A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

SkyBET Championship

31st August 2013

Brighton and Hove Albion (0)1
Ulloa 89

Millwall (0)1
Woolford 51

Attendance: 26,804 (Amex high for season and highest in Championship on the day)

League Position: 13th

Millwall presented Oscar with a challenge not unknown to his predecessor. What to do about a team that sets out to defend in depth, foul often and early, delay all dead ball starts and generally frustrate the flow of the game?

It was a relfection of Millwall's plight that they are resorting to such tactics so early in the season. Their team of has-beens and never-will-bes look like relegation fodder. It has to be said the Albion looked pretty clueless about what to do in response to Millwall's tactics for an hour and it

was only the introduction of Orlandi and LuaLua that created the drive and urgency that eventually brought Brighton back in to the game.

A combination of the visitor's negativity and the Albion's inability to respond led to the worst first half seen so far at the Amex. A drive over the bar by Agustien and a header into the arms of Kuszczak were all the first half had to offer.

It got worse immediately after half time when the old Albion habit of nodding off which cost them dearly against Derby and nearly so at Birmingham reappeared. The visitors worked the ball down the pitch and a Chaplow cross found Woolford unmarked on the left and he calmly slotted the ball past Kusczcak.

For the final half hour it was mostly attack v defence. LuaLua's arrival for the patchy Lopez on 57 minutes sparked the Albion. Within a minute 2 LuaLua thunderbolts were deflected away. Orlandi became more and more influential and was providing the previously missing creativity. He drifted past a couple of defenders only to see his goal-bound shot spectacularly turned over by Forde. A Crofts' shot missed by a whisker and the Albion looked to have equalised when Ulloa headed in an Orlandi free kick. The ref saw a push not that obvious to anybody else and disallowed it.

But the Albion were not to be denied and on 89 minutes Ulloa turned in a LuaLua cross for his 4th goal of the season. In the 5 added minutes, some of which must have been for the timewasting, the Albion nearly won the game when Orlandi, this time down the right, turned and nearly bent the ball around the stranded Forde.

Millwall were eventually made to play for their negative tactics. Dunne had been booked in the first half for time wasting and on 75 minutes brought Orlandi down on the edge of the penalty area and was duly dismissed.  

So a draw in a game the Albion should have won but so nearly lost! 

The last 2 games have been progress and, at best, this was a marking time game. The Albion are much dependent on Ulloa for the goals and the loss of CMS until at least November is a big blow. This game cried out for his pace as Shittu must  be the most lumbering

centre back in the division. Lopez has yet to find last season's consistency and Buckley remains a worry - contributing little to this game. Ward and Agustein do not look 100% fit and it was interesting what Oscar had to say about player fitness after the game.

On the positive side it was good to see Orlandi back and in form immediately, LuaLua is creating more problems on the wing than Buckley at present and Andrew's last 20 minutes showed why we need him in the team from the outset. 

With the transfer window closing on Monday the Albion must be on the lookout for a striker. However, as a club that quite rightly takes the FFP rules seriously, I guess this is proving difficult.  I also wonder if Oscar is not looking for a defender as well. So far his Spanish connections have not produced a flow of players. Fans would not say no to couple of blokes from Barcelona!

MAGIC MOMENT: Orlandi drifting past a couple of challenges and producing a shot which Forde just managed to turn over the bar.

REF WATCH: Mr. Madley failed to clamp down early enough on the time wasting and persistent foul play. Disallowed a goal for a push which would have gone unoticed anywhere else on the pitch. Overall pretty inept. 

UNOTICED MOMENT: The Albion bench was clearly watching replays of the game on an iPad and the Spanish coach's frustrated flick of the hand after the Ulloa disallowed attempt was very Latin.

MANAGER WATCH: Oscar wore last week's lucky suit and maintained the Chelsea manager look. He has a shake of the head in response

to bad referring decisions a bit like a father censoring an errant son. Steve Lomas must have longed for his  West Ham academy of soccer days as he attempts to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: I know Ulloa gets the stadium award every week but my personal nomination is ANDREA ORLANDI. He provided the pace, penetration and creativity so desperately missing in the first half. Unlucky not to score and was behind most of what was good in the second half. 

