El-Abd wants to stay at Albion for rest of playing days

9:00am Friday 22nd February 2013 in Sport By Andy Naylor

Adam El-Abd is just concentrating on his football as his Albion deal runs down Adam El-Abd is just concentrating on his football as his Albion deal runs down

ADAM El-Abd wants to see out his career with Albion but says his future with the club is out of his hands.

The long-serving central defender’s contract runs out in the summer.

El-Abd, 29 in September, admits he cannot see himself playing for any other club but has put a new deal out of his mind as the Seagulls push for promotion to the Premier League.

He told The Argus: “I have now been here nine years. I would love to stay but that is out of my hands. We’ll see what happens on that front. All I can do is try to perform and try to earn myself a deal to extend it.

“I try not to think about it. I just try to think about the football. What ever goes on off the pitch is out of my hands. It’s the old saying, control the controllables.

“I can control how I prepared for games and how I play, that’s all I can do. What will be will be other than that.”

El-Abd and new partner Matt Upson are aiming for a third clean sheet in four games against fellow play-off contenders Burnley at The Amex tomorrow after helping shut out top two Hull and Cardiff.

Keeper Tomasz Kuszczak was outstanding in the recent 1-0 home win against Hull and Tuesday’s 2-0 victory at leaders Cardiff.

El-Abd said: “He’s been on fire recently. He’s a big presence, a big voice, and he’s a winner. “It’s great to play with him behind me. He’s been a great addition to the squad.

“It’s nice if one of us makes a little error and they are through on goal and you have got him to bail you out sometimes. “That happened the other night.

“He brought off some great saves. He was unbeatable really, which helped us to a clean sheet.”

Comments(38)

WestStander17 says...
9:19am Fri 22 Feb 13

The beauty of having a local lad (although he plays for Egypt!) in your squad. No chance of him being tempted elsewhere, totally focussed on the job at hand. He may not be our most talented player but he uses what he has and, IMHO, has developed and done so an incredible amount since Gus arrived. The fact he is still firmly in our starting 11 is a credit to him. I hope we keep him as we know he'll always give his all for the stripes. Keep up the good work, Adam!

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graham w says...
9:32am Fri 22 Feb 13

well done adam .... gus has made you shine just keep up those blocks, and winding up every centre forward you come across...haha..

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mark by the sea says...
9:43am Fri 22 Feb 13

Before gus arrived, I described Adam as a donkey, his improvement has been a wonder .. Good coaching and a good attitude .. Get him a long long way.. Well done adam

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Seagulls Over Surrey (SOS) says...
9:52am Fri 22 Feb 13

Proud of you, Adam. Loyalty is a rare commodity in football and your commitment, both on and off the pitch, is clear for all to see. Keep it up, fella and let's take three points off Burnley tomorrow.

UTA

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fansince57 says...
10:13am Fri 22 Feb 13

Alongside the players with flair and natural ability every team needs those who graft & put in 100% for 90+ mins - such as Adam. Add in that he has blue & white blood in his veins and the decision about renewing his contract is a no-brainer in my opinion.

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Chi Gull says...
10:13am Fri 22 Feb 13

mark by the sea wrote:
Before gus arrived, I described Adam as a donkey, his improvement has been a wonder .. Good coaching and a good attitude .. Get him a long long way.. Well done adam
... and MBTS, 4 years ago we were losing to Luton in the Johnstons Paint Trophy.. The whole club has come a long way in a very short time. I bet adam played in that?

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Alfie T says...
10:15am Fri 22 Feb 13

Agree with all of the above, Blue & White blood in his veins.

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Hector66 says...
10:18am Fri 22 Feb 13

he's a wonderful pro and an enormous credit to himself.

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pjwilk says...
10:28am Fri 22 Feb 13

Strong player,he pushed the whole Hull wall to one side for Vincenti to score.A magic moment.

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twonk says...
10:38am Fri 22 Feb 13

mark by the sea wrote:
Before gus arrived, I described Adam as a donkey, his improvement has been a wonder .. Good coaching and a good attitude .. Get him a long long way.. Well done adam
Adam always showed promise, some people just couldn't see it.

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Clean Sheet says...
10:40am Fri 22 Feb 13

Adam has made the most of his talents under GP/Tanno coaching. He is a great professional, and team player. A real asset. Can he make the grade with us in the PL?

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pablobrowno says...
11:00am Fri 22 Feb 13

Not.wanting to spoil the party but all this talk of loyalty is a little incidental. Lets be honest if Adam was offered to double his wages going to Cardiff or Forest or Leeds, sure it would be a gutwrench for him but he'd probably go with the money, as would most of us, because it's a short career they have. He loves the club sure, but his 'loyalty' has never been tested. Loyalty to a club should mean a player giving absolutely everything they have whilst they are with the club and especially on the pitch, there's no doubt that most of our boys do that. They are a great unit and I'm starting to believe this could be our year, for the play offs at least.

