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Albion can't find a finish

9:59pm Tuesday 9th February 2010


Albion climbed out of the League One drop zone tonight but will feel they should have ended their wait for another Withdean win.

The Seagulls drew 0-0 with Huddersfield after making the running for most of the evening.

Chris Holroyd shone on his home debut and was close to deflecting in a driven Alan Navarro cross in the second half.

Town keeper Alex Smithies turned over a Liam Dickinson drive and a late Gary Dicker cross which flicked off defender Neal Trotman and seemed set to arc under the bar.

Seb Carole was weakly off target with a couple of attempts, the outstanding Adam Virgo volleyed too high and Glenn Murray, coming off the bench, saw a drive blocked.

Huddersfield offered little threat though they had the best chance of the first half as Robbie Simpson shot over at the far post.

The visitors also launched a late bid to snatch the points and Anthony Pilkington saw his long range free-kick flick the top of the bar on 82 minutes.

Albion move up two places but have now only scored once in their last six home league games.

They will also be dismayed at a crowd of just 4,711, the lowest home league gate for two years and one of the worst ever at Withdean.

No goals but Albion are improving - Albion analysis in The Argus tomorrow


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deancoxissexy, Southwick says...
10:56pm Tue 9 Feb 10

Quite an even 1st half with not much goalmouth action but we were much better than them in the 2nd.
Chris Holroyd was very lively (and lovely!) but Dickinson wasn't. I'd start with Holroyd and Murray on Saturday.
Carole was poor and looks a waste of space again but overall we were pretty good and need to keep up the 2nd half form.

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Baguette, Patcham says...
11:24pm Tue 9 Feb 10

Does anyone get the feeling Forster's absence may cost us dear?

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The Phantom, Burgess Hill says...
12:50am Wed 10 Feb 10

Dull game, decent performance. Again looked defensively sound but although having most of the play did not do enough to win the game. Holroyd did o.k. but should never have been the sponsors man of the match and agree Carole was poor - really no need to retain him if Lua-Lua has now been signed. Good news to move up two places but it was an opportunity tonight to get a win as Huddersfield were very poor.

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kumquat, London says...
7:17am Wed 10 Feb 10

I know Murray hasn't scored any goals at home, but honestly without Forster he is our only recognised scorer. Dickinson has struggled to get goals. Murray has to start. I think that we need against the top teams in the next few weeks just to concentrate on keeping clean sheets because the way some of the other teams are playing at the bottom, even draws should keep us out of the relegation zone and with Murray in the side we should pick up the odd win.

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Gee Jay, Derbyshire says...
7:44am Wed 10 Feb 10

Telling remark at the end of this piece..Albion have only scored ONCE in the last SIX home league matches.
The Withdean faithful are having to put up with shovel fulls of disappointment. Plenty of chances last night though, which is an improvement, but we need to be taking them.
I am confident that the form book will go out the window on Saturday and Albion will take three points, only to be witnessed by another gate of around 5,000.

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ShorehamBeachcomber, shoreham says...
8:11am Wed 10 Feb 10

see what happens when you want to postpone a game because there is a chill in the air = rearranged game = no'one turns up = no atmos = no win

security word GREAT call

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B-hove, says...
8:29am Wed 10 Feb 10

We've been posting for weeks to highlight the problem of our inability to score goals, particularly at home. Glad the Argus has finally woken-up to it!

We've been saying we're two players short - a left-sided attacker and a hungry goalscorer. Hopefully, after yesterday's business, we're one player short - someone with a single-minded passion for hitting the back of the net.

And Seb Carole is unnecessary on the left - he can barely stand on his left peg, let alone kick the ball with it!

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mark by the sea, hove says...
9:28am Wed 10 Feb 10

on a positive defence are looking solid, carole cant do it, thats why he has been at ten clubs in a few years.. we created enough to have scored, but i wonder if we are going to score goals? on a negative the 4700 were so quiet i heard nearly all the calls from every player. that was worst home support i can remember, especially for a night game! unless someone puts the ball in the net, we wont get out of this scrape.

