Poyet will wield the axe (From The Argus)

Harley and Dicker should be gone before the 2 mentioned above.

Is our squad that big then? I would have Sparrow over Harley and probably Dicker. Also been impressed with Vincelot whenever he played, usually in place of Painter. Good utility man. Oh well Gus knows best, just hope there are signings lined up if we let more go.

When I saw the headline I presumed it was two of last nights players! Bizarre.

A dose of tough love!

Shame about Vincelot but probably fair enough for Spadge. What about Painter, Dicker and Harley too Gus?

If those two are going and you want best out of CMS...GET GEORGE BOYD IN!!! He can also play wide if needed and considering two out of the three wide men are always bloody injured at the same time, it makes sense to me. Seriously believe we should of taken money for Noone last season. IMO

I think Vincelot should stay, but Sparrow, Dicker and Harley are not at the races.

With the amount of players released by Premiership clubs the Championship will become stronger if the majority of those released join Championship clubs.Then those not good enough for the Championship will have to find a club in the Lower leagues.The Financial Fair Play rules are starting to kick in.

All a bit of a mess really isn't it? Players not up to scratch should have had this made plain to them at the end of last season - not three days before the start of this one.
Last season the defence was sound , the midfield a mess and the forward line pretty abysmal. The only change I could discern last night was that the defence is now as poor as the midfield and attack.

I said on the other thread it all sounds horribly familiar. One game in and Gus is already reminding us how small the budget is (actually Gus it does sound like an excuse). Next comes' if they don't play my way I'll go home and play golf...'

Conelli98 wrote:
If those two are going and you want best out of CMS...GET GEORGE BOYD IN!!! He can also play wide if needed and considering two out of the three wide men are always bloody injured at the same time, it makes sense to me. Seriously believe we should of taken money for Noone last season. IMO

Completely agree about Noone. He is no better than last year, if not worse on that performance. Plenty of trickery/running but abysmal end ball. I recall Cardiff offering £500k for him and thinking at the time it was a great offer! Noone is a League 1 player I am afraid and far too lightweight for this League, getting hustled off the ball easily. Agree with comments about Vincelot, decent utility player and strong. Harley out before him that is for sure!

Conelli98 wrote:
If those two are going and you want best out of CMS...GET GEORGE BOYD IN!!! He can also play wide if needed and considering two out of the three wide men are always bloody injured at the same time, it makes sense to me. Seriously believe we should of taken money for Noone last season. IMO

Completely agree about Noone. He is no better than last year, if not worse on that performance. Plenty of trickery/running but abysmal end ball. I recall Cardiff offering £500k for him and thinking at the time it was a great offer! Noone is a League 1 player I am afraid and far too lightweight for this League, getting hustled off the ball easily. Agree with comments about Vincelot, decent utility player and strong. Harley out before him that is for sure!

Conelli98 wrote:
If those two are going and you want best out of CMS...GET GEORGE BOYD IN!!! He can also play wide if needed and considering two out of the three wide men are always bloody injured at the same time, it makes sense to me. Seriously believe we should of taken money for Noone last season. IMO

Completely agree about Noone. He is no better than last year, if not worse on that performance. Plenty of trickery/running but abysmal end ball. I recall Cardiff offering £500k for him and thinking at the time it was a great offer! Noone is a League 1 player I am afraid and far too lightweight for this League, getting hustled off the ball easily. Agree with comments about Vincelot, decent utility player and strong. Harley out before him that is for sure!

There is no doubt Vincelot should stay... It seems GP cannot swallow the pill and accept that Harley was a massive mistake, probably his. Maybe someone with a need for a genuine utility player will snap up Vincelot and he will return to the Amex to do a Navarro on us. If Nooney cannot hit a final ball he should be looking over his shoulder... It doesn't matter what he does with the ball at his feet - if he can't pass then it's a waste of time. If GP wants to wield the axe he should seriously look at his squad selection last night and not at those he left behind.

Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

How you can possibly rank Dicker among the ones who should be leaving is beyond me! He is a creative spark in our midfield and gets abuse from idiotic fans who rate midfielders solely on their goal scoring ability. Re watch last nights game and look at the endless amount of times Dicker fed a ball to the wide men only for them to waste possession.

What a bunch of truely unbelievable comments posted by a bunch of unbeleivable morons - last night was essentially a pre-season friendly - THE SEASON HAS NOT EVEN STARTED and already the knives are out..Get a grip all of you...

We all have our favourites and our views on who are our best players and which ones we would let go but the issue is that we keep acquiring more and more players (especially midfielders) and, whilst they are all good footballers, some of them are not good enough to get us into the Premiership, either this season or in the future.

We need to keep bringing in genuinely better players and that means that some of the players who have got us to where we are now become surplus to requirements. ‘Twas ever thus as teams try to move up the leagues (and indeed in life in general). However, whether Sparrow and Vincelot should be the first to go is a matter of debate, especially after last night’s performance.

I can't believe how some fans on here deride the league cup as "Mickey Mouse" Surely professional players can manage a few extra games. Ok, realistically Albion are unlikely to have gone all the way, but I for one would never have given up the opportunity last season, after beating Gillingham, of taking on Sunderland and the brilliant game against Liverpool.Did those games really effect our final placing in the league? I don't think so.
With regard to Gus bringing up the clubs financial position again regarding signings, yes it does get a bit boring, but he's simply trying to be honest and tell it how it is, realizing hoe frustrating fans are with the lack of positive movement in bringing in a proven goalscorer.
Agree with most of whats been said about certain players, but I suppose they are entitled to sit on their contracts at least until something better comes along, although in the case of some, it's fairly unlikely that will happen. I to am suprised he's picked out Vincelot a useful utility player.

I can't believe how some fans on here deride the league cup as "Mickey Mouse" Surely professional players can manage a few extra games. Ok, realistically Albion are unlikely to have gone all the way, but I for one would never have given up the opportunity last season, after beating Gillingham, of taking on Sunderland and the brilliant game against Liverpool.Did those games really effect our final placing in the league? I don't think so.
With regard to Gus bringing up the clubs financial position again regarding signings, yes it does get a bit boring, but he's simply trying to be honest and tell it how it is, realizing hoe frustrating fans are with the lack of positive movement in bringing in a proven goalscorer.
Agree with most of whats been said about certain players, but I suppose they are entitled to sit on their contracts at least until something better comes along, although in the case of some, it's fairly unlikely that will happen. I to am suprised he's picked out Vincelot a useful utility player.

So sorry to hear that Ernie Machin has passed away. An excellent midfielder, who served the Albion very well in the period he played for the club towards the end of his playing career. RIP and thank for the memories Ernie.

So sorry to hear that Ernie Machin has passed away. An excellent midfielder, who served the Albion very well in the period he played for the club towards the end of his playing career. RIP and thank for the memories Ernie.

dave from bexill wrote:
I can't believe how some fans on here deride the league cup as "Mickey Mouse" Surely professional players can manage a few extra games. Ok, realistically Albion are unlikely to have gone all the way, but I for one would never have given up the opportunity last season, after beating Gillingham, of taking on Sunderland and the brilliant game against Liverpool.Did those games really effect our final placing in the league? I don't think so.
With regard to Gus bringing up the clubs financial position again regarding signings, yes it does get a bit boring, but he's simply trying to be honest and tell it how it is, realizing hoe frustrating fans are with the lack of positive movement in bringing in a proven goalscorer.
Agree with most of whats been said about certain players, but I suppose they are entitled to sit on their contracts at least until something better comes along, although in the case of some, it's fairly unlikely that will happen. I to am suprised he's picked out Vincelot a useful utility player.

I believe Vincelot is probably the unlucky one in all this but if Gus needs funds for striker, CB and maybe another mid,then surely there are going to be more takers right now for the likes of Vincelot and Sparrow than there are Harley!!! If all three wide men were fit,would he also sell Noone and get more funds in?? Just bad timing for Romain but hopefully he will find a club. IS IT JUST ME OR DOES NO ONE ELSE THINK GEORGE BOYD WOULD BE IDEAL FOR THE CLUB?? UTA

Shame so many of the above posts are repeats!!!
I agree it is a shame we played so poorly--hope we can get the players GUS wants but wait for the begining of the season and then bemoan any shortcomings. Agree that Gus should not have been so public about this Cup game not being important--was this an excuse for the poor performance! Agree Harley is not up to our standard and we should not be still paying his wages. Noone needs to up the anti or the writing is on the wall for him. Yes bit of a muddle at the moment and not good for our 'premiership' new boys to be part of.

LesBerry wrote:
What a bunch of truely unbelievable comments posted by a bunch of unbeleivable morons - last night was essentially a pre-season friendly - THE SEASON HAS NOT EVEN STARTED and already the knives are out..Get a grip all of you...

It does look a bit like that,i think our expectation`s are growing quicker than our reach.But your spot on LesBerry last night should`nt be taken as seriously as it has.Give a good account on saturday at Hull and it will be all different.I watched the game with a Swindon mate and the fact we lost has`nt fazed me at all.Liam Bridcutt was superb what a quality player,my mate said more about him than his own team.Would`nt be surprised if they were`nt moaning the same as us on the Hull site.COYS

fretlessbass wrote:
All a bit of a mess really isn't it? Players not up to scratch should have had this made plain to them at the end of last season - not three days before the start of this one.
Last season the defence was sound , the midfield a mess and the forward line pretty abysmal. The only change I could discern last night was that the defence is now as poor as the midfield and attack.

How do you know they weren't told weeks ago?

Who's to say that the likes of Harley, Dicker, Painter, won't follow Sparrow and Vincelot out the door?

Will you still be complaining that they have gone if they are replaced with more experienced and talented players who can take us to the next level?

Let's be honest, no-one really knows what goes on, what the real reasons are behind Gus cutting certain players and not others, or what he has planned before the end of the transfer window. Let's judge his actions at the end of the campaign, not before a ball has been kicked in a league game!


You paint a pretty negative picture for a team that finished 10th last season. A mess of a midfield and an abysmal forward line? Get real.

