Post-match thoughts v Brighton

Neil Dawson said:
Sometimes you just have to take your hat off to the opposition. We all feared Brighton would be good and they were. A step too far for us with this current coach and the way his team play but our season never depended on beating Brighton and hopefully we have Tavs fit to start Saturday.

We created enough chances to get a goal and make things different but neither of our new forward signings can hit a barn door and unfortunately everything clear cut fell to them. I still don’t get this boards love in with Outtara and Traore I know I got stick for it Saturday and I also appreciate they will improve as they get used to the PL but this is a relegation battle and both looked a level off again.

I thought Brighton did what we did to teams the year we went up and looked more dangerous when in front and we had to go at them leaving a lot of spaces. Their drilled movement was world class, they were even dummying the ball without looking in moves that were clearly drilled. I’ve never liked them but like to see football played like that.

Hopefully we have a plan for our relegation six pointers and a squad in mind. I think we missed Billings influence further forwards and would bring Rothwell or Cook back and have Christie and Tavs out wide… Let the new players be impact subs.

So, no disgrace tonight, it is what it is and let’s crack on with the rest of the season knowing other than maybe Spurs and Utd we won’t have other games like that.
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People like the new players because they create chances, which is something we didn't manage much without them or Tavernier in the side. Dom looks much better with better players around him.

Agree about the rest though. I thought we were okay, they were just better.
 
AFCBmattjamr said:
Brighton played some decent stuff. Someone explain to me why they felt the need to resort to one of the worst time wasting displays I've ever seen
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My take is that they were being flattered by the scoreline and knew it. If they played the second half they would've cracked.
 
Neil Dawson said:
Time wasting is interesting. Do fans really want to get rid of it as we all cheer like mad when we do it winning away. I often ponder this as I’m as guilty about moaning about it at home as I am cheering it away! Eddie was a master with it.

It’s an easy thing for the game to eradicate. Just give five minute time penalties for cases like their keeper today and move injured players instantly off the pitch with quick stretchers and play on offering the manager a chance to make a quick sub.
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Are FIFA bringing in the World Cup - style timekeeping for all matches from next season ?
So all that time wasting will just end up added on at the end ..
 
Short of Mitoma and Mac Allister, I don't think on an individual level Brighton are that much better than us. What they are is extremely well-drilled side with a defined style, patterns of play etc. This is what having a top class manager provides.

I thought Smith looked very slow tonight and we badly missed Rothwell in the middle and Billing further upfield. Nobody had a shocker though and nobody had a blinder.

Leicester game now very important.
 
AFCB_Liam said:
Short of Mitoma and Mac Allister, I don't think on an individual level Brighton are that much better than us. What they are is extremely well-drilled side with a defined style, patterns of play etc. This is what having a top class manager provides.

I thought Smith looked very slow tonight and we badly missed Rothwell in the middle and Billing further upfield. Nobody had a shocker though and nobody had a blinder.

Leicester game now very important.
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Why play Billing so far back? When he is going forward or thereabouts we perform better in attack.
 
Wasn’t much in it in the first half, we just went in behind because we had Adam Smith playing at right back and they didn’t. Swap their right back for Adam Smith and quite likely the scores are reversed. He’s that bad. I feel sorry for O’Neil, the squad is competitive in many areas but we are so weak in that one particular position that all of the good work we do in a half can suddenly be undone in a single moment. He’s a total liability and shouldn’t even be starting for a championship team, let alone a PL one. Sorry Smithy, you be been a great servant but you just aren’t anywhere near yo-yo it any more.

Another point, as unpopular as it may be, we need to stop bringing Brooks on in situations in which we are chasing the game. As nice as it was to sing his name, he is clearly way off of the pace right now, it almost isn’t fair on him to be put in this position. It’s like playing with ten men the moment he steps onto the pitch, was the same at Villa. He needs a full pre season and then a total restart.
 
Smith didn't do too badly against Mitoma, apart from the last 20 when everything got a bit ragged.As has been said previously, I don't get bringing Brooks on when we are losing at this moment in time. It seemed a bit of a desperation sub with O'Neil hoping for him to produce a bit of magic. There was nothing structured about our substitutions tonight.
 
I don't understand why we started 2 players that looked poor on Saturday Traore and Outtara. Especially if they are running on fumes so to speak. Why not start with the player who changed the game on Saturday? It's like we give ourselves a mountain to climb.

You have to give brighton credit their midfield totally outclassed ours which is disappointing tbh. The time-wasting is getting ridiculous though and it's embarrassing they are a good side and don't need to resort to such low level tactics it's pathetic and the game needs to change to combat it like stop clock ect

I feel particularly disappointed by tonights display. I feel like most of our team is full of players that don't seem to be that bothered. Just look how quiet it was in the North stand tonight there was very little to get excited about, its not very often you hear the opposite fans sing the old library chant.

I'm not sure about any of the new signings yet. I feel like we have lost something at Bournemouth recently. A core of players who will give everything for the team.

