What I've learned from tonight's game.

[sir albion]

And you're sure of that are you?

As sure as I'll ever be pal...Unless it's another virgo type transfer.He just offers very little im afraid

 

[Bwian]

Lua Lua is, at times, like a sulky schoolboy and is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.

 

[goldstone]

I learnt that we are NOT premier league ready.

I certainly learned that too. In fact much further away from being PLR than we were last season.

Oh, and I also learned that our "one ambition" this season is clearly to have no ambition ... apart from (maybe) staying in this division.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

As sure as I'll ever be pal...Unless it's another virgo type transfer.He just offers very little im afraid

I'm sure you're sure. I would expect you not to rate him.

Three successive Albion managers, and five different England age-group managers do, though. Some fans only half watch games, so they only notice big moments - clever step overs / goals/ 60 yard passes / big tackles. It's probably true of all of us at times.

The football people don't though - they see the work that the up fussy players do - both on and off the ball. They'll watch and they'll analyse, and they'll see the worth of such a player.

Did you watch the recent u-21 play off? Probably not. England played a midfield three of Tom Carroll, Will Hughes and Forster-Caskey. They played very well together, and all three looked equally good. All of the reports referred to a three. JFC scored the highest of the three in most sets of ratings. The other two are both older than JFC and are both rated at £10m.

But no, I'm sure you're right - he'll go to Swindon for £100k.

 

[Richy_Seagull]

Lua Lua is, at times, like a sulky schoolboy and is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.

No footballing brain. Always been his problem, always will be.

 

[The Wizard]

Usual nonsense from a loud but very much in the minority few about JFC, laughable really.

Yup. Recent successes have turned a portion of our fan base into self absorbed idiots. Seeing posts like this after being defeated away at a top premiership team beggar belief & calling JFC the c-bomb, disgraceful.

 

[Arkwright]

JFC needs to be played further forward but the system and what he is asked to be done does not allow this.

He has shown an eye for goal, but covering full backs and being asked to receive the ball on our 18 yard box is not playing to his strengths.

He will be inconsistent at his age, but is suffering like others due to Hypia formation and tactics.

JFC did play further up the pitch last night with Ince a Holla behind him. I thought he did ok, the problem was when ever he got the ball no one was available to give the ball to and against a team like Spurs you don't get any time on the ball.

Last night I learned that it was £5.10 for a pint of lager at Victoria station, shocking!

 

[GreersElbow]

double post; can a mod delete?

 

[GreersElbow]

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I think with our team and determined to play a 4-2-3-1 (like Spurs) we could do no worse than copy their tactics. Their full-backs played as full-backs, much deeper and highly effective. But ventured forward a few times when safe to do so.

I think altogether their pressing game worked because of their high energy. I do not think they can play like that every week. They had forwards able to pressurise when we tried to play the ball out of defence.

We could, but until March is back, we do lack the pace. I'd enjoy our football if we did though.

I don't think we set out defensive, especially with the team selection. It is just that we had no choice. They were too fit and fast for our passing game. Newcastle had even less possession and beat them in the PL last time out.

If Spurs played as badly as they did in the European match last week (they won 5-1), we would have got a few chances. I think we were unfortunate to be playing away against Spurs Reserves on top of their form in all respects except creating chances, shooting poorly from long range.

I disagree with how we lined up. I do think it was defensive, given against Rotherham we played all 3 strikers...the discipline of the defence was brilliant, but if you watch replay, when we were on the defensive everyone (and don't get me wrong, rightfully) took up a defensive position, but the way it was lead suggests they had been prepared for that. The lack of counter-attack is what makes me believe we were set up defensively. This is of course subjective and open to interpretation.

Even so, Spurs were rather predictable and against teams as fast and quick as they are, they will hit a brick wall.

I don't think any of our players played badly or even made mistakes. They are just not good enough on the day.

Spurs were quite frankly crap. They got two well worked goals and that was it. I think the defence did well, everyone made great tackles and everyone knows how good Dunk's got.