A  VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

SKYbet Championship

24th August 2013

Brighton and Hove Albion (1) 2
Crofts 28
Ulloa 72

Burnley (0) 0

Attendance: 26,007 (day's best in League)

League Position: 10th

Three of the 4 games played this season have had the outcome determined against the Albion by poor refereeing decisions. There was nearly another yesterday following the 2 missed handballs against Leeds and Derby and the revoked sending off against Newport. As half time approached a poor back header was directed towards Tom Heaton, the Burnley goalkeeper. Buckley reached the ball first and knocked it beyond Heaton with the intent of running the ball into the unguarded net. Heaton cynically brought Buckley down just outside the area.

Heaton, with shoulders down, slunk back towards his goal to await the inevitable outcome of the trip to the early bath. The stadium went silent momentarily waiting for Mr. Sheldrake to lope his way to the penalty area to adminster the appropriate punishment. The Albion players were dumb founded,

Gully welcome Burnley with an eccles cake!

the Burnley players laughed behind their hands and the natives were outraged as the ref only produced a yellow card. 

It was one of the clearest red card offences I have ever seen. Any suggestion that Buckley was going away from the goal or that a defender could have got back to protect the line was giving Heaton a undeserved benefit of the doubt. The best punishment would have been for Lopez's resulting free kick to have found the back of the net instead of just swinging wide.

With the half time whistle Sheldrake was treated to the kind of booing from the West Stand usually preserved for Andy D'Urso. But the drama was far from over.

Shorlty after half time Heaton gathered the ball in his own area. He threw the ball forward as if he was going to clear but caught it again. Sheldrake ruled this to be unsporting behaviour, issued a second yellow and Heaton departed for the early bath anyway. 

By this time the Albion were ahead and just about deserved to be on the balance of play. On 28 minutes a poor back pass allowed  Ulloa to rob Long down the left and he galloped away from the despairing defender and his pass across the penalty area was easily converted by Crofts. Like London buses you wait a year for a Crofts goal and 2 come along in successive weeks.

Prior to this Crofts had just headed over a Lopez free kick, Ulloa had scuffed his shot following a clever pass from Ince and Calderon had driven just wide from the edge of the area.

Following the sending off the Albion controlled the game and played a lot of keep ball. They bided their time and on 72 minutes Crofts and Buckley combined well down the right and the pin point centre was expertly headed into the corner of the net by Uloa for his third of the season.

This was a very solid team performance by the Albion and built on last week's success at Birmingham. Nobody let the side down and there were outstanding contributions from

Calderon, Crofts, Ince and Ulloa. Buckley appears to be regaining form. Oscar will be pleased with successive clean sheets and the only cloud on the horizon has to be the ever lengthening injury list. Yesterday Barnes and Andrews joined Orlandi, Bruno, Bridcutt, CMS and Hoskins on the crowded treatment table. 

Burnley were tidy, energetic and well organised and were very similar to Birmingham and Derby in their set up and approach. They are probably doing the best they can within the constraints of the financial fair play rules. It is a pity the rules are not being applied in the same way across the Championship so as to produce more of an even field for all teams.

I could not let this post pass without a few words about Tony Millard. For those Albion fans that go back to the days before the Internet, websites, iPads and mobile phones, Tony's Seagull Line was the only access to quick, up to date and reliable information about the Albion. I must have spent hundreds of pounds dialing the number and listening to Tony's match reports and club updates. I recall once sneaking out of work to find a phone box in the street to get the latest news on the Archer saga. I once rang the Line from a Boston, USA

Tony Millard will be missed here.

hotel room to listen a report and wish I had not once I saw the bill! I wonder if he knew what an important part he was of fans' lives. So thank you Tony, you will be greatly missed. It would be good, subject to the agreement of his family, to have a minutes applause/silence prior to the Millwall game.

MAGIC MOMENT: The passing movement between Crofts and Buckley down the right that lead to the centre and Ulloa's goal.

REFEREE WATCH: From zero to hero in the flash of a card.

MANAGER WATCH: Following the chinos and fleece, Oscar chose the Mourinho well cut suit and loose tie look. But Sean Dyche takes the award for sartorial elegance complete with flower and pocket hankie. He managed to hold the appearance together despite all the arm waving, prowling up and down and general exhibitions of frustration.

