Hammond: We are so close to getting it right (From The Argus)
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Hammond: We are so close to getting it right
9:00am Wednesday 26th December 2012 in Albion By Howard Griggs
Dean Hammond is confident Albion will soon be winning games
DEAN HAMMOND insists confidence remains high that Albion will soon return to winning ways.
The Seagulls have drawn their last three games and have not won in the last four.
They have in fact won only three of their last 16 games, with nine draws in that sequence.
They were denied an opportunity on Saturday when the match at Blackburn was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
With no game on Boxing Day, Albion are not back in action until the visit of in-form Watford on Saturday.
Despite the lack of wins, Hammond is buoyant ahead of a Christmas schedule which includes a visit to Ipswich Town on New Year’s Day.
The midfielder said: “Christmas is always an important period for a team. Unfortunately – or fortunately, whichever we you look at it – we don’t play on Boxing Day and we will be playing catch-up Watford are playing very well and it will be tough. “Ipswich will be another tough game and a good test because it is important for us to keep picking up points.
“Our performances are good. We are picking up points without winning games but confidence is high and we are very close to winning every game we play.
“That is no exaggeration.
“We were on a decent run until we lost at Crystal Palace. As players we know we need to win more games but we are creating chances and looking solid at the back. “It is just a case of putting back-to-back wins together and going from there.”
Albion topped the Championship at the end of September after winning five games on the trot.
They are now down to ninth but the nature of the division is such that just eight points separate Leicester in fifth and Charlton in 18th place.
A series of wins can make such a difference but equally a shortage of them can drop you down the table.
Hammond said: “The league is so close every year. You only need a couple of wins and it puts you right back in there.
“You only have to look earlier in the season when we won five on the trot and that put us top of the league.”
The late postponement of Saturday’s game was annoying for everyone concerned.
The players travelled up to the game on Friday and returned to Sussex on Saturday evening.
Many fans had made it to the ground when they heard that referee Robert Madley had declared the Ewood Park surface unplayable.
It was the only game in the Championship to be beaten by the weather and Albion will have a game in hand on their rivals if the Boxing Day programme goes ahead.
Hammond said: “It was really frustrating. We made the trip up on Friday and were really looking forward to the game.
“But this happens. We wouldn’t want to go there, as a side that likes to pass it, if we weren’t able to do that on the pitch so it could be a blessing in disguise.”
Comments(44)
russellsnr2
says...
11:28am Wed 26 Dec 12
Any Chance with the relationship Gus has with Chelsea?
Alfie T
says...
11:33am Wed 26 Dec 12
russellsnr2 wrote:No.
If we get the striker and a new year present from Chelsea (Frank Lampard) even at 34 he could probably do a very good job for us not just on the field but with his outstanding knowledge of the game he would be an asset.
Any Chance with the relationship Gus has with Chelsea?
Hugothepug
says...
11:40am Wed 26 Dec 12
russellsnr2 wrote:Dreamland Unfortunatly my friend!
If we get the striker and a new year present from Chelsea (Frank Lampard) even at 34 he could probably do a very good job for us not just on the field but with his outstanding knowledge of the game he would be an asset. Any Chance with the relationship Gus has with Chelsea?
weststandupperlacostearmy
says...
12:03pm Wed 26 Dec 12
russellsnr2 wrote:...and hes going to bring Terry and Beckham with him!!!
If we get the striker and a new year present from Chelsea (Frank Lampard) even at 34 he could probably do a very good job for us not just on the field but with his outstanding knowledge of the game he would be an asset.
Any Chance with the relationship Gus has with Chelsea?
Sorry russellsnr2, love your train of thought but we are not that big YET! Best we can hope for is to keep hold of Buckers and Bridcutt and get that striker in. Trouble is i dont know who we can get...love to get Lambert but thats very very optimistic.
tug509
says...
12:27pm Wed 26 Dec 12
BobGear
says...
12:28pm Wed 26 Dec 12
russellsnr2 wrote:No Thank you
If we get the striker and a new year present from Chelsea (Frank Lampard) even at 34 he could probably do a very good job for us not just on the field but with his outstanding knowledge of the game he would be an asset.
Any Chance with the relationship Gus has with Chelsea?
weststandupperlacostearmy
says...
12:33pm Wed 26 Dec 12
tug509 wrote:So tug509, what striker can we realistically hope for?
If the Jan market works in our favour,and we bring a couple in while holding on to our stars,i can see us giving someone that spanking we have been threatening for sometime. If we keep playing the way we have been ,its only a matter of time. UTA
Alfie T
says...
12:53pm Wed 26 Dec 12
paul the hill
says...
1:15pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Get jfc back and Orlandi bruno and The others fit will help so in some ways not playing last Saturday can work in our favour. We will smash someone shortly with the number of chances we are making week in week out so lets start with watford and then ipswich. We are all speculating who might join us in the transfer window and any combination of wood, lambert Elliott Bennett charlie austin would work but guess we might lose a couple of players to make it happen. But what about lampard malouda or bobby zamora coming even if for 6 months to help out and get us promotion. Then there is matt tubbs striker sitting on bench and not playing at Bournemouth. Think we need another winger like the young lad dale Jennings who went from Tranmere to Bayern Munich. Guess we will see what happens in january but in Gus we trust.
