[Albion] Is FH really performing that badly?

[Deportivo Seagull]

A season littered with injuries meaning that we vary rarely had the ability to play the same side twice. A defence that had not one, not two, not three but four players that were either injured or no where near being able to start, meaning that we played with two midfielders in defence. We conceded two goals and so therefore are shit despite the team fighting back and scoring two in three minutes to win the game … yeah, we’re are obviously shit.

 

[huzzah]

I hope he is our Alex Fergusson, with a 20 year reign of terror over the prem and trophies galore.

I expect that if he does very well he will get poached and very badly he will get sacked.

I fear we get relegated and spend another 30+ years bobbing around the lower leagues.

none of these are reality.

the only objective reality is that we are 9th with 51 points (which I think is great, wish it was better, glad it's not worse).

one of the many subjective realities is that we are not sure how we got those points, because some of us (including myself) can't work out his thinking on strategy (style of play) and tactics (adjusting to situation on ground - other teams, injuries, etc). hopefully this means we can't get worked out (a la De Zerbi - allegedly), maybe it means that our gradual ramping up of player spend has lead to a situation where it doesn't matter what style we play when you have a team full of game winners. I don't know, but I am still Fab IN and will be until uncle Tone pulls the plug, because I don't have a deep understanding of what makes managers good or bad, and so it is just easier to support my team and those in it.

 

[Justice]

I've gotta be honest, anyone who DEMANDS that a manager be sacked or says 'game over, there is no chance we are getting anything from this' during a game, only to then do a complete 180° and post celebratory comments at the end of the game IS a bit of a dickhead.

Agree with you there Greg.

 

[London Irish]

Other than the 2022/23 Season where we obviously finished 6 and secured Europe - our best Premier League finish was 9th with 51 Points…

We current have 51 points and are in 9th with 4 more to play…

Although I wouldn’t bet on it… we could still secure European football for the second time in our 100+ year history.

Whilst bedding in a new inexperienced manager, a half dozen inexperienced players and the highest injury record in the league.

I think it hasn’t helped that we seem to have been on good and bad runs. If you took all the results of the season and mixed them up I don’t think anyone would be too upset with where we are… I think we have been good for a handful of games and people think we are incredible… then we a poor for a handful of games and everyone thinks we are terrible. The average is somewhere in the middle.

If we finish 8-10th with our second highest points total, a QF of the FA cup and a full pre-season with some strengthening of our back line… my mojo is still very high for next year.

Could we have done better… yes.

Has the season been a disaster… no.

The counter argument is that we haven't really lost any truly big players for two seasons now. We spent massively in the summer. How long can we defend Mitoma or Van Hecke or Baleba from predatory attacks by monied clubs? It was entirely our choice, not ill-fortune, to pick an inexperienced leader.

I do feel a lot of fans believed this season was a historic opportunity to really push on and get real close to matching De Zerbi's 6th place.

What if lose big players in the summer, does that mean another development season next years while we "bed in" their replacements? Sometimes there are times when you just have to grab opportunities in front of you. While it's still all to play for, I'm not confident we will --- judging by our recent performances.

That first half high in the stands at Brentford, I could just feel the confidence draining away from me given the mediocrity on show, I'd absolutely fully backed Fab to get Europe up to that recent game!

 

[oldboyroy]

Nice to win not a great performance take away two worldies and we lose 2-1 we concede way to many. We are better than that.

Isn’t that the reason ST holders are getting a slap on the wrist when they don’t list their tickets if not attending? They want a full stadium for the cameras.

There was a little debate about this last week on TS. With City fans going awol in protest at clubs rules regarding season ticket holders having to attend x amount of games or face losing their ticket. Simon Jordan had his say and thinks football clubs need to tone it down bit. He believes that you've paid for your ticket so (within reason) you should be able to give to family members or friends if you can't attend.

 

[dazzer6666]

The counter argument is that we haven't really lost any truly big players for two seasons now. We spent massively in the summer. How long can we defend Mitoma or Van Hecke or Baleba from predatory attacks by monied clubs? It was entirely our choice, not ill-fortune, to pick an inexperienced leader.

I do feel a lot of fans believed this season was a historic opportunity to really push on and get real close to matching De Zerbi's 6th place.

What if lose big players in the summer, does that mean another development season next years while we "bed in" their replacements? Sometimes there are times when you just have to grab opportunities in front of you. While it's still all to play for, I'm not confident we will --- judging by our recent performances.

That first half high in the stands at Brentford, I could just feel the confidence draining away from me given the mediocrity on show, I'd absolutely fully backed Fab to get Europe up to that recent game!

Their mistake, not the clubs………..there are plenty who thought this season was one for bedding in a new manager and lots of new/young players

 

[Triggaaar]

Oh I will, I think he's a bit of a **** and just wants Brighton to fail WHOEVER is in charge, so he can be edgy. All just a bit 'look at me' really!

And if he admits that it was a good result on Saturday you'll think less of him?