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: Lots of candidates this week but it goes to Calderon for his whole hearted commitment, non stop running and attacking intent.  It is difficult to believe he is our second choice right back.

 

 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

SkyBET Championship

17th August 2013

Birmingham City (0)0

Brighton and Hove Albion (0)1
Crofts 73

Attendance: 14,885

League Position: 16th

Eat your heart out Gus Poyet! Oscar has now achieved something that eluded you - a victory over the boys from Brum. In Gus's 4 attempts to overcome City he had achieved only draws and defeats but the Albion saw them off yesterday more emphatically then the score might suggest.

This was the Albion's most complete performance of the season and was an all round team effort. Kuszczak looked sound, the defence for the most part untroubled, the midfield in control and Ulloa a right

handful up front.

Ward settled in well at left back and gave the back four a more solid feel and Andrews controlled centre midfield so well that Bridcutt was hardly missed.

More needs to be done but the team are clearly now going in the right direction. We should be converting more of the chances that are being created and for the second Saturday runnning looked off the pace at the start of the second half. But overall there was a confidence not previously seen this season which I suspect has a lot to do with the experience grafted into the team via Ward and Andrews.

The Albion could have been out of sight by half time as slick passing created several chances that were squandered. From a Buckley corner Ulloa forced Randolf into a good save low to his left, Agustein found himself free in the area but dithered over shooting and the chance went, Buckley drove straight at the keeper and, when put through by Lopez, Ulloa lost the space he was in trying to move the ball on to his right foot. 

Birmingham rarely threatened and were reduced to long range efforts that hardly bothered Kuszczak.

Concerns that the Albion might live to regret the missed chances seemed to becoming true when City came out all guns blazing for the second half. They played a more direct style, put the Albion under pressure and struck the woodwork twice with their only meaningful efforts all game. Shinnie and Novak had Kuszczcak floundering as they stuck the ball from distance.

But City flattered to deceive and could not maintain the momentum. The Albion regained control of midfield and began to create chances again. Randolf could only beat away a volley from Agustein and then on 73 minutes the Albion struck.

A fine passing movement through midfield - Forster-Caskey to Ulloa, a lay off to Agustein,

Kusczak collects a first half corner

a pass into the path of Crofts who stuck the ball sweetly beyond Randolf from just inside the area. A fine team goal.

Shortly afterwards the Albion were unlucky not to extend the lead further. A Forster-Caskey corner was headed powerfully down by Upson and Randolf somehow managed to block the ball on the line. Eventually Crofts drove the ball narrowly over the bar from the edge of the area.

Ince and Barnes came on to help defend the lead but for all City's efforts they rarely threatened to get on the score sheet. The Albion defence easily dealt with the age old tactic of getting the ball wide and lumping it to the far post.

Lee Clark was a picture in the technical area as he ran up and down, ranted at his players and looked fit to burst at any moment. In contrast Oscar was calm personified.

Oscar came over at the end to celebrate with the travelling fans - do not recall Gus ever doing that.

While the Albion remain a work in progress this game showed

City defend a second half corner

rich promise and with 2 home games coming up a chance to move up the table. 

MAGIC MOMENT: Midway through the first half the Albion completed a 20 plus passing movement down the right as they moved the ball from near their own penalty area up the pitch to eventually win a corner. It was a joy to watch.

REFEREE WATCH: Hardly noticed him which made a very pleasant change.

MAN OF MATCH: It could have been anyone of a number of players in a fine team effort but for me it goes to Keith Andrews. He marshalled the midfield, rarely gave the ball away and protected the back four.

 

 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

Sky BET Championship

10th August 2013

Brighton and Hove Albion (1)1
Ulloa 17

Derby County (1)2
Martin 27 and 47


Attendance: 26,238

League Position: 19th

Oscar's Championship education is complete - he has seen Andy D'Urso referee! Mr. D'Urso would be top of many fans'  worse referees list and he did nothing to dispel that placing in this game.

In a game played in generally a good spirit he managed to book 8 players - 5 from Derby and 3 from Brighton. I was convinced he was working on sending somebody off and my money was on Makismenko as his inexperience was targeted by the Derby players in the second half.

Gully's travels: checking out Bayern shirts in Munich

Fortunately that did not come to pass.