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

Totally concur with this post and also those of Willie Irvine and Jonathan Mouette. The buck for poor performances must surely stop with the Boss?
Also distressed that Gus feels it right to go public in the local rag, singling out players by name as having no future at the Club. Surely matters affecting the livelihood of individuals should be regarded as confidential between manager and player?
IMO, Vincelot has been a stalwart and does not deserve such shabby treatment. Hardly encouraging for the squad as a whole on the threshold of a new season.
As a paid-up season ticket holder, I for one am sick and tired of hearing how strapped for cash we are. How many other clubs in the Championship have over 20,000 supporters prepared to put their money up front?
No more excuses. All for one and one for all!

how can romain vincelot be told to 'go find a club, mate' when marcos painter is still anywhere near the first team squad?
everyone of us knows painter ain't up to championship level, whereas vincelot is a good squad cover player.
but GP can't see it? how can this be??
you're losing it, gus...
but then i get the feeling from GP none of this is any of our business???
as for the premier league, we're 'aving a laugh..
and the joke won't be on gus, it will be on us.

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

I don't think that this news was prompted by last night's result Tommy. Before KO Andy Naylor tweeted that as Sparrow and Vincelot weren't in the squad, he feared for their long term future with the club. I'd wager that he put this to Gus after the game Gus gave an honest as he normally does.

If his comments were the result of last night thensurely Dicker and Harley would have been included in the cull.

BTW - I completely agree with Cornelli about Boyd. He was the creative midfield player we should have bought when he chased Harley a year ago.

Last night was a disaster. We need to draw a line under it and move on to the bread and butter of our league campaign.

At the very least we should be looking to bring in a premier league reserve striker on a season long loan.

Up the Albion!

Gus looks terrified and we haven't even begun the season yet.

I sense a terror of failure which is highlighted by continually blaming everyone else. The signs were there last season (Burnley away).

Hope I'm wrong - but I don't think he wants promotion unless there's a guarantee of massive injection of funds.

Unfortunately life doesn't work like that. What anyone can see is that we desperately need a striker who compliments this style of play.

CMS's best game is early ball over the top - high tempo -don't think he's going to get that here. Pity but that was obvious before he came.

So I don't agree there's not money as Gus claims. I suggest a fair bit has been spent. CMS/Buckley/Noone/Ha
rley/Hoskins!

I'm confident all will happen as it's meant to for everyone's best interests. As long as we all keep on turning up and supporting the team - that's what we can do. Leave everything else to those responsible.

Cabin fever says...
11:56am Wed 15 Aug 12

❝
fretlessbass wrote:
All a bit of a mess really isn't it? Players not up to scratch should have had this made plain to them at the end of last season - not three days before the start of this one.
Last season the defence was sound , the midfield a mess and the forward line pretty abysmal. The only change I could discern last night was that the defence is now as poor as the midfield and attack.
How do you know they weren't told weeks ago?

Who's to say that the likes of Harley, Dicker, Painter, won't follow Sparrow and Vincelot out the door?

Will you still be complaining that they have gone if they are replaced with more experienced and talented players who can take us to the next level?

Let's be honest, no-one really knows what goes on, what the real reasons are behind Gus cutting certain players and not others, or what he has planned before the end of the transfer window. Let's judge his actions at the end of the campaign, not before a ball has been kicked in a league game!

- You overlook that I point out that last season - apart from the goallkeeper - the defence was basically sound. I am not alone in thinking that the midfield was inadequate last season and it remains to be seen if Crofts can improve it. I certainly hope he can. Poyet's inability to attract a striker to the club who can score 20 - 25 goals per season remains a worry - and one which I think will persist.

Cabin fever says...
11:56am Wed 15 Aug 12

❝
fretlessbass wrote:
All a bit of a mess really isn't it? Players not up to scratch should have had this made plain to them at the end of last season - not three days before the start of this one.
Last season the defence was sound , the midfield a mess and the forward line pretty abysmal. The only change I could discern last night was that the defence is now as poor as the midfield and attack.
How do you know they weren't told weeks ago?

Who's to say that the likes of Harley, Dicker, Painter, won't follow Sparrow and Vincelot out the door?

Will you still be complaining that they have gone if they are replaced with more experienced and talented players who can take us to the next level?

Let's be honest, no-one really knows what goes on, what the real reasons are behind Gus cutting certain players and not others, or what he has planned before the end of the transfer window. Let's judge his actions at the end of the campaign, not before a ball has been kicked in a league game!

- You overlook that I point out that last season - apart from the goallkeeper - the defence was basically sound. I am not alone in thinking that the midfield was inadequate last season and it remains to be seen if Crofts can improve it. I certainly hope he can. Poyet's inability to attract a striker to the club who can score 20 - 25 goals per season remains a worry - and one which I think will persist.

I know the Albion were disappointing and well beaten last night, but there were positives (wasn't there?) Who in the championship has a better back four and keeper than was on show last night. Bridcutt as well was excellent and we know how good Vicente can be.I suppose nit picking I'd like to see a big CB come in, who may not be so good at bringing the ball out as Greer is, but would complement him by winning everything in the air, marshalling the defence and clearing his lines. Bit like Pally and Bruce used to play or Fozzy and Lawro. I think at this stage, last nights result should be seen as a bad day at the office and 3-0 did flatter Swindon somewhat, although I wouldn't want to take anything away from them.

Three of these so called next level players played last night in a team was thumped 3-0 by a league one team. Are the players the problem or is the managers judgement of players the problem? We have 38 players! The turnover of players has been absurdly high. Sign the right players to start with and you don't have to replace them every five minutes. Successful sides are built on having a stable side.

Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

Sacre Bleu wrote:

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

Totally concur with this post and also those of Willie Irvine and Jonathan Mouette. The buck for poor performances must surely stop with the Boss?
Also distressed that Gus feels it right to go public in the local rag, singling out players by name as having no future at the Club. Surely matters affecting the livelihood of individuals should be regarded as confidential between manager and player?
IMO, Vincelot has been a stalwart and does not deserve such shabby treatment. Hardly encouraging for the squad as a whole on the threshold of a new season.
As a paid-up season ticket holder, I for one am sick and tired of hearing how strapped for cash we are. How many other clubs in the Championship have over 20,000 supporters prepared to put their money up front?
No more excuses. All for one and one for all!

I agree with many of the pstings on here.
The problem last night in many ways was a 'mental' one.
Because this 'League Cup' match (forgive the old terminology) was played before the 'season has started' everybody ie players, fans and, I suspect ,even management were treating this fixture as if it was a pre-season friendly. That it certainly wasn't.
To those who say this is a 'mickey mouse' competition I would respond that as professional players one expects a proper professional approach whatever the competition.
I don't know how many posters noticed that a number of Badminton players were thrown out of the Olympics for 'not trying' and quite deservedly so.
In terms of this thread Captain Haddock and I had an exchange of postings about 10 days ago regarding which players might leave and which might be retained. I would be sorry to see Vincelot go and Dicker seems to be a favourite of Poyet's so he looks secure but Painter (especially), Sparrow, and Harley need replacing with players more suited to our playing style. Sparrow effectively has by Crofts. What we still need, as I posted last night, is a midfield powerhouse type since we lacked physicality in midfield yesterday. In my opinion we also need an attacking midfielder to cover Vicente and most especially at least one if not two strikers.
Poyet is already on record as wanting another CB so if Painter were to leave we would also need another full back someone young to understudy Bridge since the latter will need replacing in a years time when his loan ends.
Poyet last season consistently said we needed 'stronger' players particulary in midfield and attack but he has done very little to remedy that weakness.
Nothing speaks louder than action so Poyet should act and stop making excuses which is what it sounds he is doing.
In terms of the 'potential' Budget we must be in a stronger position financially than last year if for no other reason than that we have almost 5,000 more season ticket holders than then. This alone means the revenue is £2 million up. If you then add the funds generated by Elphick's departure and the 'compensation' for Hall the budget should still be in reasonable shape.
I gather it is the same as last season and yet our only major 'outgoings' are Bridge's wages (£500,000 +) and the fee for Crofts (undisclosed). This means there must be funds left to sign players. I do appreciate that the club might not wish to recruit any more players (striker excepted) until others have left but surely Burke and Poyet should have been addressing that issue over the last 10 to 12 weeks.
Finally a statistical comment. This is yet another match that Vicente has started and the Albion have lost. I think the problem is that he is such a talented player that the rest of the team 'sit back a little' and wait for him to deliver. Hopefully this will be sorted.
It will be interesting to see (a) how the team perform against Hull and (b) how soon and how many players Poyet signs, the clock is ticking......

fretlessbass wrote:
Cabin fever says...
11:56am Wed 15 Aug 12

❝
fretlessbass wrote:
All a bit of a mess really isn't it? Players not up to scratch should have had this made plain to them at the end of last season - not three days before the start of this one.
Last season the defence was sound , the midfield a mess and the forward line pretty abysmal. The only change I could discern last night was that the defence is now as poor as the midfield and attack.
How do you know they weren't told weeks ago?

Who's to say that the likes of Harley, Dicker, Painter, won't follow Sparrow and Vincelot out the door?

Will you still be complaining that they have gone if they are replaced with more experienced and talented players who can take us to the next level?

Let's be honest, no-one really knows what goes on, what the real reasons are behind Gus cutting certain players and not others, or what he has planned before the end of the transfer window. Let's judge his actions at the end of the campaign, not before a ball has been kicked in a league game!

- You overlook that I point out that last season - apart from the goallkeeper - the defence was basically sound. I am not alone in thinking that the midfield was inadequate last season and it remains to be seen if Crofts can improve it. I certainly hope he can. Poyet's inability to attract a striker to the club who can score 20 - 25 goals per season remains a worry - and one which I think will persist.

I haven't overlooked anything. I just don't understand how you can feel that way when the team finished 10th in the Championship at the first time of asking.

Quite frankly some of these comments are ridiculous, and people need to take a step back and put things in perspective.

