Orlandi on course for Albion comeback (From The Argus)

Which Christmas? 2012, 2013, 2014 ?

"It's slowly, slowly, and hopefully we will get the benefits from Christmas onwards."

Is he talking about Vicente or the speed the team play the 1st half

Looks like the gamble of "forcing" Vicente back to us this season has backfired. Is a great shame but this is money that could have been put towards a striker or two thast we desperately need (along with the wages of Harley, Vincelot, Sparrow et el !! )

stick vincelot in the middle upfront.gus seems unable to sign a target man.if were going to keep pumping the ball in the middle we need a player that can head a ball.

It will all fall into place on Saturday, we will get the win that we have been waiting for.
I can feel it in my water..........Nurse
!

NURSE!

the taffster wrote:
stick vincelot in the middle upfront.gus seems unable to sign a target man.if were going to keep pumping the ball in the middle we need a player that can head a ball.

VIncelot and Sparrow have gone..... unless Ive missed a meeting.

Not on thread and apologies to Mr Kipling; For 'my mate Gus'.

IF...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you and you on them;
If you can trust yourself when some fans doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait for a goal and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies or misquotes,
Or being questioned don’t give way to questions,
And yet don’t answer them too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and make Chelsea or Spurs your eventual master;
If you can think—and make a striker worthy of the term your aim,
If you can meet with victories and defeats,
And treat those two just the same; unless it's a draw:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by the Argus to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the tactics you gave your hope to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with players not necessarily good enough;
If you can make one leap to the premiership with all your winnings
And risk it on one system, with no plan B,
And lose, and start again next season in the Championship
And never breathe a word about your budget:
If you can force your Vicente, his nerve and thigh muscle
To serve you, long after he wished to be gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ' Eeess complicated!’
If you can talk with record crowds and keep your temper,
Or eventually walk with Alex and Arsene—nor lose the latin touch,
If neither foes nor disenchanted fans can hurt you,
If Charlie and Tanno count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving 90 minutes
With a brilliant substitution and tactical switch,
Yours is the Albion and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Manager, my son!

I'd love to know exactly how much money we've spent in total on Vicente and Hoskins. There's nothing wrong with Vicente other than that he can't be bothered (how many times have we been told he'll be training 'very soon'? how much time has he actually spent in England over the last couple of months?). We've played 58 league matches since we signed Hoskins and he has not yet managed to play a single complete match for us.If that's not a definition of a sicknote I don't know what is. And we are still paying out what most fans would consider a fortune to Sparrow, Vincelot, Brezovan, Painter and Harley - none of whom are likely to play for us on a regular basis. Clearly money is no object. We really need to get rid of those players. Maybe we could use the money we save to buy a proper striker eh Gus?

I suggest we convert Lua Lua to the centre foreward position he is fast and strong and has got a shot on him,its better than wasting him sitting on the bench and it might just work.Is it brother who plays up front for Blackpool and is very good.

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww breaking news....... yawn

fairweathersupporter wrote:
Not on thread and apologies to Mr Kipling; For 'my mate Gus'.

IF...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you and you on them;
If you can trust yourself when some fans doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait for a goal and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies or misquotes,
Or being questioned don’t give way to questions,
And yet don’t answer them too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and make Chelsea or Spurs your eventual master;
If you can think—and make a striker worthy of the term your aim,
If you can meet with victories and defeats,
And treat those two just the same; unless it's a draw:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by the Argus to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the tactics you gave your hope to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with players not necessarily good enough;
If you can make one leap to the premiership with all your winnings
And risk it on one system, with no plan B,
And lose, and start again next season in the Championship
And never breathe a word about your budget:
If you can force your Vicente, his nerve and thigh muscle
To serve you, long after he wished to be gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ' Eeess complicated!’
If you can talk with record crowds and keep your temper,
Or eventually walk with Alex and Arsene—nor lose the latin touch,
If neither foes nor disenchanted fans can hurt you,
If Charlie and Tanno count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving 90 minutes
With a brilliant substitution and tactical switch,
Yours is the Albion and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Manager, my son!

