Albion must go for goal (From The Argus)

We all know its about getting back to winning ways and that the only way to do that is to start posing an attacking threat again. Im going to be so bold as to suggest that the personnel changes will not be the turning point right now but instead the style in which we play needs to change. Whether Its Crofts or Hammond, Dobbie or Barnes isnt the be all and end, what is is the set up and the way the players are being asked to play.
I am in no way saying we should return to hoof ball but there is no harm in changing a formation to carry a threat again whilst still playing football. We do indeed have the best defence in the division but it has to be said that at least some of that may have come from having 9 behind the ball half the time. Its back to 4-4-2 for me with defenders defending, midfielders doing a bit of both and attackers actually attacking and making a nuisance of themselves. Come on GP make it happen.. It did after all make us the champions of Divsion 1. Uta

Although I think a solid defence is the root of most good teams the shot statistics for Brighton (supposedly an attractive footballing side) are shocking. Hearing of the 7 v 5 and 5 v 4 midweek games made me wish for some more goalbox action at the Amex. Does anyone know how our shot stats compare with other Championship sides? I know premiership teams regularly manage double figure shots on target.

SMF20 wrote:
We all know its about getting back to winning ways and that the only way to do that is to start posing an attacking threat again. Im going to be so bold as to suggest that the personnel changes will not be the turning point right now but instead the style in which we play needs to change. Whether Its Crofts or Hammond, Dobbie or Barnes isnt the be all and end, what is is the set up and the way the players are being asked to play.
I am in no way saying we should return to hoof ball but there is no harm in changing a formation to carry a threat again whilst still playing football. We do indeed have the best defence in the division but it has to be said that at least some of that may have come from having 9 behind the ball half the time. Its back to 4-4-2 for me with defenders defending, midfielders doing a bit of both and attackers actually attacking and making a nuisance of themselves. Come on GP make it happen.. It did after all make us the champions of Divsion 1. Uta

As always on the money,i would love us to be a bit more unpredictable,every defender in the league knows where to find our players blindfolded,they are right where they should be when they should be,great most the time,but a little surprise once in a while would keep them guessing and a little worried,we all know where CMS will be and why,Pushing forward on his lonesome or tracking back to help out,similar story across the pitch i fear.A bit more individual license please Gus,and yes if needed,the occasional hoofed ball to catch them on the back foot,were predictable because other teams know we wont do that,it`s time to take that certainty away from them.Kick Leeds butt tonight lads.UTA

In response to Eddy B, here is a link that some may find interesting, http://www.football-
league.co.uk/page/Cl
ubShooting/0,,10794~
20127,00.html. I predict a very close game tonight, but do believe we will win, 2-1 will do me. G

Hoping that Hoskins if fit and back from paternity leave, believe that he could play the role Gus asks CMS to play. Hoskins has a better touch and can bring people into the game far better.

Unfortunately I dont see us getting more than a point tonight against a very competitive Leeds side. Nothing less than 3 points will give Albion a credible possibility of a top 6 six finish and nothing less than 3 points will ensure GP is still in the saddle at the end of 2012. It feels like an entire season and even careers are hanging on this one match against Leeds. Incredible pressure and we wont know the effect of that pressure until the game is over.We could be popping the corks at 9.45 as we see the Albion back on track or we could be jamming up the phone lines to Brighton Buses in a battle to get the bus times for Beachy Head services.

Entertain! We dont want to be boring, boring, Brighton!! First writer correct we need a change of style. This one is toooo sllooowww

Beat me up if you wish for what I am writing, I expect it.

As a club, a club with limited financial resources right now, is it really in the club's best interests to get promoted this season? The reasons for my asking this are varied but I offer a few.

Seats are still being installed at the Amex, income is not at it's optimum for this year.
If we get promotion this year we will probably have to lose something close to 75 percent of our squad due to quality. I expect us to lose one or two of those we would like to keep due to either great cash offers to buy or, as with Bridge, he gets a great offer that we can't match.
To go up and spend the whole year fighting for survival would hurt, and if we came straight down it would really hurt.
We are investing in our new training facility, and the sooner we get it the better, can we really compete in the premiership without having the best facilities. I might be wrong but I didn't think the training ground would be ready for next season.

Our recent form suggests that we are not contenders for promotion but it is still very early in the season and that could change. Whilst we have a great back five will all of them be there next season, Bridge is a loan player and Tom is so good right now he could be a target of a big offer as could Abd. So many of our players are on short term contracts I wonder how we will be able to keep the best of them.

IMHO I think the year we go up will be the year that the majority of our players are on three year deals. It will be the year when we go to the top and stay there due to the consistent quality performances of our players.
It will be the year when we maximise our income potential and have finished investing in the infrastructure of the club.

