Brighton (H) 30/4: Build-Up & Match Thread

[Elephant Pyjamas]

If we'd even displayed reasonable form since February we'd have made Europe, instead we've gone along at not much more than 1PPG and we're getting worse.

What is our PPG since Christmas?

 

[AndyWolves]

What is our PPG since Christmas?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/formtabelle/wettbewerb/GB1?saison_id=2021&min=18&max=35

We're 7th in the league since Xmas, scoring more than 9 other teams. Joint 3rd best defensive record.

 

[YoungWolf]

Compare the attacking riches Nuno had in those seasons (a fully firing Raul, Neto and Adama, not to mention Jota) to what Bruno has had this season and it's surely understandable that we're not as impressive?

I agree, but I do think our attackers/attacking play can be better than creating less than 1 xG per game or scoring 1 goal a game!

A lot has changed since the peak of Nunoball.

Sadly very true

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/formtabelle/wettbewerb/GB1?saison_id=2021&min=18&max=35

We're 7th in the league since Xmas, scoring more than 9 other teams. Joint 3rd best defensive record.

Thanks.

Strange i thought the roof was caving in!

 

[Tony Towner]

If I chose to be selective with my dates I'd link something to say that on the last 9 games - a quarter of a season we are bottom 6

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

If I chose to be selective with my dates I'd link something to say that on the last 9 games - a quarter of a season we are bottom 6

Good job we had that period of around a quarter of a season where our form was top 4 then, it's what gave us a chance of Europe, sadly we couldn't capitalise on it, a huge part of that was because of our pathetic, and frankly arrogant attitude in the January transfer window.

I'd imagine there's only Liverpool, City and Chelsea who haven't had a poor period of form at some point during the season?

Look i'm not happy about our recent form, but the handwringing by some on here comes across as so bloody entitled to me, most of us expected a tough season, yet we will definitely finish in the top 10, and more than likely a couple of places above that.

Where i stand is that if Lage had been backed in January the fall off from Neves wouldn't have been so drastic when he got injured, and we would have probably beaten Burnley and not lost to Leeds, and therefore comfortable in the European places, that is a decision made by Sellars and Shi, it's on them that we have blown a very good position that we found ourselves in.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's not entitled, we're objectively terrible to watch and now have results to match.

If we go 1-0 down early on against Brighton I know we'll lose, and sitting there thinking "still, we won a couple in January, that was nice" isn't going to console me much.

 

[Tony Towner]

Surely the most recent part of a season is the most relevant?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Surely the most recent part of a season is the most relevant?

Indeed. Especially as those who say "well we were rubbish under Nuno too" completely disregard three entire seasons and all the goodwill accumulated along the way when doing so.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Surely the most recent part of a season is the most relevant?

It's ALL relevant.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's ALL relevant.

Which means starting the season with 4 losses out of 5 is relevant, or going on a separate run of 2 goals in 8 games is relevant.

On the whole, it's been a rubbish season. Which is why "we're 8th" is such a thin argument. I mean under Hoddle we had our record unbeaten run (might well never be beaten in our lifetime), he didn't relegate us which may well have happened under Jones, and then finished 7th, which wasn't out of the ordinary for us. So what were we moaning at? Maybe the awful football, directionless leadership and complete charisma vacuum, all of which apply now.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's ALL relevant.

I said most relevant...It is. As it would be if we won our last 5 games of the season

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Well that's subjective Dan isn't it.

Starting with 4 losses out of 5, when you yourself expected us to do exactly that, and then turning it around and having a period of form that was the best we have ever managed in our lifetime (?) at this level is not a "rubbish" season.

It's also not remotely comparable to Hoddle's run in the Championship, that comprised of an incredible amount of draws and also lead to us finishing 7th in the Championship, which is below our expectations (and probably yours for that season too.)

This run that you're dismissing was a run where we picked up 19 points from 24.

This season we will finish around the 8th spot, which other than 1 or 2 people on this forum is far and away much better than what was expected (and much better than what you expected) and is the clubs goal from what we can tell.

You and I loved Nuno, and he rightly got loads of credit in the bank because of what he achieved over the previous 3 or 4 years when things started to go awry last season. So i backed him.

Likewise, during this short term slump, i look back in what is the very recent history (December to late February) and see we picked up 19/24 points, and i don't just dismiss that, especially when our best player (ever?) is out injured!

I genuinely can't fathom how you can predict us to come 15th-17th, and worry about it, and then piss and moan when we are 8th and say "our position doesn't matter", "it's false", "Hoddle, Allardyce, Saunders..."

It amazes me.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Again I haven't mentioned Allardyce. He does talk Saunders-esque gibberish at times. And as I said yesterday, Saunders once went on a run of 4 wins in 5, it didn't mean anything, he was still obviously shit.

Lage plays terrible football, talks shit, picks ridiculous teams quite often, can't make an effective substitution to save his life, slags off players when it suits him, we lose every time we concede first bar one freak occasion and we're getting worse, not better. I just don't know where the blind faith comes from.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

You have mentioned Allardyce with reference to Everton, it was Pulis that you hadn't mentioned that i said you had (Johnny75 did).

Anyway i can't say anymore, it doesn't matter how much logic i try and throw at you, how many different ways i explain my POV your mind is made up, it was the day we appointed him.

I thought it was an appalling appointment too, and was really worried about where we would end up this season, but i have revised my view on the basis of the WHOLE season, not just the last few games, just like my view on Nuno wasn't just on his form over 1 season it was over all of them.

We are 8th because we deserve to be, it's not after 5 or 10 games, we've played 33!!

And it's far from fucking blind faith!

Anyway, that's me done.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yeah, we aren't going to agree, let's leave it there. I'd be delighted if we sacked him tomorrow, you wouldn't. No worries.

It's absolutely not "you made your mind up a year ago" though. It's based on watching us and spending a lot of money to do so. I don't like what he serves up, it's horrible.

 

[AndyWolves]

If the most recent part of the season is the most important then surely there was a point this season when Lage was the best thing since sliced bread?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He hasn't been objectively terrible all season, just for at least three separate periods.

Still waiting for you to explain what it is you like about him...

 

[AndyWolves]

I'm not a 'Lage' fan so to speak, but he's massively exceeded my expectations of where we would be. I thought we'd be around the bottom third.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If Dave Edwards scored say, 4 in 7 games, you'd probably think that was great, but ultimately he isn't very good, when he's on a bad day then he's actively detrimental to the team and we should drop him now/buy someone better rather than playing him for 10 fruitless games where we know he'll be awful and it'll hurt us along the way.

Bruno Lage is the managerial equivalent of Dave Edwards, but far less likable.