But I can't help feel how we were set up played a factor in how we played. I think realistically, we were likely to lose. But we could have had more of a fight back. This game should have allowed room for individual creativity, see who can do what in this new system. The lose bears no factor to me, even if I am anti-Hyypia; I just wish he used this to experiment a little bit, hell he could have proved us all wrong and had something up his sleeve. The upside is that we've shown we can be very, very organised defensively when our full backs are in the line of defence rather than jogging back from their latest attack...

 

[GreersElbow]

Hope you've dusted off your cv, cos there is gonna be a vacancy pretty damn soon.

Given the amount of grammatical and spelling errors in the OG post, I really ought to proof read it better

 

[maglers]

What I've learnt is not to go on NSC until the day after a defeat. And that there are loads of tw@ts on this forum who criticise players when they haven't actually been to the match.

Ince and Holla got through a huge amount of work against quality players last night. Dunk is a very good defender, but remember where he was a couple of seasons ago when he gave away at least one gilt-edged goalscoring chance away and got booked practically every match? He is nowhere near the finished article yet, picking up needless bookings this season and still making the odd ricket (that back-header against Cardiff springs to mind) so I wouldn't expect a Premier League club to come knocking yet.

JFC is a good player who needs time to develop. He is performing well for England U21s with good players around him. And he wouldn't be anywhere near that team if he wasn't a decent player. He just needs to be given time (as Dunk has been) and support and he will come good.

By the way, I'd add Tony Grealish to the list of Albion players to attract the wrath of fans who don't understand football. Ireland international midfielder who broke up play beautifully, had a repertoire of simple passes and did the donkey work for the glory boys. Underrated by many Brighton fans who would always shout at him to GET THE BALL FORWARD. Which, as we all know, is the only recipe for winning football...

 

[Bwian]

We held our own against a top 10 side.
Had the ref been better (or KLL not spent the game trying to con him) we could have got something.

We played youngsters all over the pitch and they did well.

We played a system that was working for us.

Yet some couldn't wait to smash their keyboards with their hard-ons, just to be the first to say how s**t everything is.

I guess it's the sad and all to predictable state of modern football and those 'fans' who follow it.

I'm trying to work out if you are kidding or not.

Held our own? Are you sure?

Played a system that works for us? A headless chicken flat back 9 is hardly a system and neither was that ridiculous goal kick set piece with Calde waiting outside the touchline.

Can't blame the ref, even if Lua Lua spent all night throwing himself to the floor.

Of the youngsters out there Walton did well, Dunk did well. JFC, Ince and Chicksen looked out of their depth a lot of the time.

We didn't have 1 shot on target until 5 minutes from the end and you think we could have got something? Seriously? We only lost 2-0 because Spurs were very poor.

The majority of Albion fans were there last night to support the team and did. For 90 minutes! Even though there was little to get enthusiastic about. Everybody could see that Lua Lua should have been replaced by CMS at least 20 mintes before the change was made. It is no wonder people are unhappy, still supporting the team but understandably losing their enthusiasm.

 

[The Wizard]

I'm trying to work out if you are kidding or not.

Held our own? Are you sure?

Played a system that works for us? A headless chicken flat back 9 is hardly a system and neither was that ridiculous goal kick set piece with Calde waiting outside the touchline.

Can't blame the ref, even if Lua Lua spent all night throwing himself to the floor.

Of the youngsters out there Walton did well, Dunk did well. JFC, Ince and Chicksen looked out of their depth a lot of the time.

We didn't have 1 shot on target until 5 minutes from the end and you think we could have got something? Seriously? We only lost 2-0 because Spurs were very poor.

The majority of Albion fans were there last night to support the team and did. For 90 minutes! Even though there was little to get enthusiastic about. Everybody could see that Lua Lua should have been replaced by CMS at least 20 mintes before the change was made. It is no wonder people are unhappy, still supporting the team but understandably losing their enthusiasm.

A fair post. Football is about up and downs, I thought Spurs played quite well despite being a bit wasteful with the final ball, we looked out of our depth but we are a struggling championship team, low on confidence and if we'd gone there and attacked them it could have been embarrassing.

