[Albion] A myriad of issues: Structure? Manager? Players? Inexperience? A 52-year supporter's view

[Justice]

We all wanted CH to be successful in the PL unfortunately he doesn’t believe in himself to be a top flight manager. I was disappointed he went the same way with us as he did with Norwich nothing TB could do about that he had to make the change.

Potter isn’t getting the rub of the green at the moment hopefully we can start putting things right next Saturday.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We all wanted CH to be successful in the PL unfortunately he doesn’t believe in himself to be a top flight manager. I was disappointed he went the same way with us as he did with Norwich nothing TB could do about that he had to make the change.

Potter isn’t getting the rub of the green at the moment hopefully we can start putting things right next Saturday.

In the end CH defensive-mindedness and unwillingness to take risks was his undoing. Would be somewhat ironic if GP's undoing were to be the exact opposite

 

[METALMICKY]

You lost me by saying Houghton going was a mistake, he had to go, poor results and even poorer performances.

Same here! I will check out the rest of the essay but that opening statement undermines. We'd hit a dead end with Houghton.

 

[darkwolf666]

That’s 10 minutes of my life I’m not getting back.
Everyone’s allowed an opinion.

There is a well known saying opinions are like ar$eholes, everyone has one*







*Unless you have had a Proctectomy

 

[darkwolf666]

I have to say that I agree with a lot of what the O/P says, not all but a lot.
We got rid of CH because we just escaped relegation and wanted a new direction. We have a new direction tacticly but we are still hoping to avoid relegation. By now we should be an established Prem club not perennial strugglers.
I see that a lot have criticized this post but if we should lose next weekend those same people will have a different tune...

So after 4 seasons we should be an established Premier League club, so does that logic apply to any other club that came up with or before us? If so who is ever going to go down, just the teams that have been promoted, as they aren't established?

It takes decades to become established in the Premier League, not a handful of seasons!

 

[Justice]

In the end CH defensive-mindedness and unwillingness to take risks was his undoing. Would be somewhat ironic if GP's undoing were to be the exact opposite

I would bet sacking GP is not even on TB’s radar he can see we are playing well and dominating games against mid level opponents we just need sort out this scoring issue.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I would bet sacking GP is not even on TB’s radar he can see we are playing well dominating games we just need sort out this scoring issue.

And this defending issue. If it weren't for an abnormal number of duffer clubs this season, we'd be bottom three with a bullet. At some point TB had to sack CH to protect his investment. At some point he'll have to do similar to GP. Tho hopefully we'll scrape through this season like we scraped through last season etc

 

[Guinness Boy]

Some people don’t like short corners either [emoji51].

Short corners can be very effective (see our equalizer against Arsenal in the Maupay game). The issue is that my 13 year old son has now taken to predicting when we'll use them and when we'll take a backwards free kick. He started during the Everton game and has been scarily accurate.

If a 13 year old whose football experience comes down to FM saves, FIFA21 and Sussex Sunday League Div 3 can predict our set plays then I suspect the oppo can.

I've no idea why we're so predictable but I suspect Potter could put me right with some stats and stuff.

 

[Hugo Rune]

I've no idea why we're so predictable but I suspect Potter could put me right with some stats and stuff.

I agree that creating goal scoring chances from set-pieces is perhaps the weakest element of our game. I wish we had someone of the level of Ward-Prowse to attack the goal or penalty box with world class deliveries. It’s also clear that when we don’t have Dunk n Duffy to aim for, it’s really only Webster who offers an aerial threat in the box, quite easy to defend against. We still need to be a lot more unpredictable though in line with team selection.

The recent game against Burnley was telling in the air. Pope, Mee & Tarkowski were intercepting everything, only someone like Calvert-Lewin has got a chance with headers against that trio. Aerial balls into the box are not going to work for us in most matches.

What was so impressive about the Burnley match though was that they had one shot on target (like Palace previously). They literally had next to no attacking threat. Newcastle had much better chances and we beat them 0-3.

I think you need to re-set your traditional ‘home games’ expectations under Potter (which is easy enough as you’re not there paying money to see goals). Teams like Burnley and Newcastle will come to the Amex for a draw, with the amount of defensive players these teams keep deep, you need a slice of luck (including a mistake from the bus parking team) or a world class move to break these teams down. Our best opportunities for points are going to be away (with the exception of who Palace sat back like they were playing Barcelona) against teams outside the top six who are setting up to win the game. I believe that there will be many more victories like the one at St James park. Man Utd were not defensive against us and we were a an inch or two (plus a dodgy VAR overturn) away from scoring 8 EIGHT.

I think we’ll get at least 10 points in December, the results are coming.

 

[Weststander]

In the end CH defensive-mindedness and unwillingness to take risks was his undoing. Would be somewhat ironic if GP's undoing were to be the exact opposite

This could well end up the reality.

Just a few games into this season, perhaps an experienced new assistant to add some pragmatism to the approach to and management of games would help us and GP.