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fretlessbass, Camberley says...
9:31am Wed 10 Feb 10

B-Hove says 'we're one player short - someone with a single-minded passion for hitting the back of the net'. Surely that person is sitting at home being paid for doing nothing. Namely Nicky Forster. Why? This is mismanagement virging on the criminally insane. If Poyet takes us down he will not only be justly sacked but loathed by all Albion fans.

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mark by the sea, hove says...
9:57am Wed 10 Feb 10

fretlessbass wrote:
B-Hove says 'we're one player short - someone with a single-minded passion for hitting the back of the net'. Surely that person is sitting at home being paid for doing nothing. Namely Nicky Forster. Why? This is mismanagement virging on the criminally insane. If Poyet takes us down he will not only be justly sacked but loathed by all Albion fans.
exactly, last night reminded me of pre forster.. so many nearly goals.. are we now saying this forward lin will get us out this? because the new lad has some great vision and touch, but at 23 can he score ten goals this season? as i said yesterday.. will elabd get in to the starting 11? no one answered that question... would forster start if available, answer is yes.. for the ones that say elabd is a squad player! what rubbish.. if he cant get into a side in the bottom 5 what chance getting in a side challenging for promotion? and more importantly will gus have a job if the albion get relegated?

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Leeds Seagull, Bradford says...
11:20am Wed 10 Feb 10

Well that didnt take long... Gus has had the job 3 months today and people are already calling for/ asking when he will be sacked, Give the guy a break. We need managerial consistancy as well as player consistancy.

The one and only person who should be blamed for NF not playing is NF himself had he not spat his dummy out and kept things behind closed doors he would be playing. IF you were a manger for any other company then how would you deal with a employee going on national telly to whine about you, your company and his contract? You wouldnt tolerate it.

We will survive this year with or without NF so give it a rest and get behind our team. I for one am a Seagull forever in this Div a lower Div or the prem it dosnt matter they are my pride and passion.

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Gee Jay, Derbyshire says...
11:48am Wed 10 Feb 10

Gus will get it right, or should I say, he will get the squad to get it right.
Just trust the guy.
Norwich and Leeds will be good for us, (unfortunately 2,000 or so fans will miss it on Saturday, but almost that number will witness it the following week at Elland Road).
Remember this post.

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troubles, Brighton says...
12:00pm Wed 10 Feb 10

"Poyet takes us down he will not only be justly sacked but loathed by all Albion fans."

What kind of planet are you on? If we go down or not the majority of Albion fans will be behind Poyet as he is making the tough decisions and getting performances out of the squad, you only have to look at the stats to see that we have lost only 1 game in the last 7 league games. He is also Bloom's man so will be given much more time then Slade was given.

And why are you blaming Poyet for Forstergate, he blabbed to the press about a transfer request in order to snake out a new contract- not the actions from someone I would want in any sort of organisation.

Mark, your incessant whining about home-grown players makes me sick to the back teeth. Give whatever agenda you have a rest.

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fil from germany, Burgess Hill says...
12:27pm Wed 10 Feb 10

I have on many occassions slated Alan Navarro for being slow and overweight, but I would like to say that I'm glad he's proving me wrong last night he did everything I have expected of him over recent games, Saturday should be same back 5, with bennett crofts navarro and cox, with murray and holroyd up front, I think these two in the absence of Micky Forster will be the two to take us away from the danger area and to safety, if I were to change the back five it would be at the expense of Painter who started poorly but got better and in his place el abd (if fully fit)

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Beethoven, Leicestershire says...
1:16pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Nil - nil is not enough..By the number of points obtained so far , we are on course to get less than the magic 50 points that you normally need to stay up.

The management have got to settle this spat with Forster and NOW..

