Bridcutt's call-up pleases Albion boss

3:00pm Friday 8th March 2013 in Sport By Andy Naylor

Liam Bridcutt has earned his call-up by bossing the Albion midfield Liam Bridcutt has earned his call-up by bossing the Albion midfield

ALBION boss Gus Poyet has welcomed Liam Bridcutt’s Scotland call-up and dismissed concerns the Seagulls’ promotion push could be derailed by international recognition.

Defensive midfielder Bridcutt has been rewarded for his outstanding consistency with a place in Gordon Strachan’s party for World Cup qualifiers against Wales at Hampden Park on March 22 and in Serbia four days later.

Bridcutt, who qualifies for Scotland through a grandfather from Edinburgh, has been earmarked by Strachan to help cater for the loss of injured captain Scott Brown and Darren Fletcher.

Former Uruguay international Poyet said: “I’m really happy for him. When any player gets his first call from a national team it’s always a special feeling.

“I was lucky to have those feelings and I imagine Liam now will start worrying about how he is going to get there, who he is going to know. It’s a wait and see now for ten to 15 days but I’m very pleased.

“You go to another level when you become an international, so now I am going to try to calm him down, make sure he plays well for us in the next three games and hope he is going to be able to make that international debut.”

Albion keeper Tomasz Kuszczak has been recalled to the Poland squad and centre-half Adam El-Abd is on international duty with Egypt in-between Crystal Palace’s visit to The Amex on Sunday week and the trip to Nottingham Forest on Easter Saturday March 30.

Poyet said: “I liked it as a player and I’m not going to change now. The more internationals we have in the team the better team you’ve got, I’ve got no doubt about that. Sometimes you can buy a player who is already an international or sometimes you need to help him to get in there.

“We tried to help Liam a lot but the most important part is that he’s done the job on the pitch.”

Bridcutt was watched by Strachan and his assistant, ex-Albion manager Mark McGhee, at Blackburn recently.

Strachan said: “I’ve seen a lot of his games and at the time I didn’t realise he could possibly play for Scotland. But what I did see was a guy who was great on the ball, will accept it in any situation and when he gave a pass to anybody it was a pass the player could then go on and make good use of.

“If you want to counter-attack it’s necessary to have players like that, who can break up moves and start them at the same time.

“Mark McGhee has seen a lot of Liam and he did his homework, so we put that all together and came to the conclusion he’s good enough, especially at a time when in central midfield we are losing Scott and Darren. So there is a hole there and we feel Liam can help to fill that hole.”

Comments(21)

Clean Sheet says...
3:26pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Liam MacBridcutt?

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markymark03 says...
3:29pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Just like the Hobbit, this story will be dragged out. Good luck all the same Liam

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bruce beckett says...
3:35pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Clean Sheet says...
3:26pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Liam MacBridcutt?

Born Reading. Rose through the Chelsea youth system. Qualifies for the Jocks through his grandfather.

I wonder whether Liam, which Wikipedia informs me is a short form of the Irish name 'Uilliam", has ever been north of Berwick-upon-Tweed?

But good luck to him. It's his chance to play international football and he might learn a thing or two from wee Strach while he's at it.

While I'm on here, does anyone have any news on Bridge re the Bolton game?

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Falmer Wizard says...
6:18pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Its good to see his efforts have been recognised but we must accept that top clubs will be in for him and its only natural that he wants to play for an established Premiership side.

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hannover seagull says...
7:12pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Clean Sheet wrote:
Liam MacBridcutt?
Bridheart

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championshipgull says...
7:14pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Some of his DNA must come from Scotland, Liam plays like a true Braveheart. Glad his was offered and signed a contract extension last year till 2015. Credit to Gus. Well done Bridcutt.
UTA.

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Far gull says...
7:50pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Anyone ideas for team tommorow .obvious back 5 if bridge fit?+Liam . Vicente back I hope , obviously if warm enough! Then ,after Bristol not sure . I think to start up front Buckley ,Lualua on right ( for once) ,Spanish dave ,orlandi and Hammond . Bench - Barnes ,Jfc,Ulloa ,barker,Greer ,Calderon ( subject to bridge) Ankergran.
What has happened to crofts? Anybody know?
Dicker also in mix.
Really would like a shot on or of target in this game.

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championshipgull says...
8:02pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Crofts is fit again, I would expect him to be in the squad somewhere tomorrow

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bruce beckett says...
8:28pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Can see Gus springing a few surprises tomorrow as more than one player looked jaded at Bristol City on Tuesday. I can envisage Crofts, Barnes and LuaLua all being in the mix with Buckers the prime candidate for a rest. Surely Vicente won't be risked given the likely wind chill factor at the Reebok?

Whatever the lineup. I hope we are a bit more positive than we were on Tuesday as Bolton won't be sitting back playing for a draw.