Maybe it's just me but I'm actually a bit more positive after last night, we gave everything we could have given but we were easily beaten by the far superior side, nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

No footballing brain. Always been his problem, always will be.

He isn't being played as an out and out winger , instead of trying to get past 2 or 3 players he has been told to use a more central route and is up against 4 or 5 players blocking his way.

 

[Paddy B]

JFC needs to be played further forward but the system and what he is asked to be done does not allow this.

He has shown an eye for goal, but covering full backs and being asked to receive the ball on our 18 yard box is not playing to his strengths.

He will be inconsistent at his age, but is suffering like others due to Hypia formation and tactics.

JFC was further forward last night when we had the ball as we had Holla and Ince sitting, but as we were up against it for the most part he was a part of a 5 man midfield. Yeah he lost the ball a couple of times but he actually did ok. Colunga on the other hand......

 

[spring hall convert]

1. JFC is a useless little ****

That's where you lost me.

 

[The Fifth Column]

The amount of people creaming themselves over the fact their team lost is mind numbing.

Sure it's a t'internet forum and everything is cranked up to 11.
But it's still your team, the team you choose to support.
The team that has in someway made a connection to you in your life.

We held our own against a top 10 side.
Had the ref been better (or KLL not spent the game trying to con him) we could have got something.

We played youngsters all over the pitch and they did well.

We played a system that was working for us.

Yet some couldn't wait to smash their keyboards with their hard-ons, just to be the first to say how s**t everything is.

I guess it's the sad and all to predictable state of modern football and those 'fans' who follow it.

Just when I thought NSC couldn't get any more dull, boring and predictable, some other mug pops up and regurgitates the same pointless bile.

 

[perseus]

1> The whole team is a bit lightweight and will have to play passing football as running around is not their strong point and some of the Albion team are either not fully fit or carrying an injury
2> PL teams will not be queuing up to buy Dunk
3> All the players are safe from outside transfer interest and will not be poached (with, perhaps the exception of Walton)

4> We cannot play a sustained or even selective (best) pressing game with advanced full backs, if we wanted to get the ball, for example
5> Ponch has a very distinctive style for the Spurs teams. I am not sure it works perfectly. A lot to learn from it and I think our players (already good a keeping possession normally) might improve at it, but not if the full backs have to cover so much ground and the strikers have to cover.

I was not impressed with the team selection or performance at WHL. Tactics were rather forced upon us by Spurs.

Substitutions might have to be even earlier than 67 minutes.

 

[perseus]

No one on the Wing?

He isn't being played as an out and out winger , instead of trying to get past 2 or 3 players he has been told to use a more central route and is up against 4 or 5 players blocking his way.

And that is a very good idea as well. Lualua is the only player that can go either way, being two footed so to out in the centre makes good sense. Ince and Colunga are both overly right footed and they can be telegraphed which way they will go. It does leave us without a winger though. This seems to be deliberate recruitment policy, not to have a winger in the side. Or is it all the wingers available were crap? I think we did not look hard enough to replace Buckley.

 

[paulfair]

I'm sure you're sure. I would expect you not to rate him.

Three successive Albion managers, and five different England age-group managers do, though. Some fans only half watch games, so they only notice big moments - clever step overs / goals/ 60 yard passes / big tackles. It's probably true of all of us at times.

The football people don't though - they see the work that the up fussy players do - both on and off the ball. They'll watch and they'll analyse, and they'll see the worth of such a player.

Did you watch the recent u-21 play off? Probably not. England played a midfield three of Tom Carroll, Will Hughes and Forster-Caskey. They played very well together, and all three looked equally good. All of the reports referred to a three. JFC scored the highest of the three in most sets of ratings. The other two are both older than JFC and are both rated at £10m.

But no, I'm sure you're right - he'll go to Swindon for £100k.

No your wrong he will go to Swindon on a free and remember he was not even good enough for Oxford when on loan there.