From a selfish point of view I want it to happen now but looking to our long term prospects I don't think we are ready just yet. It might be that the board have similar thinking to mine, maybe that is why we are not spending at this time and maybe Gus knows it too.


, .

For gods sake....get a grip and a reality check. How long have you been supporting this amazing football club. Do you write this rubbish to wind people up?
Do you seriously think that if we dont win tonight that Gus wont be our manager at the end of 2012?
A few short games ago we were top of the league and people were worried that Gus would be off to a bigger club.....five games later people like yourself are saying his job isnt secure.
Jesus H **** Christ. Is your glass either full or empty ?
Chillout man.....the league is a marathon ,not a sprint.
Dont add to the bin loads of crap put on here about Gus..written by people that seem to have no idea about the game.

wenners wrote:
For gods sake....get a grip and a reality check. How long have you been supporting this amazing football club. Do you write this rubbish to wind people up? Do you seriously think that if we dont win tonight that Gus wont be our manager at the end of 2012? A few short games ago we were top of the league and people were worried that Gus would be off to a bigger club.....five games later people like yourself are saying his job isnt secure. Jesus H **** Christ. Is your glass either full or empty ? Chillout man.....the league is a marathon ,not a sprint. Dont add to the bin loads of crap put on here about Gus..written by people that seem to have no idea about the game.

Wnners who are you adressing with this post?

Mate......if we went up ..we would make approx £90 million.
WE would probably be relegated , but would have had an amazing season , and then would get the huge parachute payment to 'soften the blow' !!
WBA did it perfectly for about 3 seasons ...up,down,up,down UP...and are now an established Premiership club.
They are the benchmark .
Lets stop worrying about maximum crowds...players staying..contracts etc.
Lets enjoy the ride and see what happens. Maybe it wont be this year....but tell you something...we wont get many more people in our stadium come January . Think most of the new seating will be in by then .

Agree we might not be quite ready for promotion. Think we need the Lancing academy to be up and running first ideally but let's see how things go.

You make some good points Vegas but let me ask you this. Do you believe that Gus and TB are looking for promotion this year? Id be intrigued to hear what you think.
My thoughts? Absolutely, they want at the least the playoffs and possibly more. Why? Well why would we bring in the likes of Tom, Bruno, Bridge and the others if it was to only improve by up to 3 places. If the Management team were happy with top 7 then surely the outlay on players both signed permanently and loaned would have been far less than that which was actually spent on both transfer fees and salaries.I really believe that a top 6 finish is the expectation within the management walls and for the reasons ive given above.
I do believe in alot of what you have said though.

Wenners I'll take the ride with you, let's just hope that the bus stops at the right place.
I wonder Wenners, would you be happy with a play off place that failed for this season's end?
I would take it.

VegasSeagull wrote:

wenners wrote:
For gods sake....get a grip and a reality check. How long have you been supporting this amazing football club. Do you write this rubbish to wind people up? Do you seriously think that if we dont win tonight that Gus wont be our manager at the end of 2012? A few short games ago we were top of the league and people were worried that Gus would be off to a bigger club.....five games later people like yourself are saying his job isnt secure. Jesus H **** Christ. Is your glass either full or empty ? Chillout man.....the league is a marathon ,not a sprint. Dont add to the bin loads of crap put on here about Gus..written by people that seem to have no idea about the game.

Wnners who are you adressing with this post?

Sorry Vegas....this is for Sussexram...ive sent another one to you !!

Vegas.....im happy if we stay in the Championship..its the best league in the world ! Play offs would be the cake..promotion the icing !
I think people here need to take a sharp intake of breath , and just remember where we were 18 months ago .
Small steps....make sure the foundations are solidly built .
So many Albion supporters are living beyond their dreams here !!

SMF20 wrote:
You make some good points Vegas but let me ask you this. Do you believe that Gus and TB are looking for promotion this year? Id be intrigued to hear what you think. My thoughts? Absolutely, they want at the least the playoffs and possibly more. Why? Well why would we bring in the likes of Tom, Bruno, Bridge and the others if it was to only improve by up to 3 places. If the Management team were happy with top 7 then surely the outlay on players both signed permanently and loaned would have been far less than that which was actually spent on both transfer fees and salaries.I really believe that a top 6 finish is the expectation within the management walls and for the reasons ive given above. I do believe in alot of what you have said though.

So tough to answer your question SMF but I'll try.

If you asked me, would the board be happy with a failed play off attempt this year I think the answer would be yes because it would show we are moving in the right direction.

If you asked me does the board, 'expect,' promotion this year I don't think they do.

