Brighton & Hove Albion vs Milton Keynes Dons *** Official Match Thread ***

[GT49er]

Awful wasn't it ?

No, it wasn't awful, but it was a valid point. It's great to be where we are, and all the lads have done great, and Hughton's doing a brilliant job making the very best out of what he's got (which, to be fair, isn't at all bad). But it still doesn't FEEL as if we're one of the big shots in the league when every match is a nail biting last ten/twenty/thirty minutes wondering if we can hold on and scrape a win, or hold on and not concede a late winner to the other team. Yes, we're up there and going great guns, but it doesn't FEEL like it.

 

[dazzer6666]

No, it wasn't awful, but it was a valid point. It's great to be where we are, and all the lads have done great, and Hughton's doing a brilliant job making the very best out of what he's got (which, to be fair, isn't at all bad). But it still doesn't FEEL as if we're one of the big shots in the league when every match is a nail biting last ten/twenty/thirty minutes wondering if we can hold on and scrape a win, or hold on and not concede a late winner to the other team. Yes, we're up there and going great guns, but it doesn't FEEL like it.

Going to be brilliant once we start playing well......

 

[GT49er]

So what, they've let in more too.

Then what exactly is the point of saying 'Even Rotherham scored as many as we did!'?

It's just unnecessary moaning as far as I can tell. S58 complaining that we're not good enough to put MKD away (we don't have to put them away, we just need the 3 points), and saying that Reading and Sheff Wed aren't that good and our last two draws weren't good enough - which is just ridiculous.

So which fans can say their team does FEEL good enough? We haven't lost a single game, while everyone except us had lost at least two.

No one claimed we're world beaters, we're just getting on with things and it's going well. You seem to claim you're agreeing with that, but if so, what exactly is there to moan about?

Not going to get into a point by point argument with you. Just one thing, though. You said, "So which fans can say their team does FEEL good enough?"

Frankly, I've no idea. I didn't say I had. I just said it was how I felt. And, I never said about how the team felt - I said about how I felt. Me. Personally. Normally I would be excited about being second in the league after 16 matches, and unbeaten (and yes, I am) - but because all those matches have been nail-biters for the last gawd knows how many minutes, as we've either scraped a one goal win or held on desperately for a draw, I don't feel the elation I would normally expect to feel given our current position. We ARE top of the league (well, nearly) but it doesn't FEEL like it. To me. If it's different for you, that's fine, but it doesn't change it for me.

 

[GT49er]

Going to be brilliant once we start playing well......

Absolutely. Playing for 90 minutes the way we played at the start today (along with converting our chances) and I will quite happily shift from being pleased to being ecstatic!

 

[Triggaaar]

I don't feel the elation I would normally expect to feel given our current position.

Well we're one of only two teams on 34 points, so I can understand if it doesn't feel like we're one of the top 2 teams, but you said didn't feel like we were one of the top teams, which is quite different. Personally I certainly feel we're one of the top teams - it's difficult not to when no one seems able to beat us.

Not many here are saying we're likely to finish top 2 without improving the team, particularly bringing in a better striker, so it's difficult to understand why some are so downbeat. Maybe you're just trying to say 'don't count your chickens, we're not the best in the division', but most of us think that anyway, we're just happy with how we're doing and not ready to write ourselves off yet.

 

[GT49er]

Well we're one of only two teams on 34 points, so I can understand if it doesn't feel like we're one of the top 2 teams, but you said didn't feel like we were one of the top teams, which is quite different. Personally I certainly feel we're one of the top teams - it's difficult not to when no one seems able to beat us.

Not many here are saying we're likely to finish top 2 without improving the team, particularly bringing in a better striker, so it's difficult to understand why some are so downbeat. Maybe you're just trying to say 'don't count your chickens, we're not the best in the division', but most of us think that anyway, we're just happy with how we're doing and not ready to write ourselves off yet.

Don't think we're that far apart - just saying it in different ways, with a chunk of misunderstanding thrown in. I'm definitely in the 'Don't count your chickens' camp - but whether we're actually one of the best in the division......I don't know yet. I do accept we're (very) hard to beat!
I've followed Albion through all their promotions (and relegations!) and they've all had their own particular 'feeling'; all great (the promotions that is, not the relegations!), but all different in their own ways. This season, my personal feeling is cautious optimism......I'll be more than happy to convert that to an adrenalin rush anytime. I'll probably post on here when that happens......!

 

[OzMike]

Can I put the perceived lack of goals in to perspective

We have scored 21 goals this season and it seems that the teams around us are banging them in left and right and at will.

Hull have scored 26
Burnley have scored 23
Middlesbrough have scored 24
Derby have scored 22
Birmingham have scored 24

So in the top six only one team has scored over three more goals then us over 16 games.

I'm not saying we don't need to strengthen, but we really really are not that bad and our goals come from all over the place, which is good because we are not at risk of an injury to a star player and it all goes tits up.

The team are doing an amazing job from the manager down. It is the Brighton way for it all to go wrong which it may do, but do try and enjoy it, because if you can't enjoy the good times what is the point.

That's a good stat and a handy reminder.
If Hemed could finish just 30% of his shots on goal, we would be streets ahead on points and goal difference.

 

[Miximate]

Absolutely. Playing for 90 minutes the way we played at the start today (along with converting our chances) and I will quite happily shift from being pleased to being ecstatic!

The problem is that you cant continue to play at that level of intensity and pace for 90 minutes, however, my concern is that we appeared to become too defensive with still over 20 minutes to go and sat far too deep on occasion just inviting a poor team to bring pressure onto our defence.

 

[Icy Gull]

No, it wasn't awful, but it was a valid point. It's great to be where we are, and all the lads have done great, and Hughton's doing a brilliant job making the very best out of what he's got (which, to be fair, isn't at all bad). But it still doesn't FEEL as if we're one of the big shots in the league when every match is a nail biting last ten/twenty/thirty minutes wondering if we can hold on and scrape a win, or hold on and not concede a late winner to the other team. Yes, we're up there and going great guns, but it doesn't FEEL like it.

The fact that our crowds are, frankly, quite disappointing given our position has a lot to do with how unconvincing we are. This is not a criticism just an observation that Albion teams need to be scoring goals AND be entertaining for the many fair weather fans to feel the urge to get themselves to the Amex. A couple of high scoring wins will see a massive uptake in tickets IMO. Anyone who was there in the Ward/ Mellor division Two and Three days will probably know what I mean. The anticipation is nowhere near as intense at the moment, even though we are doing brilliantly to be where we are. We really should be getting 30k fans in the position we are in...IMO.