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[Albion] Great read, where do you stand on the subject?









Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Jul 23, 2003
33,822
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade

It's an oversimplistic article. Izquierdo has been injured most of the season. Andone arrived injured and Murray was in decent form when he finally recovered. Then, as Murray declined, he managed to get himself banned for three games. Propper has been more or less ever present when fit, Montoya and Bruno have traded the shirt and are really horses for different courses given their respective strengths and weaknesses. Burn and Balogun were bought as back up. On their day Duffy and Dunk are one of the best pairings in the league and this was certainly the case pre-Christmas. Ditto the two keepers were always back up. A new signing at the start of last season (Gross) is keeping out a new signing from the start of this season (Bissouma) though I personally hope that's about to change.

There are areas where we have bought poorly. Locadia is just not good enough. Ali J has shown very little (though, again, there was an injury issue). These two have been a massive dissapointment so far. The constant selection of Bong in place of Bernardo is absolutely baffling. It makes zero sense to me.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that injuries and suspensions seem to be ending at about the same time (and the new one we picked up is Gross, out of form and hopefully replaced by Bissouma). We could go out on Saturday with genuine pace and excitement. Bissouma in the middle. Bernardo at LB. A front three of Andone, Knockaert and izquierdo (though, of course, March will predictably play instead). If we fail to use these sorts of players when the old guard are failing then the writer will have a point. But, right now, not only does the article ignore injuries, it ignores the fact that many of these signings were only ever signed as back up.
 


Knocky's Nose

Mon nez est en Valenciennes..
May 7, 2017
4,133
Eastbourne
Decent article.

I can't help but imagine a big supercomputer in Tony Bloom's office chugging on stats all year, then coughing out the odd ticket "deli counter style" with a players name on it whom we need to buy...

CH nods, thinking "the more the merrier, it gives me options" - and Tony Bloom further thinks his algorithms are the way forward.

Unless you're spending £100m+ I doubt any player is a nailed-on success. There are so many variables, all happening at once. You can get very lucky, or very unlucky.

Getting the very best out of a player seems to be about man management these days (after you've identified they're clearly talented, of course) - so is CH doing that properly, or has he just been unlucky?
 






Napper

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2003
23,858
Sussex
There are areas where we have bought poorly. Locadia is just not good enough. Ali J has shown very little (though, again, there was an injury issue). These two have been a massive dissapointment so far. The constant selection of Bong in place of Bernardo is absolutely baffling. It makes zero sense to me.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that injuries and suspensions seem to be ending at about the same time (and the new one we picked up is Gross, out of form and hopefully replaced by Bissouma). We could go out on Saturday with genuine pace and excitement. Bissouma in the middle. Bernardo at LB. A front three of Andone, Knockaert and izquierdo (though, of course, March will predictably play instead). If we fail to use these sorts of players when the old guard are failing then the writer will have a point. But, right now, not only does the article ignore injuries, it ignores the fact that many of these signings were only ever signed as back up.

cant argue with any of that.
 


Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,766
Herts
"...the failure to integrate new players despite having bought plenty of them leads us to one of two conclusions: either Brighton are identifying and purchasing good players but Hughton refuses to play them, or they are spending a lot of money buying players who are worse than the ones they already have."

Can't see TB allowing the former in the long run. I'm plumping for the latter.

To some extent we know this; the last summer recruitment window was more about increasing squad depth than improving the first 11 - and I think that if that was the goal, it has succeeded. However, the first 11 seems, on current form, to be only just about capable of keeping us up. At some point, we have to improve the first 11. Don't we?
 




Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
23,714
GOSBTS
Confused, is Winstanley no good any more then ?
 


Badger

NOT the Honey Badger
NSC Patreon
May 8, 2007
12,750
Toronto
The constant selection of Bong in place of Bernardo is absolutely baffling. It makes zero sense to me.

This is the one thing I can't understand. Bong seems to be getting worse every time he plays. Some of his passing last night was absolutely woeful and I worry every time the opposition are attacking down his side.

Bernardo has looked very capable every time he's played.
 


B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,162
Shoreham Beaaaach
Ignores the fact that many of these signings were only ever signed as back up.

Is that not the point. We are supposed to be improving the squad, not getting players as back up to what we have, if we want to kick on and be a mid table club
 




MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,689
It's an oversimplistic article. Izquierdo has been injured most of the season. Andone arrived injured and Murray was in decent form when he finally recovered. Then, as Murray declined, he managed to get himself banned for three games. Propper has been more or less ever present when fit, Montoya and Bruno have traded the shirt and are really horses for different courses given their respective strengths and weaknesses. Burn and Balogun were bought as back up. On their day Duffy and Dunk are one of the best pairings in the league and this was certainly the case pre-Christmas. Ditto the two keepers were always back up. A new signing at the start of last season (Gross) is keeping out a new signing from the start of this season (Bissouma) though I personally hope that's about to change.