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Rougvie Legend, Worthing says...
2:43pm Wed 10 Feb 10

I have to agree with some of the comments around Forster , whether you are managing teams in industry or football if someone steps out of line you have to act and make an example of them , if you dont it gives the rest of the team the green light to follow suit , the last thing Albion need is several players throwing their toys all over the place , tough decission for Poyet to make and one in which he would have known would have brought critisism but i think the right one , a decission that shows he knows how to manage , i am sure Forster will be back in the line up soon and will have learned a lesson , good performance last night especialy at the back and the new lad looks lively need wins not draws though its gonna be a tense run in .

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lancingseagull, lancing says...
2:56pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Beethoven wrote:
Nil - nil is not enough..By the number of points obtained so far , we are on course to get less than the magic 50 points that you normally need to stay up. The management have got to settle this spat with Forster and NOW..
According to your theory 3 of the 5 teams below us with less points are on course to survive instead of us are they? Everybody above us is safe? I prefer to look up the table, we're still only 6 points off 12th.

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lancingseagull, lancing says...
3:24pm Wed 10 Feb 10

fretlessbass wrote:
B-Hove says 'we're one player short - someone with a single-minded passion for hitting the back of the net'. Surely that person is sitting at home being paid for doing nothing. Namely Nicky Forster. Why? This is mismanagement virging on the criminally insane. If Poyet takes us down he will not only be justly sacked but loathed by all Albion fans.
"That player sitting at home" has a contract he negotiated, and agreed to at the time of signing, that expires in the Summer not February. No doubt he is probably one of the top earners at the club, and seeks to secure his future earnings regardless of what division we find ourselves in next season.

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Gaz the great, Brighton says...
3:52pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Last night reminded me of the old saying "We couldn't score in a brothel". However, a draw is better than a defeat. Also stop knocking the team & give them & the manager a break, Rome wasn't built in a day. We always look dangerous until the final third, then we freeze. Good game by Virgo, by the way!

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MKWirral, Wallasey says...
4:08pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Leeds Seagull wrote:
Well that didnt take long... Gus has had the job 3 months today and people are already calling for/ asking when he will be sacked, Give the guy a break. We need managerial consistancy as well as player consistancy. The one and only person who should be blamed for NF not playing is NF himself had he not spat his dummy out and kept things behind closed doors he would be playing. IF you were a manger for any other company then how would you deal with a employee going on national telly to whine about you, your company and his contract? You wouldnt tolerate it. We will survive this year with or without NF so give it a rest and get behind our team. I for one am a Seagull forever in this Div a lower Div or the prem it dosnt matter they are my pride and passion.
Cannot praise your comment enough ....
The usual moaners and groaners are slowly gathering momentum for an anti-Gus Poyet siege at some point, after displaying their usual nonexistent patience ....
Some fans are totally blind to what is happening in the football world. We have the likes of Portsmouth, Cardiff and Southend, all with possible winding-up orders against them, and the fans of those respective clubs uncertain of their futures ....
Here at Brighton, we have a Chairman who has the club in his blood and is prepared to put his money where it is needed, both for the present situation of the day-to-day running of the club, and also the future, with his bankrolling the new stadium. On top of that he has provided us with one of the best new managers in the game today ....
What do the moaners all do? They support someone who considers he is bigger than the club, who makes ill-timed demands and believes that these should be granted by GP, just like that!
And because he has achieved so much with the club, and believes that he is a class above the rest of the squad, everyone will say "Certainly Nicky, you can have whatever you want, at whatever cost to the club, and whatever position it finds itself in at the end of the season"
Yes ... go on Gus Poyet, give in to the pressure of these moaning 'fans', who consider that because of the above, we should be at the top of this League by now and winning every match at the Withdean ....
Whilst we are at it Gus, because Mr Forster created this disruption himself, the above 'fans' are holding you personally responsible for mishandling the extra large dummy that was thrown out by him. They also wish to tell you that they are picking the team now, and they want NF straight back in the final eleven ....

