[Albion] Andone and Locadia

[Weststander]

When I saw the line up, I was surprisingly excited and had to pause to check. I felt that the last thing their CBs needed today was a wasp like AC buzzing around and SA looked like he had played plenty of top flight games given his performance at Newcastle.

Shipping out 'big' signings and promoting the kids was brave and a bit of a gamble. Balls of steel our Mr Potter.

Same here. I thought all along we’d lose this 1-3 or 0-3, based on their famous players.

Then on seeing our lineup, I thought why not, Potter thinks they’re ready, Spuds will NOT be expecting an Albion team with energy and a couple of relentless Craig Bellamy’s up front. (Quality striker btw)

 

[Weststander]

Graham is the manager I’ve been waiting for all my life. And I’ve said that after every game this season as it’s been so obvious how good he is right from the start. Some of the criticism from thickos on here has been ridiculous and shows how many people just follow results and not performances.

The way he’s turned a team that had all the pace, mobility and fluidity of a fat bloke running for a bus into a slick passing machine with goal threat from across the pitch in just eight games is absolutely amazing. We are witnessing a genius of a manager at work here. Enjoy it before he gets a big job.

And yes, as you say, it’s one thing having a plan and a system to allow beautiful, winning football, but it’s another to have the balls to make some of the decisions he has within weeks of getting his first PL job. Last year’s POTS - dumped. Last year’s top scorer - out. Club record signing - nowhere to be seen. Two of our three strikers from last year - banished to loan spells. If this had gone wrong he’d have looked a mug. But it shows how confident he is in his ability that he has embraced kicking out the players he knows simply aren’t good enough or won’t fit his style. He knows exactly what he wants and he doesn’t care if it’s kids, Championship players or unproven foreigners he needs to call upon to deliver it. In fact, all the better if it is as he knows they have the hunger to do it for him. The man has a vision and the guts to make it happen.

Well done to Bloom/Barber/Ashworth for having the courage to make that dramatic change.

The football writers and pundits seemingly wishing us ill Karma last May, may well not get the outcome they arrogantly envisaged.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

We can but I would trust potter to get us by no matter what. He’s here as bloom has faith in the academy and potter has faith in youth to listen to him and play with freedom. Connolly and alzate will be worth more than 35 million by the end is this season.

They are good, but....

And I expect to see a chastened Andone back here and playing in the new year. Of course, he could always go down he Kazim Richards route if he wants, but maybe he has a bit more sense. And GPot is still open to the idea or a return.

Anyway, we had a good win against Spuds today and have another game soon. This is what it's like in the PL. At some point, hopefully, we may get used to it . . . .

 

[*Gullsworth*]

Graham is the manager I’ve been waiting for all my life. And I’ve said that after every game this season as it’s been so obvious how good he is right from the start. Some of the criticism from thickos on here has been ridiculous and shows how many people just follow results and not performances.

The way he’s turned a team that had all the pace, mobility and fluidity of a fat bloke running for a bus into a slick passing machine with goal threat from across the pitch in just eight games is absolutely amazing. We are witnessing a genius of a manager at work here. Enjoy it before he gets a big job.

And yes, as you say, it’s one thing having a plan and a system to allow beautiful, winning football, but it’s another to have the balls to make some of the decisions he has within weeks of getting his first PL job. Last year’s POTS - dumped. Last year’s top scorer - out. Club record signing - nowhere to be seen. Two of our three strikers from last year - banished to loan spells. If this had gone wrong he’d have looked a mug. But it shows how confident he is in his ability that he has embraced kicking out the players he knows simply aren’t good enough or won’t fit his style. He knows exactly what he wants and he doesn’t care if it’s kids, Championship players or unproven foreigners he needs to call upon to deliver it. In fact, all the better if it is as he knows they have the hunger to do it for him. The man has a vision and the guts to make it happen.

Agree100% CB he has backed his ability and he is doing a great job so far. Yes it could have all gone belly UP very quickly and to replace a very popular manager in Chris Hughton he had a hell of a job to win some fans over, I admit I had my doubts, didn't many of us?
Refreshing we have a new manager with news ideas, confidence in the youth set up and prima donnas need not apply attitude. It may still go wrong but at least CH wasn't replaced by one of the usual suspects that haunt the manager merry go round. Very refreshing and exciting.

 

[Weststander]

The only thing Bloom did wrong was not dumping Hughton earlier. Since then he’s behaved like the born winner he is.

In fact, talking of Hughton I hope he watched the game today and it finally dawned on him why we sacked him. He can forget his “shock and disappointment” at that meeting in May, this shows just how far he ran our club into the ground and how it was allowed to go on far too long. Thank god we’ve got a Premier League manager now.

CH did a more than decent job on a PL bottom 3 player budget. He kept TB’s beloved Albion at the financial top table for 2 more seasons.

But we were clearly going backwards.

Any earlier and would Potter have been available?

Happy days for us

 

[Simster]

The only thing Bloom did wrong was not dumping Hughton earlier. Since then he’s behaved like the born winner he is.

In fact, talking of Hughton I hope he watched the game today and it finally dawned on him why we sacked him. He can forget his “shock and disappointment” at that meeting in May, this shows just how far he ran our club into the ground and how it was allowed to go on far too long. Thank god we’ve got a Premier League manager now.

