Slade: It's all about Dickinson

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Glenn Murray.

It should be all about Murray, not Dickinson. We shouldn't have ever signed him, we don't need him. We should spank Murray and tell him to behave. He's a tortured genius who will fire us out of this league alongside Forster. I'm so disappointed by signing Dickinson, I'm sure he'll be great and all that jazz, but he's no Glenn Murray.

How can you say we don't need him? Much as most of us appreciate Murray's talent, who knows how long he'll still be a Brighton player? We cannot and should not keep players who don't want to play for us - period. IMO, Forster is still our best striker, but who knows how many games he can play next year? And Davies and Hart are probably not going to be prolific. We'll only know whether Dickinson is a good signing a few weeks into the season.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Don't get me wrong, ignoring the other players in our squad then Liam Dickinson individually is a very good signing I'm sure, I've no doubt he'll prove to be a good player for us. But I think that considering we have Davies, Forster, Hart and Murray (who might go, he might not.. he's still here at the moment so he has to be counted), another striker wasn't strictly neccessary and considering that Murray is indeed still here, it makes the squad unbalanced and poses the question, what role does Gary Hart have this season? He was KEY to our survival, and was kept on for a reason but I do worry for him because being considered a utility man again would be a massive step backwards for him, it wouldn't suprise me if he went out on loan. Especially if Murray isn't sold.

All that said, a deal to sell Murray might be at an advanced stage for all I know, but I only speak about the squad in its current state, not what might happen somewhere down the line, and right now I don't really see Dickinson as being particularly neccessary. Or rather, Craig Davies doesn't seem to be needed, he'll be 4th choice striker as things currently stand.

 

[227 BHA]

.........and even if, by some long shot Murray does stay how many games per season will we get out of him as he hasn't exactly excelled at staying fit and injury free?

We need Dickinson as Murray cannot be relied on to either stay or stay fit!

 

[Ninja Elephant]

.........and even if, by some long shot Murray does stay how many games per season will we get out of him as he hasn't exactly excelled at staying fit and injury free?

We need Dickinson as Murray cannot be relied on to either stay or stay fit!

Well, that's an argument I don't agree with because he's not an injury prone player, just someone who got a bad injury last season. There is a clear difference, Shay Given got a serious bowel injury which kept him out for months but he's not suddenly become injury prone... Neither has Murray.

Besides, if Murray does get injured (as humans tend to at times) then we've already got Hart and Davies to play alongside Forster. Whereas we've got to play people out of position to cover our injured left back, in my opinion, the squad assembly priorities have been a bit skewed.

 

[king Wombat]

that doesn't make sense. you saying that we should only sign players in order of requirement is not realistic in the real world. Managers have a series of targets and if one of them becomes availaible then they sign them. They don't wait because they need a player in a different position. We've not gone down the man city route of signing every striker availalbe have we.

Judging Dickinson at the moment is absolutely pointless.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Well, that's an argument I don't agree with because he's not an injury prone player, just someone who got a bad injury last season. There is a clear difference, Shay Given got a serious bowel injury which kept him out for months but he's not suddenly become injury prone... Neither has Murray.

Besides, if Murray does get injured (as humans tend to at times) then we've already got Hart and Davies to play alongside Forster. Whereas we've got to play people out of position to cover our injured left back, in my opinion, the squad assembly priorities have been a bit skewed.

Until this week we had Lynch as back up left back. He was fine as cover and we don't know at what point Forest offered what we wanted for him. I always regarded another forward as a priority, especially once Owusu went. Also, even if left back was regarded as more of a priority, it is best to get players when available rather than getting a left back first, then a midfielder after that and then a forward last.

Finally our forwards, before Dickinson arrived, were:

Murray - may want to leave (and we might suddenly get an offer on 31 August meaning we couldn't get a replacement afterwards) and whether or not he is injury prone he was out for much of last season. This is from someone who rates him and would have him and Dickinson starting in the first game.

Forster - not getting any younger and had quite a few injuries last year. Also questions over whether he can play with Murray as Murray's best form last year was when Forster was out.

Davies - I think and hope he will come good but has hardly set the world on fire yet at Brighton.

Hart - I would probably use him on the wing as well as up front as a number of his assists came from wide and it is questionable whether he scores enough to play as a forward.

That left us, in my view, needing a new forward which we have got.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Wombat, if you're going to suggest I have already judged Dickinson, you should retrain yourself to read what people have actually said.

Until this week we had Lynch as back up left back. He was fine as cover and we don't know at what point Forest offered what we wanted for him. I always regarded another forward as a priority, especially once Owusu went. Also, even if left back was regarded as more of a priority, it is best to get players when available rather than getting a left back first, then a midfielder after that and then a forward last.

Finally our forwards, before Dickinson arrived, were:

Murray - may want to leave (and we might suddenly get an offer on 31 August meaning we couldn't get a replacement afterwards) and whether or not he is injury prone he was out for much of last season. This is from someone who rates him and would have him and Dickinson starting in the first game.