It is ONE cup game, and people are already thinking we are relegation fodder! I dread to think what it will be like if we have a couple of defeats and are only mid-table by the end of September. On the flip-side, a good run, and this will all be forgotten.

This reactive nature and analysis of every single minute of every single game is, quite frankly, a little tedious.

dave from bexill wrote:
So sorry to hear that Ernie Machin has passed away. An excellent midfielder, who served the Albion very well in the period he played for the club towards the end of his playing career. RIP and thank for the memories Ernie.

Seems the Argus hasn't heard about Ernie@s sad passing. he was a superb player.

Greer, Harley both looked well off the pace last night and Noone, whilst passing his full back with ease couldn't cross the ball if he tried! One hopes that will improve greatly on saturday. Vicente is obviously wasted at centre forward and should be just behind the front players.

Zamora25 wrote:
Three of these so called next level players played last night in a team was thumped 3-0 by a league one team. Are the players the problem or is the managers judgement of players the problem? We have 38 players! The turnover of players has been absurdly high. Sign the right players to start with and you don't have to replace them every five minutes. Successful sides are built on having a stable side.

Do you mean like Man City?

What a load of old b****x you all come out with. As a club GP has transformed us. The fact that we are even looked at as promtion contenders shows that those in the know rate us. Dosnt matter to me where we are playing albion till I die

ballantrrae wrote:

Sacre Bleu wrote:

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

Totally concur with this post and also those of Willie Irvine and Jonathan Mouette. The buck for poor performances must surely stop with the Boss?
Also distressed that Gus feels it right to go public in the local rag, singling out players by name as having no future at the Club. Surely matters affecting the livelihood of individuals should be regarded as confidential between manager and player?
IMO, Vincelot has been a stalwart and does not deserve such shabby treatment. Hardly encouraging for the squad as a whole on the threshold of a new season.
As a paid-up season ticket holder, I for one am sick and tired of hearing how strapped for cash we are. How many other clubs in the Championship have over 20,000 supporters prepared to put their money up front?
No more excuses. All for one and one for all!

I agree with many of the pstings on here.
The problem last night in many ways was a 'mental' one.
Because this 'League Cup' match (forgive the old terminology) was played before the 'season has started' everybody ie players, fans and, I suspect ,even management were treating this fixture as if it was a pre-season friendly. That it certainly wasn't.
To those who say this is a 'mickey mouse' competition I would respond that as professional players one expects a proper professional approach whatever the competition.
I don't know how many posters noticed that a number of Badminton players were thrown out of the Olympics for 'not trying' and quite deservedly so.
In terms of this thread Captain Haddock and I had an exchange of postings about 10 days ago regarding which players might leave and which might be retained. I would be sorry to see Vincelot go and Dicker seems to be a favourite of Poyet's so he looks secure but Painter (especially), Sparrow, and Harley need replacing with players more suited to our playing style. Sparrow effectively has by Crofts. What we still need, as I posted last night, is a midfield powerhouse type since we lacked physicality in midfield yesterday. In my opinion we also need an attacking midfielder to cover Vicente and most especially at least one if not two strikers.
Poyet is already on record as wanting another CB so if Painter were to leave we would also need another full back someone young to understudy Bridge since the latter will need replacing in a years time when his loan ends.
Poyet last season consistently said we needed 'stronger' players particulary in midfield and attack but he has done very little to remedy that weakness.
Nothing speaks louder than action so Poyet should act and stop making excuses which is what it sounds he is doing.
In terms of the 'potential' Budget we must be in a stronger position financially than last year if for no other reason than that we have almost 5,000 more season ticket holders than then. This alone means the revenue is £2 million up. If you then add the funds generated by Elphick's departure and the 'compensation' for Hall the budget should still be in reasonable shape.
I gather it is the same as last season and yet our only major 'outgoings' are Bridge's wages (£500,000 +) and the fee for Crofts (undisclosed). This means there must be funds left to sign players. I do appreciate that the club might not wish to recruit any more players (striker excepted) until others have left but surely Burke and Poyet should have been addressing that issue over the last 10 to 12 weeks.
Finally a statistical comment. This is yet another match that Vicente has started and the Albion have lost. I think the problem is that he is such a talented player that the rest of the team 'sit back a little' and wait for him to deliver. Hopefully this will be sorted.
It will be interesting to see (a) how the team perform against Hull and (b) how soon and how many players Poyet signs, the clock is ticking......

Ballantrrae, I hope you are not using company time to write your posts...you must of used all your break times!! The next Three games are going to be important so when League footie starts at the Amex next Tues, no matter what happens at Hull...WE SHOULD ALL GET BEHIND GUS AND THE BOYS AND CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE NEVER WITNESSED AT A BRIGHTON HOME GAME. WITH HOPEFULLY 26/27,000 SINGING THEIR HEARTS OUT WE CAN BE THE 12th MAN AND GET OUR SEASON UP AND RUNNING!!

I just hope that none of the two strikers that we are supposed to be looking at was at the game last night, watched it on TV and some of the cross ball passes where beyond woeful. Noone did not seem to be at the races. Thought both our back two Bruno and Wayne Bridge played well coming forward and Vicente was out of place up front, thought he was a play maker rather than a goal scorer. Just hope we get the striker Gus is after to play alongside CMS before we run out of time.

john newman wrote:
Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

The creepie`s have bought there position not earn`t it.As for Coppell he had he`s chance with us,but did`nt want to wait for the AMEX,his loss.I for one won`t be losing any sleep worrying about crawley,too much like their cousins up the road,no taste.And as for closing the gap...for gap read Casm,Void,different planet.We have been there seen it and done it in our illustrious 111 years,until they have achieved half as much,not interested.UTA

Sorry Rhodes - simply don't understand where this two upfront idea comes from? If we assume Bridcutt is a shoe-in just in front of the back 4 and Vicente likewise behind the striker then we'll still need two central midfielders (Crofts and A.N.Other I assume). At least one of the wingers will surely figure which leaves one more spot for Barnes,CMS, Hoskins and our new powerhouse centre forward to fight it out for. Puzzled by the sea?.....

Camicus wrote:
What a load of old b****x you all come out with. As a club GP has transformed us. The fact that we are even looked at as promtion contenders shows that those in the know rate us. Dosnt matter to me where we are playing albion till I die

About time someone said something sensible! When gus signs a top player up front. You will all change direction... Sparrow and vincelot could not get in the squad last night, and gus has probably spelt it out, elphick was one he told wont be involved, and moved
Him out... Gus Is two players away from a top three finish, big forward, and centre half.

I will refrain from commenting on who should or should not go but I am left wondering about the timing of this.
The transfer window is closing soon and NOW players are being advised to look for a new employer!

I guess it is possible that the players were told some time ago but surely wouldn't the club have made that info public if only to increase the chances of a club coming for them, that said, I think Vincelot will be snapped up very quickly.

Removing two players from the squad is not going to generate enough money to buy the players we need so we have to assume that some funds have been set aside. Yes some cash has come in already and that will help but the basic expendidture money must be sitting in the bank waiting to be spent. The club is not in any financial problems and the plan is that we never get into financial problems.
If we get promoted, and I think we can, trying to build a team on the income from a crowd numbering less than 30,000 is going to be tough so we had better get used to not getting what we want, we may have to settle for getting what we can.

I have total faith in GP, he will bring in the players we need and even though he has said that he would prefer to buy players rather than have them here on loan, he might have to settle for what he can get rather than what he wants.

Forget last night, lets move on.

mark by the sea wrote:

Camicus wrote: What a load of old b****x you all come out with. As a club GP has transformed us. The fact that we are even looked at as promtion contenders shows that those in the know rate us. Dosnt matter to me where we are playing albion till I die

About time someone said something sensible! When gus signs a top player up front. You will all change direction... Sparrow and vincelot could not get in the squad last night, and gus has probably spelt it out, elphick was one he told wont be involved, and moved Him out... Gus Is two players away from a top three finish, big forward, and centre half.

Finally something positive!! Its almost as if people expect us to win every game now that we have been tipped to get promoted. Brighton are heading in the right direction folks, one Mickey Mouse trophy is not the end of the world. If we are in the bottom six come Christmas then I'll be worried.

The fact is Swindon wanted it more then us. It could've happened last season with Gillingham but we rode our luck with a penalty.

Anyway, bring on the FA Cup :)

I agree with much of what's been written above, especially the sentiments expressed about getting rid of Vincelot - BIG MISTAKE! As a loyal supporter of many decades standing and as a supporter who finds some of the ill-informed criticism annoying, I find it even more irksome that some seem to think that any criticism isn't thought through, justified and should, therefore, be derided! What was that about The Emperors new clothes?!!!

fretlessbass says...
10:20am Wed 15 Aug 12

All a bit of a mess really isn't it? Players not up to scratch should have had this made plain to them at the end of last season - not three days before the start of this one.

Spot on. We all knew there was a lot of 'dead wood' in the squad so why wait until now to tell them to find new clubs? A lot of lower division teams have already finalised their first team squads and no doubt Brighton will be asking a fee as they are all worth something. Even with the arrival of Crofts, our midfield is going to be nowhere near strong enough to compete against some of the better clubs in the Championship. And if I read another story speculating about which striker will (or more to the point, will not) be joining the club I'll go nuts. I accept Gus's comments that the European transfer window complicates matters but our summer business should have been done and dusted by now. Everyone makes such a big deal about pre-season but apart from fitness, what's the point of playing all these friendlies when it won't be the same XI that starts the season?

MalcolmPosketttuckin
g himselfin wrote:
I agree with much of what's been written above, especially the sentiments expressed about getting rid of Vincelot - BIG MISTAKE! As a loyal supporter of many decades standing and as a supporter who finds some of the ill-informed criticism annoying, I find it even more irksome that some seem to think that any criticism isn't thought through, justified and should, therefore, be derided! What was that about The Emperors new clothes?!!!

Before any pedant picks me up on it, I know that it should have read "What was that about The Emperor's new clothes?!!!"
The Vincelot decision seems even more unfathomable given the return to seven named substitutes. Such a versatile player would be ideal to have on the bench!

