Lost the passion?

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

The claims that nothing has been invested it the team don't stand up to any scrutiny.

The problem is that if you pay a million quid for a mediocre player it doesn't make him a better one.

Quality of Recruitment, not the amount spent, has been the problem.

As for the constant harping on about Barber's 'Premier League Ready' comment, it was one comment in one interview with Naylor when we were in the playoffs. It was contrasting the portakabin existence and shoestring operations at Withdean to the setup at the Amex. People have been using it as a stick to beat him with ever since..

What about Tony Blooms schmoozing of 1901ers then when he KEPT mentioning "when we are in the Premier League in 5 years time" as the Amex was being built. At least FIVE or SIX times.

Yes I know he had seats to sell but 5 years was mentioned so next year Im looking forward to AUTOMATIC promotion....

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

What about Tony Blooms schmoozing of 1901ers then when he KEPT mentioning "when we are in the Premier League in 5 years time" as the Amex was being built. At least FIVE or SIX times.

Yes I know he had seats to sell but 5 years was mentioned so next year Im looking forward to AUTOMATIC promotion....

The prospect of the 1901ers bailing out en masse is the biggest single factor in a renewed THRUST for the Premier League shirley? Club can ill-afford to lose that stream of Premier League Ready revenue.

 

[Hotchilidog]

What about Tony Blooms schmoozing of 1901ers then when he KEPT mentioning "when we are in the Premier League in 5 years time" as the Amex was being built. At least FIVE or SIX times.

Yes I know he had seats to sell but 5 years was mentioned so next year Im looking forward to AUTOMATIC promotion....

What about it? We actually came pretty close TWICE! Can't say we haven't given it a go.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

What about it? We actually came pretty close TWICE! Can't say we haven't given it a go.

Does last season actually count? We were so far off the genuine place-off pace it was embarrassing.

 

[Stato]

As far as the club is concerned right now, the jury is out in my opinion. I want to be convinced that Hyypia and Burke were the right people to have been binned off. If we recruit well in the summer, I think that'll answer the question. And please, can we NOT have this ridiculous over-reliance on loan players?

This is kind of how I feel too. I think that this thread: http://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?320975-Brighton-actually-are-a-top-5-team- has a lot to do with our issues. Hyppia wasn't sacked because, in stat terms his team were performing, the players that we signed were signed because their Optima performance levels were good, JFC was picked continuously because his personal stats were good. Bringing in Hughton, sacking Burke and changing the scouting system is a suggestion that the management have changed direction and will not be trying to manage by stats alone.

If this is the case, I think that we have the potential to move forward. As some have suggested, there are players here who could be the foundation of a successful team. The missing factor is attacking creativity. This cannot be measured by stats alone. At present all we have is Kaz and, if played as our only outlet, he is generally easy to nullify. When he played alongside the likes of Vicente and Buckley, teams didn't know who to stop. We will have to see who we plan to sign in the summer. I'm not bothered about spending loads of money, but we need to be signing players which show an attacking intent.

 

[Icy Gull]

Does last season actually count? We were so far off the genuine place-off pace it was embarrassing.

We have had one genuine attempt at getting promoted, we have not been anywhere near the standard required since and I don't imagine we will be going for it again any time soon.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

What about Tony Blooms schmoozing of 1901ers then when he KEPT mentioning "when we are in the Premier League in 5 years time" as the Amex was being built. At least FIVE or SIX times.

Yes I know he had seats to sell but 5 years was mentioned so next year Im looking forward to AUTOMATIC promotion....

The "Five Year Plan" has a habit of being revised at regular intervals... my guess would be that we are quite a way off the final year of the current "plan".

I posted a few weeks ago about betting odds related to our eventual promotion. Someone made a good case for us being significantly "odds on" to be promoted within the next five years but I'm not convinced about that.

In round numbers we could be about 9/1 for promotion each season and that would make us "evens" to do it at some point in five years...?

 

[Monkey Man]

I admit I'm running out of enthusiasm at the moment, and that process started under the Garcia regime. Not sure why so many on here seem to think the guy was such an inspirational manager. I found the football very tedious a lot of the time, it got worse under Hyppia, and these days we show no sign of knowing how to score.

But that's just the way football goes. Clubs have ups and downs. As downs go, this is a pretty small one in the context of our history. Yes, I'm a bit bored, a bit disconnected, but nobody owes me an apology or an explanation. If I want to watch a winning team packed full of star players I can go and watch Chelsea and if I want an earthier, more local football experience I can go and watch Eastbourne Borough. Brighton's good enough for me in the meantime.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Clubs have ups and downs. As downs go, this is a pretty small one in the context of our history.

Now getting a bit annoying being continually overtaken by numpty clubs while we splutter along in the slow lane tho eh?

 

[Hotchilidog]

Does last season actually count? We were so far off the genuine place-off pace it was embarrassing.

Statistically speaking I'm counting last season as a promotion shot on target, even if the shot in question was hit with all the power and danger of a back pass

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Now getting a bit annoying being continually overtaken by numpty clubs while we splutter along in the slow lane tho eh?

We drive smugly down the inside lane in our Rolls Royce, whilst a bunch of scrotes fly down the outside lane in their poxy Ford Orions.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Statistically speaking I'm counting last season as a promotion shot on target, even if the shot in question was hit with all the power and danger of a back pass

Otherwise known as a Leon Best shot.