If you asked me, is the board holding back funds to ensure that we don't get promotion this year I would say no.

If you asked me, do I think that the board could do more to support a promotion drive, I would say yes.

With regards ot the players bought in, I think they arrived to ensure that we finish in the top ten as a minimum and they will do that. To my mind it's almost as though we are in a holding pattern just waiting for when the time is right, but I could be wrong.

Toward the end of last season we played a lad in goal that we hadn't tried before, our other keepers were fit to play. I think I am right in saying that were still had a chance of the palyoffs at the time, we lost the game and we didn't sign the keeper. To me that was a strange decision.

wenners wrote:
Vegas.....im happy if we stay in the Championship..its the best league in the world ! Play offs would be the cake..promotion the icing ! I think people here need to take a sharp intake of breath , and just remember where we were 18 months ago . Small steps....make sure the foundations are solidly built . So many Albion supporters are living beyond their dreams here !!

agreed

Thanks Vegas, I disagree for the reasons i gave before re expectations with possibly the exception of a failed playoff bid but it is good to have a bit of good natured opinion being put about.
Thats what this place is all about after all. Uta for the game tonight.

sussexram40 wrote:
Agree we might not be quite ready for promotion. Think we need the Lancing academy to be up and running first ideally but let's see how things go.

Agree about promotion etc..but nonsense to say we need the Lancing academy up and running.
Its two years away ...and its not going to have any effect on us getting to the promised land...
its for the future players...the development squad, and the new first team players that will already be in the Premiership.
People here are talking about his season ...the academy is the for the future !

I hope that the great majority of supporters agree with Wenners and Vegas, last season Southampton gained promotion to the Premiership but despite improving their side they are in dire trouble.We are capable of finishing in the top half of this league and if Gus provides entertaining and successful results at home we should be content,rather than becoming another Wigan,Bolton or Wolves.

Sickly Seagull.

I guess I kinda agree with you but not totally. Brighton surely must strive for the top flight, why exists if you don't aim for the top.
I don't think any harm would be done if we were to stay in the championship for a couple more seasons if the time was used to further build the club and the squad.

Southampton are not having a good time of it, that's true, but did they buy the right players, Reading seem to be having a little fun.

wenners wrote:
For gods sake....get a grip and a reality check. How long have you been supporting this amazing football club. Do you write this rubbish to wind people up?
Do you seriously think that if we dont win tonight that Gus wont be our manager at the end of 2012?
A few short games ago we were top of the league and people were worried that Gus would be off to a bigger club.....five games later people like yourself are saying his job isnt secure.
Jesus H **** Christ. Is your glass either full or empty ?
Chillout man.....the league is a marathon ,not a sprint.
Dont add to the bin loads of crap put on here about Gus..written by people that seem to have no idea about the game.

I respect everyone's right to comment on Albion, on this site.
However respect for you goes out of the window when you resort to blaspheming to make your point.

wenners wrote:
For gods sake....get a grip and a reality check. How long have you been supporting this amazing football club. Do you write this rubbish to wind people up?
Do you seriously think that if we dont win tonight that Gus wont be our manager at the end of 2012?
A few short games ago we were top of the league and people were worried that Gus would be off to a bigger club.....five games later people like yourself are saying his job isnt secure.
Jesus H **** Christ. Is your glass either full or empty ?
Chillout man.....the league is a marathon ,not a sprint.
Dont add to the bin loads of crap put on here about Gus..written by people that seem to have no idea about the game.

Quality.UTA

tug509 wrote:

wenners wrote:
For gods sake....get a grip and a reality check. How long have you been supporting this amazing football club. Do you write this rubbish to wind people up?
Do you seriously think that if we dont win tonight that Gus wont be our manager at the end of 2012?
A few short games ago we were top of the league and people were worried that Gus would be off to a bigger club.....five games later people like yourself are saying his job isnt secure.
Jesus H **** Christ. Is your glass either full or empty ?
Chillout man.....the league is a marathon ,not a sprint.
Dont add to the bin loads of crap put on here about Gus..written by people that seem to have no idea about the game.

Quality.UTA

The sentiment,not the blaspheming.UTA

VegasSeagull wrote:
Sickly Seagull.

I guess I kinda agree with you but not totally. Brighton surely must strive for the top flight, why exists if you don't aim for the top.
I don't think any harm would be done if we were to stay in the championship for a couple more seasons if the time was used to further build the club and the squad.

Southampton are not having a good time of it, that's true, but did they buy the right players, Reading seem to be having a little fun.

Your right Saints are struggling,but i`ve seen some of their play on the box and they are playing some fantastic football and with opening games against both Manchester teams and the Gunners,they were always up against it.But good luck to them for the rest of the season.UTA