Brighton & Hove Albion - a most remarkable football club

[matt]

So, what's your job at The Albion?

1st team Manager

 

[Giraffe]

Agreed, but we knew that anyway. Let's hope some at the club wake up to that too.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Blimey. All that has happened is that the board made a mistake over the appointment of a manager and we are having a poor run. He may or may not be replaced soon.

It's not Armageddon, no one has died. We haven't become a shit club overnight, yet reading the utter garbage on here you would think we were going out of business today and turning the Amex into a urban farm

Get a grip you lot!

Well said. Basically we have just hired the wrong manager and brought in some poor players. These are fixable football problems (and they do indeed need fixing if we are to stay up) but I have watched a lot worse over the years. I very much doubt this is the last time we'll be shit either. Sometimes this stuff happens in football. By all means call for the manager's head and even that of David Burke, but the rest of the hysteria seems pretty unwarranted in my view.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I've been to over 80 grounds, never paid £15 for parking. We've got some of the most expensive food in all four divisions. Now don't get me wrong, if we're doing well and the club are making good decisions then i'll pay it, but if things are being run as they are with us ghosting towards league one then suddenly it becomes an issue.

So right...this is now turning into a " everything about the club is shit" debate?

For the last two seasons, we have missed out on promotion to the premiershite by in effect 4 games...for various reasons, two managers decided to walk away, one of them believing that he had been undermined by the appointment of someone he obviously didn't get on with and probably seeing the FFP " ceiling" as a hinderence to buying players he thought he needed to get us there, and the second walked away from the club without really telling us the reasons ( although if truth be knows, as good as he was, the majority of fans hated his style of play and we're starting to shuffle their feet)

We then appoint a manager who had pedigree, champions league etc and who it was thought would help.

It has been said many times by the management of the club that losses were unsustainable and under FFP, which the club signed up for, we were going. To have to tighten our belts. Over that period, Along comes a Premiership side who offers us what we assume was decent money for two players bridcutt and Buckley, then our prize asset who many though papered over the cracks last year, is sold for stupid money, before that a hard working player who scored important goals , who took stick from sections of the crowd also goes.

The management took the decision to rip up the spine of the team from last year and then replaced Orlandi, Rodriguez, Lopez, PIG, with players who it appears are more in our price range. Under this Sami was asked to work and to use loanees and bit part players who other clubs do not want.

Now, after all that you can look at the season and yes we have some shocking results, and our position does not lie, BUT to throw all of the results at sami's door is not fair. Players have not stepped up to the mark...we can all see it. It's there in front of us. Bent is a great signing but needs service. Who would have though Elliott Bennett was not half the player he was when he left us? Toxi blows hot and cold, and hola seems to be out of contention now we are playing the loanees before contracted players ( some say we have to or we won't get loanees come here).

If Sami is to go, and it may be that he is, then ok. The problem is the club has chosen to go down the route of financial stability, and that is life until our youngsters step up. The thing is that is not going to be for a few years. The " premiership ready" comment was always going to come back to bite us on the bum...and it has.

The problem the club have is expectation...and that is never going to be achieved if the expectation is that we are going to be a premiership team with loanees and players who are untested in England. You can lay that at the door at the management of the club, but suggesting as some on here are that Bloom should feck off is rediculous in the extreme.

 

[c0lz]

Brighton till I die but feel so disconnected with the club right now.

 

[jimbob5]

Despite all the bickering and in-fighting going on right now, I'd hope there is one thing that we can all agree on: Brighton & Hove Albion is a pretty remarkable football club.

Our back story is pretty much unrivalled in British football, and almost certainly beyond these shores as well. The demise of the Goldstone, the triumph at Edgar Street, the Gillingham exile, the return to Brighton, the almost endless campaigning which finally resulted in the Temple of Bloom, the fairytale opening day comeback to beat Doncaster and the oh-so-close attempts to reach the promised land of the Premier League. Remarkable, truly remarkable.

Is another chapter of remarkable-ness being written right now? When almost every other football club would have parted ways with Sami Hyypia by now, the Albion seem to be standing firm. Showing loyalty in the face of adversity, considerable fan pressure and giving him every chance possible to turn it round. It would be one hell of a comeback if Hyypia did manage to drag us out of this most boggy mire.


(Looking forward to the insta-replies suggesting that Paul Barber has paid me to write this)

Brighton was a modest club that attracted old Pros from the top division. Had a bit go glamour in the late 70s/early 80s by their standard. Had financial problems and location problems when dodgy people took the helm. A Knight in shining blue and white armour rescued us from our plight but tension remained as nimbys tried to put a spanner in the works. 2 Jags did arguably the most useful thing in his political career and things were Blooming again. On the football front we entered a successful relationship with Lee Evans. Opinions differed as to whether we made him or he made us. The wheels came off the rails …………. to be continued.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Barber is driving fans away just by being Barber. Burke's disastrous 'recruitments' are driving fans away. Hyypia's being so far out of his depth is driving fans away. And while all this is going on Tony Bloom goes silent..