D'Urso has the knack of missing the blatantly obvious and seeing things nobody else spots. He displayed this rare skill midway through the first half. A clearance was quickly played back by Makismenko to Ulloa who was brought down right on the edge of the box. Lopez's free kick seemed to be heading for the net as it went over the wall. The ball hit something! I did not spot a player carrying a broom or a plank so, given the height, it must have been a hand. The hand belonged to the Derby midfielder Paul Coutts. The players saw it, the fans saw it but for some mysterious reason D'Urso did not and waved play on. He waved away protests and rubbed salt in the wounds by getting in the way of the resulting centre which he deflected into Grant's arms.

It would be churlish to blame this defeat on Urso however. Two appalling pieces of defending gifted Derby their goals who otherwise rarely threatened the Brighton goal.

The first came in the 27th minute when Buckley failed to cut out a cross from the left, Calderon fell over while trying to clear and Martin won the ball off Greer in a tackle, got the wrong side of him and was able to stab the ball past an unprotected Kusczcak.

Worse was to come on 47 minutes when the defence appeared to be still in the dressing room sucking the half time oranges. Makismenko missed a tackle, the winger skipped past him and centred, Kuszczcak hesitated, Martin again got the wrong side of Greer and hit the ball home.

The Albion then enjoyed their best spell of the game and began playing the way Oscar wishes them to. For about 15 minutes we saw high tempo football and players surging forward. Most of the good work came from Calderon down the right who put over a number of inviting centres and from one of these a towering Ulloa header hit the inside of Grant's post and went away to safety.  Agustien had a long distance drive

tipped over by Grant, an Ince shot from distance also went just wide, Buckley stung Grant's fingers and another Ulloa header  drifted just over. The final chance fell to Upson but he could not get his firm header on target.

In a sentence the Albion defence gifted 2 goals, an obvious penalty appeal was turned down and several good chances went begging.

The defence is a worry and clearly the disruption caused by injuries and the lack of a proper left back is undermining confidence. Kusczcak looked hesitant, Greer was less than commanding, and for all his promise, Makismenko is not a left back. 

The team is also very unbalanced. Orlandi was badly missed and without him we hardly ever attacked down the left. 

It is too early to push the panic button but the Albion under Oscar are clearly a work in progress. I sense some of the players are stuck in a no man's land between Gus play and Oscar play. Yesterday we saw Lopez always trying to pick out a colleage with a pass while Agustien hit the ball forward at every opportunity. We seem to be stuck between possession football and trying to hit the opposition by playing early balls forward.

I am quite sure Oscar's knows what needs to be done and I go to Brum next Saturday full of expectation.

MAGIC MOMENT: The passing move and centre down the right between Barnes and Calderon that led to Brighton's goal.

REFEREE WATCH: I look forward to seeing D'Urso in a Spec Savers advert soon.

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: Quite rightly the sponsor's award went to Calderon but my personal choice goes to Rohan Ince. His height, power and pace gave the Albion midfield somethiing it has been lacking for quite a while. He nearly scored and is clearly one for the future.

 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

Captial One Cup Round 1

6th August 2013

Brighton and Hove Albion (1) 1
Barnes 18

Newport County (0) 3
Crow 81 and 94
Washington 102
(after extra time)

Attendance: 8,409

Welcome Oscar! Welcome to the rough and tumble of the Football League. Welcome to the good fortune and outragous injustices and welcome to consistently incompetent refereeing.

2 games in and Ocar is learning the hard way about life in the Football League where matches are as much decided by the decisions of officials as they are by the quality of the players.

He could have been purring over 2 victories but a combination

Gully's travels: checking out the beer in Vancouver

of poor decisions by officials and wastful finshing means he has to look back and learn from 2 harsh defeats made worse by a growing full back crisis.

Against Leeds a handball which everybody except the referee appeared to see cost the Albion a point with just 10 seconds to go. I wonder what the referee thought when he saw the television replay assuming he cared at all. Even the Leeds manager confessed to the handball.

But Oscar is a realist and noted that if Will Buckley had scored with a header set up for him on plate by a combination of Bruno and LuaLua a few minutes before the end, the Albion would probably have been looking back on a third successive win at Elland Road.  

