In Chris Hughton we trust

[Barham's tash]

I think the club think there are more of us willing to just keep handing over money than there actually are. I predict a massive falling off in renewals next year. One because of the lack of ambition this season and two because it's dead easy to get a ticket with the size of the stadium.

The downside is that we"ll probably sell anyone we get an offer for and replace them with risks and kids or loans as the revenues will fall away dramatically. Just staying up will probably be our ambition until the academy produces.

It might be dead easy with the size of the stadium but seriously who wants to be paying on average £10 per game more. It's a bit of a drastic financial hedge to assume that next season we'll struggle as we have this year and therefore you can pick and choose your games.

£21 per game for a half way line WSU seat or £32 per game if you pick and choose. Simple maths for me if you're going to be going to >13/14 games a season.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I've seen teams having to play on pitches that resembled ploughed fields/paddy fields. I've seen teams playing on plastic, with unpredictable bounce and I 've seen players in snow. I've seen matches in thick fog and thunderstorms. Blackpool's pitch was poor but lets not hide behind the excuse that it was unplayable.

Agreed. Good teams can win in different conditions. You want to play football - we will play football. You want to make it a fight - just try it. We are just not a very good team at the moment.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I can see Chris Hughton being here for a few years. First level-headed manager we've hard in yonks. He will give the club some much-needed stability and allow for some proper team-building in the Summer rather than the usual managerial circus. Good appointment.

That would be brilliant, and time will tell.

 

[Icy Gull]

It might be dead easy with the size of the stadium but seriously who wants to be paying on average £10 per game more. It's a bit of a drastic financial hedge to assume that next season we'll struggle as we have this year and therefore you can pick and choose your games.

£21 per game for a half way line WSU seat or £32 per game if you pick and choose. Simple maths for me if you're going to be going to >13/14 games a season.

Three quarter/Half season tickets or even blocks of three or four games will be offered for those that decide the football is worth watching. I admire your optimism that the club are going to back the purchase of a team to challenge next season though. You can see a total change of recruitment policy this summer can you? Because that is the only way we will be challenging, assuming we are even in this division, which is not the given some seem to think it is.

Me? I'll just be grateful if we don't sell off what decent players we do have,

 

[Barham's tash]

Three quarter/Half season tickets or even blocks of three or four games will be offered. I admire your optimism that the club are going to back the purchase of a team to challenge next season though. You can see a total change of recruitment policy this summer can you? Because that is the only way we will be challenging, assuming we are even in this division, which is not the given some seem to think it is.

I am more than optimistic that CH knows what is required to get out of this division and I also suspect that his remit this year is safety and evaluation and build again in the summer. All I read into TBs comments re January window was that we had identified targets - Halford, Best and Kayal - early and acted early. The fact that some see this as not adding in the right areas or not getting the number of bodies people believe we need I can't help.

I also know for a fact that these are ALL CH signings. Genuinely think that we'll come nowhere near relegation this season now and that the offloading of a couple of high wage earners in the Summer - CMS and Agustein - will free up the wage bill to replace with the quality we need to push on.

 

[Icy Gull]

I am more than optimistic that CH knows what is required to get out of this division and I also suspect that his remit this year is safety and evaluation and build again in the summer. All I read into TBs comments re January window was that we had identified targets - Halford, Best and Kayal - early and acted early. The fact that some see this as not adding in the right areas or not getting the number of bodies people believe we need I can't help.

I also know for a fact that these are ALL CH signings. Genuinely think that we'll come nowhere near relegation this season now and that the offloading of a couple of high wage earners in the Summer - CMS and Agustein - will free up the wage bill to replace with the quality we need to push on.

Not going to knock your positivity, just wish I felt the same.

 

[Napier's Knee]

There is absolutely no way CH will just walk out on us. Let's be honest - he's got to rebuild his career (clearly there wasn't a long queue of people we had to fight past to get him - no idea why) and the best way to do that is to build something here. He'll see us ok and is here for the long term (unless he gets poached, but that will only happen after he's done something good here). Win/win for the Albion. Which just makes the utterly disastrous Hyypia spell even more annoying - I know everyone says Sami is a good man, but the more I think about him the more I dislike him for the stubbornness of what he did to us - I know I should let it go but.....

 

[maltaseagull]

We don't really have any other choice now, do we?

I'd give us about a 65% chance of staying up right now. Better than 50/50 but not by much. Other clubs have started making their move and we are still too eratic with highly iffy home form. I reckon there are three worse clubs than us in this division but sadly not many more.

Teams surely? Not Clubs

 

[Hotchilidog]

Not going to knock your positivity, just wish I felt the same.

I'm feeling more positive too. I think yesterdays lack of activity was actually a return to rational behaviour. IF (and it's a big one) we are to mount a challenge next season then the calibre of player required to do that is far higher than those who were available to us yesterday. With arrival of Hughton, CoG and Baldock actually look like new signings, and with the arrival of Kayal and return of Kaz and Stephens the midfield is much stronger than in previous months. We have also seen the revival in the form of Ince and Holla who were woeful in the first half of the season.

I'm not saying we are going to pull up any trees this season but we should be able to at least finish four off the bottom, which then allows us to rebuild in the summer.