Merry Xmas and a happy new year to all seagulls fans.
seagulls!!!!
Ps forest 1 leeds 1 at half time today
sussexram40
says...
1:33pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Today we have to sit back and watch the scores coming in from the games of our rivals who are tucked in around us in the table. We might have something to celebrate even though we aren't in action today.
tug509
says...
2:02pm Wed 26 Dec 12
weststandupperlacostExcuse me,just finished the second biggest roast of the year. I agree with Alfie T ,Danny Graham would do us a turn,as would Rickie Lambert,but that would only be possible if Bucks went the other way,but in honesty our chances would be very slim ,i cant see him dropping down a league.But we could get Billy Sharp,but imho our new striker is likely to come from abroad,or be someone that none of us has thought of!. I think it is probably unlikely that Gus and Mr Bloom will want to pay 2M for Wood.
earmy wrote:
tug509 wrote:So tug509, what striker can we realistically hope for?
If the Jan market works in our favour,and we bring a couple in while holding on to our stars,i can see us giving someone that spanking we have been threatening for sometime. If we keep playing the way we have been ,its only a matter of time. UTA
Kenwynne Jones is a real outsider,but again with Gus you never know. Just so long as the team we finish Jan with is better than it is now,then i think we will get a top six,and all be very happy. UTA
VegasSeagull
says...
2:11pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Whilst it is true that our strikers have gone off the boil, so has the midfield with regard to goals.
I agree with Hammond, our defense is solid, chances are being created from midfield and we do need to find the back of net more often but we shouldn't expect goals only to come from the strikers.
Clean Sheet
says...
2:15pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull wrote:I think the midfielders also need to get into the box more often to feed off the scraps better.
Hammond, IMHO, is pointing the finger directly at our strikers. As he says, 'we are creating chances and looking solid at the back.'
Whilst it is true that our strikers have gone off the boil, so has the midfield with regard to goals.
I agree with Hammond, our defense is solid, chances are being created from midfield and we do need to find the back of net more often but we shouldn't expect goals only to come from the strikers.
VegasSeagull
says...
2:25pm Wed 26 Dec 12
weststandupperlacostearmy
says...
2:30pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull wrote:After watching Forest and Leeds maybe we should have a crack at Blackstock!
Forest 4 Leeds 2, kinda makes out point from the Forest match look a tad better, don't you think?
sussexram40
says...
2:35pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull wrote:I admire your attempt to obscure the fact that Forest have leapfogged us in the table and pushed us down to 10th - and that's before Derby and Blackpool get their shorts on. It all goes to show how tight the Championship is this year and we are not competing against 2 or 3 teams for 5th or 6th place, we are competing with about 10 sides.
Forest 4 Leeds 2, kinda makes out point from the Forest match look a tad better, don't you think?
pte
says...
3:09pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull
says...
3:17pm Wed 26 Dec 12
sussexram40 wrote:My attempt to obscure, where did that come from?
VegasSeagull wrote: Forest 4 Leeds 2, kinda makes out point from the Forest match look a tad better, don't you think?I admire your attempt to obscure the fact that Forest have leapfogged us in the table and pushed us down to 10th - and that's before Derby and Blackpool get their shorts on. It all goes to show how tight the Championship is this year and we are not competing against 2 or 3 teams for 5th or 6th place, we are competing with about 10 sides.
I was merely pointing out that Forest had a good result against a good team. The point we got from the Forest match would now seem to have more value.
It is not rocket science to work out that those close behind us could move ahead considering the fact thta we are not playing.
mikeygit
says...
3:22pm Wed 26 Dec 12
tug509
says...
3:22pm Wed 26 Dec 12
pte wrote:Not much ,just the pride and self respect of every Albion fan everywhere round the world!.
How much would it cost to buy Glenn Murray back?
championshipgull
says...
3:41pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Total Shots 45 Goals 10 Conversion rate 22%
Ashley Barnes Age 23 Fee undisclosed
Total Shots 39 Goals 4 conversion rate 10%
Chris Wood Age 21 possible Fee £2million
Total Shots 48 Goals 10 conversion rate 20%
Luciano Becchio Age 28 possible Fee £3 million
Total Shots 30 Goals 15 conversion rate 50%
Charlie Austin Age 23 possible Fee £4 million
Total Shots 75 Goals 18 conversion rate 24%
Stats football league. Fees as As quoted in National press.
Conclusion : Get Becchio.
tug509
says...
3:47pm Wed 26 Dec 12
It has been reported that Warnock wants CMS,would you swap them ,given the chance?. UTA
championshipgull
says...