There are areas where we have bought poorly. Locadia is just not good enough. Ali J has shown very little (though, again, there was an injury issue). These two have been a massive dissapointment so far. The constant selection of Bong in place of Bernardo is absolutely baffling. It makes zero sense to me.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that injuries and suspensions seem to be ending at about the same time (and the new one we picked up is Gross, out of form and hopefully replaced by Bissouma). We could go out on Saturday with genuine pace and excitement. Bissouma in the middle. Bernardo at LB. A front three of Andone, Knockaert and izquierdo (though, of course, March will predictably play instead). If we fail to use these sorts of players when the old guard are failing then the writer will have a point. But, right now, not only does the article ignore injuries, it ignores the fact that many of these signings were only ever signed as back up.

Yep precisely.
 


blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
So when you break it down

Izquierdo = Been injured pretty much all season. First choice last season
Jahan = Been injured on International duty pretty much all season
Bernardo = Been first choice for approx. half the time he’s been fit
Locadia = Mostly been fit. Hasn’t shown he’s better than existing options
Bissouma = Has been fit. Most fans would have played him more than he has been playing
Burn, Balogun Button, Steele = Bought in as cover.

….. the article is statistically accurate, but from Bissouma and maybe Bernardo, for the most part misleading
 






Javeaseagull

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2014
2,477
What a load of bollox!
"Where Brighton fans might have more of an issue is that they have completely failed to improve their squad this season, despite a huge number of recruits at considerable expense"
The squad is far superior to last season where we were lucky with injuries and suspensons. That luck ran out this season.
This is just shit stirring. Is he Palace?
 


Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
10,872
Crawley
Fails to take account of a few players like Tau, who went straight out on loan, Burn who was loaned back and has in effect only just come to us, Billy Arce, on loan, Mac Allister on loan, I doubt Hughton has met 3 of them and they are not here to be picked.
It makes no mention that 2 centre backs have been acquired that were not expected to displace the two established, two Keepers not expected to displace Matt Ryan.
As far as I am concerned, Suttner and Schelotto are the only two that have not worked out at all, and I am not quite sure why Schellotto hasn't, perhaps he failed the dickhead rule.
So 3 who we signed but not got here yet.
1 who has recently arrived.
4 that were expected to be cover from day 1 and not be put straight into the first team
2 that have not worked out.
I am not too perturbed by that, we had a good enough first 11 last season, but had a weak bench, now we are not too concerned if we have to swap a player round because the squad has been improved.
We have improved the squad massively, but perhaps not so much the starting 11 would be a fairer article, and I think if Andone had not been injured at the start and Ali J stayed fit, we would have seen more of them in the starting 11.
 




Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
69,888
So when you break it down

Izquierdo = Been injured pretty much all season. First choice last season
Jahan = Been injured on International duty pretty much all season
Bernardo = Been first choice for approx. half the time he’s been fit
Locadia = Mostly been fit. Hasn’t shown he’s better than existing options
Bissouma = Has been fit. Most fans would have played him more than he has been playing
Burn, Balogun Button, Steele = Bought in as cover.

….. the article is statistically accurate, but from Bissouma and maybe Bernardo, for the most part misleading

None of these are what is required to upgrade to an established PL club. Winstanley OUT!
 




Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
10,872
Crawley
Is that not the point. We are supposed to be improving the squad, not getting players as back up to what we have, if we want to kick on and be a mid table club

I assume you accept that the squad needs 4 centre backs and 3 Keepers, so good luck finding 2 better centre backs than Dunk and Duffy and 2 better keepers than Ryan, willing to relocate and play for Brighton on the low end of Premier League wages. As it happens, I think Burn is on a par with Dunk and Duffy, but not going to shift them easily.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
I am happy with the way we are chugging along. We are in a bad run of results but we are playing better football which is leaving us open to conceding.Not scoring has been our biggest problem imo but we now have good cover in all positions, although the jury is still out on the quality of the forwards. IF we can stay up I think we'll kick on next season buying players to improve the squad rather than getting backups which we had to do imo.

Staying up is everything and I am starting to think that we will but we have made it very hard for ourselves and we could easily still go down if the improvement in results doesn't happen very quickly.

I never expected this season to be easy and we flattered to deceive early season.
 



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