Chris Hughton summed up in five words the strike partnership which could fire Albion to the Premier League.
"The stats speak for themselves".
Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock will maintain a remarkable record if Hughton's Seagulls return from Lancashire with at least a point from tomorrow's visit to Preston North End.
The 4-0 thrashing of Leeds at the Amex on Monday was the 16th time the pair have played together in the Championship this season.
Albion have won 11 of those matches and drawn the other five.
Without their partnership, the Seagulls have won six games, drawn seven and lost five.
Hemed and Baldock are not solely responsible for the stark contrast in results but it is an indication of how well they have gelled since they were thrown together.
And how important they could be to the rest of Albion's challenge for automatic promotion.
Hughton has tried five other partnerships, a situation largely forced upon him by the absence of Baldock from 12 of the last 18 league games through injury.
He has played Hemed with Bobby Zamora - to good effect over a shorter period - James Wilson and, on one occasion, Jamie Murphy.
Zamora and Baldock have started together once, so have Zamora and Wilson.
Hemed and Zamora have also operated as lone strikers when Hughton has changed the system.
The Hemed and Baldock alliance was forged in the summer, when the former was bought from La Liga outfit Almeria.
They were together for the first seven games of the season as Albion made a flying start, winning six of them and drawing the other.
Hemed scored five goals during that period, Baldock one, before injuries to both briefly disrupted the relationship.
Another block of seven games yielded three victories and four draws for the team, one goal for Baldock.
The combination of Hemed's hard work and link-up play, Baldock's pace and movement, was missing for Hughton from the home win against MK Dons early in November until, in essence, the return of the latter to the starting line-up against another of his former clubs, Bristol City, two games ago.
Baldock was back in contention sooner than that but another minor injury (calf) after the severe thigh damage he suffered against MK Dons sidelined him again.
The reunited duo have shared four goals in successive 4-0 wins (three for Hemed, one for Baldock). Plus a considerable assist for Baldock in the second goal against Leeds, when his effort was diverted into his own net by Liam Cooper.
Hughton is relieved to have Baldock back - and back in tandem with Hemed.
The manager said: "He allows us to stretch defences and gives us another really good option.
"The stats speak for themselves. It's a very good relationship but we've got good options with Bobby and also James Wilson who is a talent, somebody who will get goals."
Top scorer Hemed, now on 11 goals in his debut season in English football, is also glad to have Baldock back on board.
The Israeli international said: "I like to play with all the strikers. We have very good attacking players.
"But the stats show that when we play together the team does well. We know that statistic and we hope to keep to keep it up until the end.
"We worked together for all of pre-season and that is important. From the first training sessions, everybody could see there was a good relationship between us.
"We have worked hard to get used to each other. It is not easy, because I only arrived this season."
Veteran club legend Zamora and on-Wilson, hampered by illness and injury, have also both played a part in the promotion push (Zamora has seven goals from far less game time than Hemed, Wilson three).
Albion would still love to have Glenn Murray back from Bournemouth on loan to add to the attacking mix in the run-in but if Hemed and the injury-plagued Baldock stay fit, they might just go all the way.
The Partnerships
Hemed and Baldock: 16 games, 11 wins, 5 draws, 0 defeats, 11 goals.
Hemed and Zamora: 6 games, 5 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats, 6 goals.
Hemed and Wilson: 6 games, 1 win, 3 draws, 2 defeats, 3 goals.
Hemed and Murphy: 1 game, 1 draw, 0 goals.
Baldock and Zamora: 1 game, 1 draw, 0 goals.
Zamora and Wilson: 1 game, 1 defeat, 0 goals.
Lone Rangers
Hemed: 2 games, 1 draw, 1 defeat, 0 goals.
Zamora: 1 game, 1 defeat, 0 goals.
Original article
"The stats speak for themselves".
Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock will maintain a remarkable record if Hughton's Seagulls return from Lancashire with at least a point from tomorrow's visit to Preston North End.
The 4-0 thrashing of Leeds at the Amex on Monday was the 16th time the pair have played together in the Championship this season.
Albion have won 11 of those matches and drawn the other five.
Without their partnership, the Seagulls have won six games, drawn seven and lost five.
Hemed and Baldock are not solely responsible for the stark contrast in results but it is an indication of how well they have gelled since they were thrown together.
And how important they could be to the rest of Albion's challenge for automatic promotion.
Hughton has tried five other partnerships, a situation largely forced upon him by the absence of Baldock from 12 of the last 18 league games through injury.
He has played Hemed with Bobby Zamora - to good effect over a shorter period - James Wilson and, on one occasion, Jamie Murphy.
Zamora and Baldock have started together once, so have Zamora and Wilson.
Hemed and Zamora have also operated as lone strikers when Hughton has changed the system.
The Hemed and Baldock alliance was forged in the summer, when the former was bought from La Liga outfit Almeria.
They were together for the first seven games of the season as Albion made a flying start, winning six of them and drawing the other.
Hemed scored five goals during that period, Baldock one, before injuries to both briefly disrupted the relationship.
Another block of seven games yielded three victories and four draws for the team, one goal for Baldock.
The combination of Hemed's hard work and link-up play, Baldock's pace and movement, was missing for Hughton from the home win against MK Dons early in November until, in essence, the return of the latter to the starting line-up against another of his former clubs, Bristol City, two games ago.
Baldock was back in contention sooner than that but another minor injury (calf) after the severe thigh damage he suffered against MK Dons sidelined him again.
The reunited duo have shared four goals in successive 4-0 wins (three for Hemed, one for Baldock). Plus a considerable assist for Baldock in the second goal against Leeds, when his effort was diverted into his own net by Liam Cooper.
Hughton is relieved to have Baldock back - and back in tandem with Hemed.
The manager said: "He allows us to stretch defences and gives us another really good option.
"The stats speak for themselves. It's a very good relationship but we've got good options with Bobby and also James Wilson who is a talent, somebody who will get goals."
Top scorer Hemed, now on 11 goals in his debut season in English football, is also glad to have Baldock back on board.
The Israeli international said: "I like to play with all the strikers. We have very good attacking players.
"But the stats show that when we play together the team does well. We know that statistic and we hope to keep to keep it up until the end.
"We worked together for all of pre-season and that is important. From the first training sessions, everybody could see there was a good relationship between us.
"We have worked hard to get used to each other. It is not easy, because I only arrived this season."
Veteran club legend Zamora and on-Wilson, hampered by illness and injury, have also both played a part in the promotion push (Zamora has seven goals from far less game time than Hemed, Wilson three).
Albion would still love to have Glenn Murray back from Bournemouth on loan to add to the attacking mix in the run-in but if Hemed and the injury-plagued Baldock stay fit, they might just go all the way.
The Partnerships
Hemed and Baldock: 16 games, 11 wins, 5 draws, 0 defeats, 11 goals.
Hemed and Zamora: 6 games, 5 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats, 6 goals.
Hemed and Wilson: 6 games, 1 win, 3 draws, 2 defeats, 3 goals.
Hemed and Murphy: 1 game, 1 draw, 0 goals.
Baldock and Zamora: 1 game, 1 draw, 0 goals.
Zamora and Wilson: 1 game, 1 defeat, 0 goals.
Lone Rangers
Hemed: 2 games, 1 draw, 1 defeat, 0 goals.
Zamora: 1 game, 1 defeat, 0 goals.
Original article