 

[wellquickwoody]

There are one or two things in the OP that I agree quite strongly with and an awful lot of it that I don't. It's very long, and therefore hard to deconstruct point by point but the bits I do NOT agree with are:

1) Hughton. Had to go. Terrible football and results in his last few months.
2) Our points last season. Yes, they still count if the country is in lockdown. [MENTION=267]TSB[/MENTION] is basically using Covid as an excuse to say that all these issues were still there last season but to a lesser extent because of behind closed doors and that's rubbish. Playing in the summer, using 5 subs, two or three games a week, all of that is much, much harder and we adapted better than a lot of our rivals (e.g. Villa). If there's a concern it's that the momentum from that charge has carried on in terms of performance but not points.
3) Coaching of indivdual players. Sorry, but Lamptey has gone on record as saying our coaching has improved him. Webster is far better than when he arrived, March has been turned into an effective wing back. Burn, I'd say is not a Premier League footballer but is at least playing to the max of his ability. Alzate and Bissouma have improved leaps and bounds to the point where Stephens has been sold and Propper is a bench warmer. Moloumby too looked more comfortable than most of the RoI team on Thursday when he came on and can't get in the 18 most weeks. But, if we do have an issue it is up front. All of those players named are defenders or midfielders. In the opposition's box we are too over elaborate, taking too many touches in open play and totally wasting every free kick and corner we have. Potter seems to be a poor set piece coach and have no one on the staff who can coach the forwards.
4) Football in general. We are much better to watch than under Hughton, have more shots, better xG at both ends and can be competitive in big games. Really, all that is missing is covered above, set plays need to be improved and chances taken. That is doable although I am concerned about both weaknesses.

Where I started nodding along and agreeing with the OP were the points about experience in both squad and coaching and leadership. We are lacking in both and that looks deliberate. Hopefully the addition of Welbeck will be good on several fronts. He should, in theory, provide competition for Maupay but also advice and experience. Lallana has been there and done it and was, again by his own admission, brought in to provide experience, we'll need to wait and see if it is enough. And it is a bit rich of the OP to suggest that Bruno's experience counted as a player but doesn't as a coach. He hasn't suddenly forgotten everything just because he's nudging the big 40 and even yoga, sleep and brown rice can't keep him going at PL level. In fact, having Bruno on the staff is one of the things I'm happiest with.

But as the famous film line goes, let's not start sucking each others wotsits just yet. I wrote a piece last week form the premise that we are in trouble at the moment and we are. We are rooted in the bottom five, an obvious gap has already appeared there, and we have failed to win two "easy" games at home. I again agree with the OP that Trossard looks like he doesn't want to be here and Potter, for someone who has massive qualifications in emotional intelligence doesn't want to have difficult characters in his squad and threw the Spurs game just to prove a point.

The football is better, the individual coaching is better, Hughton had to go but equally results must improve. There seem to be three worse sides than us at the moment but yet another entire season of looking over our shoulders and finishing 16th isn't exactly what I had in mind when Potter was brought in and TB stated we had the aim of establishing ourselves in the top ten.

I don’t like to give you a thumbs up but I have.

 

[chaileyjem]

And this defending issue. If it weren't for an abnormal number of duffer clubs this season, we'd be bottom three with a bullet. At some point TB had to sack CH to protect his investment. At some point he'll have to do similar to GP. Tho hopefully we'll scrape through this season like we scraped through last season etc

Abnormal ? Nearly all clubs in our position - in that bottom 10 but not in the bottom three - go through this run of results/form. All the time.
We won only 9 games last season. And comfortably stayed up. Its far too early to provide post mortems and its sadly realistic to expect us to be drawing against Burnley and Palace and losing v Chelsea, Everton and Spurs - even if we're going to do better than last season. Which we probably will. But ask again after game 15...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Abnormal ? Nearly all clubs in our position - in that bottom 10 - go through this run of results/form. All the time.
We won only 9 games last season. And comfortably stayed up. Its far too early to provide post mortems and its sadly realistic to expect us to be drawing against Burnley and Palace and losing v Chelsea, Everton and Spurs - even if we're going to do better than last season. Which we probably will.

Hope PB's paying you time and a half for weekend working

 

[chaileyjem]

hope pb's paying you time and a half for weekend working

double !

 

[maltaseagull]

Same here! I will check out the rest of the essay but that opening statement undermines. We'd hit a dead end with Houghton.

We have NEVER had a manager called Houghton!

 

[Dick Swiveller]

And the 2020 award for "Thread Title that sounds most like the dullards who ask questions at the Fans Forum" goes to .....

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We have NEVER had a manager called Houghton!

Houghton UT!

 

[BrickTamland]

Worst post of the year (football wise)

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Short corners can be very effective (see our equalizer against Arsenal in the Maupay game). The issue is that my 13 year old son has now taken to predicting when we'll use them and when we'll take a backwards free kick. He started during the Everton game and has been scarily accurate.

If a 13 year old whose football experience comes down to FM saves, FIFA21 and Sussex Sunday League Div 3 can predict our set plays then I suspect the oppo can.

I've no idea why we're so predictable but I suspect Potter could put me right with some stats and stuff.

Re short corners, there was once a youth team coach at Barcelona who instructed his team to deliberately play corners out for a throw in for the opponent as he realized they created better goalscoring opportunities and eliminated a quick counter attack from a goalkeeping drop kick.

I'm not sure who it was, but wouldn't be surprised if it was a young Pep.

 

[Swansman]

I wanted Graham Potter to do well

Nope. Just read your old posts, you had absolutely not interest in Potter doing well. You made up your mind when he was appointed and was moaning constantly until you realised the club wouldnt get relegated, which is when you disappeared only to come back now when the team got a rough start to the season. Speaks volumes.

No point in reading the rest of your essay, so lets move to something more important.

£50 to the REMF: 15th or higher for you and 16th or lower for me.
?
Might make the season a little less tedious at least.

Did you pay up?