[Albion] The Mike Bailey Principle

[drew]

So The Albion saw 10 year contracts as the way forward a bit like Bristol City if so how did the club avoid The Ashton Gate eight situation ?

Maybe, because we never quite got so close to the brink as Bristol did?

 

[Robinjakarta]

I don't think recent away performances were down to negative tactics. I thought that definitely in the last two and maybe the last three we got lucky, played badly against teams that were/are better than us at the moment but somehow managed to win them. A combination of luck and fantastic performances by Ryan, Dunk and Duffy resulted in those clean sheets, and our goals against Newcastle and Wolves were also lucky. We will NOT continue to get this rub of the green if we continue to play that badly and in particular if we do not up our game with ball retention. Indeed, we will play better than that and lose. That said, what's really encouraging is:
1. CH knows and acknowledges that we have not played well and been lucky recently away.
2. We all know we can play far better as we have done and will do so again.
3. There are more than three teams worse than us.
4. Good teams play badly but still grind out results.

 

[nwgull]

Not at all, I have been sneaking in watching over your shoulder

Yes of course I have.

I'm just putting across why I love to watch the game so much because parking the bus maybe for some, but I feel the balance of this has gone too far to hope to nick a win or not to lose too heavily is just boring entertainment and if I was watching that week in week out I would find it very tedious.

I find the best way to watch Albion nowadays is on MOTD because they can cut out 90% of the boredom.
I have even fallen asleep while listening to it on Radio Sussex, of course, you could put that down to JC or just the fact he doesn't have a lot to work with.

Never really boycotted the club just the man who treats customers as a number.

Principles,principles, principles, someone needs to have them nowadays.

I though your original reason for not renewing after the 15/16 season was because the tactics CH employed to keep us up bored you?

 

[rippleman]

The gate receipts were regularly manipulated in those days as it was mainly POTG cash. if you stood in the same spot each home game - which a lot of people including myself did you soon got a feel for the attendance, so when 18k felt like 28k you knew the club had some creative accounting going on.

Agreed! That's how it was back then and I get it. Lower attendance = Lower receipts = Lower taxes

What I don't get is why we now inflate the attendance figures at every home game. Very odd....but then so is banning flasks (particularly if the stewards can't be arsed to actually search bags any more! Two games running, the NS stewards have shown absolutely no interest in searching my bag!)

 

[The Large One]

Wrongly worded, I admit. There were factions within the club that wanted Melia out and favoured Cattlin. That was the 'struggle ' Not between the two individuals.

As Cattlin said on the Roar a few years ago, we were 16th when Melia was sacked. And when offered the job, he initially said he didn't want it - he felt he wasn't ready. But Bamber persisted. And in those days, whatever factions there might have been, Bamber was the man in control.

 

[Nixonator]

Sorry but I'll politely say you're talking bollox!

It is an either or situation because, now I'm taking a wild stab in the dark here, you can't guarantee that by playing like we did against Newcastle and Wolves when we play Everton, we'll win 1-0. There are no guarantees.

As for the Wolves game, you don't need statistics to know that we only had one shot on target which came about because Bruno's shot was miss hit! We could have had a couple more but our two breakaway chances were completely wasted so we scraped a 1-0. As for Newcastle, not too dissimilar, our goal came from two deflections.

I agree with your comment about stats but over the course of a season, I suspect you'll find that those clubs that have more shots on goal, will score more goals!

As for scraping a 3-0 win, don't think I've ever met anyone that would consider a 3-0 scoreline as scraping it!

So if you're content with the last three performances then that's fine, whatever floats your boat. Me, I'd like to see a little more.

So on that basis, if Izquierdo/Ali had put the game to bed with the first breakway, or Knockaert/Ali had done so at the death and we'd won 2/3-0, there would be no complaints about us playing defensively? Because that could easily have happened playing the way we did and countering them. What other Wolves chances were you concerned about other than the ones I mentioned in my previous post?