Why is everybody so critical, the first half was excellent, with a little bit of luck, (yes luck) we all need it at times we could have gone in one maybe two up, they scored 3 very sloppy goals, Noone needs to put in some decent crosses, no less than 5 times he over hit it, (try looking up first), I was hoping for another 4-0 down and an abandoned game, lol I was there. Brighton Bill Yorkshire Seagull. See you all at Hull City on Sat.

Conelli98 wrote:

ballantrrae wrote:

Sacre Bleu wrote:

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

Totally concur with this post and also those of Willie Irvine and Jonathan Mouette. The buck for poor performances must surely stop with the Boss?
Also distressed that Gus feels it right to go public in the local rag, singling out players by name as having no future at the Club. Surely matters affecting the livelihood of individuals should be regarded as confidential between manager and player?
IMO, Vincelot has been a stalwart and does not deserve such shabby treatment. Hardly encouraging for the squad as a whole on the threshold of a new season.
As a paid-up season ticket holder, I for one am sick and tired of hearing how strapped for cash we are. How many other clubs in the Championship have over 20,000 supporters prepared to put their money up front?
No more excuses. All for one and one for all!

I agree with many of the pstings on here.
The problem last night in many ways was a 'mental' one.
Because this 'League Cup' match (forgive the old terminology) was played before the 'season has started' everybody ie players, fans and, I suspect ,even management were treating this fixture as if it was a pre-season friendly. That it certainly wasn't.
To those who say this is a 'mickey mouse' competition I would respond that as professional players one expects a proper professional approach whatever the competition.
I don't know how many posters noticed that a number of Badminton players were thrown out of the Olympics for 'not trying' and quite deservedly so.
In terms of this thread Captain Haddock and I had an exchange of postings about 10 days ago regarding which players might leave and which might be retained. I would be sorry to see Vincelot go and Dicker seems to be a favourite of Poyet's so he looks secure but Painter (especially), Sparrow, and Harley need replacing with players more suited to our playing style. Sparrow effectively has by Crofts. What we still need, as I posted last night, is a midfield powerhouse type since we lacked physicality in midfield yesterday. In my opinion we also need an attacking midfielder to cover Vicente and most especially at least one if not two strikers.
Poyet is already on record as wanting another CB so if Painter were to leave we would also need another full back someone young to understudy Bridge since the latter will need replacing in a years time when his loan ends.
Poyet last season consistently said we needed 'stronger' players particulary in midfield and attack but he has done very little to remedy that weakness.
Nothing speaks louder than action so Poyet should act and stop making excuses which is what it sounds he is doing.
In terms of the 'potential' Budget we must be in a stronger position financially than last year if for no other reason than that we have almost 5,000 more season ticket holders than then. This alone means the revenue is £2 million up. If you then add the funds generated by Elphick's departure and the 'compensation' for Hall the budget should still be in reasonable shape.
I gather it is the same as last season and yet our only major 'outgoings' are Bridge's wages (£500,000 +) and the fee for Crofts (undisclosed). This means there must be funds left to sign players. I do appreciate that the club might not wish to recruit any more players (striker excepted) until others have left but surely Burke and Poyet should have been addressing that issue over the last 10 to 12 weeks.
Finally a statistical comment. This is yet another match that Vicente has started and the Albion have lost. I think the problem is that he is such a talented player that the rest of the team 'sit back a little' and wait for him to deliver. Hopefully this will be sorted.
It will be interesting to see (a) how the team perform against Hull and (b) how soon and how many players Poyet signs, the clock is ticking......

Ballantrrae, I hope you are not using company time to write your posts...you must of used all your break times!! The next Three games are going to be important so when League footie starts at the Amex next Tues, no matter what happens at Hull...WE SHOULD ALL GET BEHIND GUS AND THE BOYS AND CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE NEVER WITNESSED AT A BRIGHTON HOME GAME. WITH HOPEFULLY 26/27,000 SINGING THEIR HEARTS OUT WE CAN BE THE 12th MAN AND GET OUR SEASON UP AND RUNNING!!

I am sure everybody myself included will.
The postings on here reflect a number of fans concern and the fact that Poyet having identified a weakness in the squad (striker) hasn't as yet, for whatever reason, been able to remedy it.
Fyi I work for myself so hours are long and sometimes I can devote a few minutes to my other passions like the Albion whom I have been watching since 1958.

MalcolmPosketttuckin
g himselfin wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin

g himselfin wrote:
I agree with much of what's been written above, especially the sentiments expressed about getting rid of Vincelot - BIG MISTAKE! As a loyal supporter of many decades standing and as a supporter who finds some of the ill-informed criticism annoying, I find it even more irksome that some seem to think that any criticism isn't thought through, justified and should, therefore, be derided! What was that about The Emperors new clothes?!!!

Before any pedant picks me up on it, I know that it should have read "What was that about The Emperor's new clothes?!!!"
The Vincelot decision seems even more unfathomable given the return to seven named substitutes. Such a versatile player would be ideal to have on the bench!

The return to seven substitutes is precisely why we no longer need a utility player.

Just about sums it up,not 3,1not 3,2,not even3,3,3,0,they cant score end of,adios

Malcom get a life?

campotolox wrote:
Just about sums it up,not 3,1not 3,2,not even3,3,3,0,they cant score end of,adios

What's your degree in, rocket science?

gordongull wrote:

campotolox wrote: Just about sums it up,not 3,1not 3,2,not even3,3,3,0,they cant score end of,adios

What's your degree in, rocket science?

No, wineology...

LesBerry wrote:
What a bunch of truely unbelievable comments posted by a bunch of unbeleivable morons - last night was essentially a pre-season friendly - THE SEASON HAS NOT EVEN STARTED and already the knives are out..Get a grip all of you...

Sorry Les, thats rubbish. Season started last night for us, as the game was deemed competitive as the league cup, for all of its demeanors, is a competition after all. Just a smokescreen and excuse to cover a poor, poor performance.
Dicker, Harley not good enough. Spadge and Vincelot good enough as squad players, but not to stary in preference of others. Painyer too.slow for this level too.

dave from bexill wrote:
I know the Albion were disappointing and well beaten last night, but there were positives (wasn't there?) Who in the championship has a better back four and keeper than was on show last night. Bridcutt as well was excellent and we know how good Vicente can be.I suppose nit picking I'd like to see a big CB come in, who may not be so good at bringing the ball out as Greer is, but would complement him by winning everything in the air, marshalling the defence and clearing his lines. Bit like Pally and Bruce used to play or Fozzy and Lawro. I think at this stage, last nights result should be seen as a bad day at the office and 3-0 did flatter Swindon somewhat, although I wouldn't want to take anything away from them.

You cannot seriously be comparing Greer to Lawrensen? Lawrensen was arguably one of the best centre backs in the world at the time- if not the best. Greer is similar to Foster, but even Fozzy was much more commanding at the back.

All this talk about our midfielders Sparrow, Harley, Dicker not good enough and we send our most promising midfield player to Oxford for the season! Cannot understand Gus's total belief in Dicker and would be very sorry to see Vincelot go as he has always done well in a variety of roles.

Hi all, did any body else have problems with the Seagulls broadcast last night? when the commentary did start @ the end of the first half, the commendatory kept breaking up.
Come on Seagulls you can definitely play better than you did last night, can`t you?

Just a reminder will Portsmouth be around much longer?

Ringmer Rich wrote:

dave from bexill wrote:
I know the Albion were disappointing and well beaten last night, but there were positives (wasn't there?) Who in the championship has a better back four and keeper than was on show last night. Bridcutt as well was excellent and we know how good Vicente can be.I suppose nit picking I'd like to see a big CB come in, who may not be so good at bringing the ball out as Greer is, but would complement him by winning everything in the air, marshalling the defence and clearing his lines. Bit like Pally and Bruce used to play or Fozzy and Lawro. I think at this stage, last nights result should be seen as a bad day at the office and 3-0 did flatter Swindon somewhat, although I wouldn't want to take anything away from them.

You cannot seriously be comparing Greer to Lawrensen? Lawrensen was arguably one of the best centre backs in the world at the time- if not the best. Greer is similar to Foster, but even Fozzy was much more commanding at the back.

I'm not comparing them, I'm simply saying that it's the role different CB's have in a team. Another 'good' example would be Moore and Charlton, but I'm not daft enough to compare Greer with Moore either.Just trying to make a point about types andCB roles.Sorry if I didn't make it clear enough for you and I assure you I know how 'great' Lawro was.

Nothing like threatening to wield the axe here and there before the season, as a bit of motivation. From comments Gus made last year, what happens daily on the training ground matters more to him than us fans appreciate. This could have some bearing on why Vincelot and Sparrow have been singled out. Might be some players putting a bit more effort in tomorrow.

Normally you throw cup matches, half way through the season when there are too many important league matches and players need a rest. Not the first game of the season. The cups last year earnt us good money last year and were televised. Tony Bloom would have wanted us to have a bit of a cup run I am sure of that.

I would always expect a good team performance whether we win, lose or draw. I wouldn’t even point any fingers at any of the players for last night, they didn’t pick themselves. I also believe that a really good manager could put out a team of monkeys that would punch above their weight.

What concerns me is and is relevant to old sayings like, start as you mean to go on, or the hit the ground running. This was the first taste of the season we have all been looking forward to and it wasn’t a good advert for the fans or even more importantly potential big signings. We cannot make excuses for players not being available because Swindon had the same problems. The difference is that Di Canio did his homework just like Wrexham did last year. Also it wasn’t a coincidence that Liverpool and West Ham put six past us last year, they did their homework as well.

Obviously I hope for a turn around after this and it is up to Gus to make the most of what we have, but you should never go into a game thinking your opponents want to win something more than yourselves. If that is the case tell the travelling supporters to not turn up either.

