Oscar Garcia - Is he what we hoped he would be?

[brightonmark1234]

i feel we make it so easy for other teams to set up against us

 

[Billy the Fish]

I can't be arsed to pick through all of the OP's points, some I agree with and some are a load of sh*t. This is the problem with a lot of the more negative posters on NSC, they set their stall out in such a way that it's impossible for them to present an objective opinion on any aspect of the club without tainting it with overly personal comments.

Yes the football has been dull at times, but this is has become a difficult team to beat which is why we're a top 10 side. We've been crap the last two games but taken 4 points from them. If they can just get it right in the final 3rd of the pitch we'll be near the top, it remains to be seen whether Oscar and Nnathan can do that but the fact is Tony has chosen our path and we need to give them a chance to prove it one way or the other.

If we're still paying like this at the same point next season then I'll be a bit more sympathetic to the OP's views. As it is I thin the OP is being unrealistic with his expectations, too quick to criticise and unwilling to look for the positives.

 

[kevtherev]

To be fair, when he joined, we didn't know Oscar from Adam. The main lure was patently his Barca connections. Oh, and his Israeli premiership credentials, irrespective of what they were actually worth. Still glad we took a punt on a foreign manager who talked an attacking game, rather than take the rubbish option of appointing a Big Sam or Colin wanker or 'arry or Pardew or Steve Bruce or Dave Jones or Mark Hughes or any or the other life members of the English Manager serial losers Club. Oscar might transpire not to be the real deal, but fair play to the club for not pursuing the safe insipid option.

Them managers you mention in the serial losers club, must have over 16 promotions between them. Surprised you didn't add Pullis to that list who took Stoke from Div 1, to good know how many years in the prem and is now performing miracle's up the road since he took over. He's another serial loser you forgot to mention. Bruce, Pardew and Fat Sam are all doing really crap as well atm. Rather have someone with no experience what so ever of this league and what required to get out of it.

 

[Rookie]

edit: Wrong quote

 

[Billy the Fish]

Incidentally I thought Reading yesterday had very similar problems to us on the pitch - they keep the ball really well but looked lost when they got near the box. Interesting that we're both in a similar position, a case of beating the shit teams but not good enough to break down those with a solid defence perhaps.

 

[martin tyler]

He has not set the world alight as of yet. However he is also not doing to bad. We are still in with a shout of the playoffs. This is his 1st year in England and i am sure he is learning as well. I would judge his time here next May. We will see then whether its been a success of not. I for one will think it would have been.

 

[Rookie]

Nowhere in that article do you mention our chronic injury crisis this season which is as bad as I have ever known. CMS, Hoskins, Crofts, Bridcutt and Orlandi just for starters. The reason we have 3 wingers on the bench is because none of them can last a whole game; March is coming back from injury, Lua Lua can't complete a 90, Buckley can barely complete 45. Ince played yesterday with an injury, Stephens, Orlandi (again), Andrews, Ulloa, Bruno, Ward - all playing or not playing to a greater or lesser degree with injuries. I would argue that OG has worked MIRACLES to get us where we are. If you haven't got the (fit) players to be exciting then make your team hard to beat and then hopefully if and when we have a fully or nearly fully fit squad we can give it a go. There is no point playing an exciting formation if you haven't got the fit players who can do it and, for me, it shows the sign of an EXCELLENT manager that he has thought this situation through and is potentially curbing his natural attacking instinct in order to get us enough points to keep us in contention.

Concise and to the point. Did have a giggle at the opening post though, god help us if we were bottom of the league

 

[LamieRobertson]

I wonder if the sentiments in the OP would be the same if we had spanked Reading by 3 or so goals.

To be fair to the poster I reckon he would have..he has very clear opinions

 

[kevo]

Firstly I quite like Oscar. I meet him a couple of times, and he seems a humble pleasant sort of bloke. I ****ing hated Gus Poyet with a passion and wanted him out long before most others, but have to admit I'd rather him in charge than this gormless pair we have at the moment.