We set up to contain and break. Our defence is built to invite them onto us and repel so of course they are going to have more bloody shots and possession. We didn't play it perfectly, because we obviously don't want teams to have as much possession as they did and normally (if we were playing well in other areas) we would have been able to stamp some authority on the game. Largely however, the gameplan worked and we came away with 3pts, again. I struggle to comprehend anybody who considers us lucky, after watching us for almost 4 seasons now under CH.

You can say that by playing that way, we gave Wolves too much respect. That, in my opinion, was the smart thing to have done based on the players that they have - full portuguese internationals that would otherwise have been worth millions if they didn't have Mendes orchestrating it. A few of them were recently playing for Porto, who always get into the knockouts of the CL. One was playing for Monaco, also in CL etc etc. If you didn't look at their team and think to yourself that they have absurdly good possession based players and quality in nearly all areas way above a normal recently promoted team, then you haven't been following what's been going on there this past year.

Like I said before, we played to our strengths, we stifled - they played to theirs, they ran out of ideas. 3pts thank you very much and good night.

 

[Hungry Joe]

There was a Wolves fan in the coach park after the game trying to tell any Brighton fans that would listen (i.e. none) that "you lot should buy a lottery ticket tonight, you were that lucky". What he failed to comprehend is that being defensively well-drilled, with an outstanding defensive display by all defenders and keeper, capped by a clinical finish from a clinical striker has got nothing to do with luck, no matter how much it might hurt him to accept that. Personally I'm loving these performances.

 

[Gary Leeds]

A .lot of fluctuation there, people mainly turning out to see the top teams it seems. 12k for Leeds (who got relegated) followed a week later by 27k for Spurs; 10k for relegated Wolves followed by 17k for second place Ipswich.

But the drop-off from 81-82 to 82-83 is stark, can it really be just because of Bailey's management style? 27k for Arsenal in April followed by 13k for Arsenal in September. Thats bizarre.

First one was a Saturday 3pm game, second one was a Tuesday night game

 

[b.w.2.]

Sacking Mike Bailey was a massive mistake, especially when we were actually looking like we might consolidate in the old first division. Similarly, anyone calling for Chris’s head because they are bored is a moron...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Not sure about Mike Bailey but I remember Alan Durban when he was manager at Stoke City. They played Liverpool away and stank the place out: totally negative, anti-football. I can't recall the result but maybe they scraped a draw. At the end of the match Durban was questioned with regard to the (lack of) entertainment.

He replied:

'If its entertainment you want, son, then go to the circus."

 

[Hampster Gull]

Great thread.

As far as I am concerned we are back where we belong, having followed the Albion since I came as a kid to the U.K. in 1979.

The journey down and up and all between has been horrendous and exhilarating at the same time.

I loved going to Mansfield and fighting for a point. Equally I love fighting for a point in this league.

I will never turn on Hughton, he has been great for us, played expansive football and when necessary played tight football. He has been given a job and is doing it brilliantly.

 

[drew]

There was a Wolves fan in the coach park after the game trying to tell any Brighton fans that would listen (i.e. none) that "you lot should buy a lottery ticket tonight, you were that lucky". What he failed to comprehend is that being defensively well-drilled, with an outstanding defensive display by all defenders and keeper, capped by a clinical finish from a clinical striker has got nothing to do with luck, no matter how much it might hurt him to accept that. Personally I'm loving these performances.

Sorry but there was a massive slice of luck. Murray took his chance clinically but it was luck that the ball ended up at his feet bearing in mind Bruno was shooting at the goal!

 

[drew]

Agreed! That's how it was back then and I get it. Lower attendance = Lower receipts = Lower taxes

What I don't get is why we now inflate the attendance figures at every home game. Very odd....but then so is banning flasks (particularly if the stewards can't be arsed to actually search bags any more! Two games running, the NS stewards have shown absolutely no interest in searching my bag!)