Forster - not getting any younger and had quite a few injuries last year. Also questions over whether he can play with Murray as Murray's best form last year was when Forster was out.

Davies - I think and hope he will come good but has hardly set the world on fire yet at Brighton.

Hart - I would probably use him on the wing as well as up front as a number of his assists came from wide and it is questionable whether he scores enough to play as a forward.

That left us, in my view, needing a new forward which we have got.

All valid points, but I disagree with a number of them. Forster and Murray were scoring in literally every game at the end of the 07/08 season so I don't see where the "questions" come from, they can play together and have consistently proved it with goals. Gary Hart is wasted on the wing, I agree he doesn't score enough goals and does his best work out there, but I think he offers too much in a central role to be considered a winger.

As for Murray, I don't think his departure is cut and dried by any means. I wouldn't be suprised if he was still here in September. I agree that we would need a replacement if he had gone, but he hasn't, and doesn't look overly likely to. I think the squad is quite unbalanced now, don't get me wrong though because I'm not moaning. It's late July, the squad isn't completed yet and I'm sure that Bloom/Slade will have the squad ready - I'm just saying that right now Dickinson seems a luxury to me.

 

[kevtherev]

Was at crawley on friday and i thought Forster looked by far the sharpeset of the front men.Dickinson was total pants,Murray looked uninterested,like he wants away asap.Davies looked ok in flashes....I know you cant judge anything on that but on the night Forster/Davies looked the best pairing up front.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

With Dickinson arriving, its not good for Davies now...he's even further down the pecking order. Even Hart is rated above him in the striking department.

How on earth did you reach that conclusion?

 

[dougdeep]

Hart is out for a while anyway with a gammy toe.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Stop being a numpty NE. You need competition for places and decent injury cover.

The wombat has got it spot on, when a target player becomes available you have to sign them there and then, you can't just pass up the chance because you need to strenghten other positions as well.

 

[BensGrandad]

This is getting to be quite a joke. A few people voiced an opinion based on having seen Dickinson in 1 game and have said that he will need to improve certain aspects of his game to be a success and all of a sudden they are accused of writing him off completely. I am sure that RS, BB and DW will have seen the same faults and will work on them in training between now and Walsall.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

How was Dickinson poor in the air? Not winning the ball? Not finding players?

 

[BensGrandad]

Stop being a numpty NE. You need competition for places and decent injury cover.

The wombat has got it spot on, when a target player becomes available you have to sign them there and then, you can't just pass up the chance because you need to strenghten other positions as well.

r

I would have thought that it was down to funds avaiable and priority of needs of a player and what NE is saying, as I read it, is that our major need at the moment is a left back as cover for Jim McNulty as we do have other options for strikers. That is a view that he has expressed whether you agree with his view is open to conjecture.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I would have thought that it was down to funds avaiable and priority of needs of a player and what NE is saying, as I read it, is that our major need at the moment is a left back as cover for Jim McNulty as we do have other options for strikers. That is a view that he has expressed whether you agree with his view is open to conjecture.

You're right, but I don't think funds are a big problem at the moment. If it was a year ago and we could only afford to pay for 1 player then it might be more relevant but we can obviously afford a left back as well so what the big problem with Dickinson?

This is getting to be quite a joke. A few people voiced an opinion based on having seen Dickinson in 1 game and have said that he will need to improve certain aspects of his game to be a success and all of a sudden they are accused of writing him off completely.

I think you've had the misfortune to get lumped in with posts like the one below.

As you say, I'm sure the managment team are well aware of Dickinson's strengths and weaknesses

I think Dickinson will be GASH.

There, I've said it.

We should be building our team round MURRAY. Not some lump who never got a game at Derby and enjoys a little too much of the night life off the pitch...

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I would have thought that it was down to funds avaiable and priority of needs of a player and what NE is saying, as I read it, is that our major need at the moment is a left back as cover for Jim McNulty as we do have other options for strikers. That is a view that he has expressed whether you agree with his view is open to conjecture.

Spot on

You're right, but I don't think funds are a big problem at the moment. If it was a year ago and we could only afford to pay for 1 player then it might be more relevant but we can obviously afford a left back as well so what the big problem with Dickinson?

Fair comment about our financial position perhaps, but please don't suggest I have a "big problem" with Dickinson. I haven't seen him play yet for starters, I'm not in the habit of rubbishing players before seeing them properly. Apart from Owusu, whom I admit readily I was wrong about.

 

[Ernest]

If Gary Hart gets anywhere near the first team on a regular basis it will mean we are on our way to League 2 and the club is f***ed.

 

[8ace]

I saw Dickinson play at Stevenage and AFC Wimbledon and I wasn't very impressed. Mind you I wasn't really impressed by any of our players. I'll reserve judgement on LD until I've seen him play 10 competitive games for us.

 

[Forster's Armband]

It's pre-season. Judge all a few games (I suggest 10) into the season.