4:02pm Wed 26 Dec 12
tug509 wrote:No, but looking at those stats I'd swap him with Barnes ;
Championshipgull,
It has been reported that Warnock wants CMS,would you swap them ,given the chance?. UTA
VegasSeagull
says...
4:06pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Now I know that hands off doesn't always mean hands off, but in this case I could believe it.
andyp123
says...
4:06pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull wrote:Sorry; don't get your point. We dropped 2 points against Forest.
sussexram40 wrote:My attempt to obscure, where did that come from?
VegasSeagull wrote: Forest 4 Leeds 2, kinda makes out point from the Forest match look a tad better, don't you think?I admire your attempt to obscure the fact that Forest have leapfogged us in the table and pushed us down to 10th - and that's before Derby and Blackpool get their shorts on. It all goes to show how tight the Championship is this year and we are not competing against 2 or 3 teams for 5th or 6th place, we are competing with about 10 sides.
I was merely pointing out that Forest had a good result against a good team. The point we got from the Forest match would now seem to have more value.
It is not rocket science to work out that those close behind us could move ahead considering the fact thta we are not playing.
VegasSeagull
says...
5:18pm Wed 26 Dec 12
andyp123 wrote:and Leeds dropped all three, not that hard to grasp, is it?
VegasSeagull wrote:Sorry; don't get your point. We dropped 2 points against Forest.sussexram40 wrote:My attempt to obscure, where did that come from? I was merely pointing out that Forest had a good result against a good team. The point we got from the Forest match would now seem to have more value. It is not rocket science to work out that those close behind us could move ahead considering the fact thta we are not playing.VegasSeagull wrote: Forest 4 Leeds 2, kinda makes out point from the Forest match look a tad better, don't you think?I admire your attempt to obscure the fact that Forest have leapfogged us in the table and pushed us down to 10th - and that's before Derby and Blackpool get their shorts on. It all goes to show how tight the Championship is this year and we are not competing against 2 or 3 teams for 5th or 6th place, we are competing with about 10 sides.
falmer seagull
says...
5:28pm Wed 26 Dec 12
namgo49
says...
5:40pm Wed 26 Dec 12
weststandupperlacostearmy
says...
6:06pm Wed 26 Dec 12
andyp123
says...
8:16pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull wrote:Leeds were away; we were at home. How does that make our 1 point valuable? We dropped 2 points against a then mid table team.
andyp123 wrote:and Leeds dropped all three, not that hard to grasp, is it?
VegasSeagull wrote:Sorry; don't get your point. We dropped 2 points against Forest.sussexram40 wrote:My attempt to obscure, where did that come from? I was merely pointing out that Forest had a good result against a good team. The point we got from the Forest match would now seem to have more value. It is not rocket science to work out that those close behind us could move ahead considering the fact thta we are not playing.VegasSeagull wrote: Forest 4 Leeds 2, kinda makes out point from the Forest match look a tad better, don't you think?I admire your attempt to obscure the fact that Forest have leapfogged us in the table and pushed us down to 10th - and that's before Derby and Blackpool get their shorts on. It all goes to show how tight the Championship is this year and we are not competing against 2 or 3 teams for 5th or 6th place, we are competing with about 10 sides.
VegasSeagull
says...
8:47pm Wed 26 Dec 12
CMS doesn't need replacing, what he needs is help.
Barnes for all his efforts is not scoring. Hoskins for all his silky touches is not scoring.
Dobbie, not much playing time but also not scoring.
.
Alfie T
says...
9:36pm Wed 26 Dec 12
VegasSeagull wrote:If CMS goes then we need two quality strikers in, and its gonna be hard enough finding one.
I just don't see the profit in losing our top striker and bringing in a replacement.
CMS doesn't need replacing, what he needs is help.
Barnes for all his efforts is not scoring. Hoskins for all his silky touches is not scoring.
Dobbie, not much playing time but also not scoring.
.
tug509
says...
9:49pm Wed 26 Dec 12
namgo49 wrote:If we had to lose CMS,your outcome would be the best we could hope for. UTA
CMS to Norwich we get Elliot Bennet plus money, which we use to get Graham from Swansea. Please not Wood!! Buckley and Bridcutt hands off.
tug509
says...
10:08pm Wed 26 Dec 12
namgo49
says...
10:09pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Still need to unload CMS though.
VegasSeagull
says...
10:17pm Wed 26 Dec 12
Clean Sheet
says...
1:43am Thu 27 Dec 12
Bucket feet Duffy
says...
2:01am Thu 27 Dec 12
Bucket feet Duffy
says...
2:01am Thu 27 Dec 12
Bucket feet Duffy
says...
2:02am Thu 27 Dec 12
Bucket feet Duffy
says...
2:07am Thu 27 Dec 12
Yogi
says...
8:58am Thu 27 Dec 12
They'll be someone already lined up for us to buy I think.
sussexram40
says...
5:05pm Thu 27 Dec 12
Clean Sheet says...
10:48am Wed 26 Dec 12