It's the form (2 points in 15) and lack of goals, that's a concern.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
[Albion] “The fight has gone out of Brighton”
- Thread starter Giraffe
- Start date
It's the form (2 points in 15) and lack of goals, that's a concern.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Shhhhh, it keeps him from starting more firework related threads.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
We were hailed as superb at Old Trafford, best side they played. If 1 ppg is pretty much our target, we are still 5 points from the last 6 games.
Lack of goals, defeats, sticky periods, what did people expect, serenely gliding toward mid table survival? When we didn't sign a striker, did anyone imagine goals wasn't going to be a problem at some point?
If you consider our form, we have an away win and 2 home draws in 6 games, that included 2 against top 6 sides. Saturday has come as a bit of a shock as it's probably the first time since Leicester away that we've looked uncompetitive. I'd take that as a bit of a positive though given we're 16 games in.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,138
Any particular point in post #199 above that you'd like to dispute the truth of?
Before the end of the year there will be you, or somebody like you, telling us to be ever so grateful because we're fifteenth or seventeenth or nineteenth in the table and ooo look how far we've come
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
"Do well to avoid going down now."
Why only now? Didn't we start the season doing well to avoid going down? What in your list has contributed to you saying we would do well to avoid going down now?
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,138
Because Dunk and Duffy are suddenly all over the place at corners? Because Knocky is suddenly a bit-part player? Because Stephens suddenly can't pass a ball five yards to a team mate? All of those things put together are really having an impact. Plus the goals from midfield, up to and including last season, used to patch over the failure to properly invest in a credible striker. That midfield contribution to the goals tally can no longer be relied on.
Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
Well, we had a good win at Swansea, then an entertaining 2-2 draw with Stoke, were very unlucky to go down 1-0 at Old Trafford, played out a tough 0-0 with our rivals, got bashed on the break by a rampant Liverpool side and then played arguably our only bad game all season at Huddersfield, against the one side in the bottom half whose style of play makes it hard for us.
Form, as you know, is temporary. Stop being concerned and enjoy this very enjoyable season
Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
Any particular point in post #199 above that you'd like to dispute the truth of?
Before the end of the year there will be you, or somebody like you, telling us to be ever so grateful because we're fifteenth or seventeenth or nineteenth in the table and ooo look how far we've come
Whats grateful got to do with anything? I'm thoroughly enjoying this very excellent committed squad of players giving it their all in the 'best league in the world'.
But anyway, if you must, I dispute you saying Stephens is a bad player, I dispute you saying Izquierdo is a bad player, I dispute you saying Knockaert, Murray, Hemed, Duffy and Dunk are bad players. I love them all.
One poor performance at Huddersfield isn't going to change my mind, because it certainly didn't last year either.
Moshe Gariani
Well-known member
- Mar 10, 2005
- 12,070
Very well said. The empty tins that rattle so loud on here really are completely out of step with the way most Albion fans think about our players.
Hotchilidog
Well-known member
- Jan 24, 2009
- 8,688
Yep. Agree with all that. The Huddersfield fans seemed fairly bouyant after their tough run recently on saturday, we should show the same positive attitude. Their team recovered and i cannot see why we will not either (just maybe not wednesday).
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,138
I never said any of them are bad players. And it's got nothing to do with 'one poor performance at Huddersfield'. It's the general drift in performance level over recent games that is the major concern. You may well love them all, but that's neither here nor there.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
You'd have to say though that general drift of performance, to my mind at least, has come because we set a standard of performance and results beyond expectation. Burnley's first 16 away games last season yielded just 4 draws 12 defeats, and yet here we are celebrating 2 wins, and 7 points from our travels already.
Yes, I agree we have dipped in performance level, but that for me is a drift back to my expectation level for the season, because for the first 14 games, we exceeded that mostly.
DavidRyder
Well-known member
- Jul 23, 2013
- 2,885
4 points from Burnley & Watford and we'll enjoy the Turkey on Xmas day!
el punal
Well-known member
You do, I do. Unfortunately there are some posting on here who think Armageddon has arrived. Any chance that the club shop can sell some 'The End Of The World Is Nigh' placards? I'm sure the doomsayers will be rushing to collect them for the Burnley game.
OzMike
Well-known member
Yep, the very same.
We knew at the end of last season, or just before, that we were getting promoted so had plenty of time for the preparation.
I agree that the skill levels in teams will be different because of talent and ability, but fitness levels should be similar.
Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
Why do people think there is a problem with our fitness? Its very confusing
Seasider78
Well-known member
- Nov 14, 2004
- 5,937
The international break worked against us as we had momentum before that. Our form has taken a bit of a dip but we are talking a handful of games and way too early to be hitting the panic button. This season was always going to be tough and we will be fighting off relegation along with about 8 other sides but that is what I expected at the start of the season and if anything I have been surprised how competitive we have been up to now.
Why should they be similar? The established players in this division have played at this intensity and against this level of opposition player for a long time. We can't replicate that in training, it's impossible. No amount of running or weights is going to be a substitute for the real thing. Again, we might be talking 1 or 2% here, but that is enough to make a difference at this level. In the same way that a player can come back from injury and get fit enough to play, but isn't match fit- the only way for them to get match fit is to play matches. Surely the same principle applies here. It will take a season or so for our players to be up to the consistent fitness levels of the top teams.
Before our their game against us Huddersfield lost four in a row, conceding 13 goals in the process. They even lost 4-0 to Bournemouth. They had a slump, just like we are in at the moment (our slump includes games against Man Utd, Liverpool and our rivals). I think a lot of people are overreacting here. We'll come through it.
Wise words. There are so many people predicting an absolute tonking at Wembley, but IMO we are just as likely to put up a really good fight. And nobody in this league except Man City are so good every week that the result is a forgone conclusion. We'll bounce back, and in fact I wouldn't be surprised to see us only lose by a single goal tomorrow.