Impressive!

BREAKING NEWS?!?!?!?!?! Midfield isn't our problem, certainly not our priority issue.

pjwilk wrote:
I suggest we convert Lua Lua to the centre foreward position he is fast and strong and has got a shot on him,its better than wasting him sitting on the bench and it might just work.Is it brother who plays up front for Blackpool and is very good.

Not a bad idea. Yes, it is his brother.

Next home game is Leeds. Let's make some noise.. let's make a LOT of noise and start getting really behind the team instead of bleating all the time! Myself included!!!!!

B-hove wrote:
Which Christmas? 2012, 2013, 2014 ?

Nice one B-Hove.

fairweathersupporter wrote:
Not on thread and apologies to Mr Kipling; For 'my mate Gus'.

IF...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you and you on them;
If you can trust yourself when some fans doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait for a goal and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies or misquotes,
Or being questioned don’t give way to questions,
And yet don’t answer them too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and make Chelsea or Spurs your eventual master;
If you can think—and make a striker worthy of the term your aim,
If you can meet with victories and defeats,
And treat those two just the same; unless it's a draw:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by the Argus to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the tactics you gave your hope to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with players not necessarily good enough;
If you can make one leap to the premiership with all your winnings
And risk it on one system, with no plan B,
And lose, and start again next season in the Championship
And never breathe a word about your budget:
If you can force your Vicente, his nerve and thigh muscle
To serve you, long after he wished to be gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ' Eeess complicated!’
If you can talk with record crowds and keep your temper,
Or eventually walk with Alex and Arsene—nor lose the latin touch,
If neither foes nor disenchanted fans can hurt you,
If Charlie and Tanno count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving 90 minutes
With a brilliant substitution and tactical switch,
Yours is the Albion and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Manager, my son!

Excellent, Fairweathersupporter
! Quality. And worthy of a much wide audience.

I believe we are now seeing where Brighton lie in the Championship for 2012-2013 season.
Per season we needed a striker (come target man) plus a good shift put in by our mercurial play maker Mr V.

Neither expectation has been met!

So whilst we began with some great results as all the teams looked to find their feet in the new season. We now see the reality of having no supportive striker for CMS, and a play maker who appears (at least) to have gone AWOL.

Yes the midfield looks strong and has depth, but with no cutting edge up front we have no end product for all the hard work and possession.

We all knew what we needed pre season so we shouldn't be too surprised at the current struggle for goals. I sure hope GP gets something done in the loan window, or the tone will be set for mid table this year.

How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

saraman wrote:
How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

Yep, Alex Dawson was another, with a broken nose and a head like a bull.

saraman wrote:
How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

Probably not, but it was great fun too watch!!!

dave from bexill wrote:

saraman wrote: How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

Yep, Alex Dawson was another, with a broken nose and a head like a bull.

Well done Dave. Forgot about Alex. Those were the days.

Good memory saraman, I believe Alex Dawson was know as the Black Prince but no idea where that came from. Did Geof Sidebottom play in goal around the same time

saraman wrote:

dave from bexill wrote:

saraman wrote: How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

Yep, Alex Dawson was another, with a broken nose and a head like a bull.

Well done Dave. Forgot about Alex. Those were the days.

Remember both of them - Bobby Smith was a great centre forward and Dawson wasn't bad. Dawson used to frighten me and I was standing in the chicken run!!
Think Connor Wickham would be a good loan signing if we could get him.

Interesting little article about Alex Dawson if anyone is interested.

http://www.dailyreco
rd.co.uk/news/uk-wor
ld-news/meet-scottis
h-busby-babe-who-968
161

Judging by the football history of the last few posters it appear that the majority of us are silver surfers. At least 3 to 1 I would say. The rest must be workers. Poor fellows. I know it's trivia but we can't be serious all of the time.

