If you were Hughton.....

[NooBHA]

Mate of mine was at a party last night and was talking to Russell Martin about Houghton,"nice bloke but limited in coaching always to negative"

Russell Martin has more faces than Big Ben. That's not his problem with CH. - Russell tried to dictate where he played and insisted that he be played at Centre Half and when CH refused he went running with training ground tales to Board Members..

Gordon Strachan said he wouldn't play for Scotland unless he was playing Centre Half for Norwich and he set about trying to achieve that by undermining everyone around him

 

[Guy Fawkes]

CMS - bought on the Amex wave of euphoria and for £1 a year
Barnes came up with us from division one
Painter on loan looking to pick up his career
Vokes also looking to move his career on
Ulloa needed a shot at English football
O'Grady cam for the money as he had just been relegated
Baldock had been there with west Ham but was languishing with Bristol Rovers as they were relegated
Colunga had an opportunity in the English game
Bent saw the writing on the wall very quickly and got out quick

A more interesting observation would have been what have the players that left us done and the answer is they have mostly prospered under different regimes, managers and style of play. This points to the fact that we have had good strikers here but successive managers have failed to realise their potential. pretty daming in my view.

So if these quality players were prepared to join us in order to improve their career, what would stop other players in a similar predicament now from joining us?

We are and will always be a stepping stone club for players.

Our fanswere used to the players we had in our dark times mainly dropping down the football pyramid after leaving us with a few exceptions but now we are able to attract a better class of player who are more likely to see us as a club which can further their career and help them move up the pyramid.

It's then bizarre that our fans are now getting annoyed with the Albion when they do progress - do they want our ex players to fail after leaving us or do they want us to only sign players on the way back down the football pyramid?

Or should we ignore that there are bigger and better placed clubs out there in this country that can attract players we want to sign or may want to sign our players because we want to think of the Albion as a bigger club than we presently are?

 

[perseus]

If we can't get any new players, we will have to get the current players playing a bit better. We can't do much about their lack of pace, but it is conceivable CH can make them run around a bit.

Instead of the oft mentioned to play to our players rather limited specialist strengths, we could play more total football which means players playing out of their comfort zones, Tex learning to tackle back, getting Lualua running into space instead of waiting for his ball to feet. Joe Bennett kicking with his right foot occasionally and every player having a bit more repertoire with their skills (which can be learned).

I would like us to get a speed merchant (CH terminology) and I like one of our central defenders to have a bit of pace.

I don't like loan players when building a team rather than shoring up a team to avoid relegation. Bournemouth do not have loan players.

I am inclined to get or delegate some existing staff as a dedicated attacking coach.

PS: Possession football and passing football. There is a difference although passing teams tend to have more possession.

 

[perseus]

I saw football before the PL. I suppose it all depends on what you define as good football really. I think things have improved as pitches have gotten better throughout all the leagues as it allows more passing and technical abilities to shine through, whereas boggy pitches allow for more physically "gifted" players to shine through. I do not like the second as much.
Also I do not deny there was great football in the 70s, as I would define it, but that is was more likely to only be found at the top ends of the top leagues. For example, do you think that Poyet's League one winning team would have been able to pass their way to the division 3 title in the 70s? I would say that pitches would simply not allow it.

The neophiliacs (new fans) do not know what dross we have had to put up with over the years! That's why I am not moaning like a Worthing Herald columnist.

Brazil 1970 was good on the eye.