Why are albion unable to take the final step and ever get promotion to the PL ?

[ewe2]

Looking at the lists we are all making of the deadwood,i feel its too long. IMO we are short of quality replacements and this puts too much on the starting 11.We are getting the balance better,with the improved recruitment process.This i feel was our undoing .(eg BZ could not be counted on the whole season )......How you keep everyone happy,is another issue !!

 

[bhawoddy]

Discipline
Arguably cost us more than not scoring goals this season. Dunk's red in particular hit us hard.
Brighton 80Y 4R
M'Boro 60Y 3R
Burnley 56Y 1R (should have been 2!!)

Holding On To A Lead
We had leads in enough games with 5 mins to go to have won the title comfortably. You obviously can't hold on to every winning position, but we dropped too many points in the dying moments of games.

Too many seem fixated on the strikers. We'll need new strikers if BZ retires and Wilson goes back, but Hemed and Baldock have contributed enough to have seen us promoted. I also don't buy that the club or Hughton don't think they are good enough. January was about plugging our injury crisis and bringing someone different in. I think Hemed and Baldock will stay and I expect them to be starting again next season, and they'll be even better than this year.

Cant agree here im afraid at all.

I personally think we need at least 2 decent new strikers, minimum. But its all about opinions I guess

 

[Bold Seagull]

Cant agree here im afraid at all.

I personally think we need at least 2 decent new strikers, minimum. But its all about opinions I guess

I have said we'll need two if Bobby retires and Wilson goes back.

 

[Bozza]

I have said we'll need two if Bobby retires and Wilson goes back.

I expect both of the above to happen and the club to look to bring in two out and out goalscorers.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yep.But over 46 games its makes it virtually impossible to pinpoint it being this or that as it really was so fine.

What if Bobby hadn't chipped that ball so perfectly in the last minute v Leeds. What if Hemed's header had been kept out v Charlton in the 86th minute ?.
What if MK Dons had scored that penalty. What if Michael Keane's header had missed or Barton had been sent off ? What if it was Dunk who'd been in the back four v Sheff Weds last Friday ?

One goal here or there , one ref decision here or there really would have made all the difference . If we'd then been promoted as a result would you still describe Burnley as "ruthless" or others be able to say it was Rhodes/ Grey who did it for them . When it could have easily been a different story. The promotion recipe could easily have been hiring a Championship proven manager like Hughton or doing smart January winger business in bringing wingers like Skalak and Knockeart to the Champ for sensible money and paying £1m for 17 goal a season strikers.
But it didn't and we're not. But it nearly was. Very nearly was.

Oh well.

I think you're just picking an argument, I don't disagree. My point was first made when it seemed everyone was saying it was through a lack of a striker etc. However you can reflect on moments and what ifs. I've not said any of my posts were definitive reasons. oh well indeed.

 

[perseus]

Only been in the Championship 5 seasons. Leicester, Boro, Southampton were all down longer and as for Forest and Leeds ......and Ipswich.

 

[RexCathedra]

Yep.But over 46 games its makes it virtually impossible to pinpoint it being this or that as it really was so fine.

What if Bobby hadn't chipped that ball so perfectly in the last minute v Leeds. What if Hemed's header had been kept out v Charlton in the 86th minute ?.
What if MK Dons had scored that penalty. What if Michael Keane's header had missed or Barton had been sent off ? What if it was Dunk who'd been in the back four v Sheff Weds last Friday ?

One goal here or there , one ref decision here or there really would have made all the difference . If we'd then been promoted as a result would you still describe Burnley as "ruthless" or others be able to say it was Rhodes/ Grey who did it for them . When it could have easily been a different story. The promotion recipe could easily have been hiring a Championship proven manager like Hughton or doing smart January winger business in bringing wingers like Skalak and Knockeart to the Champ for sensible money and paying £1m for 17 goal a season strikers.
But it didn't and we're not. But it nearly was. Very nearly was.

Oh well.

Everything is over-determined in football. There are far more available potentil causes than there are effects. It's a mug's game to point to any one, or two, or three of them and say 'That's it. That's the difference."

This also makes me skeptical of any proposed 'Just fix X, and Y, and we storm the league' brainstorms, either.

 

[oldboyroy]

3 different implositions for different reason. Gus being an egotistical maniac who had already left in his head and being unable to keep the team going, Oscar took a team that wasn't good enough and a broken recruitment team to a brilliant finish. We were never even close to good enough that year and this time round a poor referring decision against Boro and crippling unlucky injuries in the first leg. It's not as if we're Derby who consistently choke for no reason. We'll get there.

could not agree more this season we should and certainly deserved to go up i even believed we were the best team in the division no disrespect to Burnley but we should of been champions just bad luck and decisions cost us everything

 

[Surf's Up]

The margins were very narrow this season but it was ever thus. I think we punched slightly above our weight due in the main to the fantastic team ethic that Houghton has installed. This needs to be retained and built on. To do this the squad needs to be enhanced (assuming some key departures in the summer) to ensure greater competition for places and greater strength in depth by at least one additional striker, cover/competition for midfield, an additional centre back and full back cover. Crucially all the players brought in need to be of a character that will fit with the existing team ethic (i.e. no billy big-bollocks)

 

[Bold Seagull]

Everything is over-determined in football. There are far more available potentil causes than there are effects. It's a mug's game to point to any one, or two, or three of them and say 'That's it. That's the difference."

This also makes me skeptical of any proposed 'Just fix X, and Y, and we storm the league' brainstorms, either.

Yes, but surely Chris and the squad will want to learn from this season - how do you get better otherwise? You have to review what could be done differently. Dunk will know that if next season he doesn't get sent off for rash challenges like QPR and Derby, we will stand a better chance. The team will review how deep they defended in the last 10mins in games and try to learn how better to see out a lead. This is what gaining experience is, this is why teams that have been there before have the edge - because they've done it and learned from it.

As supporters how can you not think back to those moments you thought it turned on? It's all very philosophical saying you can't point to any single thing in some kind of idealogical state of football karma, but that is what sport is. You want to get better in any sport, you have to review those margins - the aggregation of marginal gains.

Or you just go, oh well we might not have scored at Forest, or Burnley might have missed, or what have you over the course of the season and have no capacity for considering what could be done better.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Ouch.


[MENTION=25402]Blue Valkyrie[/MENTION] - you're welcome to use my REMF match link (in my signature). I can verify to [MENTION=34350]WanderingUSA[/MENTION]

#opportunism

Bet settled as above.

Now to win it back at the bookies with an albion promotion bet for next season..

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Bet settled as above.

Now to win it back at the bookies with an albion promotion bet for next season..

[MENTION=34350]WanderingUSA[/MENTION]

Yep - fully settled - £100 (plus £25 gift aid) into the REMF coffers.

Great stuff. Many thanks

 

[alfredmizen]

No, I really don't think there is. There may have been with Poyet and Garcia, and things not as settled behind the scenes as you might want, but it feels different at the moment - there feels that there is a bond between players/fans/Club and so Intrinsically I think we are stronger now than at any point since we arrived in the Championship..
Now Derby on the other hand...

sounds about right.

 

[Seagull58]

We were probably one decent forward away from going up automatically . We needed someone who could off turned a draw into victories , if Bobby was fit all season we would off gone up . Next season we need more depth in our squad and we will be fine

could HAVE, would HAVE