A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

SkyBET Championship
22nd March 2014

Brighton and Hove Albion (0) 0

Ipswich Town (0) 2
Smith 60
Murphy 80

Attendance: 29,093 (highest home gate of season)

League Position: 8th

Whisper it but I have a bit of soft spot for Ipswich Town. My best friend is a tractor boy and they and the Albion face similar challenges. Both are struggling to get out of the Championship without the benefit of parachute payments and within the tight reigns of the FFP rules. Both have to get by with somewhat limited resources and compete by making the best use of team tactics

and organisation. Neither has the cheque book to buy in flair players.

When it came to tactics and organisation Mick McCarthy taught Oscar a lesson at the Amex yesterday and not for the first time this season.

McCarthy's match plan was simple - but the most effective ones usually are. A competent goalkeeper behind a no nonsense back four. When it came to the Albion playing hopeful balls down the pitch an Ipswich defender was usually first to the ball and then smashed it as hard and as far away from danger as possible. The back up tactic was to commit fouls to break up play near the half way line where the ref was unlikely to get his book out. In front of the back four was a hard working midfield five who chased everything down and allowed the Albion players little time on the ball. The crowd booed Williams for his Palace connections but the Albion could have done with his industry and ground coverage in their midfield. Upfront for Ipswich, Murphy gave Greer a difficult afternoon and clearly they know how to take chances when they come along. Ipswich only made about 3 or 4 serious visits to Brighton's penalty area and scored twice. The tractor boys have scored 16 goals this season from set pieces - remind me how many have the Albion scored?

In contrast the Albion managed to turn 65% possession and 23 shots into a clean sheet. 

The way Ipswich played was no surprise but the Albion were pretty clueless in response. What little emotion Oscar showed was frustration usually when a final pass went astray or JF-C wasted another set piece. In front of the largest Amex crowd of the season several Albion players had their worst games of season and some did not show up at all.

It could have been a different story if the Albion had taken their chances. In the first half Lingard could have had a penalty early on when he appeared to be pushed over by Berra but Mr. Drysdale was unimpressed. Shortly afterwards Lingard was

Congratulations! League winners: Albion's reserve womens team

put clean through following a delightful pass from Bruno but with only Gerken to beat he scuffed his shot straight at the goalkeeper. As half time approached delightful play from Buckley found Lingard in space just inside the penalty area but with the goal gaping he steered his shot the wrong side of Gerken's left hand post. Early in the second half Lingard brought the save of the game from Gerken when he was forced to palm the ball away from a fierce shot low down to his left. 

On 60 minutes disaster struck for the Albion when the nervy looking defence failed to deal with a corner. The corner was headed back across goal where Smith managed to out jump Kuszczak and head the ball home from close range. Kuszcak should have done better. The Albion almost equalised immediately when a Lingard cross was headed narrowly wide by Ulloa. This was the fate of several Ulloa headers in the game as flicks to the corners of the net flew wide.

The Albion were finished off on 80 minutes when Murphy headed home from close range after good work down the left had opened up the home team's defence. The game then died on its feet and vast open spaces opened up in the stands.

The root of Albion's defeat lay in its midfield which was ponderous, predictable and capable of creating little going forward. Crofts, Orlandi and Stephens were badly missed. Stephens spent the game sitting on the bench and many fans wondered why. If he was injured why was he on the bench? Ince, Andrews and JF-C was mostly overrun by the visitor's midfield five. I am never sure why Ince and Andrews play together, particularly at home, as both are essentially central midfield players. For all his promise JF-C had a poor game failing to deliver a quality ball from any the set pieces he took. When it comes to this David Lopez and Orlandi were badly missed. JF-C's worst moment

I wondered what he thought of it?

came just before half time when the Albion were awarded a free kick just outside the left hand side of visitor's penalty area. JF-C in trying to find a player on the edge of the area in a more central position succeeded in only playing the ball straight along the ground to a grateful defender who blasted the ball down the pitch into the Albion's half. The look on Oscar's face was a picture!

Let's hope this was just a poor day at the office and with Orlandi and Stephens returning shortly (we hope) normal service will be resumed. In this game there was to much graft and not enough flair. When your right back is your most inventive player something must be wrong somewhere. By gifting three points to Ipswich the Albion have put unnecessary pressure on themselves over the two games coming up this week.

REF WATCH: Mr. Drysdale is in keeping with the Championship's consistently inconsistent model of refereeing. He booked Bruno early on under the "two fouls and you are in my book, mate, rule" but failed to apply the same rule to Hunt who committed several fouls all over the pitch and argued consistently with the ref. In the first half Berra kicked the ball away half the length of the pitch after committing a foul. The ref called him over to offer congratulations!

MANAGER WATCH: McCarthy quietly conducted his team to a deserved victory for tactics, organisation and chance taking. Oscar scowled and looked frustrated turning several times to his coaches as passes went astray, set pieces were mucked up and crosses were under or over hit. I wondered if he pondered that Dunk did not deserve to be dropped and that Stephens could have made a difference in midfield?

MAGIC MOMENT: The speed with which the east stand emptied after the second goal on 80 minutes!

TREATMENT ROOM REVOLVING DOOR: Is Buckley really out? We need to get Orlandi out really sharp and is Stephens in, out or half in and half out? Hoskins appears to be out but will Oscar give him a chance? CM-S likewise.

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: The best players on the pitch came from Ipswich and I think Cresswell and Williams were outstanding.  For the Albion Bruno rightly received the sponsor's award for his creative efforts and the only other player I would excuse from the general malaise was WARD.