Anyway after all that, roll on Hull and UTA

I cannot believe some of the comments on here! The Season starts on Saturday, calm down people. We have had two good results against Premier League opponents in pre season, but that does not make us world beaters. A poor result against a poor team does not mean we will have a poor season, there is no disaster. As far as the Striker situation goes, it is clear we are in a chain and it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t sign the player in question until the final moments of the transfer window. As far as going out of the League Cup, it was simply an unwelcome distraction and I’m glad our fixtures won't be messed around any more than necessary. Promotion is surely the one and only objective this season.

LesBerry wrote:
What a bunch of truely unbelievable comments posted by a bunch of unbeleivable morons - last night was essentially a pre-season friendly - THE SEASON HAS NOT EVEN STARTED and already the knives are out..Get a grip all of you...

That's what the forum is for:- discussing The Albion, and most specifically, the end product of it all - football matches!
If we are turned over by a side from the lower divisions, this is a cause for concern, and generates opinion concerning the nature of the problem, and possible antidotes.
You are, of course, entitled to hold the view that no problem exists, and hopefully you will be proved right.
THIS WAS THE FIRST COMPETITIVE MATCH OF THE SEASON, so I think 'unbelievable morons' is a bit harsh.

However much everybody posts on here to be patient; the fact is we seem to be doing things back to front. We need at least three players now; 2 strikers and another midfielder. Why oh why do we persist with Harley who is just not up to it and Dicker who is so off the pace it is a joke. CMS is supposed to be injured; is he, Barnes is a forward and played consistently out of position. As stated it is a massive worry to have 2 out of 3 wide men injured at the same time. Greer also for me is a worry at times as regular mistakes keep popping up. No way should Vicente be playing up front as he will get injured so much more as defenders will get him from behind; he should be receiving the ball with more space in midfield where he can do the most damage. I just hope that Lua Lua and Buckley are not out to long as without them we will struggle.

First of all Gordon I think you are being far too kind - when someone refers to his fellow posters as ' unbeleivable morons' it should be highlighted that he of such superior airs cannot spell... get over it Les Berry, you too have a lot to learn.

Now come on lads, more serious things beckon. Where was Andrew Crofts when Norwich opened their Championship campaign... I have a long lasting memory of a supporter tearing up his season ticket as the Canaries went down 7-1 in their first home game. They went on to win the league. Now, if AC was there then maybe he can supply the necessary insight on how to overcome such setbacks to the rest of the squad (as well as the manager and fans) about the current situation. Of course if he wasn't there then I have laid myself open to ridicule from those on this site who cannot resist such an opportunity. Right, over to you lot...!

franckiep en france wrote:
Hi all, did any body else have problems with the Seagulls broadcast last night? when the commentary did start @ the end of the first half, the commendatory kept breaking up.
Come on Seagulls you can definitely play better than you did last night, can`t you?

Yes I did as well.When it first came on it was being Commentated by the Swindon Commentators and then an apology and back to normal.Where in France are You? I am in Brittany.

franckiep en france wrote:
Hi all, did any body else have problems with the Seagulls broadcast last night? when the commentary did start @ the end of the first half, the commendatory kept breaking up.
Come on Seagulls you can definitely play better than you did last night, can`t you?

luckily I only got about 2 minutes of commentary.

No they cant?holiday camp?butlings,south coast nown for it?

Watched it on sky down the pub, no problem

Sacre Bleu wrote:

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

Totally concur with this post and also those of Willie Irvine and Jonathan Mouette. The buck for poor performances must surely stop with the Boss?
Also distressed that Gus feels it right to go public in the local rag, singling out players by name as having no future at the Club. Surely matters affecting the livelihood of individuals should be regarded as confidential between manager and player?
IMO, Vincelot has been a stalwart and does not deserve such shabby treatment. Hardly encouraging for the squad as a whole on the threshold of a new season.
As a paid-up season ticket holder, I for one am sick and tired of hearing how strapped for cash we are. How many other clubs in the Championship have over 20,000 supporters prepared to put their money up front?
No more excuses. All for one and one for all!

Touche!

With 23,000 paid up season ticket holders, we are most definitely not strapped for cash. What we are however, is a proper football club, with a very prudent Chairman and board, with a very strong financial footing. We are getting better on and of the pitch and I’m sure we will have an amazing season. I for one am glad our club refuses to pay the obscene transfer fees and salaries demanded by clubs and greedy players. We are getting there slowly but surely and we will get to the Premier league, but not by playing Russian roulette with our clubs finances like so many other foolish clubs have done.

Sacre Bleu you say how many clubs in the Championship have 20,000 paid up supporters.Not many but How many have a State of the Art Stadium and the Managerial Infastructure we have. For an example Arsenal built a brand new Stadium and it Has taken them 'til now to sort out their Finances and that is with 60,000 supporters week in week out it might be on a different scale but I hope you get my point.A few years ago Pompey had a Brilliant squad of players(by their standard)and look where they are.Let us not be too greedy and be thankful that we Have people like Dick and Tony Bloom around who were able to save us from a plight Pompey Rangers and a few others find themselves in and I am sure there will be a few more this Season.

Now come on lads, more serious things beckon. Where was Andrew Jonathan Mouette says...
6:43pm Wed 15 Aug 12

Crofts when Norwich opened their Championship campaign... I have a long lasting memory of a supporter tearing up his season ticket as the Canaries went down 7-1 in their first home game. They went on to win the league.

Excellent point, Jonathan. Norwich 1 Colchester 7. I work with an ardent Canaries fan and he reminds me of that each and every day. However, I have to say that Norwich had a few more quality players - and a proven goalscorer in Grant Holt - than we do right now.

rolivan wrote:
Sacre Bleu you say how many clubs in the Championship have 20,000 paid up supporters.Not many but How many have a State of the Art Stadium and the Managerial Infastructure we have. For an example Arsenal built a brand new Stadium and it Has taken them 'til now to sort out their Finances and that is with 60,000 supporters week in week out it might be on a different scale but I hope you get my point.A few years ago Pompey had a Brilliant squad of players(by their standard)and look where they are.Let us not be too greedy and be thankful that we Have people like Dick and Tony Bloom around who were able to save us from a plight Pompey Rangers and a few others find themselves in and I am sure there will be a few more this Season.

Sorry Alan You beat me too it

I was probably a bit harsh in my last post, as others have said, we should see where we are in a couple of months from now. It wasn't a bad first half

Hello new season ;o)

Alan G Skinner wrote:
I cannot believe some of the comments on here! The Season starts on Saturday, calm down people. We have had two good results against Premier League opponents in pre season, but that does not make us world beaters. A poor result against a poor team does not mean we will have a poor season, there is no disaster. As far as the Striker situation goes, it is clear we are in a chain and it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t sign the player in question until the final moments of the transfer window. As far as going out of the League Cup, it was simply an unwelcome distraction and I’m glad our fixtures won't be messed around any more than necessary. Promotion is surely the one and only objective this season.

Actually the season started yesterday. The League season starts on Saturday.
The main problem as I have said elsewhere is that everybody, including the fans it seems, treated last night as a pre-season friendly. Wrong attitude, always treat serious matters seriously...

rolivan wrote:
Just a reminder will Portsmouth be around much longer?

The Portsmouth Supporters Trust is now the only bid on the table under consideration by administrators.
Although all the big earners are now off the books there are still outstanding issues, which involve persueding hard-nosed businessmen to take a massive financial hit.
It doesn't look good.

Alan G Skinner wrote:
With 23,000 paid up season ticket holders, we are most definitely not strapped for cash. What we are however, is a proper football club, with a very prudent Chairman and board, with a very strong financial footing. We are getting better on and of the pitch and I’m sure we will have an amazing season. I for one am glad our club refuses to pay the obscene transfer fees and salaries demanded by clubs and greedy players. We are getting there slowly but surely and we will get to the Premier league, but not by playing Russian roulette with our clubs finances like so many other foolish clubs have done.

Whilst I may have taken issue with your previous post 'the season starts on Saturday' Alan, I couldn't agree more with this one. Spot on.

lmspike wrote:
Harley and Dicker should be gone before the 2 mentioned above.

Totally agree...surprised both of them were still at the club start of this season...and why is JFC at Oxford ??? Sorry Gus ..dont know what your thinking is sometimes... jfc is good on the ball ..good movement and scores goals..what does Dicker and Harley provide ???? Gg

Ringmer Rich wrote:
I think Vincelot should stay, but Sparrow, Dicker and Harley are not at the races.

Agree 100% !!!

I remember when football was about how many goals you can score,not how many passes you can bore the watching public with! I hope I'm wrong but unless the Albion grow some good old fashioned attacking English style balls,you remember,the way football used to entertain,they are in danger of winning the jonstones watch paint dry trophy. It's just like watching Kate moss weightlifting,pretty
, but ineffective.

Agree, Vincelot should stay, actually a better player than given credit for, and versatility is surely something we need, especially given the loss of Tommy Elphick, and impending departure of Spadge.
Last night was poor, but I always felt the players were holding back from the word go, backed up by Gus's comments after, that he was relieved to be out as now his players won't get distracted and can concentrate on the League. Not to take anything from Swindon, who did their homework, but we'll see a different committment from the players come Saturday. Looking forward to getting going now, UTA

tug509 wrote:

john newman wrote:
Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

The creepie`s have bought there position not earn`t it.As for Coppell he had he`s chance with us,but did`nt want to wait for the AMEX,his loss.I for one won`t be losing any sleep worrying about crawley,too much like their cousins up the road,no taste.And as for closing the gap...for gap read Casm,Void,different planet.We have been there seen it and done it in our illustrious 111 years,until they have achieved half as much,not interested.UTA

Tug, you arrogant ****, CTFC was formed five years before the Albion and apart from a brief spell under the ownership of a couple of Brighton based "Businessmen" have always been well run.
A similar situation to our own occured, a lifelong fan of the club wanted to push the club forward and invested a chunk of cash in the club.
Neither man could have done that without some faith that the support was there to sustain it, both men were right but Crawley will have to progress more slowly from here.

