club I will wish him all the best. It may be by transfer in the next ten minutes, or by retirment in 7 years time. Both are unlikely and something in between is more probable. Yes, we can speculate, and I would prefer to focus on incoming rather than outgoing. The only thing that really gets on my wick, though, is when people talk about our players as if thy have already gone. It like going through your dad's will when he's still fit and well and doing the gardening.
 






Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
49,989
Goldstone
Like Norwood crowd surfing down a train carriage while celebrating promotion and then being shipped out on loan before he has had an opportunity to play even part of a game in the Premier League.
I know what you mean, but don't feel too bad. He'd have enjoyed the success for what it was, and most of us would swap our career for his.

We may well look back and agree that being a successful Championship club was far more fun.
I suspected that before we were promoted. Unfortunately being a successful Championship club means losing money forever. Also part of what made the Championship fun was the goal of trying to be promoted.
 


Nixonator

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2016
6,733
Shoreham Beach
Must admit I feel very conflicted. There's the bit of me that writes things like "Hemed looks out of his depth at this level" that knows we need better and then there's the bit of me that wanted us to do well this season with pretty much last season's squad, firstly because they all deserved it and secondly because we all have a little bit of man love for all of them.

Ruthless business football, and we have to compete, but last season's team are going to remain my favourite ever Brighton team for a very long time, even if we stay up this season.

All of us are conflicted, though some of us seem more conflicted than others :wink:

Ultimately we have little to zero influence on goings on and we can only support what's in front of us. We have to trust those in charge to make the correct (and perhaps brutal) calls to make us competitive at this level and keep the club on an upwards trend. I'm sure there will be many who, should we be relegated, will say that it would have been better to go with what we had… but then none of us know whether we could have been embarrassed which wouldn't have served the club or indeed the players very well.

When I think to myself about the implications of Hemed leaving, it makes me quite downbeat because of what he has helped us do over the last 2 years. However, if I try to keep emotion out of it i'm left thinking that chances are high on evidence thus far that he won't step up, and that I won't have to chant that terrible No Limit song (hopefully) ever again.
 












Betfair Bozo

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2007
2,094
Must admit I feel very conflicted. There's the bit of me that writes things like "Hemed looks out of his depth at this level" that knows we need better and then there's the bit of me that wanted us to do well this season with pretty much last season's squad, firstly because they all deserved it and secondly because we all have a little bit of man love for all of them.

Ruthless business football, and we have to compete, but last season's team are going to remain my favourite ever Brighton team for a very long time, even if we stay up this season.


I am not sure Tomer is out of his depth. I think we have (understandably) eschewed what made us a threat in the Championship in order to not be overrun in our first two games to his (against Man City) and Glenn's (at Leicester) detriment. I am quite sure that either of them paired with Baldock and with a fit AK on the wing would look much more at home. Obviously due to injuries and the impending debuts it is quite likely that will never be put to the test.

It's very early days and I have every confidence in our management and recruitment to strike the right balance but I hope that the pre-season suggestion that we would play 4-4-2 at times proves to be the case. I also think, from a very limited sample of evidence, that Pascal Groß would be more effective a little deeper. I am not sure what that would mean for Propper who we can't have seen anything like the best of yet. We'll get there I am sure!
 


Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
69,880
If Hemed does go to Reading, it'll be against his will, as I'm sure his best mate on here [MENTION=12697]Steve Foster[/MENTION] will readily confirm. Sees himself as an elite striker, even if many on here don't quite see it the same way. Well not at this level anyway. Ditto Baldock.
 






Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,546
Fiveways
Must admit I feel very conflicted. There's the bit of me that writes things like "Hemed looks out of his depth at this level" that knows we need better and then there's the bit of me that wanted us to do well this season with pretty much last season's squad, firstly because they all deserved it and secondly because we all have a little bit of man love for all of them.

Ruthless business football, and we have to compete, but last season's team are going to remain my favourite ever Brighton team for a very long time, even if we stay up this season.

I think it's less that Hemed looks out of depth, and more that he's not the kind of striker that will help us succeed in the PL. We had a roster of strikers that were apt for getting us out of the Championship (apart from the fact that there wasn't cover for Baldock). We now need a roster of strikers to keep us in the PL. Key here is we will only rarely be playing two up-top (this is when we'll see Baldock, I suspect), and will play the majority of our games with one up-top, and Gross/AN Other as an ACM/number 10. What you ideally want when you play one up-top is a player with pace, strength and an eye for goal. Lukaku is as good a prototype of this. Hemed and Murray both helped us up, and they have great qualities, but they're both too slow to play one up-top, especially when we're aiming to play on the counter-attack. All the noises from CH suggest that Hemed will be shipped out, and from early in the transfer window. He's been fantastic for us, but I (and I suspect he) would rather he left, and got to play football, rather than sitting here not getting any game time. Same situation with Skalak.
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,546
Fiveways
I am not sure Tomer is out of his depth. I think we have (understandably) eschewed what made us a threat in the Championship in order to not be overrun in our first two games to his (against Man City) and Glenn's (at Leicester) detriment. I am quite sure that either of them paired with Baldock and with a fit AK on the wing would look much more at home. Obviously due to injuries and the impending debuts it is quite likely that will never be put to the test.

It's very early days and I have every confidence in our management and recruitment to strike the right balance but I hope that the pre-season suggestion that we would play 4-4-2 at times proves to be the case. I also think, from a very limited sample of evidence, that Pascal Groß would be more effective a little deeper. I am not sure what that would mean for Propper who we can't have seen anything like the best of yet. We'll get there I am sure!

What pre-season suggestion that we would play 4-4-2? All I've read or heard coming from CH is that the majority of the time we'll be playing 4-4-1-1.
 




stss30

Registered User
Apr 24, 2008
9,545
With Leeds and Derby interested and Leeds having just sold Wood surely we could get about £8m for Hemed in this market.
 






Cowfold Seagull

Fan of the 17 bus
Apr 22, 2009
21,578
Cowfold
If Hemed does go to Reading, it'll be against his will, as I'm sure his best mate on here [MENTION=12697]Steve Foster[/MENTION] will readily confirm. Sees himself as an elite striker, even if many on here don't quite see it the same way. Well not at this level anyway. Ditto Baldock.

A lot of people are making this assessment of Tomer not being good enough for the Premier League, either because they just 'presume' he won't be, or based on that one performance against Manchest er City.

The truth of the matter is that none of us know yet, and won't know until/unless he plays a good few more games. Unfortunately it seems unlikely that he will get the chance to do that. seems unlikely
 



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