The Newport game followed a similar pattern. The Albion scored early on and as the match moved through the second half the home team exerted more and more control and looked likely to get the much needed second goal at any time until the fateful 66th minute. 

Newport's Byron Anthony broke quickly down the right wing following a clearance but never really had the ball properly under control. The advancing Calderon stretched for the loose ball and there was a sickening collision. The sound of breaking bone echoed around the West Stand. Initially it was not obvious who had come off worse but it soon emered that it was Anthony and he was stretchered off with a double break to the leg.

The assumption was that it was an accident, nothing malicious was intended and both players were going for a 50/50 ball. Mr. Malone saw it differently and showed a red card to the distraught Calderon. 

I sit in the West Stand and was nearer to the incident than the referee or the linesman and it clearly was not a foul but a very sad accident. I wonder if the Mr. Malone was influenced by the excitable Newport manager. Oscar just shook his head with a sad look of resignation. The television reply also supports the unfortunate accident view of events. Let's hope that the Albion's appeal is successful

Gully's travels: to many beers in Toronto

but given the FA's track record I would not hold my breath. 

As with the Leeds game the Albion should have had the game sown up before the officials intervened. They had the ball in the net 3 times in the first half but only 1 counted. TV replays seem to indicate that Forster-Caskey's early header was not off side and should have counted.

LuaLua and Barnes failed to convert a 3 on 1 break away and Ince was unfortunate with a powerful long range drive. As the game moved into the second half a Buckley drive missed by the width of a coat of varnish and a spectacular 25 yard shot from El-Abd flew inches over. 

Barnes had a excellent header cleared off the line but was wasteful with several other chances and his old hang dog expression returned. 29 attempts on goal only gave a return of 1 goal - a problem Oscar has been quick to highlight.

Newport exploited their numerical advantage well and consistently moved the ball wide with the Albion unable to block a succession of crosses. Despite a lot of endeavour they had rarely threatened before the sending off but they rode their luck and seized their chance.

The makeshift Albion team did not play badly and there were a number of pluses. David Lopez got more game time as did the impressive Agustien. Buckley showed glimpses of a return to form and Maksimenko looked sound defensively when he replaced Calderon.

The big revelation was Rohan Ince. His power, pace and control helped the Albion dominate in midfield and was unlucky not to score. He was able to do something rarely seen at the Amex - win headers in midfield. If he maintains his rate of progress he may be a fixture in the first team earlier than most expect.

The bottom line after 2 games is that the Albion need to take their chances if results are not to be left to "Lady Luck"  and they really want to challenge this season. Oscar knows this. Didn't Gus used to say something similar?

MAGIC MOMENT: The fine interplay down the right between Ince and Buckley leading to Barnes's goal on 18 minutes.

REFEREE WATCH: Saw the oportunity for his 5 minutes of fame and took it. Looked genuinely distraught at the hostile reception he received

Gully's travels: checking out the home of the Blue Jays in Toronto

when he walked off.

MY PERSONAL ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: Rohan Ince - a very exciting prospect who should prosper under Oscar's guidance. 
 

 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

WILL IT BE KISS AND MAKE UP OR TAXI FOR GUS?

"Why have Brighton suspended Gus?" the text message from my Spurs supporting daughter demanded.

"I don't know - have they?" I replied

"It must be true it's on SSN. The yellow ticker never lies!" she retorted.

I switched on Sky Sports News and opened my Twitter account and rumours of Gus's suspension were viral. I decided to await a statement from the club as this may yet be another "Michael Owen is signing" story.

Within minutes the Club had indeed issued a short, terse but very clear statment - Gus, Tano and Charlie had been placed on the naughty step. 

Well that was over a week ago so what are the likely outcomes? From my 40 years experience as a NHS manager I know a little about disciplinary procedures

Who will be parked here?

(and no, I have not been subject to one). Employment law and good practice will have come into play now which means proceedings will be in confidence. It is unlikely North Stand Chatters will ever know the gruesome details of who said what to whom and when.

There can now only be one of two outcomes:


1. KISS AND MAKE UP
Out of the blue and totally by surprise the club issues a statement. Gus and Bloomers have held clear the air talks. Gus has pledged undying allegiance to all things Seagulls and agreed to attend a course on basic accountancy in exchange for a 2 year extension on his contract.  Gus states he is looking forward to the new season and building another team to challenge for the Premiership. Tony states funds have been made available for squad strengthening. Everybody holds hands and looks forward to the future.