This has been done to death. We don't inflate the attendance, they just report tickets sold, which, from a financial point of view makes more sense. It would be good to hear what the actual attendance is but only out of curiosity.

 

[drew]

So on that basis, if Izquierdo/Ali had put the game to bed with the first breakway, or Knockaert/Ali had done so at the death and we'd won 2/3-0, there would be no complaints about us playing defensively? Because that could easily have happened playing the way we did and countering them. What other Wolves chances were you concerned about other than the ones I mentioned in my previous post?

We set up to contain and break. Our defence is built to invite them onto us and repel so of course they are going to have more bloody shots and possession. We didn't play it perfectly, because we obviously don't want teams to have as much possession as they did and normally (if we were playing well in other areas) we would have been able to stamp some authority on the game. Largely however, the gameplan worked and we came away with 3pts, again. I struggle to comprehend anybody who considers us lucky, after watching us for almost 4 seasons now under CH.

You can say that by playing that way, we gave Wolves too much respect. That, in my opinion, was the smart thing to have done based on the players that they have - full portuguese internationals that would otherwise have been worth millions if they didn't have Mendes orchestrating it. A few of them were recently playing for Porto, who always get into the knockouts of the CL. One was playing for Monaco, also in CL etc etc. If you didn't look at their team and think to yourself that they have absurdly good possession based players and quality in nearly all areas way above a normal recently promoted team, then you haven't been following what's been going on there this past year.

Like I said before, we played to our strengths, we stifled - they played to theirs, they ran out of ideas. 3pts thank you very much and good night.

Izquierdo and Ali didn't even get a shot off in either of those attempts. You might as well say had Wolves scored from any of their attempts on target etc etc.

Out of interest, would you be content to watch Brighton play that way forever so long as it meant we finished at least 17th every season or do you want to see the 'project' progress and, if the latter, how long to you give it?

 

[Hampster Gull]

Sorry but there was a massive slice of luck. Murray took his chance clinically but it was luck that the ball ended up at his feet bearing in mind Bruno was shooting at the goal!

No, not a massive slice of luck, it’s what great strikers do, loiter and be in the right place. This is one of best if not best ever teams, I am grateful to be here to see it

 

[drew]

No, not a massive slice of luck, it’s what great strikers do, loiter and be in the right place. This is one of best if not best ever teams, I am grateful to be here to see it

You really don't accept that it was luck the ball landed at his feet? Perhaps in your world it wasn't a shot from Bruno but a pass to Glen.

I suppose you're going to argue that Kayal was not lucky to get the goal against Newcastle. He just happened to identify that Izzy was going to shoot and positioned himself where he did anticipating the first deflection.

 

[Hampster Gull]

You really don't accept that it was luck the ball landed at his feet? Perhaps in your world it wasn't a shot from Bruno but a pass to Glen.

I suppose you're going to argue that Kayal was not lucky to get the goal against Newcastle. He just happened to identify that Izzy was going to shoot and positioned himself where he did anticipating the first deflection.

The game is a series of individual events, they are what they are. I would argue that Murray has an instinct to find space and he knows events happen, he plays the percentage game as all great players do. Luck, no. This is a great Albion team and Hughton a great Albion manager

 

[Bodian]

Perhaps in your world it wasn't a shot from Bruno but a pass to Glen.

Definitely a perfectly executed 1-2 between Murray & Bruno!!

 

[ozzygull]

I will never turn on Hughton, he has been great for us, played expansive football and when necessary played tight football. He has been given a job and is doing it brilliantly.

That’s how I feel, he has earned the right to be here as long as TB still feels he is the right man for the job. I hope that is a very long time.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I though your original reason for not renewing after the 15/16 season was because the tactics CH employed to keep us up bored you?

Blimey, do you have pictures of me on your wall like Partridge style!

Yes it was, why I did not renew in that season, that style of play isn't what I like to see for 23+ matches a season.

Sorry but what exactly is your point?