Heading says 'Orlandi on course for a comeback for Albion' Should be just 'Albion on course for a comeback' at least I hope so. As for Vicente it says ready by Christmas--but the article does not actually say WHICH Christmas Ho HO HO. I agree with the comments on the money paid on wages---but is not as simple as just getting rid and finding someone else to pay their wages. UTA

fan since 61 wrote:
Good memory saraman, I believe Alex Dawson was know as the Black Prince but no idea where that came from. Did Geof Sidebottom play in goal around the same time

I believe he did 61. We have always been blessed with great keepers as we have now in TK.

saraman wrote:
How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

I suspect I'm the only one on here who's kept goal against the legendary Bobby Smith - for one half at least.
Okay he'd retired and was turning out for a celeb team, while I was in a works team and the match was on Lancing's ground, but I can vouch for the impact of his cannonball shot. It was a bit like the cartoon character where it goes right through...

I kept a clean sheet, though...

mr punch wrote:
Next home game is Leeds. Let's make some noise.. let's make a LOT of noise and start getting really behind the team instead of bleating all the time! Myself included!!!!!

I agree, but put out a side that's going to excite us and have a real go, Buckley must start at the very least. 4-5-1 is not the answer at home, if atmosphere is needed,then provide the entertainment.

Willie, Willie Irvine wrote:

saraman wrote: How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

I suspect I'm the only one on here who's kept goal against the legendary Bobby Smith - for one half at least. Okay he'd retired and was turning out for a celeb team, while I was in a works team and the match was on Lancing's ground, but I can vouch for the impact of his cannonball shot. It was a bit like the cartoon character where it goes right through... I kept a clean sheet, though...

You're a star Willie, just like your namesake who played for The Albion during the same era. I still believe you're the real article.

'In days of old when forwards scored goals' or may be ' I wandered lonely as a Brighton forward ' or even ' To score or not to score that is the question ' Ah classics .....

john newman wrote:
'In days of old when forwards scored goals' or may be ' I wandered lonely as a Brighton forward ' or even ' To score or not to score that is the question ' Ah classics .....

I love it John, that creased me.

So I learn today that GP is off to see the chairman about buying someone but already reckons he is wasting his time. Better to go through the motions than sit at home being bored. At least we now know what the next headline will be... Club Lacks Ambition - No Budget To Compete... etc. It's a good opportunity to throw the toys out the pram and divert blame. As I have already said elsewhere the answer is not in another blank cheque but in suitable motivation of people within the club who will give their all for the opportunity to prove themselves and I include among those the likes of Will Hoskins, Romain Vincelot, Toby Agdestein and George Barker. Sadly I am reluctant to include certain members of the current 1st team squad who don't seem to have any pride in the shirt. The solution (imho) lies in a certain amount of man-management expertise and I am not sure that quality exists in sufficient quantities to bring about a rapid turnaround in our fortunes... but I am there to be corrected - and hope I will be. Fingers crossed.

saraman wrote:
How about a CF in the mould of Bobby Smith who played for The Albion 1964-65? He would take everyone into the back of the net along with the ball. I suppose the referee wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.

I Remember it well or Kit Napier scoring direct from corners.

Gee Jay wrote:
It will all fall into place on Saturday, we will get the win that we have been waiting for.
I can feel it in my water..........Nurse

!

NURSE!

Haaa! Quality...! Dubious quality but quality none the less. UTA, I too sense a win on Saturday, if wee can't win against a struggling Blackpool I will go potty! Sorry.UTA 4ever.....

rolivan: I think you mean Noddy Goodchild!!

While Smith stood on the goalies toes. Got an excellent view from the chicken run.

Ah Saraman silver surfers we may be but is it not encouraging that we still have a deep pride in the club and to all moaners I say yes, we do remember the good old players and the entertainment they gave us but I doubt there will be many of us who would dispute that the current squad surpasses all those we remember so fondly, as Harold Macmillan said you have never had it so good, a few more positive responses to the current management set up would be welcome
I'm sure

I almost forgot who remembers Jack Smith a classic inside forward.

Alfie T wrote:

mr punch wrote: Next home game is Leeds. Let's make some noise.. let's make a LOT of noise and start getting really behind the team instead of bleating all the time! Myself included!!!!!