This might sound unlikely as an outcome but in the crazy world of football who knows. Gus may not be the prospect he thinks he is. The Premiership merry-go-round has started and despite some bookmakers' odds Gus is not aboard. Newcastle and Fulham appear to have been false alarms as both clubs have decided to stick rather than twist. As of today Stoke City look like preferring the cut of Mark Hughes. I doubt Millwall is on Gus's list.

Is it possible that by being suspended Gus's credit

Will this remain in the cupboard for good?

has gone down somewhat and other chairmen may view him as a bit of risk? Winning the League One Championship and losing a play off semi-final may not look all that strong on the CV from the viewpoint of the Premiership.

For somebody who likes to put himself in the shop window getting suspended may not do Gus too many favours and staying might become his only realistic option. 

2. TAXI FOR GUS
This is the more likely outcome but what goes in Gus's bag may be the big issue. The club could decide Gus has fundamentally breached his contract to the extent that he should be dismissed without notice or further payment. The risk with this is that Gus trots off to an Industrial Tribunal and unless a deal can be done at the door of the court all the gory details of who said what to who would indeed spill out into the public domain. For Lord Sugar and his apprentice read Tony Bloom and his manager. The Sun would glory in the details for days. Reputations could be dented.

More likely there will be a negotiation, sums are agreed in respect of Gus's unspent contract, a confidentiality statement drawn up and everybody puts a brave face on it and moves on. One thing will be for sure - on both sides lawyers are circling the wagons.

My wife is a psychologist - and knows about these things - and suggests that Gus's statement after the defeat to Palace was an attempt to deflect responsibility for his failure on to the chairman (known as displacement, thanks to Freud). 

The Palace manager rather backed this

Who will be sitting here come August?

up when he commented that Gus has had three and half years to build a team while he has been at Palace only a few months. Holloway has achieved the play off final with players he inherited from the previous manager. 

I do know that, in the real world, if an employee refuses to do part of his job because he does not know whether he will be around in a few months, and opens budget discussions with the boss publicly via the media, somebody is likely to suggest that perhaps this is not the organisation he should be working for and that he might like to make other employment arrangements.

We need to remind ourselves that everything said about Poyet regarding Gusgate equally applies to Tano and Charlie. What about their futures? 

Fans will say this needs resolving quickly as next season is only 2 months away and there are holes in the squad that need filling. A combination of loan signings returning to parent clubs and players being released leaves big gaps in the defence and midfield. If David Lopez wanders off and Premiership teams come shopping for Bridcut, and possibly Buckley and Ulloa, putting together a team to challenge next season could become a major task.

So in the coundown to whether Gus stays or goes which is the pointless answer? Will it be deal or no deal?
 

 A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

"Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen, our bending author hath pursued the story"

Football League Championship

Play off semi-final (second leg)

Brighton and Hove Albion (0) 0

Crystal Palace (0) 2
Zaha 70 and 88

Attendance: 29,518

It has to be said, although the words stick in my throat! Crystal Palace were worthy winners of the Championship play off semi-final. The street-wise boys from the smoke came down to the seaside for the day and gave Gus's flairistas a lesson in how to win a one-off winner-takes-all game. 

Palace's desire, commitment, hard running and tactical nous linked to Zaha's flair presented a puzzle the Albion were unable to fathom. Ian Holloway is sometimes derided as a manager

They might regret the hair dos in the morning!

but he certainly outwitted Gus on Monday night.

For me the turning point of the tie came at half time in the first leg at Selhurst Park. For 45 minutes Palace had retreated in the face of the Albion and given them time and space to pass the ball around and build attacks. The visitors should have been ahead - Ulloa and particularly Hammond spurning good opportunities. 

Holloway changed tactics. He matched Brighton's 4-3-3 formation and played a much higher line. Every Albion outfield player had a marker, Kuszczak could no longer play the ball short to allow attacks to build from the back and the Albion were forced to hit the ball longer. This meant more 50/50 challenges for the ball and more often than not Palace's greater physical strength won out. This was not critical as the Seagulls doggedly dug in knowing there was a second leg to come.