Just heard a rumour, my friend's sister who knows one of the cleaning staff at the Amex, well, his wife’s uncle’s daughter in law’s brother’s step dad's second cousin once removed, says that Michael Owen is going to sign for us.

GosportGull wrote:

lmspike wrote:
Harley and Dicker should be gone before the 2 mentioned above.

Totally agree...surprised both of them were still at the club start of this season...and why is JFC at Oxford ??? Sorry Gus ..dont know what your thinking is sometimes... jfc is good on the ball ..good movement and scores goals..what does Dicker and Harley provide ???? Gg

Vincelot should have made more appearances than he has done, in my opinion. I would pick him ahead of Painter at left back, or Harley in midfield.

Ringmer Rich wrote:

dave from bexill wrote:
I know the Albion were disappointing and well beaten last night, but there were positives (wasn't there?) Who in the championship has a better back four and keeper than was on show last night. Bridcutt as well was excellent and we know how good Vicente can be.I suppose nit picking I'd like to see a big CB come in, who may not be so good at bringing the ball out as Greer is, but would complement him by winning everything in the air, marshalling the defence and clearing his lines. Bit like Pally and Bruce used to play or Fozzy and Lawro. I think at this stage, last nights result should be seen as a bad day at the office and 3-0 did flatter Swindon somewhat, although I wouldn't want to take anything away from them.

You cannot seriously be comparing Greer to Lawrensen? Lawrensen was arguably one of the best centre backs in the world at the time- if not the best. Greer is similar to Foster, but even Fozzy was much more commanding at the back.

Lawrenson still the best player ever to pull on the shirt. Vicente could eclipse him if he stays for a while. Not enough passion last night for whatever reason. I know cos was there as Max Boyce used to say

sasquatch2202 wrote:
I remember when football was about how many goals you can score,not how many passes you can bore the watching public with! I hope I'm wrong but unless the Albion grow some good old fashioned attacking English style balls,you remember,the way football used to entertain,they are in danger of winning the jonstones watch paint dry trophy. It's just like watching Kate moss weightlifting,pretty

, but ineffective.

I believe that the fault with B&HA lies not with the system, but the limitations of some of the players being asked to implement it.

Someone as thin as Kate Moss obviously doesn't lift a lot of weight, but she uses light weights and many repetitions to tone her body.
Not at all ineffective!

Lawrenson still the best player ever to pull on the shirt. Vicente could eclipse him if he stays for a while

Not if he stayed with the club for the next ten years. Lawrenson was the most talented player I've ever seen wear a Brighton shirt. Not many central defenders had - or have - the kind of ball skills he possessed. Not even his bum chum Alan Hansen. He could just as easily have played in midfield. How many games has Vicente played for Brighton? I'll tell you 17. And how many will he play before he gets injured again this season I wonder.

gordongull wrote:

sasquatch2202 wrote:
I remember when football was about how many goals you can score,not how many passes you can bore the watching public with! I hope I'm wrong but unless the Albion grow some good old fashioned attacking English style balls,you remember,the way football used to entertain,they are in danger of winning the jonstones watch paint dry trophy. It's just like watching Kate moss weightlifting,pretty


, but ineffective.

I believe that the fault with B&HA lies not with the system, but the limitations of some of the players being asked to implement it.

Someone as thin as Kate Moss obviously doesn't lift a lot of weight, but she uses light weights and many repetitions to tone her body.
Not at all ineffective!

I totally agree Mr gull, Kate moss is indeed well toned but I put this down to her arduous job of walking up and down a 30 foot strip of wood every now and then in someone elses clobber rather than weight training.

john newman wrote:
Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

Where do you think has happened to us in the last 16 years!!! It hasn't been a bed of roses for us has it!!! Some comments on this site makes me laugh!!

sasquatch2202 wrote:

gordongull wrote:

sasquatch2202 wrote:
I remember when football was about how many goals you can score,not how many passes you can bore the watching public with! I hope I'm wrong but unless the Albion grow some good old fashioned attacking English style balls,you remember,the way football used to entertain,they are in danger of winning the jonstones watch paint dry trophy. It's just like watching Kate moss weightlifting,pretty



, but ineffective.

I believe that the fault with B&HA lies not with the system, but the limitations of some of the players being asked to implement it.

Someone as thin as Kate Moss obviously doesn't lift a lot of weight, but she uses light weights and many repetitions to tone her body.
Not at all ineffective!

I totally agree Mr gull, Kate moss is indeed well toned but I put this down to her arduous job of walking up and down a 30 foot strip of wood every now and then in someone elses clobber rather than weight training.

I love it when people who have never played the game at any standard comment on tactics

sdhgfhfuyt wrote:

sasquatch2202 wrote:

gordongull wrote:

sasquatch2202 wrote:
I remember when football was about how many goals you can score,not how many passes you can bore the watching public with! I hope I'm wrong but unless the Albion grow some good old fashioned attacking English style balls,you remember,the way football used to entertain,they are in danger of winning the jonstones watch paint dry trophy. It's just like watching Kate moss weightlifting,pretty




, but ineffective.

I believe that the fault with B&HA lies not with the system, but the limitations of some of the players being asked to implement it.

Someone as thin as Kate Moss obviously doesn't lift a lot of weight, but she uses light weights and many repetitions to tone her body.
Not at all ineffective!

I totally agree Mr gull, Kate moss is indeed well toned but I put this down to her arduous job of walking up and down a 30 foot strip of wood every now and then in someone elses clobber rather than weight training.

I love it when people who have never played the game at any standard comment on tactics

I love it when people with no sense of humour air their lemon sucking views on sites like this,I bet it's the only contact you have with the outside world.

I think that I am right in saying that the last time we lost to a team from a lower league in this competition was Northampton away. That same season we went on to gain promotion. As an eternal optimist I like to think that might be an omen.

gordongull wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin

g himselfin wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin


g himselfin wrote:
I agree with much of what's been written above, especially the sentiments expressed about getting rid of Vincelot - BIG MISTAKE! As a loyal supporter of many decades standing and as a supporter who finds some of the ill-informed criticism annoying, I find it even more irksome that some seem to think that any criticism isn't thought through, justified and should, therefore, be derided! What was that about The Emperors new clothes?!!!

Before any pedant picks me up on it, I know that it should have read "What was that about The Emperor's new clothes?!!!"
The Vincelot decision seems even more unfathomable given the return to seven named substitutes. Such a versatile player would be ideal to have on the bench!

The return to seven substitutes is precisely why we no longer need a utility player.

So the Dutch team of the 70's was full of specialist players was it and we don't need one; the best one we have at that?! An interesting tactical observation Mr gull!

oooooo.. whisper it.. RVP to man u, Berbs to QPR, Bobby to Albion?

So we won't be signing RVP then. Oh well, we move on UTA.

I note from the Wales internatonal last night that Andrew Crofts was substituded in the 88th minute. Hope it wasn't through injury.

Would expect to see Dicker, Harley, Ankergren and Painter follow Sparrow and Romain before we make our bow in The Prem too. Feel a bit sorry and surprised for RV in particular though as he's done well every time he's been called upon. Perhaps he's simply not a Gus type of pro?

Anyway, assuming Sparrow and Vincelot gone for the moment and not including our outbound loanees, this is how we currently line up as a squad:

Kuszczak
Brez
Anks

Calde
Bruno

Greer
El Abd
Dunk

Bridge
Painter

Bridders
Crofty
Dicker
Harley

Vicente
Kaz
Bucks
Nooney

CMS
Barnes
Hoskins
Toby (Gus has stated he's now first team not dev sq)

That's 22 including the four I don't rate as good enough for what we are now aspiring to do.

That means we still have a weakness to the DEPTH of our squad, although the other 18 form a VERY strong group.

The list contains only 3 CBs. One of our LBs is not quite good enough, the other is not ours and may not stay beyond this season. We only have 2 seriously good specialist CMs + Vicente can play there.

I know Gus continues to strive for a striker (or 2?) and has stated he now needs another CB (replacement for Hall and Elph), but I would like to see one or two further CM additions. Coupled with a proper hold up / lay off / heading forward and we'll be a serious force in this league.

Since our League One title season I have been citing Swansea as the model I am sure TB (and Gus) have been following: rising from out of the deep, dark depths of the FL to a new beginning; romping to a supremely dominant League One title-winning success; moving into a new stadium (that was) of similar size; playing a deliciously silky footballing style; gradually honing the  team for promotion AND SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS IN THE PL WHILE MAINTAINING THE FOOTBALLING WAY. And all on a sustainable squad budget too!

It took The Swans 3 years to exit this division for the big time and we have a season to spare in which to emulate that instalment of the story. The main differences so far are we have kept the same manager (Swans were forced to change a couple of times) and our crowds and season ticket sales are noticeably better.

I am happy!

Oh, and we have better pies and ale!!!

Good stuff Captain. Couldn't disagree with any of that.

Yes, the result on Tuesday was disappointing, and I'm sure GP is as disappointed as any of us. The result does not make him a bad Manager. In my opinion, he and TB have done wonders for the Albion. On trying to improve the squad, which of you don't want this? If GP thinks the squad needs improving, I am agreeing with him. We are going upwards, not down, and journeymen lower league players won't get us there.

ballantrrae wrote:

Sacre Bleu wrote:

Tommy11 wrote:
Gus has done an incredible job at the club, but I must admit that I do worry about his reactions when we lose games. What will he do if we go on a long losing streak and the chips are down? Can we rely on him to pull us out? He seems to go on these outbursts, blame everyone else and every thing other tham himself and his tactics....Last nights defeat is now all Sparrows and Vincelot's fault all for sudden because they won't leave??? I know he may not be implying this..but come on Gus...this is not the right time for such outburts...you have had all summer to sort out the striker problem.. so get on with it man!!!

