A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

SkyBET Championship

29th March 2014

Brighton and Hove Albion (0)0

Middlesbrough (0)2
Adomah 65
Graham 86


Attendance: 27,486
League Position: 9th 

Cut and paste was invented for days like today! All I need to do is transfer last week's report and substitute "Middlesbrough" for "Ipswich Town". This game was definitely a case of the same old same old. The visitors came to stop the Albion playing by filling midfield, they hit the home team with pacey breaks straight down the middle of the pitch and waited until the Albion defence gifted them goals. Last week Buckley and Kuszczak were at fault, in midweek it was Bruno and yesterday afternoon Gordon Greer gave away two goals with local park quality defending. Even the goals came at similar times to Ipswich's. And, of course, by the time the first arrived the Albion had already missed enough chances to have sealed the game up. The only difference this week is that the Albion threw a penalty miss into the pot.

The first half was pretty unnoticeable with Kuszcsak having to deal with a couple of local range pots but having more trouble with back passes that bobbled in the goal mouth. At the other end the Albion missed gilt edged chances at either end of the half. Early on a good break down the right and a cross from Buckley found Ulloa free in the area and he forced Konstantopoulos

Another fruitless attach

to tip the ball at full length around the post. As half time approached Lingard and Forster-Caskey found themselves clean through on the goalkeeper, got in each other's way and J-F-C hacked the ball over the bar with the open goal in front of him. 

When the management are trying to sell as many season tickets for 2014/15 as possible it is not a good time to hear your team booed off at half time by certain sections of the crowd.

The second half had a feeling of inevitability about it. The Albion huffed and puffed and passed the ball sideways a lot but lacked the creativity to create a clear opening. The best chance fell to Ulloa when he forced narrowly wide a cross from LuaLua. Almost immediately Boro struck when Greer had his pocket picked by Graham who had the simplest task to pick out Adomah who had an even easier task in steering the ball wide of Kuszczak.  

Immediately afterwards the Albion did manage to build a period of pressure and when the Boro goalkeeper was forced to palm away a Lingard shot March was tripped in trying to get to the  ball. The Albion's go-to man for penalties had already been substituted so Ulloa took the responsibility and responded with the worse penalty seen in the Amex so far as the ball sailed high into the north stand. 

Boro hardly needed it so inept were the Albion but Greer sealed victory for them on 86 minutes failing to clear a cross properly and and gifting the ball straight to Graham who advanced on the unprotected Kuszczak. Last week Murphy had given Greer a torrid time and this week it was Graham's turn.

For the Albion this was truly a bad day at the office. They lacked penetration, cohesion and spirit. There was too much passing sideways giving Boro time to get everyone back behind the ball. Ulloa, as usually, received little support and found himself surrounded by two or three defenders whenever the ball came his way. He looked increasingly hapless the more the game wore on. LuaLua was similar surrounded and the midfield lacked pace and creativity. The defence was nervy and slow. The true test of the Albion's performance would be to identify how many Albion players would have made the Boro team on this performance. Lingard and Ince perhaps; Ward at a push but few more.

Visiting teams are now well versed in countering Albion's rigid 4-3-3 formation and come confident of picking the home side's pockets.

The hapless couple look on!

There are no game changers in the team and some look as if the close season cannot come quickly enough. 

Bizarrely the Albion are still only four points outside the play offs and winning the game in hand at Blackburn would put them right back in contention. In reality the post season party feels like a million miles away. 

There are mitigating circumstances of course. Crofts' goals and support from midfield are badly missed as is Stephens' industry. Orlandi, arguably the Albion's most creative player, has been badly missed all season. Letting Barnes go without a replacement lined up is looking like a fatal error.

It is part of a football fan's make up to travel hopefully, and perhaps victory in the game in hand, the return of some of the sick and injured, will see a return to form and a renewed push for the play offs. Indeed I so hope but will not be staking the house on it!

MANAGER WATCH: As each game goes by Oscar's shoulders sink lower and lower. Boro manager kept checking watch to see whether it was Christmas Day!

REF WATCH: Apart from tolerating the visitor's time wasting and play acting in the second half Mr. Scott was one of the better refs to have graced the Amex this season and did all he could to help Albion back in the game. 

TREATMENT ROOM: Not only full of the injured but the plague is circulating around the club. Buckley again fighting for treatment

"How long before the hamstring goes, Buckers?"

table space along with CM-S, Hoskins, Crofts and Orlandi and the sick Stephens. 

MAGIC MOMENT: The final whistle!

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: Lingard received the sponsor's nomination for at least having a few shots so if I am forced to select someone it would be Ince but that is not saying a lot.