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championshipgull says...
11:14am Fri 22 Feb 13

I said it last time we had an Adam El-Abd thread and IMHO it is worth saying again. Adam will be an example to the players in the new academy as to what can be achieved at the club. I hope he plays in the world cup representing both his country and BHA. It seems incredible it has been nearly 10 years since he made his full league debut in November 2003.

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Gee Jay says...
11:43am Fri 22 Feb 13

Adam ElAbd = Brighton Rock

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Yogi says...
11:48am Fri 22 Feb 13

Clean Sheet wrote:
Adam has made the most of his talents under GP/Tanno coaching. He is a great professional, and team player. A real asset. Can he make the grade with us in the PL?
Agree with all of the above - he's a second Charlie Oatway and should be retained to help bring on the youngsters in the "Albion" way.

However, I do think he might struggle with the pace/quality of the PL players, who knows? If we keep the results going we will find out quite soon.

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SMF20 says...
12:31pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I do believe that Adam will be rewarded with a new contract at the end of the season no matter which division we are playing in during 2013/14.

He has proven that he is certainly up to championship standard defending this and last season and although i think he will struggle week in week out against the step up in class of the premiership, i do think he would be a vital squad member to have.
Let face it, should we get promoted, we are not going to bring in 4 new guys at centre back and even if we did and they were of a good standard, they are not going to warm the bench.

Adams attitude and committment is second to none. I feel a new 2 year deal will be on the table for him soon.

Looking forward to the game tomorrrow and some payback.

Uta

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Hovite says...
1:02pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Can't fault him, and as many have said, if he was taller he would be the complete deal. Having said that he makes up for his height with passion and commitment.

If we get someone in better than him, he would always make great cover for injuries and suspensions, even in the Prem. He has played a blinder this season and played well against Arsenal so he wouldn’t be a duck out of water there.

I certainly wouldn’t want to see him go just because we were promoted and as Champ says he has as much to offer off the pitch as he does on it.

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CAKEBEARD says...
1:27pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Adam I'm afraid you will be playing for Whitehawk before you know it...as much as we all love you!

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pebble counter says...
1:30pm Fri 22 Feb 13

He's brilliant, a favourite player for lots of supporters. And his cunning and experience combine well, for instance, against Hull when he created the gap for the goal, without going too mad and getting penalised for it. He looks like he enjoys playing for the Albion too, and I think he has a calming influence on those around him. I'd love to know him, he seems like a top bloke.

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Notters_Seagull says...
1:31pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Chi Gull wrote:
mark by the sea wrote:
Before gus arrived, I described Adam as a donkey, his improvement has been a wonder .. Good coaching and a good attitude .. Get him a long long way.. Well done adam
... and MBTS, 4 years ago we were losing to Luton in the Johnstons Paint Trophy.. The whole club has come a long way in a very short time. I bet adam played in that?
Indeed he did. Boy how times have changed!
http://news.bbc.co.u
k/sport1/hi/football
/7884073.stm

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Good Ol' Hemz by the Sea says...
1:38pm Fri 22 Feb 13

I used to play against Adam back in the day for our respective schools.

He was an absolute beast back then, would win everything in the air, dominate the midfield and maul anyone that got near him.

Glad he has become such a stalwart at the club and think he will be remembered for here for a long time when he eventually hangs up his boots!

I think in terms of a new deal he may be a better option than GG if Gus decides he only needs to keep one?

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Bushell says...
1:43pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Cakebread - What are you on about - Adam will be with us for a few more seeasons yet and a new contract will be thoroughly deserved too.

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Hovite says...
2:18pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Bushell wrote:
Cakebread - What are you on about - Adam will be with us for a few more seeasons yet and a new contract will be thoroughly deserved too.
the comment says more about the poster

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SeagullOverSelsey says...
2:26pm Fri 22 Feb 13

For me it's a "no brainer" that he should be offered a new deal,premiership or not.Don't forget that he is also "Mr.Versatile" in that he has played left or right back or as a holding midfielder, I think, although for the latter role he would probably struggle a little where more pace is required.
Adam-Play on!

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VegasSeagull says...
2:45pm Fri 22 Feb 13

It is rare for a player to play for just one team right thru his career and usually those that do stay with the club in one capacity or another, Giggs a good example.

Promotion might mean that his position is challenged but I would think a new two year deal would make sense.

There are some guys that you just want around, even when the day comes that their playing days are limited. A person like El-Abd should be kept, he should work at the new acadamy once his playing days are done, a fine example to all those teenagers wanting to pull on the stripes.

Giggs won't leave United, El-Abd shouldn't leave Brighton.

,

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Dolph Ins says...
3:12pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Agree his blood runs blue and white.

I seem to remember a lot of chat as to whether he was good enough for the Championship a couple of seasons ago.

