Poyet predicts a thrilling promotion race (From The Argus)
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Poyet predicts a thrilling promotion race
12:30pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in Sport By Andy Naylor
Gus Poyet has predicted a fight to the finish in the race for promotion to the Premier League.
The Albion boss believes the top six places in the Championship will not be resolved until the closing stages of the season.
Poyet told The Argus: "I think the top nine or ten are going to be there up to the last month, no doubt, because there is so little between the teams that an injury or a couple of bad decisions for or against you from a referee can change your position in the table so quickly.
“We need to be there. We are supposed to be there now, that’s the good thing for me. We are in a better position now because the team is stronger now and it is very easy for me to change it.
“Before the team was picking itself. There were not too many options. If I pick right we should be better.”
Tenth-placed Albion put their unbeaten record this year on the line today at Leeds, who are immediately above them in the table on goal difference and two points outside the play-offs.
The Seagulls have closed the gap on second-placed Southampton from 15 points to seven since beating them at The Amex to launch their undefeated eight-match run in 2012 but Poyet has guarded against branding his side automatic promotion possibles.
He said: "The best way is just to win every game. When we played Southampton we were in a very bad run. We were playing against a team at the top of the league with a squad down to the minimum and everything looked quite dark.
"Then you win 3-0 and go on a run. I'm calm, I am ready for everything that's coming. You learn a lot when you are a manager, to be ready for good runs and bad runs.
"I think there is going to be probably from now until the end of March a little gap between the teams who are going to be competing for the top two and the other seven or eight competing for the four places in the play-offs.
"The rest up to six or seven points behind will be thinking they can maybe go up but realistically they won't."
Albion will try to strangle Leeds in their first outing at Elland Road under caretaker Neil Redfearn, after a 4-1 home defeat by Birmingham cost Simon Grayson his job.
Poyet added: "They lost the last one at home and there's been so much pressure on the manager that they need to win and they need to get up.
"You know that to win they need the ball and if they don't have the ball it's a problem, so we need to be strong at what we do. Saying that, if you don't defend against Snodgrass, Becchio and McCormack you are going to lose the game, so we need to be good."
Comments(19)
Rhodes Seagull
says...
12:50pm Sat 11 Feb 12
SicklySeagull
says...
1:51pm Sat 11 Feb 12
Talk of Premiership is fanciful and could in fact result in Albions good times at the Amex coming to an end. We would need to sign half a team of Premiership quality players which could not guarantee a decent league position or regular victories at home.The majority of season ticket holders have become used to watching a team that picks up points regularly if they dont we could see a large drop in attendances,this happened when we were promoted to the old Division 1 and eventually to nearly being relegated to the Conference.
golddene
says...
2:20pm Sat 11 Feb 12
Dave in Hastings
says...
2:22pm Sat 11 Feb 12
golddene wrote:Love it!!!!! :-)
Never mind all that claptrap the pants are on and i feel lucky as long as they don't fall apart premiere league here we come SEAGULLS
Hovite
says...
2:25pm Sat 11 Feb 12
golddene wrote:If all goes well you could start selling replicas of you lucky pants on ebay!
Never mind all that claptrap the pants are on and i feel lucky as long as they don't fall apart premiere league here we come SEAGULLS
Stoneham Park
says...
2:28pm Sat 11 Feb 12
golddene wrote:Haha love the enthusiasm!
Never mind all that claptrap the pants are on and i feel lucky as long as they don't fall apart premiere league here we come SEAGULLS
Seagulls!!
Dave in Hastings
says...
2:30pm Sat 11 Feb 12
SicklySeagull wrote:I am one of those who thought that to get promotion to the Premier League would be too much too soon, but now I am not so sure.
With a couple of loan signings we should comfortably hold a top half position in the Championship and hopefully be able to play relaxed entertaining football at home which will keep our attendaces up.
Talk of Premiership is fanciful and could in fact result in Albions good times at the Amex coming to an end. We would need to sign half a team of Premiership quality players which could not guarantee a decent league position or regular victories at home.The majority of season ticket holders have become used to watching a team that picks up points regularly if they dont we could see a large drop in attendances,this happened when we were promoted to the old Division 1 and eventually to nearly being relegated to the Conference.
Gus and TB really know what they are doing. From a position just before Christmas where everyone was bleating about results and the lack of quality in depth in the squad, Gus now seems to have options in almost every position. The Seagulls are only a couple of points off the play-offs, and the next few games will show whether this is a realistic target.
I don't see any reason why, with Gus and TB in charge, we couldn't do a 'Swansea'...
gordongull
says...
2:30pm Sat 11 Feb 12
SicklySeagull wrote:If we keep winning as you recommend, how do you propose that we avoid the Premiership?
With a couple of loan signings we should comfortably hold a top half position in the Championship and hopefully be able to play relaxed entertaining football at home which will keep our attendaces up.
Talk of Premiership is fanciful and could in fact result in Albions good times at the Amex coming to an end. We would need to sign half a team of Premiership quality players which could not guarantee a decent league position or regular victories at home.The majority of season ticket holders have become used to watching a team that picks up points regularly if they dont we could see a large drop in attendances,this happened when we were promoted to the old Division 1 and eventually to nearly being relegated to the Conference.
Hovite
says...
2:56pm Sat 11 Feb 12
If we go up, great.
If we miss out on the playoffs, great, means we have a good start next year.
If we lose out in a Wembley playoff final, fine, and as above. Also good to go to Wembley.
If we get promoted and come back down, oh well. It is a great experience whatever happens.
gordongull
says...
3:09pm Sat 11 Feb 12
Hovite wrote:Not to mention the £90 million!
Yep I don't why anyone could begrudge themselves of just enjoying the moment.
If we go up, great.
If we miss out on the playoffs, great, means we have a good start next year.
If we lose out in a Wembley playoff final, fine, and as above. Also good to go to Wembley.
If we get promoted and come back down, oh well. It is a great experience whatever happens.
Hovite
says...
4:56pm Sat 11 Feb 12
KeefyH44
says...
6:19pm Sat 11 Feb 12
Hovite wrote:Viva CMS & Navs too! Great times.
Viva Vicente
Hovite
says...
6:55pm Sat 11 Feb 12
golddene
says...
7:11pm Sat 11 Feb 12
KeefyH44
says...
9:08pm Sat 11 Feb 12
golddene wrote:I think it was the baked beans, my brother-in-law must be looking down & f@rting us on-even though he was a rampant Man U supporter and laughed me out of the room during the 1983 replay!
oh yes they are still working (the pants that is ) great result would have snatched their hands off for a point but to take all three brilliant SEAGULLS.
cybergu11y
says...
9:23pm Sat 11 Feb 12
golddene wrote:I don't care how lucky you say your pants are Golddene, I don't want into them!!!
The lucky pants are just going on be afraid Leeds be very afraid the pants are coming to get you, SEAGULLS.
Brighton even after I an dead!!!
Captain Haddock
says...
9:30am Sun 12 Feb 12
Rhodes Seagull wrote:Another great post. I feel exactly the same way.
The thing is, two or even one season ago when we, The Albion, where to play such teams as Leeds, Birmingham, West Ham, etc etc as a B&HA supporter (and you have to be honest on this) feared the worst, hoped that maybe we would be lucky and get a result, but now we expect to get a result in our favour we have that feel good factor no matter who we are to play, it has been a long road (supported albion when they played at the Goldstone ground in the sixties) found it a little difficult to realise how good we have become as a team and as a club, now it's here LONG MAY IT LAST!!!!!
Captain Haddock
says...
9:36am Sun 12 Feb 12
click2find
golddene says...
12:49pm Sat 11 Feb 12