Palace employed the same tactic at the Amex and the Albion were unable to respond. For a team which likes to keep the ball tight and the game under control the match became far too open and more often than not Ulloa was left to battle on his own to win balls in the air against 2 defenders, sometimes assisted by the midfield holding player. 

Gus commented on this after the game but during it the Albion were unable to find a Plan B that would put Palace under real pressure. Barnes' arrival helped but why didn't Gus put Crofts on to stiffen up the midfield and play LuaLua and Buckley more centrally and use their pace on the break to put pressure on the Palace back four? Instead that was what Palace did and they gave early warning in the second half of their intent when they broke at speed when a David Lopez free kick was cleared, Williams ran away from the Albion's defence to put the ball just past Kuszczak's right hand post when he should have hit the target.

Another break in the 70th found Bolaise with space and time wide on the left. He turned past Calderon and Zaha, with space in the middle, emphatically headed home past Kusczak.

There was still 20 minutes to go but the Albion were unable to mount a concerted response and chances were limited to a powerful header from Barnes but straight into Speroni's grateful arms.

With 2 minutes to go Zaha turned past Greer as if he was not there and smashed by ball home off the underside of the cross bar.

As in the first game the Albion had chances to go ahead and take control of the game. They were finding space down the sides of the Palace defence which they were unable to do in the second half. David Lopez saw a shot deflected narrowly wide, Orlandi fired a cross into Speroni's arms and a fine centre from the left was headed clear from almost

Sadly no service to Wembley

under the cross bar. The best chance fell to Buckley who robbed Zaha on the edge of the penalty area but saw his low shot diverted away for a corner. If that had gone in I doubt Zaha would have emerged as hero for the day.

With  Barnes' first touch he chipped the ball over Speroni who managed to get a hand on the ball which diverted it on to the cross bar. Barnes held his head in disbelief. From the resulting corner Barnes headed the ball powerfully past Speroni only to see it headed off the line by Delaney. 

The first Palace goal arrived soon after and Albion maintained their long record of being unable to win once they have fallen behind. 

Palace have leaked 19 more goals than the Albion this season but in 2 games they were unable to find the net once. Ulloa manfully fulfilled the lone striker role with limited support either from Mark Clattenburg or  his fellow players. Perhaps the failure to find a replacement striker for the injured CMS and Hoskins in the transfer window finally took its toll.

The Albion just did not tick as a team particularly as the second half wore on. Palace's tactics disrupted them. Bridge did not look fully fit and played with a heavily bandaged left thigh. David Lopez's passing boots seemed to have deserted him but he ran himself into the ground as usual. Hammond faded away as the game progressed and Buckley saw less of the ball the more the game progressed.  

So it all ended in a great night of disappointment. Expectations were raised and then dashed. Football can be a cruel game. To their great credit many Albion fans did not forget the 4th place finish - the 7th best in the Club's 112 year history and best in this Division since the late 1970s - and remained behind to give the players a deserved round of applause for the season's efforts. 

Gus was right to point out that if the season had finished on 4th May it would have been heralded as a great sucess but now if feels like a waste.

Gus was also right to ask the question if this was as good as it got for the Albion or were the play offs a stepping

Will Gus and Tano be sitting here next season?

stone to greater things? It was his timing and doing so in public that was questionable.

So that is my final game blog of the season - I so wanted to write just one more with the words "as Brighton and Hove Albion ran out on to the Wembley turf for the first time since 1991" but it was not to be. 

I also have to put away my Henry V and searches for a quote to suit each game.

I am sure next August 30,000 of us will turn up at the Amex to welcome a new season of endeavour focussed on getting into the Premiership whoever the manager might be.

MAGIC MOMENT: In the second half Buckley flipped the ball over Delaney's head and ran around him and away down the wing.

REF WATCH: In both games the players did not allow the occasion to get to them and played in a competitive but sporting manner. This made controlling the games much easier for both refs. Clattenburg had a quiet but authorative game only failing to protect Ulloa from the mauling provided by the Palace centre backs but penalising him whenever he asserted himself physically.  

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: My nomination goes to Will Buckley. Whenever in possession he was a threat to the Palace defence. Unlucky not to score in the first half.