If we are to Survive in this league we definitely need a striker. I think solanke is a great player just not a goal scorer at this level. As mad as this might sound I'd play him in midfield and try and get a another poacher like old Wilson somewhere.
 
Very impressed with Brighton. Unfortunately. When we had that 5-10 ish minute spell in the second half it looked like we might overwhelm them, but they managed the game perfectly. Teeth thoroughly gritted.

I’ve liked the look of Traore so far but he was very poor today. Christie came off too soon, I think he should’ve been moved into the middle to press them more directly, with Tavernier coming on for Traore. None of the subs improved us.

It must be quite hard to make an impact with 10 minute cameos, but Semenyo was dreadful. I’d much rather have Moore on the bench if that’s how he’s going to play. I also think it might be best to leave Brooks on the fringes and bring him back with a full preseason. He looked understandably well off the pace of the game.

Our finishing is terrible atm, our best attackers are all raw and erratic, lots of talent and hustle but no killer touch. I think we’re missing Moore as an actual option off of the bench, and are missing Tavernier from the off.

Also had the pleasant experience of hearing a fair few fans on the way out complaining about the “double standards” of the Ramadan stoppage. Lots of “thems” and “those peoples” floating around. Not nice at all, and disappointed to hear it.
 
Marty NS said:
I don't understand why we started 2 players that looked poor on Saturday Traore and Outtara. Especially if they are running on fumes so to speak. Why not start with the player who changed the game on Saturday? It's like we give ourselves a mountain to climb.

You have to give brighton credit their midfield totally outclassed ours which is disappointing tbh. The time-wasting is getting ridiculous though and it's embarrassing they are a good side and don't need to resort to such low level tactics it's pathetic and the game needs to change to combat it like stop clock ect

I feel particularly disappointed by tonights display. I feel like most of our team is full of players that don't seem to be that bothered. Just look how quiet it was in the North stand tonight there was very little to get excited about, its not very often you hear the opposite fans sing the old library chant.

I'm not sure about any of the new signings yet. I feel like we have lost something at Bournemouth recently. A core of players who will give everything for the team.

If we are to Survive in this league we definitely need a striker. I think solanke is a great player just not a goal scorer at this level. As mad as this might sound I'd play him in midfield and try and get a another poacher like old Wilson somewhere.
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Disagree with some of this.

The Jan signings have improved us, we have options from the bench and much more pace and energy than before they joined.

Effort and commitment isn't the issue for us, it's the slow starts, lack or a defined style / patterns of play and inconsistency over the 90 minutes.

Agree on the time wasting but we are just as bad as anyone else at it.
 
Marty NS said:
I don't understand why we started 2 players that looked poor on Saturday Traore and Outtara. Especially if they are running on fumes so to speak. Why not start with the player who changed the game on Saturday? It's like we give ourselves a mountain to climb.

You have to give brighton credit their midfield totally outclassed ours which is disappointing tbh. The time-wasting is getting ridiculous though and it's embarrassing they are a good side and don't need to resort to such low level tactics it's pathetic and the game needs to change to combat it like stop clock ect

I feel particularly disappointed by tonights display. I feel like most of our team is full of players that don't seem to be that bothered. Just look how quiet it was in the North stand tonight there was very little to get excited about, its not very often you hear the opposite fans sing the old library chant.

I'm not sure about any of the new signings yet. I feel like we have lost something at Bournemouth recently. A core of players who will give everything for the team.

If we are to Survive in this league we definitely need a striker. I think solanke is a great player just not a goal scorer at this level. As mad as this might sound I'd play him in midfield and try and get a another poacher like old Wilson somewhere.
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Football in a library gets sung pretty much every week.
 
Yup - few complaints about selection, tactics etc tonight. Beaten by a team that was more compact, more assured and played well-drilled inter-passing throughout. Billing OK playing deep - one of his better games. Solanke isolated as usual with poor movement around him - Brighton’s many options with the ball showed how much we lack upfront. Smith actually won some headers but then was destroyed for pace - in a one-on-one Mitoma cruised past him. What do we do about the right-back crisis?
 
SlowDownDerek said:
Football in a library gets sung pretty much every week.
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DC is extremely quiet except when the team have their tales up. It's a small ground so doesn't take much for it to sound louder and more intimidating but we don't use this to our favour much. Lack of a defined singing/standing area is holding us back here. Just that one guy with a drum in the North stand...
 
SlowDownDerek said:
People like the new players because they create chances, which is something we didn't manage much without them or Tavernier in the side. Dom looks much better with better players around him.

Agree about the rest though. I thought we were okay, they were just better.
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This is just not correct. Playing Traore who I’ve not seen create or take any chances I can remember removes Phil Billing from the front four… who is our top scorer. It’s just completely illogical. Had he got Traores chance today he’d have dispatched. Why you would create a system that moves your top scorer to defensive midfield to fit in a bloke that just falls over is beyond me.
 
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