Interesting that you despised Poyet and wanted him out yet have no time for Garcia either (normally people on here are either in one camp or the other). Who would you like to see manage the club? And which previous Albion managers did you like and think did a good job?

Why did you hate Poyet so much, given that for any faults you may think he had (ego, big mouth, touting himself to other teams, etc), he is obviously a very good and very passionate manager?

I think Poyet was our best manager for decades and was gutted when he left, but I also like Garcia and I think he's doing OK. Gets a 'B-' from me.

Three things strike me though:

1) Every press interview you read takes the same angle 'Brighton playing the Barcelona way'. We're not. The football under Gus was much more based on keeping possession and passing the ball around with flair. I'm not sure why OG has changed it (if it ain't broke, etc). For everyone who moaned that football under Gus was boring, it wasn't - it was fantastic to watch us out-class other teams with the style of our passing football. If anything, I think it's more boring under Oscar - certainly, more ugly.

2) OG said when he started that his 'instinct always is to attack'. Yet where is the evidence for this? Why did we start with Buckley, March and LuaLua ALL on the bench yesterday, for example? It was a home game we needed to win!

3) Acquisition of players. Perhaps we were spoiled under Poyet, who brought in the likes of Kuszack, Ulloa, Vicente, Upson, Bridge, Orlandi and David (the latter two, incidentally, seemed to perform much better for Gus than they do for Oscar.). Almost everyone we've brought in has been of mediocre Championship standard or below - although hopefully Lingard will prove a lot better.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Right it's a epic thread so if you have an attention span of a 2 year old, and what you post a one word reply calling me a ****, at least be original, I look forward to them. Anyone what to have a serious debate and prove me wrong, then I look forward to it! I could have posted it after the Watford game that saw us lose three on the bounce, but then I would have got ,tut only posting 'cause we lost, so whilst I know we haven't lost for a couple of games, try and look below the surface people!!!

Week after week we see negative shit from Brighton. I post this after 4 points from 6 games, although worth noting in those games we mustered two whole shots on target (one of which was a penalty).

Firstly I quite like Oscar. I meet him a couple of times, and he seems a humble pleasant sort of bloke. I ****ing hated Gus Poyet with a passion and wanted him out long before most others, but have to admit I'd rather him in charge than this gormless pair we have at the moment. Oscar Garica has to be the most under achiving manager I can recall at the Albion in 40 years supporting them. Absolutely ****ing clueless the pair off them.

Before anyone picks me up on that, I do not recall a manager getting so little out of a group of players. Sure we've had worst managers in terms of league position and results and performances in the past, but they had shit squads to work with. Garica has a good squad, a very good squad for this division, yet seems to bring the worst out in them week after week.

Ullah is painfully uninterested in playing as a lone target man, and who can blame him, and looking at Kuszazks body language and it tells you he aint sticking around next season for this shit.

Reading are a team on the slide, and we do not manage ONE SHOT on target at home. Did their keeper actually use his hands other to the place the ball for a goal kick?

Its not a one off, or a bad patch we are going through. It's week after week after week. It is so painful to watch.

And he has the gumption to comment on the radio and think we may have won it!!! What world does he live in!!

Oscar manage the ****ing team.. PLEASE... Pick a system that works for our players. Your system does not work. One goal a game is not good enough.

Why have THREE WINGERS on the bench? What was that all about? Three wingers on the bench, but none from the start?? Someone explain that to me!

Watch Garica against QPR Tuesday. I sit right behind him and not once did he interact with the team. Hardly ever does. Plenty to say to his little "yes man" next to him, but all he does is pace up and down the whole game , hands in pockets without any interaction with the team. He just stands and watches the game hunched with his hands in his pockets. Not exactly motivating for the side is it!! I noticed Kuszczak hold him arms aloft after Greer got sent off, as though to say, "what the **** we doing". The players get no, or very little direction from the bench during a game.