How is barber doing that? Some fans are just finding any excuse to feel sorry for themselves. Utterly pathetic in my view. Barber has got a job to do running a multi million pound business and he seems to be doing that well. Also every time there is an outbreak of bleating from the fans he comes out and explains his position.

Our problems at the moment are purely football ones, the manager cannot get these players to be a team, and the recruitment people have brought in substandard players exacerbating the problem. The other stuff is just over sensitive guff and quite frankly some elements of our support look bloody pathetic at the moment.

I am not happy with how the team are playing, but hey I've watched crap before and I'm sure I'll see plenty more in the years to come, I'll get over it. I'd like Sami out as I do not feel he has demonstrated any capability to turn this team around, and at least like the club turn the screws, on Burke and his team, if they don't give them the boot either, as they failed miserably this season. Won't stop me going and supporting the team though.

 

[TSB]

What a bunch of crybabies. Anyone would think this is the first time we'd ever been shit.
A new manager and a team playing with some effort & passion and you'll all be back.

 

[byf1]

So right...this is now turning into a " everything about the club is shit" debate?

For the last two seasons, we have missed out on promotion to the premiershite by in effect 4 games...for various reasons, two managers decided to walk away, one of them believing that he had been undermined by the appointment of someone he obviously didn't get on with and probably seeing the FFP " ceiling" as a hinderence to buying players he thought he needed to get us there, and the second walked away from the club without really telling us the reasons ( although if truth be knows, as good as he was, the majority of fans hated his style of play and we're starting to shuffle their feet)

We then appoint a manager who had pedigree, champions league etc and who it was thought would help.

It has been said many times by the management of the club that losses were unsustainable and under FFP, which the club signed up for, we were going. To have to tighten our belts. Over that period, Along comes a Premiership side who offers us what we assume was decent money for two players bridcutt and Buckley, then our prize asset who many though papered over the cracks last year, is sold for stupid money, before that a hard working player who scored important goals , who took stick from sections of the crowd also goes.

The management took the decision to rip up the spine of the team from last year and then replaced Orlandi, Rodriguez, Lopez, PIG, with players who it appears are more in our price range. Under this Sami was asked to work and to use loanees and bit part players who other clubs do not want.

Now, after all that you can look at the season and yes we have some shocking results, and our position does not lie, BUT to throw all of the results at sami's door is not fair. Players have not stepped up to the mark...we can all see it. It's there in front of us. Bent is a great signing but needs service. Who would have though Elliott Bennett was not half the player he was when he left us? Toxi blows hot and cold, and hola seems to be out of contention now we are playing the loanees before contracted players ( some say we have to or we won't get loanees come here).

If Sami is to go, and it may be that he is, then ok. The problem is the club has chosen to go down the route of financial stability, and that is life until our youngsters step up. The thing is that is not going to be for a few years. The " premiership ready" comment was always going to come back to bite us on the bum...and it has.

The problem the club have is expectation...and that is never going to be achieved if the expectation is that we are going to be a premiership team with loanees and players who are untested in England. You can lay that at the door at the management of the club, but suggesting as some on here are that Bloom should feck off is rediculous in the extreme.

No this isn't 'Everything is shit at the club' debate at all, it's a 'This needs to be fixed now, how on earth can this club justify keeping this awfully inept manager when there is literally NO signs at all that he will turn it around 'Debate'.

Yet again this club is not coming out of this smelling of roses, not saying anything at all really and burying it's head in the sand whilst the chairman goes off for some winter sun and leaves slimeball Barber in charge, somehow we seem to make interesting decisions of how to handle certain situations and I fear this is going to be another one of those. I love this football club, I just like many feel so disillusioned and un-connected from it more now then ever, it's only a football club, there are more important things but this seriously is a break point of the season which we have a chance to change before it's too late and the club appear to be sitting on their hands and watching whilst the inevitable happens and none of it makes any sense from financial, commercial or even long term sustainability reason.

I don't blame the club for getting rid of players over the last 12 months, Southampton did it and so do all clubs unless in the top 4, it happens and it needs to happen too, the likes of Bridcutt who didn't want to be here and the likes of Ulloa where the bid was simply too good are totally understandable. The issue is the replacement of said players, the backing of Burke from Bloom when anyone in their right mind can see this group of lazy loanee's that have been brought in are not upto the challenge. Mistakes will be made and Bloom is only human but enough is enough.

Hyppia might be a slight scapegoat throughout all of this but one thing is for sure, he's not the man for the job, he has no passion, somehow he was a successful captain and great player, this leadership like character doesn't appear to be here now and that's what we need, we're a ghost ship with no captain behind the wheel and the skeleton crew are drifting out of this league.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Just a shame the club seem to have outgrown the fans they used to rely on.

I've almost got to the point where I wonder if it was all worth the fight. Almost, not quite. Somehow, I can't let go.