 

[Triggaaar]

Nice to win not a great performance take away two worldies and we lose 2-1

If you take away our goals we get relegated. Bloom out!

 

[All Four Grounds]

Expectations are skewed by good runs and crucially when they happen. If they happen like the last few seasons at the beginning then they tend to take on a life on their own and encourage unrealistic hopes whereas if they happen much later (like with Palace) then fans tend to be so relieved they look much more favourably on the club regime. Which is why it is often helpful to look at more objective criteria and it’s telling that at the beginning of January Opta’s super computer forecast we’d only finish 10th. So long before that terrible run including the debacle at the City Ground its prediction did not match the expectations of some of our fans. And we never expected we’d qualify for Europe, let alone break into the top five, because at the beginning of the season we were predicted to finish 11th.

 

[Kit Napper]

The counter argument is that we haven't really lost any truly big players for two seasons now. We spent massively in the summer. How long can we defend Mitoma or Van Hecke or Baleba from predatory attacks by monied clubs? It was entirely our choice, not ill-fortune, to pick an inexperienced leader.

I do feel a lot of fans believed this season was a historic opportunity to really push on and get real close to matching De Zerbi's 6th place.

What if lose big players in the summer, does that mean another development season next years while we "bed in" their replacements? Sometimes there are times when you just have to grab opportunities in front of you. While it's still all to play for, I'm not confident we will --- judging by our recent performances.

That first half high in the stands at Brentford, I could just feel the confidence draining away from me given the mediocrity on show, I'd absolutely fully backed Fab to get Europe up to that recent game!

We did get fairly close to matching 6th place. A month ago, we were in the frame for a Champions League place but then injuries to Webster and Rutter (on top of several others) ruined our momentum. We'd have finished much higher last season without a similar mountain of injuries too.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Nice to win not a great performance take away two worldies and we lose 2-1 we concede way to many. We are better than that.

Why would you want to take away those two goals?

 

[Justice]

I'm honestly more disappointed when Brighton fans call other Brighton fans dickheads just for having different views about our football

This, if you don’t agree with a view so be it no need for name calling. We have had five poor games and an absolute banger wins a game in the dying seconds doesn’t erase the last five which were kinda the most important of the season.

 

[Justice]

Why would you want to take away those two goals?

No ones taking them away. I’m just surprised anyone who thinks conceding two + goals a game over the last six is anywhere near ‘decent performance’. Lucky this week a top draw finish gets us out of trouble although you can’t obviously rely on it. If we scored 3-4 or a game it would’nt matter as much risk to reward and all that.

 

[birthofanorange]

Why would you want to take away those two goals?

If we take away those two goals then it's only fair to take away their two goals as well, in which case we win 1 - 0.

 

[BadFish]

If we take away those two goals then it's only fair to take away their two goals as well, in which case we win 1 - 0.

I have decided that we took a few of our chances better in the cup game. We are off to Wembley for the FA cup final soon.

Great game this.

That cross that Gazza couldn't quite get to in extra time against the Germans at Euro 96, he got that. We went on to comfortably win the final.

 

[BadFish]

Why would you want to take away those two goals?

To continue the misery that makes him so happy

 

[BadFish]

But does that make them dickheads or awful fans though. Surely only impatient and maybe a bit short termist. Overreacting to overreactions slips into a bit pot calling the kettle black. Mostly it’s just venting, a very harmless activity.

Take a look at the Bristol Rovers messageboard talking about Calde. NSC is a love shrine to Fab by comparison. The stable sentiment towards club ownership here means there invariably tends to be a fairly even and healthy exchange between the optimists and pessimists among our support, absolutely nothing really to get that fussed about

No it doesn't make them dickheads or awful fans. Although I do find some who refuse to see any positives and continually bang on about Fab and how terrible and clueless he is rather embarrassing. That's only one or two though.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

This, if you don’t agree with a view so be it no need for name calling. We have had five poor games and an absolute banger wins a game in the dying seconds doesn’t erase the last five which were kinda the most important of the season.

Some people are saying they were season-defining...

 

[Dave Fishwick]

there's a dollop of recency bias in some of the opinions IMO.

It's very fair to be disappointed with how we've thrown away what looked like a golden opportunity at Europe - but I think there's a solid base to build from and hopefully we have better luck with injuries next year

there was a point last month where only Liverpool and Arsenal had lost less games than us (stat been ruined since) so hopefully we can iron out a few of these terrible draws at home to dross teams and climb up the table next year

Hurzeler is young and finding his feet and I'm backing him to be able to work it out

 

[Justice]

there's a dollop of recency bias in some of the opinions IMO.

It's very fair to be disappointed with how we've thrown away what looked like a golden opportunity at Europe - but I think there's a solid base to build from and hopefully we have better luck with injuries next year

there was a point last month where only Liverpool and Arsenal had lost less games than us (stat been ruined since) so hopefully we can iron out a few of these terrible draws at home to dross teams and climb up the table next year

Hurzeler is young and finding his feet and I'm backing him to be able to work it out

Would you back him to work it out with actual money?