Results and league position is not what is going to drive fans away from the Amex. Its the lack of entertainment, boring football and Oscars style of play that will cause much more damage to attendances and season ticket renewals than league position. I am trying to convince my group of 5 to renew their season tickets next year. Didn't have much chance after watching that type of performance again! Yet, remarkablely we find ourselves 2 points outside the play offs and still in touch, yet this should no gloss over the fact we should be up there and running away with Burnley at the moment.

But once again yesterday, the crowd turned on the referee who despite having a piss poor game, got the Gordon Greer 2nd booking spot on. But lets all blame him, instead of looking at the main cause of the problem.... which is Oscar Garica and his brand of negative football.

I honestly believe we have a squad that is good enough. The only loss to that group of players over last season IMO is Bridcutt. Wayne Bridge was struggling at the end of last season, and with hindsight Ward is the much better option of the two.

All this talk of a striker crisis is rubbish. We only play with one Ulloa, and check your programmes people, when he was out injured, we seemed to have our most entertaining period and best in results terms as well. Is that because Barnes was better than Leo....... I think not. So why when Leos playing do we struggle to score goals. I agree with most on here who will say he's one of the best strikers we've ever had, certainly in recent times, so why do we struggle to score when he plays. Answer - tactics, style of play. It is not suited to him, just as it isn't suited to the squad, and that is the moan. CMS and Hoskins would have made the same different as Leroy Lita, none, because Oscar will sit them on the bench.

All I want is a Brighton manager to drop this formation and style, and look at his squad and pick the best side, and pick a formation that best suit those players. What I do not want to a manager who picks the best players to suit a formation, when that formation is too much for those players to perform, which I think our current one is. That is not having a pop at the squad, because as I said before I believe this is one of the strongest squads in the division, but they nor for that matter, sides outside the top 6 in the premiership are good enough to play Oscar's "Barcelona way" and scoring one goal a game, and with not many more shots on target a game, I believe goes some way to proving that. If the day ever comes that our squad is best suited to the current style, then I look forward to seeing it. But that day is a long long way away I'm afraid.

Some may say they are enjoying the football at the moment. Fair play if you do. Personally though I'd rather see us win games and be chasing an automatic promotion place, then scrap for the final play off spot, which I believe we will fall well short off in the end. Rather than play pretty tippy tappy football around the halfway line (which at times I fully admit is stunning), and register one or two attempts on target during 90 minutes, I'd rather see us attack the other goal more! If the Football League ever change the league tables, so that the points column or even the goal different column is changed for a possession column, I might change my view, but for now I think we are one of the most underachieving sides in the division, and certainly one of the most underachieving Albion squads I can recall

Here's looking forward to our ONE goal against QPR on Tuesday (thats if we manage a shot on target). Let's hope they don't score any and we may be okay!! If not we can always blame the ref and Harry Redknapp!

Rant over! Look foward to ignoring the usual idiots who are bound to come along, but do look forward to a decent debate with someone who completely disagrees with that.

Totally agree. Doesn't get the best from the squad we have at all. We made a very out of sorts Reading look good yesterday and it took a red card to actually lift our players and an own goal to get us a point (Reading were always going to score at some point, we were blocking shots and defending in numbers in both halves before the red).

Going to be an interesting summer, cant see us offering some of our better paid players the same deals they are on now based on our strict adherence to FFP. Going to be interesting to see who we can attract and bring in.

 

[glasfryn]

Concise and to the point. Did have a giggle at the opening post though, god help us if we were bottom of the league

a few things
1) you would not be able to get on NSC as the binfest would be so big
2) if you could by some chance get on the site would keep dropping out
3) most on here would be palarse goading

 

[Footsoldier]

Going to be an interesting summer, cant see us offering some of our better paid players the same deals they are on now based on our strict adherence to FFP. Going to be interesting to see who we can attract and bring in.