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pappaK says...
3:43pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Late riser today Vegas,nice little shoot out at the Balle A ! !
Looking forward to the Vegas Column today .Keep it ,Tight ,Informative,no Rambling,Rhetoric and Battology.
Love it my old timer.Av a good one.

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ballantrrae says...
3:51pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Hovite wrote:
Can't fault him, and as many have said, if he was taller he would be the complete deal. Having said that he makes up for his height with passion and commitment.

If we get someone in better than him, he would always make great cover for injuries and suspensions, even in the Prem. He has played a blinder this season and played well against Arsenal so he wouldn’t be a duck out of water there.

I certainly wouldn’t want to see him go just because we were promoted and as Champ says he has as much to offer off the pitch as he does on it.
Good post Hovite with which I thoroughly agree.
As others have said his input into the Academy youngsters would be invaluable. He might lack a bit of pace but compensates (perhaps over compenstates sometimes) with committment.
I would be surprised if his contract wasn't extended at the least by a year otherwise we might be faced with the possibility of having to find 3 centre backs to replace El-Arb, GG and Upson this summer. Dunk is the only CB whose contract is not about to expire.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

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Hovite says...
4:00pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Yep looking forward to tomorrow, if there was ever a moment to grab 4 wins in a row, Cardiff being one of them, Burnley, Huddersfield and Bristol City is the time.

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Old Scrote of the Amex says...
4:16pm Fri 22 Feb 13

pappaK wrote:
Late riser today Vegas,nice little shoot out at the Balle A ! !
Looking forward to the Vegas Column today .Keep it ,Tight ,Informative,no Rambling,Rhetoric and Battology.
Love it my old timer.Av a good one.
Ever thought of talking about football?

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Hovite says...
4:24pm Fri 22 Feb 13

VegasSeagull wrote:
It is rare for a player to play for just one team right thru his career and usually those that do stay with the club in one capacity or another, Giggs a good example.

Promotion might mean that his position is challenged but I would think a new two year deal would make sense.

There are some guys that you just want around, even when the day comes that their playing days are limited. A person like El-Abd should be kept, he should work at the new acadamy once his playing days are done, a fine example to all those teenagers wanting to pull on the stripes.

Giggs won't leave United, El-Abd shouldn't leave Brighton.

,
I have long thought that Giggs is being lined up as the next Man U manager.

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WiseOldSeagull says...
4:42pm Fri 22 Feb 13

VegasSeagull wrote:
It is rare for a player to play for just one team right thru his career and usually those that do stay with the club in one capacity or another, Giggs a good example.

Promotion might mean that his position is challenged but I would think a new two year deal would make sense.

There are some guys that you just want around, even when the day comes that their playing days are limited. A person like El-Abd should be kept, he should work at the new acadamy once his playing days are done, a fine example to all those teenagers wanting to pull on the stripes.

Giggs won't leave United, El-Abd shouldn't leave Brighton.

,
Good post Vegas.

I'm inclined to think that the EPL may be a step too far for Adam though. For all of his qualities he does lack pace and height which are prerequisite attributes for that level. He is still worth a new contract for all the reasons you state and would be a good backup at the very least. Time to renew his contract now. It makes no difference which league we are in he still has a role to play.

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Perseus says...
5:04pm Fri 22 Feb 13

K saved the Ham

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Gee Jay says...
5:13pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Since the arrival of Gus, Adam has stepped up to each challenge.
Many on here were saying he would not cut it in the Champioship, I had my doubts, but the guy keeps finding that 'bit extra'. When his place has been threatened, he has fought his way back into the team, Mr Kuipers used to do just that whenever a manager tried to replace him.
Both Albion legends.

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Phillip Smith says...
7:18pm Fri 22 Feb 13

One thing I don’t understand about the Albion is our contracts. Why do we always leave it so late to renew our players contracts? Without wanting to bring up the Glenn Murray issue again this is precisely why we lost him as a player. Why wait until one of our star players is in the last year of his contract before offering to renew it? For example, I don’t know how many years Liam Bridcutt has left on his contract but we should be trying to renew it now and not wait until the last moment. Even when we pay big money for players (Will Hoskins) we only give them a 2 year deal. Why pay all that money and run the risk of them leaving on a Bosman free in a couple of years time??

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Phillip Smith says...
7:20pm Fri 22 Feb 13

In this day and age where you run the risk of losing players on a Bosman we should copy the lead of some Dutch clubs and start offering 6 to 8 years contracts to players who you know are class.

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Tony the tiger eastbourne says...
7:52pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Was not really a Adam fan a couple of seasons back, but he has proved me wrong.His defensive work rate has improved no end. Has turned out to be a reliable defender. If there was one criticism of him is he does like to grapple with the opponents, sometimes inside the penalty box, which could go against him for the referee.

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wolf miguel says...
8:27pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Adam reminds me of the Fozzie & Paul Clark era, with the "never say die" attitude & They shall not pass mentality. Great servants for our club!

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