 

[Brovion]

What about Tony Blooms schmoozing of 1901ers then when he KEPT mentioning "when we are in the Premier League in 5 years time" as the Amex was being built. At least FIVE or SIX times.

Yes I know he had seats to sell but 5 years was mentioned so next year Im looking forward to AUTOMATIC promotion....

As with 'Premier League Ready' it's one of those expressions that I bet in retrospect they wish they'd never said. It'll be denied soon.

 

[Icy Gull]

The prospect of the 1901ers bailing out en masse is the biggest single factor in a renewed THRUST for the Premier League shirley? Club can ill-afford to lose that stream of Premier League Ready revenue.

Catch 22 for Barber as he'd love to get his hands on the plum platinum seats for more Corporate Hospitality and less fans who have treated themselves after years of sitting in the rain. However how will he sell a couple of thousand seats and add ons at absolutely top dollar to local businesses looking to impress their friends/customers when we are as shit as we have been this season?

The ideal situation is promotion this season and hike the prices high enough to make plenty relinquish their seats for the first season in the Premier League where he could pretty well name his price for the big games.

If we are stuck in this division ( which I love btw) at the end of next season without having made a decent fist of getting out of the division, the club are going to have to be very careful with how long the 1901 renewals are for and how much they can get away with charging. Barber may well end up with more seats than he can do anything with if he gets it wrong...

 

[Icy Gull]

We drive smugly down the inside lane in our Rolls Royce, whilst a bunch of scrotes fly down the outside lane in their poxy Ford Orions.

That will be a Rolls with a Ford Escort engine.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

That will be a Rolls with a Ford Escort engine.

Either that or someone's hit the Economy button

 

[aolstudios]

If you had to pick one of these two -- no spin, personal responsibility, and 14th place, or spun like a top, corporate shucking-and-jiving and fifth place -- which one would you take?

I believe the spin & lack of personal responsibility are indications of the complacency that's put us in this position

 

[Hastings gull]

IMO, it's a series of knockdowns from last season. Ulloa was a huge source of positivity at the club. He had real quality, the kids wanted to be him, he had a great song, but more, he always gave 100% and looked like he really gave a shit. I can support a team with that man involved.

Seeing Oscar go bananas at Forest- that too. Despite his general demeanor, it showed us that he cared. Ignoring the fact that we got tanked by Derby. I think losing OG was a real blow to many - What's wrong with our club?

Genuine doubt starts to creep in for the first time.. (for many)

The performances under Hyypia and his general lack of personality were the biggest two "passion killers" if you ask me. We've got these crap loan players, this crap manager, this crap atmosphere and all the while the club (crap?) is carrying on churning out the PR like we're running away with the league. It all just felt a bit "we don't really know what we're doing"..

Takling so long to sack Hyypia was perhaps the first real concrete example of bad management. No ifs/buts, that was horrendous management. We were going to go down unless something was done. So now, we've got nothing to cheer about and seemingly, the men right at the top didn't even know how to do their jobs. Disbelief.

That point, I don't think the club could have done anything to piss people off more. The first half of that season could have been a long-term disaster for us. But thankfully, it looked like they realised after Hyypia left. Did Bloom play the ultimate gamble by not sacking him just to save a few quid? Maybe.

But good, understandable decisions were made from that point on. Burke gone. Chris Hughton in. That to me shows that they get it. They screwed up royally, but they get it.

So now, like it or not. CH's job is to keep us up with the pile of **** we've got playing in the stripes. We're not going to play well, we're not going to have passion. Because they're not our players and they're crap. I think CH decided he could keep us up with these players and I think he's been using this half of the season to see who will cut it and what he needs. We're trying to not lose rather than win games. Because above all, no matter how the fans feel. We MUST stay up. Prio #1. Sod everything else.

If we're sitting here midway through next season and we're still lumbered with loan signings, playing crap football and in 18th position, then I'll understand people who question Bloom and say they've had enough. But the negative feelings now are as a result of that terrible summer. We've got to wade through a river of turd for another month because somebody dropped us in it a year ago.

I think you have a point. I feel that after that dreadful first half of the season,CH 's task this year is simply to keep us up, and there was little real point in spending big in January, if what we have, whilst mediocre, is enough to keep us in this league, which I really enjoy. Summer will be interesting, because, as you say, if we still have mediocre players this time next year, it will show that the club lacks ambition. For now, we just have to get on with it for the last few games and then we can judge the club's actions in preparation for next year.

 

[glasfryn]

[/B]

I think you have a point. I feel that after that dreadful first half of the season,CH 's task this year is simply to keep us up, and there was little real point in spending big in January, if what we have, whilst mediocre, is enough to keep us in this league, which I really enjoy. Summer will be interesting, because, as you say, if we still have mediocre players this time next year, it will show that the club lacks ambition. For now, we just have to get on with it for the last few games and then we can judge the club's actions in preparation for next year.

absolutely this
its going to be a very interesting Summer

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

What about it? We actually came pretty close TWICE! Can't say we haven't given it a go.

The point is that next year is the year that it has to be delivered for Bloom to make good his promise of PL football. This season being the ****ing carcrash that it is, it looks way way off. Yet after "that" Palace game and maybe even "that" Derby game a bit of tinkering, ok ok investment would have seen automoatic promotion.

Instead we sell the family silver and replace with the top scorer in L1 and willy wave over 200k to pay to Wolves for a proven champ left back then lose him altogether.