It's not going to be interesting at all as we're going to lose our best players.

Kooshack will leave.
Buckley will be gone.
Ulloa will be gone.
Ward will be gone.
Upson? Probably.

The vultures will descend on us.

 

[mona]

Mike Bailey is alive and well and managing at the Amex.

 

[BensGrandad]

I do not understand all this critiscm of Oscar and our tactics. I like our style of play of trying to keep possession and patience looking for an opening. The only dissappointment for me is our final ball into the box and taking some ov thd nj erous chsnces we create but as the players get used to it we as a team will get better. I am certain that if Oscar thinks the players we have cant do it, during the next few months he will bring in players that he thinks can.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

It's not going to be interesting at all as we're going to lose our best players.

Kooshack will leave.
Buckley will be gone.
Ulloa will be gone.
Ward will be gone.
Upson? Probably.

The vultures will descend on us.

That's the worry, our defence needs an over hall as they are rapidly ageing as well.

This and last season were our big opportunity to get promoted and cant see it happening this season at all. We are going to be sticking to FFP which means less than £8m loss this season, £5m the season after and then £3m. With the high overheads the club seemly have and a very expensive facility about to open in the summer I do fear the wage and player budget is going to really suffer.

Personally I think a more well known manager with championship experience would have been a better to route to go in last summer. someone who could have hit the ground running and motivated the players to continue to push on.

Nice chap Oscar not sure he is right for the championship.

 

[Deadly Danson]

I would also add that OG has had nowhere near the backing Poyet had in the transfer market and I also have it, on pretty good authority, that (I suppose I should add allegedly) he's not overly amused by this and was less than impressed when Barber stated he had a slightly bigger budget to play with. That's not a criticism of the board by the way - it is what it is but again if you add a crippling injury list to a potentially weaker playing budget then he's doing perfectly fine.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

I do not understand all this critiscm of Oscar and our tactics. I like our style of play of trying to keep possession and patience looking for an opening. The only dissappointment for me is our final ball into the box and taking some ov thd nj erous chsnces we create but as the players get used to it we as a team will get better. I am certain that if Oscar thinks the players we have cant do it, during the next few months he will bring in players that he thinks can.

I don't think I have seen any team play at the Amex this season that does not try to play football, our big problem is that our midfield does not get forward quickly enough or en masse enough to put the opposing teams under pressure or to give more clear cut .options in the final third.

It's very one paced and predictable and the team lacks leadership and drive both on and off the pitch.

We never set up to win just not lose, that will not get us out of this division.

 

[LamieRobertson]

That's the worry, our defence needs an overhaul as they are rapidly ageing as well.

This and last season were our big opportunity to get promoted and cant see it happening this season at all. We are going to be sticking to FFP which means less than £8m loss this season, £5m the season after and then £3m. With the high overheads the club seemly have and a very expensive facility about to open in the summer I do fear the wage and player budget is going to really suffer.

Personally I think a more well known manager with championship experience would have been a better to route to go in last summer. someone who could have hit the ground running and motivated the players to continue to push on.

Nice chap Oscar not sure he is right for the championship.

you might not have to worry...Ward is only on loan...Tom is out of contract and i think Upson only signed a one year deal...although i may be wrong

 

[kevtherev]

It's not going to be interesting at all as we're going to lose our best players.

Kooshack will leave.
Buckley will be gone.
Ulloa will be gone.
Ward will be gone.
Upson? Probably.

The vultures will descend on us.

You can add Andrews, Lopez and Orlandi to that list. Although to be fair Orlandi won't be missed as he has contributed nothing this season anyway. I suppose the same could be said for Lopez but at least he is not always crocked.

 

[symyjym]

Couldn't be happier with Oscar and even when we don't play well the opposition still struggle to play against us.

The lack goals is more down to the players composure and confidence, but you know what they say about buses.