Totally concur with this post and also those of Willie Irvine and Jonathan Mouette. The buck for poor performances must surely stop with the Boss?
Also distressed that Gus feels it right to go public in the local rag, singling out players by name as having no future at the Club. Surely matters affecting the livelihood of individuals should be regarded as confidential between manager and player?
IMO, Vincelot has been a stalwart and does not deserve such shabby treatment. Hardly encouraging for the squad as a whole on the threshold of a new season.
As a paid-up season ticket holder, I for one am sick and tired of hearing how strapped for cash we are. How many other clubs in the Championship have over 20,000 supporters prepared to put their money up front?
No more excuses. All for one and one for all!

I agree with many of the pstings on here.
The problem last night in many ways was a 'mental' one.
Because this 'League Cup' match (forgive the old terminology) was played before the 'season has started' everybody ie players, fans and, I suspect ,even management were treating this fixture as if it was a pre-season friendly. That it certainly wasn't.
To those who say this is a 'mickey mouse' competition I would respond that as professional players one expects a proper professional approach whatever the competition.
I don't know how many posters noticed that a number of Badminton players were thrown out of the Olympics for 'not trying' and quite deservedly so.
In terms of this thread Captain Haddock and I had an exchange of postings about 10 days ago regarding which players might leave and which might be retained. I would be sorry to see Vincelot go and Dicker seems to be a favourite of Poyet's so he looks secure but Painter (especially), Sparrow, and Harley need replacing with players more suited to our playing style. Sparrow effectively has by Crofts. What we still need, as I posted last night, is a midfield powerhouse type since we lacked physicality in midfield yesterday. In my opinion we also need an attacking midfielder to cover Vicente and most especially at least one if not two strikers.
Poyet is already on record as wanting another CB so if Painter were to leave we would also need another full back someone young to understudy Bridge since the latter will need replacing in a years time when his loan ends.
Poyet last season consistently said we needed 'stronger' players particulary in midfield and attack but he has done very little to remedy that weakness.
Nothing speaks louder than action so Poyet should act and stop making excuses which is what it sounds he is doing.
In terms of the 'potential' Budget we must be in a stronger position financially than last year if for no other reason than that we have almost 5,000 more season ticket holders than then. This alone means the revenue is £2 million up. If you then add the funds generated by Elphick's departure and the 'compensation' for Hall the budget should still be in reasonable shape.
I gather it is the same as last season and yet our only major 'outgoings' are Bridge's wages (£500,000 +) and the fee for Crofts (undisclosed). This means there must be funds left to sign players. I do appreciate that the club might not wish to recruit any more players (striker excepted) until others have left but surely Burke and Poyet should have been addressing that issue over the last 10 to 12 weeks.
Finally a statistical comment. This is yet another match that Vicente has started and the Albion have lost. I think the problem is that he is such a talented player that the rest of the team 'sit back a little' and wait for him to deliver. Hopefully this will be sorted.
It will be interesting to see (a) how the team perform against Hull and (b) how soon and how many players Poyet signs, the clock is ticking......

Excellent post and agree with all of that (as you'll surmise from my other contribution just above) EXCEPT about TB and Gus getting a move on.

I am sure both men are acutely aware of the weaknesses that need strengthening and as such have been fighting the usual uphill battle to achieve the task (agents, the window, other people's unwise over-spending, the PL clubs waiting til late to release their rejects etc all agitate against what our club would like to sort and sort early!

Gus will inevitably be frustrated by this but aside from unwisely over-spending on a grand scale we were never going to attain all the first choice targets we wanted and at the beginning of the window without such recklessness.

I'm glad we aren't that foolish and I AM sure we've been battling long and hard this summer to carve out the deals.

Baldseagull wrote:

tug509 wrote:

john newman wrote:
Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

The creepie`s have bought there position not earn`t it.As for Coppell he had he`s chance with us,but did`nt want to wait for the AMEX,his loss.I for one won`t be losing any sleep worrying about crawley,too much like their cousins up the road,no taste.And as for closing the gap...for gap read Casm,Void,different planet.We have been there seen it and done it in our illustrious 111 years,until they have achieved half as much,not interested.UTA

Tug, you arrogant ****, CTFC was formed five years before the Albion and apart from a brief spell under the ownership of a couple of Brighton based "Businessmen" have always been well run.
A similar situation to our own occured, a lifelong fan of the club wanted to push the club forward and invested a chunk of cash in the club.
Neither man could have done that without some faith that the support was there to sustain it, both men were right but Crawley will have to progress more slowly from here.

Have Crawley had their ground sold from under them..NO have Crawley fans had to play home games 160 miles(round trip) away..NO have Crawley consistently had a large and loyal fanbase..NO have Crawley recently had an enormous (by conference standard) cash injection to buy players they could not have bought purely through gate receipts..YES have Crawley all of a sudden (past 5-6 years) found a lot more support coming out of the woodwork who could nt be bothered before..YES and finally is Crawley the team that chooses to sing "we are the Brighton haters) even though we have loaned them players in the past not least the great Michel..If you choose to disagree with me i`ve got no problem,arrogant maybe but no need for the second word! i am after all a Brighton fan like yourself.UTA

rolivan wrote:

rolivan wrote:
Sacre Bleu you say how many clubs in the Championship have 20,000 paid up supporters.Not many but How many have a State of the Art Stadium and the Managerial Infastructure we have. For an example Arsenal built a brand new Stadium and it Has taken them 'til now to sort out their Finances and that is with 60,000 supporters week in week out it might be on a different scale but I hope you get my point.A few years ago Pompey had a Brilliant squad of players(by their standard)and look where they are.Let us not be too greedy and be thankful that we Have people like Dick and Tony Bloom around who were able to save us from a plight Pompey Rangers and a few others find themselves in and I am sure there will be a few more this Season.

Sorry Alan You beat me too it

Point taken but as far as I am aware nothing I wrote could have been interpreted as criticism of the way the Club is currently run - rather the repeated references by Gus Poyet regarding budgetary constraints. Given the fact that he has a brilliant Chairman and arguably the best supporters in the Championship, I'd prefer Gus stop repeating himself and focus more on the positives and priviledges of being he Albion's coach. Like Ballantrrae, I've been supporting Brighton since the mid-1950s, so patience is not a problem!

sasquatch2202 wrote:
I remember when football was about how many goals you can score,not how many passes you can bore the watching public with! I hope I'm wrong but unless the Albion grow some good old fashioned attacking English style balls,you remember,the way football used to entertain,they are in danger of winning the jonstones watch paint dry trophy. It's just like watching Kate moss weightlifting,pretty

, but ineffective.

Three successive season-on-season improvements in League standings and the views of the majority of the fanbase suggest otherwise.

Captain Haddock wrote:
Would expect to see Dicker, Harley, Ankergren and Painter follow Sparrow and Romain before we make our bow in The Prem too. Feel a bit sorry and surprised for RV in particular though as he's done well every time he's been called upon. Perhaps he's simply not a Gus type of pro?

Anyway, assuming Sparrow and Vincelot gone for the moment and not including our outbound loanees, this is how we currently line up as a squad:

Kuszczak
Brez
Anks

Calde
Bruno

Greer
El Abd
Dunk

Bridge
Painter

Bridders
Crofty
Dicker
Harley

Vicente
Kaz
Bucks
Nooney

CMS
Barnes
Hoskins
Toby (Gus has stated he's now first team not dev sq)

That's 22 including the four I don't rate as good enough for what we are now aspiring to do.

That means we still have a weakness to the DEPTH of our squad, although the other 18 form a VERY strong group.

The list contains only 3 CBs. One of our LBs is not quite good enough, the other is not ours and may not stay beyond this season. We only have 2 seriously good specialist CMs + Vicente can play there.

I know Gus continues to strive for a striker (or 2?) and has stated he now needs another CB (replacement for Hall and Elph), but I would like to see one or two further CM additions. Coupled with a proper hold up / lay off / heading forward and we'll be a serious force in this league.

Since our League One title season I have been citing Swansea as the model I am sure TB (and Gus) have been following: rising from out of the deep, dark depths of the FL to a new beginning; romping to a supremely dominant League One title-winning success; moving into a new stadium (that was) of similar size; playing a deliciously silky footballing style; gradually honing the  team for promotion AND SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS IN THE PL WHILE MAINTAINING THE FOOTBALLING WAY. And all on a sustainable squad budget too!

It took The Swans 3 years to exit this division for the big time and we have a season to spare in which to emulate that instalment of the story. The main differences so far are we have kept the same manager (Swans were forced to change a couple of times) and our crowds and season ticket sales are noticeably better.

I am happy!

Oh, and we have better pies and ale!!!

I've been thinking along the same lines as you may have noticed Captain H.
Apart from the CB you mention and the Striker we all including Poyet crave I would like to see another left back in place of Painter and to cover Bridge who may not remain when his loan ends.
In addition I would welcome an attacking midfielder to cover Vicente like the ex Le Harve lad Balmy we had on trial.
Wouldn't object to a second new striker given our injury problems recently with Hoskins, CMS, LuaLua and Buckley.
Lets see if Burke and Poyet can deliver in the next 14/15 days.
One other comment. A number of postings have said that being out of the Capital One Cup is a good thing since it reduces the chance of injury. Might I just remind those people that Hoskins received his latest injury during training in Spain !

dave from bexill wrote:
Good stuff Captain. Couldn't disagree with any of that.

Ta muchly :0)

Hi rolivan Im in 79320 Deux Sevre.

Alan G Skinner wrote:
I cannot believe some of the comments on here! The Season starts on Saturday, calm down people. We have had two good results against Premier League opponents in pre season, but that does not make us world beaters. A poor result against a poor team does not mean we will have a poor season, there is no disaster. As far as the Striker situation goes, it is clear we are in a chain and it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t sign the player in question until the final moments of the transfer window. As far as going out of the League Cup, it was simply an unwelcome distraction and I’m glad our fixtures won't be messed around any more than necessary. Promotion is surely the one and only objective this season.

league cup unwanted distraction ? lets hope win 3-0 on Sat and i will agree with you...but as professional players on alot more money than me... i want to see them take every game seriously and win every game...oh and there goes potential lost revenue too.... i want us to be positive not negative for our money ...GG

ballantrrae wrote:

Captain Haddock wrote:
Would expect to see Dicker, Harley, Ankergren and Painter follow Sparrow and Romain before we make our bow in The Prem too. Feel a bit sorry and surprised for RV in particular though as he's done well every time he's been called upon. Perhaps he's simply not a Gus type of pro?