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Jimmy Langley, Hove says...
6:47pm Wed 10 Feb 10

The sycophant from Wallasy has decreed:- 1. Thou shall not examine anything that Gus Poyet says or does. 2. Thou shall not challenge Poyet's actions. 3. Thou shall not hold a different view to Poyet. 4. Thou shall not criticise Poyet; to do so is heresy. Well, and for the record MKWirral, I believe Poyet is a very promising manager, who is trying his best for The Albion, and I will support him whenever I can. BUT, in the event that he takes action which I believe is not in the best interest of B&HA I will feel free to say so notwithstanding the angst that will cause in Wallasey!

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the taffster, bognor says...
7:33pm Wed 10 Feb 10

no room for in-house squabbling.get your best player back up front and the goals will come.forster would have buried the chances last night.i agree with the above,poyets actions arent in the best interest of the club,team and supporters.3 players deserve a years contract extension.murray,for
ster and m.kuipers.the others have alot to prove.

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Barry M, Southwick says...
8:08pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Sorry for stating the obvious but 1 goal in 6 home games, 5 of which had forster in the starting line up. Are we really going to miss him??
Lets be honest he scored most of his goals early season when players were getting into their strides, and now they are up o speed forster is off the pace. I'm sad to see him go if this is the case but he's not all that. I'm sure we can get a proven goal scorer to fill his big boots! Paul Dickov????

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seagullbazil, Brighton says...
8:14pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Jimmy, you mate and the rest of your anti everything brigade a pathetic. I would you go and support someone else, you not a supporter your a griper. Go away. Got the relevent FA badges do you? you do not have a clue what you are talking about. As for the Forster situation, the be all and end all of it is, he went the wrong way about it and cried in the press instead of being a man and seeing Poyet privately in his office. I dont care if he has scored 50 goals,Gus Poyet is the Manager(the best and most qualified one we have had) and what he says goes as far as the players go. As for your comments, i am going to say whatever i like as well and i just have, i have been going to games since i was 2 yrs old, 36 yrs in total and i am sick of paying for my ticket to listen to the likes of you. So, you made your comment as if only yours counts well, it doesn't sunshine, so that is my opinion, and i will say what i like without having to be accused of being a sycophant just because i don't agree with your unqualified, misery riddled drivel. I AM AN ALBION SUPPOTER AND PROUD OF IT AND AFTER 36 YEARS I AM ENTITLED TO SAY MY BIT AS I AM SICK OF READING THE POISON THAT IS WRITTEN ON HERE.

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MKWirral, Wallasey says...
9:09pm Wed 10 Feb 10

Jimmy Langley wrote:
The sycophant from Wallasy has decreed:- 1. Thou shall not examine anything that Gus Poyet says or does. 2. Thou shall not challenge Poyet's actions. 3. Thou shall not hold a different view to Poyet. 4. Thou shall not criticise Poyet; to do so is heresy. Well, and for the record MKWirral, I believe Poyet is a very promising manager, who is trying his best for The Albion, and I will support him whenever I can. BUT, in the event that he takes action which I believe is not in the best interest of B&HA I will feel free to say so notwithstanding the angst that will cause in Wallasey!
I have quite obviously touched a raw nerve here ....
Jimmy Langley, you have absolutely no idea about running a professional football club, and would see Brighton and Hove Albion liquidated before shifting your inane stance ....
The points you raised bear no relation to my original comments anyway, and you obviously fail to understand the situation at the club. In fact you do not understand anything but your own very narrow viewpoint ....
Your cognitive bias is easy to detect, perhaps you should carefully review before posting your statements in future ....

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Jimmy Langley, Hove says...
9:57pm Wed 10 Feb 10

MKWirral - Who touched a raw nerve?

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DC Gull, Chicken Run says...
11:14pm Wed 10 Feb 10

I don't think you need a FIFA Coaching badge to know that not starting your two top scorers is not smart management.

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Liam Dickinson rues a chance going begging (photo Simon Dack) Liam Dickinson rues a chance going begging (photo Simon Dack)


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