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championshipgull says...
8:30pm Fri 8 Mar 13

I haven’t ever played the guessing game with the team, you guys that do are braver than me, but I will dip my toe in the water in honour of our Scottish Braveheart. Ulloa to start with Buckley playing a more CMS role.

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championshipgull says...
8:39pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Bruce, Are you ever going to do a post without saying something negative or having a swipe at someone?

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weststandupperlacostearmy says...
8:52pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Kuszczhak
Greer Upson El-Abd
Bridcutt
Buckley Lopez Hammond Orlandi
Vicente
Ulloa

31411 Formation. Promotion team!!!

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bruce beckett says...
8:55pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Championshipgull, what the hell are you on about?

Far Gull asked for his opinions/guesses on the team for tomorrow and I was happy to read his views and share mine.

Football is all about opinions. If you don't like mine, ignore them, but please don't address me personally as I am here to interact with fellow Brighton fans, not be insulted by dullards like yourself.

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championshipgull says...
9:29pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Bruce I’ll take your answer as a no, but if you don’t know what I’m talking about, try reading your own posts.

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bruce beckett says...
9:55pm Fri 8 Mar 13

I know exactly what you're talking about, championshipgull (or whatever other name you post under). I see the positives and the negatives.

The positive was beating Huddersfield 4-1 with a scintillating second-half display.

The negative was managing zero shots on or off target in the 0-0 draw at bottom-of-the-table Bristol City.

The positive was Ulloa scoring a hat-trick.

The negative was Buckley not playing up to his best.

I try to take a balanced view on both the good and the bad. But, unlike you, I am not a Pollyana – a blindly optimistic person.

And unlike you, at least I have something mildly interesting to say.

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Far gull says...
9:56pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Bruce ,for what it's worth didn't see anything negative in your post. As Crofts fit as champ has suggest expect him in the mix. By the sound of Bristol game I expect Gus starting eleven to be full of vigour.(well it should be if we are serious about play offs!) Lualua in ,Buckley bench ?

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Far gull says...
10:00pm Fri 8 Mar 13

weststandupperlacost
earmy wrote:
Kuszczhak
Greer Upson El-Abd
Bridcutt
Buckley Lopez Hammond Orlandi
Vicente
Ulloa

31411 Formation. Promotion team!!!
Quite like the look of this formation if brono and bridge out. Not sure if Gus likely to play it though! and to cold in Bolton for v :-)

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bruce beckett says...
10:12pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Far gull, thanks for your support. For some reason, this guy is always on my case.

I think El Abd would have little trouble slotting in at left back. After all, I think he played in that position when he first broke into the team.

Much as I'd love to have Vicente start, I can't see it happening in the forzen north. Mind you, he did play at a very cold Amex a few weeks back.

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championshipgull says...
10:16pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Good piece it the Argus today by Rob Townsend this is a excerpt.

"It seems I didn't miss much by not going to
Ashton Gate. It sounded like a pretty dire match. The one bad thing about watching the whole thing unfold on the internet is that it's hard to avoid the doom merchants. There was a fair amount of negativity about the result and the performance, which I found slightly frustrating. To not play well and to still pick up a draw against a team that have been really strong at home of late (they've beaten Forest and Watford recently) is okay by me.
You can't be at your best every week. Simple as that. And with Leicester drawing with Leeds and Middlesbrough snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, it was actually a pretty good night for The Seagulls. Anyone who thinks, because we are sixth and Bristol City are bottom, that we should have simply swept them aside, is wrong. At this stage of the season, playing away at clubs scrapping against relegation is tough.
Look at Middlesbrough, losing at the team we hit for four just a few days earlier. So I would say a draw is decent enough. It keeps the unbeaten run going and it's another clean sheet.

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bruce beckett says...
10:54pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Would you and Rob Townsend happen to related by any chance, championshipgull?

As it happens, his opinion was exactly the same as mine. Please see below.

bruce beckett says...
9:55pm Tue 5 Mar 13

"Sounded like a dreadful game, but as I said beforehand, a point away is not the end of the world.

I'm much more concerned about the injury to CMS. Okay, so he hasn't done much lately, but with Hoskins out, we can't afford to lose another striker."

But, of course, you will construe by comment about CMS as "negative", even though it is factually correct.

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championshipgull says...
8:26am Sat 9 Mar 13

bruce beckett wrote:
Would you and Rob Townsend happen to related by any chance, championshipgull?

As it happens, his opinion was exactly the same as mine. Please see below.

bruce beckett says...
9:55pm Tue 5 Mar 13

"Sounded like a dreadful game, but as I said beforehand, a point away is not the end of the world.

I'm much more concerned about the injury to CMS. Okay, so he hasn't done much lately, but with Hoskins out, we can't afford to lose another striker."

But, of course, you will construe by comment about CMS as "negative", even though it is factually correct.
Now you’re being ridiculous.

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