 

[Gritt23]

Its 39 years in total for me but for much of the last 20 It was almost a second job. Once the stadium battle had been won I was loving being only involved on a matchday but the Poyet debacle (as well as the oatway stuff), the garcia departure and the leaks before hand in an attempt to discredit him plus the more obvious statements afterwards, and the fact that barber talks like an over inflated David Brent whilst charging BA premium prices alongside a Ryanair 'everything has a price' strategy, have broken me.

This. My first game was 1979, my first Season Ticket 1984, and I've been proudly sat in the WSU with my son, passing the baton on. But the last 18 months, with all that you've mention in that post have done for me. I have another life outside football, and I'm starting to live that one instead.

My season ticket is being cancelled, and I honestly don't know how many games I'll attend next season. It's not about the form on the pitch, as I've supported us through much worse than this. It's everything about how the club (and football in general tbh) make me feel.

 

[KNC]

That's the thing that frustrates me the most. We could have been different, like we so often have been in the past. The first season at the Amex was fantastic, the atmosphere was great, it certainly felt as if we could be THAT club who didn't conform to the detestable standards of modern English football... until PB came along.

Well put.
That is exactly how I thought it would go. It was a 'different kind of riot', our protests were different. The whole 'war' was 'different'
As you say, I hoped we would continue to show the rest how a club could be run.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Every club makes bad managerial appointments. Adams Mark 2 and Hinsh apart, everyone since the appointment of Horton has made some sort of positive contribution on the road to the 2013/14 Play-Offs. The fact that Hyypia has been an unmitigated disaster is by no means a historical landmark.

It is the board's reaction to his implosion that could be the historic factor.

 

[jimbob5]

Every club makes bad managerial appointments. Adams Mark 2 and Hinsh apart, everyone since the appointment of Horton has made some sort of positive contribution on the road to the 2013/14 Play-Offs. The fact that Hyypia has been an unmitigated disaster is by no means a historical landmark.

It is the board's reaction to his implosion that could be the historic factor.

Action and communication was required as soon as possible after the Millwall game. Up to that point it was not so critical. The longer is is left since the worse things will spiral.

 

[Knotty]

From where I'm sitting - judging by the growing ill feeling amongst the fans, decreasing attendances, league position, recruitment policy, playing squad, corporate nonsense and so on - he is doing a terrible job.

You are obviously sitting in the Albion offices, very close to PB, so you can see first hand on a daily basis exactly what he does.

If not, your anti-PB comments are almost worthless. I know you WANT to blame him, but are you really justified in doing so? Do you know exactly what his responsibilities are concerning matters on the pitch, player recruitment? If you do, please tell us.

The corporate stuff is his responsibility and, in my view, he and the Board have done a good job in stemming the flow of unsustainable financial losses and measuring up to FFP. I know many couldn't care less about FFP and would like us to spend, spend, spend to buy success. Great if it works but disaster if it doesn't. Then many of those complaining that we didn't spend enough would be criticising the board for spending too much!

It is your opinion that almost everything is Barber's fault. But unless you can back that up with relevant, hard facts rather than just stamping your feet in the playground pointing the finger at someone who you want to blame, I have no respect for your opinion.

I am very unhappy with our play at the moment and I strongly believe that some heads should roll. I'm not however going to pick on a bandwagon scapegoat just to make me feel better.

I agree with every word of Hotchilidog's post. At the moment, reading some of the idiotic knee jerk posts on NSC is far more depressing than the football .. and that's very depressing!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

As The Henfield One said on local radio, weeks ago ...

What is wanted is for SOMEONE to take responsibility for what is happening.

In the absence of that, it can be no surprise that fans are flinging blame in all directions and sometime hitting targets who probably don't deserve it.

 

[perseus]

Wigan are a remarkable club. I think they made a mistake getting rid of their last two experienced managers

A mistake that just could make a difference ?

 

[aolstudios]

Scary the amount of people - familiar, regular posters & long term fans, talking about not renewing & not being bothered to go to games. I've missed the last two myself - I had things to do but they're the first I've missed in years & it's no coincidence. & it's far from all about Sami, poor schmuck. He's utterly useless, of course but I left it seriously late before renewing this time, no specific reason, it just didn't seem like something I wanted to think about. Something at the club felt missing or non-specifically wrong - couldn't put my finger on it but I can't honestly say I've felt a moment's excitement this season, it's all a bit meh, at best, which is bloody tragic. Maybe we've drifted into some weird collective depression here but it feels to me that something really special was being built & has possibly gone so far off track it's gone permanently

 

[jimbob5]

Wigan are a remarkable club. I think they made a mistake getting rid of their last two experienced managers

A mistake that just could make a difference ?

Southampton, Swansea, Crawley, Burnley etc are all most remarkable football clubs

 

[Soul Finger]

I've nothing against FFP, I just don't want to hear about it every five bloody minutes.

It's cold, uninspiring, and very very dull.

Great, adhere to it, and occasionally - very occasionally - let us know.

Of course we want our club to be run properly but it's not like any other business. It's a club first, business second.

The sooner this is realised, the better.

And, if they do want to keep referring to us as customers, the 'customer' is always right.

Therefore, Hyypia out.