**The Official Match Thread – Brighton and Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest***

[Mayonaise]

I really enjoyed tonight. I was in WSL and the atmosphere and north stand sounded great all evening.

A really good committed performance and although there wasn't too much between the teams I thought we just about deserved the win.

 

[Ernest]

I'm sure you've got your FINGER on the button ready to start a thread Ernesto

NOT tonight

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

Nice to know I am now forgiven!

Great result and a pretty decent first game of the season performance, especially as we are normally poor in front of the sky cameras

I'm kind like that, especially when 3 points are in the bag.

Not that I have any idea what I've forgiven you for...

I don't disagree with you either! I don't think for one second it was a tactical plan to fall back on defence when one goal up. I daresay CH could have been screaming at them all week NOT to do just that - but they just do it anyway! It is, in my mind, CH's biggest challenge - to eradicate this culture in our club.

Then we agree completely, and in a cordial fashion as well, which is odd, I feel like we should at least have called each other cockwombles or something.

It's going to be a bit of a mental block to break, for a few seasons now we've been drilled to score and hang on and I don't really blame the players for seemingly doing it tonight, it'll pass (hopefully) in time.

 

[Triggaaar]

Stroud giving them as many soft free kicks as possible here. He is a truly shit referee.

Yep, all Forest had to do when a man was behind them, was stop moving their feet and fall over. Ref was a sucker.

 

[Stat Brother]

Square pegs in square holes and guess what they play like a football team.

It ain't rocket science.

Sure we shouldn't go on a chicken counting expedition but nevertheless all so encouraging.

Kayal is too good for us.
Kaz is too good for them, when upright.
Solly is a long way from the finished article, which is extremely encouraging.
Greer's woeful lack of pace will be a major problem sooner rather than later.
Baldock and Hemed should be good to watch.
I'm unlikely to ever be Team Stephens.

Onwards and upwards, so much more to be encouraged by, that's been a long time coming.

 

[Drebin]

The biggest uncertainty tonight is clearly around the OP. Far too early, far too many mistakes, yet we win. Confusion reigns!

 

[Guinness Boy]

Thoroughly enjoyed that.

We looked organized and up for it from the get go. Seeing us move in to their territory from the kick off instead of playing it back and then the flying tackle (won) that came in 30 seconds later set the scene. We still had way more of the ball despite playing 4-4-2 and created the better chances. Bong and Hemed are excellent signings. Kayal was organized. Stockers excellent.

Shame about the trains though. F***ing clowns.

 

[SweatyMexican]

Highlights of the match

http://www.skysports.com/football/brighton-vs-n-forest/339535#ooid=AyaWJ0djrv81L3hLpcIwXOGBqaxEAQgn

 

[SweatyMexican]

Apart from Antonio, Forest I thought had nothing going forward.

 

[clarkey]

Square pegs in square holes and guess what they play like a football team.

It ain't rocket science.

Sure we shouldn't go on a chicken counting expedition but nevertheless all so encouraging.

Kayal is too good for us.
Kaz is too good for them, when upright.
Solly is a long way from the finished article, which is extremely encouraging.
Greer's woeful lack of pace will be a major problem sooner rather than later.
Baldock and Hemed should be good to watch.
I'm unlikely to ever be Team Stephens.

Onwards and upwards, so much more to be encouraged by, that's been a long time coming.

I really like Stephens, concentrates on the simple stuff and does it very very well for me. As a CM pairing, you're not going to get much better than Stephens and Kayal at this level. And with Ince, JFC on the bench and Crofts still to come back.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We need to cash in more on the huge amounts of corners won. Still, having said that, Forest need to stop blasting every free-kick on the edge of the box a mile over the bar

 

[NooBHA]

Very good team performance. Bruno, Dunk and LuaLua really shone for me.

We backed off far too much after the goal and were asking for it though.. if Forest didn't have shite strikers, we might've found ourselves in a bit of bother.

I'd be worried after that if I was a Forest fan, so reliant on Lansbury and Antonio and with no option to bring any players in for fees, they may struggle.

I think a lot of that was down to our midfield and Kayal in particular breaking things up in midfield which forced them into playing long balls over the top which Bruno dealt with brilliantly as did Bong

 

[Giraffe]

Good performance going forwards, but I'm really worried about the defence. Against a better team we would have lost tonight.

And without Dunk we would also have lost. Greer was in his shadow the whole game. Dunk looked worth every penny of the supposed offers received tonight. Perfect centre half performance.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

H

Good performance going forwards, but I'm really worried about the defence. Against a better team we would have lost tonight.

And without Dunk we would also have lost. Greer was in his shadow the whole game. Dunk looked worth every penny of the supposed offers received tonight. Perfect centre half performance.

His value must have gone up tonight, shame he could not find a finish after his jaunt that coulda banged another million on the asking price.

Good young player, really hope we don't sell him to the likes of Fulham.

 

[Machiavelli]

if Forest didn't have shite strikers, we might've found ourselves in a bit of bother.

I'd be worried after that if I was a Forest fan, so reliant on Lansbury and Antonio and with no option to bring any players in for fees, they may struggle.

Good point.

 

[LamieRobertson]

It feels good to win

 

[LamieRobertson]

We need to cash in more on the huge amounts of corners won. Still, having said that, Forest need to stop blasting every free-kick on the edge of the box a mile over the bar

LOL...Lansbury never got near

 

[BBassic]

Dunk was good tonight. A couple of times his decision making let him down, the chest back to Stockers in the first half for instance.

Overall though I thought we looked hungry and imposing. There was a lot of forward play, LuaLua and March swapping sides, very encouraging.

But we did spend the 2nd half, after the goal, defending. Forest were poor tonight so it didn't cost us but if we do that against better opposition we will be punished. We have to keep pushing when we score, have to.

 

[Rookie]

Forest was piss poor. I'm not seeing why so many people have got excited

 

[nwgull]

Though we started really brightly and definitely well on top in first half, but went onto the back foot a bit after the goal. Bringing Rohan Ince on at the end seemed to make us much more defensively solid, which I guess is what you'd expect.