With the sacking of Burke there does appear to be a change in the recruitment policy and having a manager in place in May will make a huge a difference.

Hope the team cheer you up on saturday.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I'm feeling more positive too. I think yesterdays lack of activity was actually a return to rational behaviour.

And it was welcome. With players coming back, even allowing for injuries and suspensions, we should have enough to avoid relegation. CH must have felt that, although he did suggest further loanees may be investigated. After the turmoil of the past season and a half, let's just start laying some foundations.

 

[BBassic]

I'm feeling more positive but mostly because me and my dad have moved seats to the WSU. Cheaper cost and surely a better atmosphere than the Lower East has gotten me a bit more excited about going again.

The on-pitch improvement helps as well. The squad may not have changed much but we're definitely a better prospect under CH than we were ever going to be under SH.

 

[Justice]

And, therefore, you don't trust Hughton. In addition, you don't trust Jones, Hyypia, Garcia or Poyet either. Who is it that you trust to pick the team? The options seem to be restricted to you. And get this: I don't trust you, because you're woefully underqualified and inexperienced.

Have any of the managers you quoted achieved anything of note in the championship apart from a couple of failed play off attempts?
Im realistic for the first 17 or so games this season we have been over run in the middle of the park hence we only managed to win a couple of games. And as for being underqualified I wasn't aware that you new me because if you did you would know I used to play at a reasonable level, take your blue and white specs off and think for a minute before posting drivel cheers.

 

[Barham's tash]

Have any of the managers you quoted achieved anything of note in the championship apart from a couple of failed play off attempts?
Im realistic for the first 17 or so games this season we have been over run in the middle of the park hence we only managed to win a couple of games. And as for being underqualified I wasn't aware that you new me because if you did you would know I used to play at a reasonable level, take your blue and white specs off and think for a minute before posting drivel cheers.

Without getting involved in your above conversation I just wanted to know what you think playing to a reasonably high standard gives your opinion over anyone who hasn't or who has just spectated?

This is a genuine question and not a fishing trip either. I have heard many people qualify their opinion as more valid than others for a variety of reasons and it's interesting to hear from the poster's perspective. Cheers.

 

[Machiavelli]

Have any of the managers you quoted achieved anything of note in the championship apart from a couple of failed play off attempts?
Im realistic for the first 17 or so games this season we have been over run in the middle of the park hence we only managed to win a couple of games. And as for being underqualified I wasn't aware that you new me because if you did you would know I used to play at a reasonable level, take your blue and white specs off and think for a minute before posting drivel cheers.

No, I don't know you, and I'm not convinced that your playing level means that you're well qualified. Of the managers I've quoted, two have got us to play-offs (in just three seasons), two have managed in the PL (one currently), one has got four points out of six while managing us, and let's just forget about the other one. They all seem to rate JFC (far more highly than I do, for instance). Once Stephens and Kayal are up to speed, I suspect that we'll be seeing a lot less of Jake. Given our current squad, if all are fit, he'd be pushing for, and probably making, the bench. Nothing more but, crucially, nothing less, either.

 

[maltaseagull]

Without getting involved in your above conversation I just wanted to know what you think playing to a reasonably high standard gives your opinion over anyone who hasn't or who has just spectated?

This is a genuine question and not a fishing trip either. I have heard many people qualify their opinion as more valid than others for a variety of reasons and it's interesting to hear from the poster's perspective. Cheers.

Sadly there are some posters who don't seem to grasp the word discussion.

If you don't agree with them you are stupid or not qualified or similar.
You may have noticed the common "end of " when adding to a list of best or worst etc.

 

[Danny-Boy]

There is absolutely no way CH will just walk out on us. Let's be honest - he's got to rebuild his career (clearly there wasn't a long queue of people we had to fight past to get him - no idea why) and the best way to do that is to build something here. He'll see us ok and is here for the long term (unless he gets poached, but that will only happen after he's done something good here). Win/win for the Albion. Which just makes the utterly disastrous Hyypia spell even more annoying - I know everyone says Sami is a good man, but the more I think about him the more I dislike him for the stubbornness of what he did to us - I know I should let it go but.....

Be interesting to see how CH faces another manager who now has to "rebuild his career" after a disastrous time at Bolton Wanderers having walked out on a place where he was treated as a "legend" for so many different reasons.

I still have my "Freedman 9" shirt but to my dying day I'll never understand why he abandoned Selhurst for the Reebok. His playing career was a bit like that too, came to Palace from Barnet (I think) then left for Wolves for a while and then Forest (where he did a good job as a player.

Then he came back to Selhurst and the rest is history...2005 and all that...

 

[Justice]

Without getting involved in your above conversation I just wanted to know what you think playing to a reasonably high standard gives your opinion over anyone who hasn't or who has just spectated?

This is a genuine question and not a fishing trip either. I have heard many people qualify their opinion as more valid than others for a variety of reasons and it's interesting to hear from the poster's perspective. Cheers.

If another poster wants to make personal digs over nothing but an opinion then I will reply, its my opinion and nothing more. After playing the game maybe you do tend to see things differently during game that others may miss but again thats just an opinion. Some guy who sits near me slates J Bennett every game a player who I think is one of our most consistant performers but again thats just my opinion.