Albion's CEO reflects on the season so far and the possibility of adding to the squad.
Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber reflected on an impressive start to the season, and has not ruled out the possibility of bolstering the squad in January - but insists the priority will be on adding quality rather than quantity.
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Barber praised the progress made in the first half of the campaign, but explained that there is still plenty of work to be done before the club’s ultimate ambition can be fulfilled.
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In an exclusive interview with Seagulls Player HD, he said, “We’ve made a really strong start and only lost two games. I think we’ve played near enough all of the top sides and taken points from most of them, except for the result at St James’ Park.
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“We’ve got a squad that’s not just strong in depth, but strong in spirit. We’ve got competition for places and managed to keep our injuries to a minimum along with our suspensions.
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“But we also know that this is the toughest division in the world and that nothing has been achieved at this point.
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“The fans are enjoying it and the crowds tell us that, so let’s stay strong, let’s keep supporting the team and hopefully we’ll get what we want come the end of the season.”
LATEST NEWS FROM*SEAGULLS.CO.UK*
Barber looked ahead in more detail to the January transfer window and feels the club will head into the market in a strong position, with Chris Hughton’s know-how and the positive approach from Tony Bloom.
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“We’re fortunate enough to have a chairman that will support us to strengthen from a position of strength. Chris will only tell us what he wants if he feels there is a genuine opportunity to strengthen.
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“That’s the key message for January; we’ll strengthen if we can and where we can, but we won’t add numbers for the sake of it.
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“We’ve got a fantastic group and their strength is not just the quality, it’s about the spirit.
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“What you don’t want to do is change the dynamic that changes the spirit. That’s something that Chris, the coaching staff and the players are particularly aware of.”
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Barber also reinforced the club’s stance of not selling their best players in order to make a push for Premier League football next season.
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“There’s no point in building a squad with significant depth if you then go halfway through a season and allow that to dissipate by letting people go.
*
“We’re going to do everything possible to keep the group together as we did in the summer, to add to it where we can and need to, and where Chris says we need to.
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“Hopefully the second half of the season will be as strong as the first and we’re in the best possible position.”
Original article
Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber reflected on an impressive start to the season, and has not ruled out the possibility of bolstering the squad in January - but insists the priority will be on adding quality rather than quantity.
*
Barber praised the progress made in the first half of the campaign, but explained that there is still plenty of work to be done before the club’s ultimate ambition can be fulfilled.
*
In an exclusive interview with Seagulls Player HD, he said, “We’ve made a really strong start and only lost two games. I think we’ve played near enough all of the top sides and taken points from most of them, except for the result at St James’ Park.
*
“We’ve got a squad that’s not just strong in depth, but strong in spirit. We’ve got competition for places and managed to keep our injuries to a minimum along with our suspensions.
*
“But we also know that this is the toughest division in the world and that nothing has been achieved at this point.
*
“The fans are enjoying it and the crowds tell us that, so let’s stay strong, let’s keep supporting the team and hopefully we’ll get what we want come the end of the season.”
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Barber looked ahead in more detail to the January transfer window and feels the club will head into the market in a strong position, with Chris Hughton’s know-how and the positive approach from Tony Bloom.
*
“We’re fortunate enough to have a chairman that will support us to strengthen from a position of strength. Chris will only tell us what he wants if he feels there is a genuine opportunity to strengthen.
*
“That’s the key message for January; we’ll strengthen if we can and where we can, but we won’t add numbers for the sake of it.
*
“We’ve got a fantastic group and their strength is not just the quality, it’s about the spirit.
*
“What you don’t want to do is change the dynamic that changes the spirit. That’s something that Chris, the coaching staff and the players are particularly aware of.”
*
Barber also reinforced the club’s stance of not selling their best players in order to make a push for Premier League football next season.
*
“There’s no point in building a squad with significant depth if you then go halfway through a season and allow that to dissipate by letting people go.
*
“We’re going to do everything possible to keep the group together as we did in the summer, to add to it where we can and need to, and where Chris says we need to.
*
“Hopefully the second half of the season will be as strong as the first and we’re in the best possible position.”
Original article