[Albion] Carlos Baleba SINGS a 5-year deal

[Cordwainer]

Trigger warning for some..it’s an article from The Guardian:

‘An intrinsic motivation to get better’: Carlos Baleba justifies hype at Brighton

Cameroon midfielder has been inspirational this season having adjusted to the culture shock of the Premier League and settled on the south coast

www.theguardian.com

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Interesting article in the Guardian today about Baleba, with the following eye catching quote

"Brighton fended off several inquiries in January and are expecting a flurry of interest this summer from some of the Premier League’s big hitters and beyond. The price tag could exceed the £115m Chelsea paid for Caicedo".

 

[Albion Robster]

I hope to see Carlos put in a (legal) cruncher on Money Grabber Moises tomorrow night.

 

[Flounce]

Fingers crossed he hasn’t got a village back home that he feels the need to feed come the summer

My current favourite player so no doubt he’ll be gone come next season though

 

[Weststander]

I thought he was immense tonight, a man mountain, again. Against their army of bruisers and ‘names’.

Incredible engine …. the same mobility and pace on 120 minutes as at the start.

 

[Pevenseagull]

I thought he was immense tonight, a man mountain, again. Against their army of bruisers and ‘names’.

Incredible engine …. the same mobility and pace on 120 minutes as at the start.

Yep.

 

[Oh_aye]

I thought he was immense tonight, a man mountain, again. Against their army of bruisers and ‘names’.

Incredible engine …. the same mobility and pace on 120 minutes as at the start.

Really? Blimey.

 

[Weststander]

Really? Blimey.

Without him that midfield gets overrun imho, as we saw at Forest. No one else has the CM mettle to win battles over 90 or 120 minutes.

 

[Oh_aye]

Without him that midfield gets overrun imho, as we saw at Forest. No one else has the CM mettle to win battles over 90 or 120 minutes.

My memory of his was playing like a total space cadet for the first half. Misplacing passes all over the place. He definitely got himself together a bit in the 2nd and it tightened up when Gomez came on.

I agree we ceded midfield. Especially in the first half. Ayaris better for lockpicking really. Rather than going toe to toe with muscular midfields like that.

 

[Weststander]

My memory of his was playing like a total space cadet for the first half. Misplacing passes all over the place. He definitely got himself together a bit in the 2nd and it tightened up when Gomez came on.

I agree we ceded midfield. Especially in the first half. Ayaris better for lockpicking really. Rather than going toe to toe with muscular midfields like that.

A strange game. First half I thought Mitoma was awful, losing every 50:50, giving the ball away starting their counters. Improved after HT. Pedro was nowhere and spent time sucked into battles with their CM 60 yards from Sels goal, then in ET became effective.

 

[HCxUK]

Forest had two players on him at all times, completely stifled us.

He broke through a few times but they did a number on us

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

I thought he was immense tonight, a man mountain, again. Against their army of bruisers and ‘names’.

Incredible engine …. the same mobility and pace on 120 minutes as at the start.

Agree.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I thought he was immense tonight, a man mountain, again. Against their army of bruisers and ‘names’.

Incredible engine …. the same mobility and pace on 120 minutes as at the start.

Thought he was terrible for 30 mins, couldn’t pass to a Brighton player if his life depended on it, then he did one of great 40/60 challenges won the ball, and normal service resumed again.

 

[Bozza]

Our best player today, for sure, but he was on one of his "casual days".

I much prefer it when he's on one of his "I'm playing a big club and in the shop window so I'm going to absolutely boss it" days.

 

[Weststander]

Thought he was terrible for 30 mins, couldn’t pass to a Brighton player if his life depended on it, then he did one of great 40/60 challenges won the ball, and normal service resumed again.

In that 30 minutes I thought almost everyone was poor, Webster/JPVH preventing game over.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Our best player today, for sure, but he was on one of his "casual days".

I much prefer it when he's on one of his "I'm playing a big club and in the shop window so I'm going to absolutely boss it" days.

I think it was more of ‘I’ve just played two games on international duty and I’m being asked to play a lot of minutes of football’ days. See also Minteh.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

In that 30 minutes I thought almost everyone was poor, Webster/JPVH preventing game over.

Agree they were, literally no composure other than Ayari, but he was getting outmuscled

 

[Weststander]

Agree they were, literally no composure other than Ayari, but he was getting outmuscled

They were winning 40:60’s by the bucketload. Players such as Neco Williams seemed possessed, all fighting for Nuno in packs.

Remarkable that Bmuff and Newcastle took them apart, how the hell did they manage it?

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

They were winning 40:60’s by the bucketload. Players such as Neco Williams seemed possessed, all fighting for Nuno in packs.

Remarkable that Bmuff and Newcastle took them apart, how the hell did they manage it?

They won all of their personal battles in the first half. That bloody international break did for us.

I know it was rhetorical, but I just wonder whether you play with another midfielder, so they have less space…… hindsight etc…

 

[Weststander]

They won all of their personal battles in the first half. That bloody international break did for us.

I know it was rhetorical, but I just wonder whether you play with another midfielder, so they have less space…… hindsight etc…

What do we know …. but I always like three in CM, which might include a 10 who also has battling qualities. The reason …. the PL is full of coaches who do it, to match up in the key battle.