I agree, but put out a side that's going to excite us and have a real go, Buckley must start at the very least. 4-5-1 is not the answer at home, if atmosphere is needed,then provide the entertainment.

Yes, lets have a real go at them, would love to stuff em 3.0 & send their charming fans back to Yorkshire with SFA.

Pleased to see the comments re: Alex Dawson. I posted on him a few weeks back, on the lines that we needed someone like him. I remember him not shaving on match day to frighten the centre half. Classic!
A replica Bobby Smith Ken Beamish or Willie Irvine would fit the bill nicely also.
In answer to 'fan since 61' - I remember Jack Smith very well. We signed him from Swindon - very skilful inside left if a touch lazy.
Perusing other comments, I'm finding it hard to be optimistic at the moment with the managers team selections and set up, a bit baffling. We still await the rushed transfer deadline signings to come good (and Crofts to come good)
As for Vicente, I'm completely confused. I thought he was ready to have a run out, subject to the weather.

The comments attributed to Gus about being boring seem to have been misrepresented. A look at the official website has Gus saying that he's bored of saying the same things after every match, that we look committed and, aside from the Leicester match, have been the stronger side, and that he feels for the fans as he says we must be bored with the predictably of the current run of games because he's bored repeating himself to the press and the players. I could be wrong, but I don't feel the comments were broadcast in the right context.
Agree with previous comments regarding shots on goal. I'm not quite sure why we seem so afraid to have a crack at goal from distance, we need to nail teams and show them that we're not frightened to go for the jugular, and with pace.
Set-pieces need work, without Vicente we have no-one who can deliver a corner or free-kick with quite the same quality.
Having said all that, and I will get criticism for saying so, but I still feel we need 2-3 seasons at least in the C'ship, our consistency levels are not there yet for a start, we're a very good side and I'm very proud to be where we are, we will progress, though not as quickly as some would like. We have too much quality to stay in the current rut for much longer, but the afforementioned striker situation needs to be rectified pretty swiftly. Good luck (need some of that as well) to the Albion at Blackpool at the weekend, keep the faith.

The Leicester v Brighton highlights,if you can call them that are now showing on sky sports,Barnes penalty kick was awful,two step run up and weakly hit the penalty was awful,time to name a regular spot kick taker,suggest Bridge.

fan since 61 wrote:
Good memory saraman, I believe Alex Dawson was know as the Black Prince but no idea where that came from. Did Geof Sidebottom play in goal around the same time

I think that Brian Powney was the keeper then. My recollections from sitting on my Dad's shoulders in the Sarf Stand were that Powney had a massive kick on him.

fairweathersupporter wrote:
Not on thread and apologies to Mr Kipling; For 'my mate Gus'.

IF...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you and you on them;
If you can trust yourself when some fans doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait for a goal and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies or misquotes,
Or being questioned don’t give way to questions,
And yet don’t answer them too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and make Chelsea or Spurs your eventual master;
If you can think—and make a striker worthy of the term your aim,
If you can meet with victories and defeats,
And treat those two just the same; unless it's a draw:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by the Argus to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the tactics you gave your hope to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with players not necessarily good enough;
If you can make one leap to the premiership with all your winnings
And risk it on one system, with no plan B,
And lose, and start again next season in the Championship
And never breathe a word about your budget:
If you can force your Vicente, his nerve and thigh muscle
To serve you, long after he wished to be gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ' Eeess complicated!’
If you can talk with record crowds and keep your temper,
Or eventually walk with Alex and Arsene—nor lose the latin touch,
If neither foes nor disenchanted fans can hurt you,
If Charlie and Tanno count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving 90 minutes
With a brilliant substitution and tactical switch,
Yours is the Albion and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Manager, my son!

Good one Fairweather. I love that we can use this medium to spread great ideas....have you seen this one?

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing for promotion.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for your love of The Seagulls
for your dream of Premiership Football
for the adventure of being alive in The Amex.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow when the goals dry up, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals like a missed Barnes penalty, or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further failure.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
mine or your own without moving to hide it from the cameras or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes when the goals flood in once again, without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic because of the budget, to remember the limitations of being a young Championship side..

