[Albion] I'm happy, are you?

[birthofanorange]

Nice end to the season, could have been so much better if we had not cocked up most of December.... if only we had turned some of those draws and defeats in to wins.

I feel the same, but you have to temper those with the defeats we managed to turn into wins or draws.
Thing is, only the Champions and Arsenal lost fewer games than us all season - unthinkable not so long ago.
I count it as a Fab season.

 

[Shaktarman]

Christ almighty who do you hold responsible for our brilliant 8th place finish then? The very young, injury ravaged squad did it all by themselves?

In response to the op, yes, excellent season all things considered. What a job Fab has done considering so many injuries and a wafer thin back line. Can't wait to see what next season brings.

We really need to sort out wtf is going on with our never-ending injury crisis, though.

I think with a better manager it could have been better. Many frustrating obvious mistakes this season. The players have done well and the manager ok but I don’t rate him myself. Sorry my opinion is different to yours but this is a message board to voice opinions no?

 

[Shaktarman]

We won 4-1, the manager called it right.

Definitely didn’t. Not playing Mitoma from the start was plain silly. Playing no striker and playing something new was also obviously wrong first half. Once we got more attacking power we won as we should have. Just because we won 4-1 doesn’t mean the manager got it right does it - maybe it would have been 8-1 if he’d done some things different.

 

[warmleyseagull]

Yes. Happy. New manager and £193m on 9 signings (3 went out on loan) smacked of consolidation season, so to achieve over 60 points with 5th most GS and the team with most scorers is impressive.

There always has to be a ‘but’ and mine is the ‘4 point’ but. Never mind 2/6 wins against bottom 3, it is THOSE games at Leicester and home to Wolves that have cost us, plus the 7-0, which was a FH aberration. Had that been 4-0 (still a thrashing) and we hadn’t thrown away 4 points, would finish above Forest. Every team will have its ‘if onlys’ of course, but end of the day we could have done 7th.

 

[dazzer6666]

Yep

 

[warmleyseagull]

Definitely didn’t. Not playing Mitoma from the start was plain silly. Playing no striker and playing something new was also obviously wrong first half. Once we got more attacking power we won as we should have. Just because we won 4-1 doesn’t mean the manager got it right does it - maybe it would have been 8-1 if he’d done some things different.

I guess it is sign of where we are now compared to anything in the club’s history that winning 4-1 at a traditional top 6 club is deemed unsatisfactory. I don’t like the term ‘entitlement’ but gotta say this comes close.

 

[jcdenton08]

Very happy indeed. Overall, we weren’t quite there for Europe obviously, but under the new gaffer with a squad busting with potential, I’m very hopeful for a strong European challenge next season.

A lot does hinge on what happens up front. We can’t rely on Dat Guy all season, Ferguson is miles off presently, and Pedro looks as good as gone. I’d very much hope we aren’t relying on a very young Greek forward who is new to the league to lead the line in Welbeck’s absence.

Another experienced striker would be my priority now Boscogli has added depth at the back.

Then it’s just the question of who goes…

 

[RandyWanger]

Be happy if we kept our key players and add where we need to push on next season

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

You’d have to be mental to be unhappy.

I’ve had some big doubts about Hurzeler at points this season but overall, he’s done a good job and can only get better for the experience. We’ve got a young and very exciting squad, good signings to come in as well as loanees to return and Tony Bloom in charge. What a club.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Definitely didn’t. Not playing Mitoma from the start was plain silly. Playing no striker and playing something new was also obviously wrong first half. Once we got more attacking power we won as we should have. Just because we won 4-1 doesn’t mean the manager got it right does it - maybe it would have been 8-1 if he’d done some things different.

We won the game with ease. He got it right. He didn’t have to do any of the things you highlight.

Games very often ebb and flow and of importance is how you ultimately prevail. It rarely works that managers always get the tactics correct from the off, react perfectly to any opposition changes, and score linearly and regularly thorough out the game.

PS Mitoma is not fully fit and is having his minutes managed. He cannot play a full game so it’s either first half or the second. As I say, the results shows he called it right.

 

[BN41Albion]

I think with a better manager it could have been better. Many frustrating obvious mistakes this season. The players have done well and the manager ok but I don’t rate him myself. Sorry my opinion is different to yours but this is a message board to voice opinions no?

Of course it's a board for different opinions, but to say brilliant season finishing 8th then immediately follow up with not happy with the manager is just laughable. Yeah he's made some mistakes but so does every manager, not to mention he's very young and in his first ever season in any top flight. He's comparatively clearly not made many mistakes looking at the league table and especially considering how few defeats we had this season. And those mistakes he did make, well its easy to say that they were obvious in hindsight, eh. I'm sure he didn't go into any game without a very clear game plan that had been worked on for days on the training ground (only to then be probably scuppered by another late injuries or two)

 

[mothy]

Very happy. A great season

 

[Bozza]

Definitely didn’t. Not playing Mitoma from the start was plain silly. Playing no striker and playing something new was also obviously wrong first half. Once we got more attacking power we won as we should have. Just because we won 4-1 doesn’t mean the manager got it right does it - maybe it would have been 8-1 if he’d done some things different.

1. Mitoma wasn't fit enough to start.

2. WE HAD NO AVAILABLE STRIKERS TODAY.

 

[BN41Albion]

Definitely didn’t. Not playing Mitoma from the start was plain silly. Playing no striker and playing something new was also obviously wrong first half. Once we got more attacking power we won as we should have. Just because we won 4-1 doesn’t mean the manager got it right does it - maybe it would have been 8-1 if he’d done some things different.

Oh man, just seen this post I shouldn't have bothered with the response above

 

[London Irish]

Do you think that, with the present squad ,we are anywhere near good enought to make any sort of impression in Europe though ?

Er I think you’ll find we beat the champions of Europe 4-1!

 

[Conkers]

Turned out to be a decent season. Probably a 7 or 8 out of 10.
Far too inconsistent, which we need to rectify if we are going to push on.

 

[Bodian]

No, simply because of the home performances against Ipswich and Southampton. Win those and we'd be in Europe.

Piss poor.

We'd have to have won them something like 2-0 and 4-1, not just 'won' them. Forest's GD (mainly thanks to the 7-0) was 5 better.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Wait just one second, folks.

I’ve just spent three hours listening to Spurs fans singing that they’re the Champions of Europe.

Originally, I laughed at this notion because, well, Spurs.

However. Given that we’ve just hammered them, it stands to reason by that we now inherit that title.

Congratulations Fabian Hürzeler and Brighton & Hove Albion: the new Champions of Europe

 

[BN41Albion]

Turned out to be a decent season. Probably a 7 or 8 out of 10.
Far too inconsistent, which we need to rectify if we are going to push on.

But more consistent than 12 other teams! we can't have been that inconsistent overall to finish 8th, and when you have an injury list like ours through most of the season with key players in and out and in and out again, FH did brilliantly well to ensure we weren't far more inconsistent

Agree though that to push on we need a little more consistency obviously, but (for once) a season not ravaged by injuries would help, and a hopefully a very young squad being all that more experienced after this season.

 

[Bodian]

Er I think you’ll find we beat the champions of Europe 4-1!

In fact we have beaten all the teams that have qualified for the Champions League other than Arsenal, and we didn't lose to them.