Anyway, assuming Sparrow and Vincelot gone for the moment and not including our outbound loanees, this is how we currently line up as a squad:

Kuszczak
Brez
Anks

Calde
Bruno

Greer
El Abd
Dunk

Bridge
Painter

Bridders
Crofty
Dicker
Harley

Vicente
Kaz
Bucks
Nooney

CMS
Barnes
Hoskins
Toby (Gus has stated he's now first team not dev sq)

That's 22 including the four I don't rate as good enough for what we are now aspiring to do.

That means we still have a weakness to the DEPTH of our squad, although the other 18 form a VERY strong group.

The list contains only 3 CBs. One of our LBs is not quite good enough, the other is not ours and may not stay beyond this season. We only have 2 seriously good specialist CMs + Vicente can play there.

I know Gus continues to strive for a striker (or 2?) and has stated he now needs another CB (replacement for Hall and Elph), but I would like to see one or two further CM additions. Coupled with a proper hold up / lay off / heading forward and we'll be a serious force in this league.

Since our League One title season I have been citing Swansea as the model I am sure TB (and Gus) have been following: rising from out of the deep, dark depths of the FL to a new beginning; romping to a supremely dominant League One title-winning success; moving into a new stadium (that was) of similar size; playing a deliciously silky footballing style; gradually honing the  team for promotion AND SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS IN THE PL WHILE MAINTAINING THE FOOTBALLING WAY. And all on a sustainable squad budget too!

It took The Swans 3 years to exit this division for the big time and we have a season to spare in which to emulate that instalment of the story. The main differences so far are we have kept the same manager (Swans were forced to change a couple of times) and our crowds and season ticket sales are noticeably better.

I am happy!

Oh, and we have better pies and ale!!!

I've been thinking along the same lines as you may have noticed Captain H.
Apart from the CB you mention and the Striker we all including Poyet crave I would like to see another left back in place of Painter and to cover Bridge who may not remain when his loan ends.
In addition I would welcome an attacking midfielder to cover Vicente like the ex Le Harve lad Balmy we had on trial.
Wouldn't object to a second new striker given our injury problems recently with Hoskins, CMS, LuaLua and Buckley.
Lets see if Burke and Poyet can deliver in the next 14/15 days.
One other comment. A number of postings have said that being out of the Capital One Cup is a good thing since it reduces the chance of injury. Might I just remind those people that Hoskins received his latest injury during training in Spain !

Captain Haddock I meant to include on the 'to buy' list a 'powerhouse midfielder' along the lines that Poyet was saying we needed.

MalcolmPosketttuckin
g himselfin wrote:

gordongull wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin


g himselfin wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin



g himselfin wrote:
I agree with much of what's been written above, especially the sentiments expressed about getting rid of Vincelot - BIG MISTAKE! As a loyal supporter of many decades standing and as a supporter who finds some of the ill-informed criticism annoying, I find it even more irksome that some seem to think that any criticism isn't thought through, justified and should, therefore, be derided! What was that about The Emperors new clothes?!!!

Before any pedant picks me up on it, I know that it should have read "What was that about The Emperor's new clothes?!!!"
The Vincelot decision seems even more unfathomable given the return to seven named substitutes. Such a versatile player would be ideal to have on the bench!

The return to seven substitutes is precisely why we no longer need a utility player.

So the Dutch team of the 70's was full of specialist players was it and we don't need one; the best one we have at that?! An interesting tactical observation Mr gull!

Did Holland win the 1974 or 1978 World Cup?

tug509 wrote:

Baldseagull wrote:

tug509 wrote:

john newman wrote:
Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

The creepie`s have bought there position not earn`t it.As for Coppell he had he`s chance with us,but did`nt want to wait for the AMEX,his loss.I for one won`t be losing any sleep worrying about crawley,too much like their cousins up the road,no taste.And as for closing the gap...for gap read Casm,Void,different planet.We have been there seen it and done it in our illustrious 111 years,until they have achieved half as much,not interested.UTA

Tug, you arrogant ****, CTFC was formed five years before the Albion and apart from a brief spell under the ownership of a couple of Brighton based "Businessmen" have always been well run.
A similar situation to our own occured, a lifelong fan of the club wanted to push the club forward and invested a chunk of cash in the club.
Neither man could have done that without some faith that the support was there to sustain it, both men were right but Crawley will have to progress more slowly from here.

Have Crawley had their ground sold from under them..NO have Crawley fans had to play home games 160 miles(round trip) away..NO have Crawley consistently had a large and loyal fanbase..NO have Crawley recently had an enormous (by conference standard) cash injection to buy players they could not have bought purely through gate receipts..YES have Crawley all of a sudden (past 5-6 years) found a lot more support coming out of the woodwork who could nt be bothered before..YES and finally is Crawley the team that chooses to sing "we are the Brighton haters) even though we have loaned them players in the past not least the great Michel..If you choose to disagree with me i`ve got no problem,arrogant maybe but no need for the second word! i am after all a Brighton fan like yourself.UTA

Do you think the money for CMS, Hoskins and Buckley came from Withdean gate receipts and 18000 season ticket sales?

Have Brighton all of a sudden found a lot more support coming out of the woodwork who couldn't be bothered before?
Have Brighton recently had an enormous (by any standard) cash injection?
Have Brighton had enough money from gate receipts in any of the last 15 seasons to fund the transfers and wages of the players?



We have had a tough time over the 15 years before Falmer, but that does not give us the exclusive rights to make progress.

Kuipers was released, Crawley took him on, I can think of several players that has happened with but not one that was a loan.

The main man behind the money at Crawley was a lifelong fan and stepped in to put the club back on a sound footing and out of the control of the Majeeds, a cross between Dick Knight and Tony Bloom.

It is arrogant to think that your club has some right that others do not, it's why everyone hates Man Utd.

Baldseagull wrote:

tug509 wrote:

Baldseagull wrote:

tug509 wrote:

john newman wrote:
Not good enough last night. With Crawley closing the gap, with Coppell, how long before we are in the same league? A staggering thought considering where Crawley have come from in 10 years.

The creepie`s have bought there position not earn`t it.As for Coppell he had he`s chance with us,but did`nt want to wait for the AMEX,his loss.I for one won`t be losing any sleep worrying about crawley,too much like their cousins up the road,no taste.And as for closing the gap...for gap read Casm,Void,different planet.We have been there seen it and done it in our illustrious 111 years,until they have achieved half as much,not interested.UTA

Tug, you arrogant ****, CTFC was formed five years before the Albion and apart from a brief spell under the ownership of a couple of Brighton based "Businessmen" have always been well run.
A similar situation to our own occured, a lifelong fan of the club wanted to push the club forward and invested a chunk of cash in the club.
Neither man could have done that without some faith that the support was there to sustain it, both men were right but Crawley will have to progress more slowly from here.

Have Crawley had their ground sold from under them..NO have Crawley fans had to play home games 160 miles(round trip) away..NO have Crawley consistently had a large and loyal fanbase..NO have Crawley recently had an enormous (by conference standard) cash injection to buy players they could not have bought purely through gate receipts..YES have Crawley all of a sudden (past 5-6 years) found a lot more support coming out of the woodwork who could nt be bothered before..YES and finally is Crawley the team that chooses to sing "we are the Brighton haters) even though we have loaned them players in the past not least the great Michel..If you choose to disagree with me i`ve got no problem,arrogant maybe but no need for the second word! i am after all a Brighton fan like yourself.UTA

Do you think the money for CMS, Hoskins and Buckley came from Withdean gate receipts and 18000 season ticket sales?

Have Brighton all of a sudden found a lot more support coming out of the woodwork who couldn't be bothered before?
Have Brighton recently had an enormous (by any standard) cash injection?
Have Brighton had enough money from gate receipts in any of the last 15 seasons to fund the transfers and wages of the players?



We have had a tough time over the 15 years before Falmer, but that does not give us the exclusive rights to make progress.

Kuipers was released, Crawley took him on, I can think of several players that has happened with but not one that was a loan.

The main man behind the money at Crawley was a lifelong fan and stepped in to put the club back on a sound footing and out of the control of the Majeeds, a cross between Dick Knight and Tony Bloom.

It is arrogant to think that your club has some right that others do not, it's why everyone hates Man Utd.

I had a long answer to your coment,but the computer went west,so hear is the polite version. Everthing above is easilly answered by any Albion fan,it makes me wonder where your loyalty realy lies,that you can defend a side that sings ,insults to our team.If someone has to tell you our funds primelary come from gate receipts where the hell do you think they would come from?,i worry.Look at the Brighton Bible(the history of Brighton and Hove Albion)The rediculuos and offensive comments you have made smack more of croydon than BRIGHTON.

gordongull wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin

g himselfin wrote:

gordongull wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin



g himselfin wrote:

MalcolmPosketttuckin




g himselfin wrote:
I agree with much of what's been written above, especially the sentiments expressed about getting rid of Vincelot - BIG MISTAKE! As a loyal supporter of many decades standing and as a supporter who finds some of the ill-informed criticism annoying, I find it even more irksome that some seem to think that any criticism isn't thought through, justified and should, therefore, be derided! What was that about The Emperors new clothes?!!!

Before any pedant picks me up on it, I know that it should have read "What was that about The Emperor's new clothes?!!!"
The Vincelot decision seems even more unfathomable given the return to seven named substitutes. Such a versatile player would be ideal to have on the bench!

The return to seven substitutes is precisely why we no longer need a utility player.

So the Dutch team of the 70's was full of specialist players was it and we don't need one; the best one we have at that?! An interesting tactical observation Mr gull!

Did Holland win the 1974 or 1978 World Cup?

I think getting to two World Cup finals and being universally acclaimed as one of the greatest and most attractive (in footballing terms) sides to ever have played the game will do for me!