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true that your budget is so small.I want to know if you can
disappoint the crowd to be true to yourself when Chelsea come calling.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty
even in defeat when it is not a pretty
way of playing And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, the team's, yours and mine
and still stand at the side of the pitch with fists punching the air and shout to the flock of seagulls flying above,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live in Sussex or Kent or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair in defeat, weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to motivate the boys.

It doesn’t interest me who you know,
Robbie or Gianfranco, or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the pitch
with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have played.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside when all else falls away and failure surrounds.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep when Tanno, Charlie and Naylor leave you
in the empty moments.

With apologies to Oriah!!!!

Saw a report about possible Barcelona b striker jean Marie dongou coming on loan. Not sure how credible this is but looked him up on google and seen video footage he looks very useful. He is Cameroon U20 international so could be useful and do a job.
Anyway play cms Hoskins on Saturday with Orlandi buckley. Gus one word to the lads attack from the start and we will score goals and beat Blackpool. Their left back is the weak link no pace and cannot defend. Think Blackpool will get our backlash and we will 3 nil. Also Gus put barker as a substitute. Beat blackpool then beat leeds.
Seagulls!!!!

There is often a thin line between success and failure.

Perhaps 1 goal in 5 games is the wake up call we needed to progress further as a club.

It could have all been so different.... IF.................B
UT NOT KIPLING'S VERSION!!!

IF we had not suffered the backlash from Birmingham's 0-5 defeat to Barnsley, and picked up 3 points and IF we had not hit the bar twice against Derby, but scored and gained another 2 points, and IF Middlesbrough had not scored with a lucky deflection, and IF Barnes HAD scored with that close range header and IF he had scored the penalty against Leicester, we would now be top with 27 points, and.................
....................
........ the hunt for a striker would probably have been put on the back-burner.

So really this could all be a blessing in disguise, because our shortcomings have now been put in sharp focus.

You sometimes need to take one step backwards to go 2 steps forward.

Triumph often emerges out of adversity.

Paradoxically, we may be much closer to promotion now than we were 5 games ago!

poyet out

B-hove wrote:
Which Christmas? 2012, 2013, 2014 ?

Get him fit for Christmas, we can all then chip in for his Christmas pressie, SINGLE TICKET BACK TO SPAIN in the January window !!!!!!!

Vince wrote:
There is often a thin line between success and failure. Perhaps 1 goal in 5 games is the wake up call we needed to progress further as a club. It could have all been so different.... IF.................B UT NOT KIPLING'S VERSION!!! IF we had not suffered the backlash from Birmingham's 0-5 defeat to Barnsley, and picked up 3 points and IF we had not hit the bar twice against Derby, but scored and gained another 2 points, and IF Middlesbrough had not scored with a lucky deflection, and IF Barnes HAD scored with that close range header and IF he had scored the penalty against Leicester, we would now be top with 27 points, and................. .................... ........ the hunt for a striker would probably have been put on the back-burner. So really this could all be a blessing in disguise, because our shortcomings have now been put in sharp focus. You sometimes need to take one step backwards to go 2 steps forward. Triumph often emerges out of adversity. Paradoxically, we may be much closer to promotion now than we were 5 games ago!

Ill second this..

For all the talent we have brought to the club the recent signings (transfer deadline, rather than summer) just don't seem to have made the impact we would have hoped for - compare that to reports of Nooney at Cardiff - scoring goals, setting them up, changing games. The quality we have will eventually shine through though, but as I always thought we are playoff contenders rather than a likely shout for automatic promotion. There is no way Barnes should be taking pens any more. Despite his record last season we have many better options particularly in terms of temperament. Besides, it just gives everyone (including me!) even more reason to criticise him when he misses them. No reason why we should, but fancy us to get a result at Blackpool later.

Vicente's injury must be the vaguest ever. The staff seem to have no idea when he will be back - most injuries have a definitive time scale reported. Very disappointing and now looking more and more foolish forcing him back for a second season. Unfortunately no sign that any of the replacements to date can match his class though.