There's only one problem we need to rectify in our team this summer...

[Ninja Elephant]

We won League 1 because we were fantastic at set pieces. We had some striker who would get his head on them when defending them, and would get his head on them when attacking them as well. How many crucial goals did we score from corners and free-kicks on our way to the title? It was massive, and a lot of them were goals which really changed the course of games. I'm thinking Charlton away and then Peterborough away just after it. All we need to do this summer is get a dominant presence who is going to do the job this former striker, whatever his name was, did for us, and boom. For all our brilliant football, it was our rock solid defence (which still exists) and our lethal combination of set piece taker and set piece attackers which set us aside from the opposition.

Find the right combination again this summer, and we'll be a Premier League team after the coming season.

 

[brightonrock]

1 Vicente
+
1 wardrobe-sized technical box-to-box central midfielder
+
1 aerially dominant striker whose acquisition persuaded Vicente to stay in the first place
=
promotion.​

 

[theonesmith]

Not sure it was the only reason we won it but it certainly contributed. I'd say that Benno has been a bigger loss than 'some striker' (Murray), though?

Not only that, but in League One we played more attacking football which naturally resulted in more attacking free kicks. We do need to improve our general attacking play. But I do agree with your sentiments...

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I'm telling you, watch the season back again. How many times we scored from set pieces, for all the talk of our free flowing football and our passing teams off the pitch, we scored a massive amount from set pieces and that's so important. If you want a snapshot of their importance, reference Brighton vs Dagenham and Redbridge.

We lost nothing this season other than the ability to be amazing from set pieces, until Vicente started taking them of course. Opening goal at Leeds for one example.

 

[Rugrat]

1 Vicente
+
1 wardrobe-sized technical box-to-box central midfielder
+
1 aerially dominant striker whose acquisition persuaded Vicente to stay in the first place
=
promotion.​

.... just add a GK into mix

 

[sparkie]

1 Vicente
+
1 wardrobe-sized technical box-to-box central midfielder
+
1 aerially dominant striker whose acquisition persuaded Vicente to stay in the first place
=
promotion.​

.... just add a GK into mix

Gus said he wanted to bring 6 in, so add a left back and possibly another central midfielder.

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

We won League 1 because we were fantastic at set pieces. We had some striker who would get his head on them when defending them, and would get his head on them when attacking them as well. How many crucial goals did we score from corners and free-kicks on our way to the title? It was massive, and a lot of them were goals which really changed the course of games. I'm thinking Charlton away and then Peterborough away just after it. All we need to do this summer is get a dominant presence who is going to do the job this former striker, whatever his name was, did for us, and boom. For all our brilliant football, it was our rock solid defence (which still exists) and our lethal combination of set piece taker and set piece attackers which set us aside from the opposition.

Find the right combination again this summer, and we'll be a Premier League team after the coming season.

Very good point that. That free kick where El Abd and Greer would fake to go near and then peel off the markers and end up at the far post was hardly used this season whereas last year it caused untold chaos in our opponents box.
We seemed to have lost all our inventiveness this season at both set pieces and corners until Vicente rocked up and started delivering. Obviously Harley wasn't getting picked and therefore everything went short as unless the delivery was spot on then we would get outjumped by the bigger defenders. Although every so often when we did have a go we sometimes succeeded, am thinking Vincelot and Bridcutt goals from set pieces.
Hope the coaches can come up with a few good ideas pre season

 

[JBizzle]

Very sensible point. I think Vokes added some aerial threat but although Vicente's delivery was invariably superb we rarely have anyone to aim for.

I would say however, that our lack of success at set-pieces (although we did miss a Murray-esque striker, not suggesting he is the answer, just an example), lack a threat because Greer and Dunk in particular never offer any threat from dead balls with the exception of the odd header blasted over the bar.

A striker with aerial threat is definately needed but unless our other contibutors start, well, contributing, that striker will simply be marked out at corners and nothing will improve. We need multiple threats and a striker capable of winning the odd header is just the start.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I'm just going to come out and say it. We need Glenn Murray back.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Agree with that assessment, Ninja.

And also, we gave away quite a fair few goals from opponent's set pieces.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

I'm just going to come out and say it. We need Glenn Murray back.

Oh no. Here we go again.

 

[mune ni kamome]

We've got a good defence because Gus has installed a willingness for the forwards to defend as well, however it does seem to blunt the attacking options somewhat. I'm sure Gus will find the answer. It will be only his 3rd full season of management.

 

[AMEXican Wave]

I'm just going to come out and say it. We need Glenn Murray back.

We need much better than Glenn Murray I reckon.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Think the let down this season is our defending set pieces....how many goals conceeded this season from corners/free kicks....

 

[Marshy]

We need Crofts back 10 times more.

 

[Stat Brother]

We won League 1 because we were fantastic at set pieces. We had some striker who would get his head on them when defending them, and would get his head on them when attacking them as well. How many crucial goals did we score from corners and free-kicks on our way to the title? It was massive, and a lot of them were goals which really changed the course of games. I'm thinking Charlton away and then Peterborough away just after it. All we need to do this summer is get a dominant presence who is going to do the job this former striker, whatever his name was, did for us, and boom. For all our brilliant football, it was our rock solid defence (which still exists) and our lethal combination of set piece taker and set piece attackers which set us aside from the opposition.

Find the right combination again this summer, and we'll be a Premier League team after the coming season.

Have you posted this just to wind me up

 

[Ninja Elephant]

We need much better than Glenn Murray I reckon.

People talk about having no Plan B, set pieces were our plan B in league 1 and it worked a treat. He was a crucial part of that. I don't know the stats on goals scored and conceeded from set pieces in the last two seasons, but I know we scored a lot of vital goals from them as we won the title. Mr Murray was extremely clever at defending them, as well as attacking them. The fact that he linked play so well, scored all types of goals AND was a massive asset at both attacking and defending free kicks made his loss so much greater.

Have you posted this just to wind me up

No mention of Drogba. Disappointing.

But, no. I was giving a sermon elsewhere about the importance of set pieces. I was being told they're "an irrelevance". Erm, no, they're not.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

We won League 1 because we were fantastic at set pieces. We had some striker who would get his head on them when defending them, and would get his head on them when attacking them as well. How many crucial goals did we score from corners and free-kicks on our way to the title? It was massive, and a lot of them were goals which really changed the course of games. I'm thinking Charlton away and then Peterborough away just after it. All we need to do this summer is get a dominant presence who is going to do the job this former striker, whatever his name was, did for us, and boom.

Glenn Murray did not score from set pieces at either Charlton or Peterborough.

 

[Yoda]

Glenn Murray did not score from set pieces at either Charlton or Peterborough.

And the one at Charlton was not just put into the box, it was a superb training ground routine, excecuted to perfection.

 

[Napper]

Maybe I'm wrong here but I seem to remember that when we won the league we were still gash at corners. Bennett obviously set up a huge amount of goals but seem to recall this mostly being in open play