Come on, wind in the anti Hughton rhetoric a bit. He didn't "run this club into the ground", he is simply guilty of making the team curl up into a ball when the going got tough and having no plan for reversing the decline in fortunes.

He needed to go because he had taken us as far as he could. No shame in that.

 

[Thompson720]

Graham is the manager I’ve been waiting for all my life. And I’ve said that after every game this season as it’s been so obvious how good he is right from the start. Some of the criticism from thickos on here has been ridiculous and shows how many people just follow results and not performances.

The way he’s turned a team that had all the pace, mobility and fluidity of a fat bloke running for a bus into a slick passing machine with goal threat from across the pitch in just eight games is absolutely amazing. We are witnessing a genius of a manager at work here. Enjoy it before he gets a big job.

And yes, as you say, it’s one thing having a plan and a system to allow beautiful, winning football, but it’s another to have the balls to make some of the decisions he has within weeks of getting his first PL job. Last year’s POTS - dumped. Last year’s top scorer - out. Club record signing - nowhere to be seen. Two of our three strikers from last year - banished to loan spells. If this had gone wrong he’d have looked a mug. But it shows how confident he is in his ability that he has embraced kicking out the players he knows simply aren’t good enough or won’t fit his style. He knows exactly what he wants and he doesn’t care if it’s kids, Championship players or unproven foreigners he needs to call upon to deliver it. In fact, all the better if it is as he knows they have the hunger to do it for him. The man has a vision and the guts to make it happen.

I think more than anything, I'm happy for Tony Bloom. Don't quote me on this at all, but the money he has invested into near enough everything to do with the club, I felt today his choices back in the summer are justified and along with the new signings too, we go onto the next one!

"We want our celery, we want our celery" - Withdean J Block

 

[keaton]

The only thing Bloom did wrong was not dumping Hughton earlier. Since then he’s behaved like the born winner he is.

In fact, talking of Hughton I hope he watched the game today and it finally dawned on him why we sacked him. He can forget his “shock and disappointment” at that meeting in May, this shows just how far he ran our club into the ground and how it was allowed to go on far too long. Thank god we’ve got a Premier League manager now.

Ran our club to the ground. Behave. People who know a bit of our history should understand how ridiculous that is

 

[Bry Nylon]

Don't quote me on this at all, but the money he has invested into near enough everything to do with the club, I felt today his choices back in the summer are justified and along with the new signings too, we go onto the next one!

Don't worry. I won't quote you.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

The only thing Bloom did wrong was not dumping Hughton earlier. Since then he’s behaved like the born winner he is.

In fact, talking of Hughton I hope he watched the game today and it finally dawned on him why we sacked him. He can forget his “shock and disappointment” at that meeting in May, this shows just how far he ran our club into the ground and how it was allowed to go on far too long. Thank god we’ve got a Premier League manager now.

*puts on incredulous voice*

"shows just how far he ran our club into the ground"
? ? ?

Blimey! Time for a change, no doubt, great appointment of potter, no doubt, but I think we can cool it with the hyperbole on Chris.

 

[Weststander]

Don't worry. I won't quote you.

Not even at your next Albion Board Meeting?

 

[Frankworthington]

Someone(not Hughton) should have received their P45 because of these two.

Two of the worse signings of the AMEX era.

I hope neither kick a ball for the club again.

 

[Weststander]

The only reason I don’t agree with [MENTION=26802]martin tyler[/MENTION] is that I think he’s underestimating their value. He says £35m for the pair, I say double it at least.

Connolly was born to score goals. You don’t see kids play with his confidence and ability very often. He’s going to one of the top clubs for £50m at some point. He’s that good. His movement is unreal. Even the first goal, which some people are saying is effectively a tap in, was created by him getting across the defender and producing a really instinctive flick at goal that was too fast to hold. You can’t teach that. He did something similar in the second half when the ball came across the box behind him and he flicked it on to create a chance for someone else. And the second goal - mind blowing for a 19 year old to do that in his first ever start. Locadia, Murray, Andone, Hemed and every other striker we’ve tried in the PL could have 100 attempts each at that chance and not score once.

Agree totally, Connolly is destined to gave a fantastic football career. At just 19, we’re luckily witnessing the very beginning of his senior career.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The only reason I don’t agree with [MENTION=26802]martin tyler[/MENTION] is that I think he’s underestimating their value. He says £35m for the pair, I say double it at least.

Connolly was born to score goals. You don’t see kids play with his confidence and ability very often. He’s going to one of the top clubs for £50m at some point. He’s that good. His movement is unreal. Even the first goal, which some people are saying is effectively a tap in, was created by him getting across the defender and producing a really instinctive flick at goal that was too fast to hold. You can’t teach that. He did something similar in the second half when the ball came across the box behind him and he flicked it on to create a chance for someone else. And the second goal - mind blowing for a 19 year old to do that in his first ever start. Locadia, Murray, Andone, Hemed and every other striker we’ve tried in the PL could have 100 attempts each at that chance and not score once.

I admire your vim.

 

[Weststander]

Someone(not Hughton) should have received their P45 because of these two.

Two of the worse signings of the AMEX era.

I hope neither kick a ball for the club again.

Andone at £6m was worth a punt. Repaid partly by THE greatest Albion goal I’ve seen, in context.

Turned out he was a shit in the camp, so damage limitation, we got rid. Little harm done.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

CH got us a base in the PL but no one will convince me that the style of play today was anywhere near his agenda.