A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

"The man that once did sell the lion's skin while the beast lived"

Millwall (0) 1
Wood 79

Brighton and Hove Albion (1) 2
Barnes 17
El Abd 50

Attendance: 12,191

Last season I migrated with the Seagulls to Leicester City, Birmingham City, Reading and West Ham United. In those games we conceded 10, did not score and hardly mustered a shot on target. I feared I would bring my jinx to The Den but I need not have worried.

The Seagulls controlled most of this game and Millwall (and their fans) were only movitated by what they saw as an injustice when Taylor was sent off and subjected the Albion to pressure over the final 15 minutes.

Kuszczak sweepts up another attach

Up until then you could have been forgiven for thinking the Albion were the home side. We had most of the possession and controlled the game for long periods with Milllwall trying to hit us on the break. On the few occasions they found their way through the mass ranks of the Albion midfield, they were thwarted by the Pole in our goal in outstanding form.  

The Albion pressed early on but the best chance fell to Wood before Kuszczak denied him. Within minutes the Seagulls had swept up the field and following excellent wing work by Buckley, his pass across the front of the penalty area was put away by Barnes arriving late. His new haircut was obviously paying early dividends.

Millwall huffed and puffed but the better chances fell to the Albion when a Buckley shot was hooked off the line and the same player swept the ball just pass Forde's left hand post.

Mackail-Smith went to ground and a Millwall player sportingly kicked the ball into touch. CMS was substituted by Dicker with Barnes moving further forward with Orlandi in support. This period of reorganisation gave Millwall an opportunity to press and the half time whistle left most Albion fans wishing for a second goal which duely arrived just after half time. Hammond challenged for an Orlandi corner, the ball fell to Adam El Abd who thumped home one of his very rare goals.

Are the Lions at home?

It looked like game, set and match as Albion set out to kill the game with lots of possession football while Millwall just continued to huff and puff. Chances came and went with Barnes seeing a shot cleared off the line and a 20 yard bender from Orlandi going just over the bar.

On the 68th minute Andre Mariner unwittingly changed the course of the game. Taylor, who had already been booked for a lunge at Calderon appeared to lunge again at Kuszczak. The ref thought he had his studs up and off he went on a second yellow. Taylor obviously felt it was harsh and so did the crowd and the remaining Millwall players. With the crowd behind them the Lions had a go at high tempo football with deep crosses hit to the far post from left to right. Remember this was a tactic which had undone the Seagulls several times last season. Without Bruno some of the height at the back had gone and not surprisingly with Henderson on for added aerial power a long cross to the right back position was won in the air for Wood to hit home against his former employers. How ungrateful. 

Lua Lua came on to give the Millwall defence something new to think about and apart from the odd half chance and lot more hard running by Millwall the Albion saw the game out apart from an added on time save of the game as Wood was denied an equaliser by Kuszczak.

Is this the training ground?

This was an excellent team performance with everybody doing their bit and potential men of the match all over the pitch but I suspect the official award went to Kuszczak for cool command of the penalty area and an excellent save at the death.

7 games gone and we sit proudly at the top of the League. We look to have a strong squad bearing in mind Crofts and Vicente were missing yesterday and Millwall is always a hard place to get a result. Dare we dream?

My alternative man of the match: Andrea Orlandi - lots of neat touches and always prominent during long periods of possession. He hits a mean corner and was unlucky not to score.

 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

"let me speak proudly"

Brighton and Hove Albion (1) 3
Bridge 24
Mackail-Smith 54
Buckley 58

Sheffield Wednesday (0) 0

Attendance: 26,594

It was just like the final season at Withdean! The Seagulls strolled to a three goal lead then played keep ball for 20 minutes and won the game easing up.

I am quite sure we will face harder challenges this season but the portents are promising. Any team scoring at a rate of 3 plus goals a game, as we have done over the last three games, and keeps things tight at the back usually does very well. In 5 games only one opponent has been able to beat Kuszczak in open play.

What has impressed me is the way Gus and the players have attended to the matters that let us down a few times last season. We are a little more direct which means giving the  ball away less in midfield. I assume we will soon have a midfield of Bridcutt as the holding player with Crofts and Hammond taking it in turns to play further forward. The best midfield in the Division?

The new full backs and physically stronger players in midfield should make us less vulnerable against hard runnning hoof ball teams. At times last season these teams steam rollered us a bit.

We now have a goalie who looks safer than the Bank of England (pre recession of course). How he stopped Bothroyd's header near the end still amazes me. If Bothroyd was really thinking about coming to the south coast during the transfer window I bet he now wishes he had. In this game he was starved of service and when at last he was feed a tempting cross Kuszczak pulled off what may yet turn out to  be the save of the season.

The Seagulls are creating chances at a far greater rate than last season. Our shots on goal number is up there with the Championship front runners this time around. Perhaps we could convert even more but Dobbie should help attend to that. 

So its on to Watford and Millwall. These games should help answer the question as to whether our away form can improve compared to last term. 

And Gus has some challenging team selection decisions. Does Crofts come back and if so who drops out? Dicker? What about Dobbie? Will he replace action man Barnes? My head cannot cope with worrying about fitting Lopez and Orlandi in the team. And what about a certain Vicente - assuming he ever returns? I suspect Gus will say these are the sorts of challenges managers like having and it's up to the players to force him to pick them.

Things could hardly be better in the Seagull nest but we should not get carried away. The Championship will be keenly fought and we are still the new boys in with a group of Premiership hardened teams some with sugar daddies with deep pockets. A friend of mine who supports Ipswich said to me that when Blackburn visited Portman Road they almost needed another page in the programme to list their vast squad. The reported £8million they fluttered on Rhodes would probably buy most Championship squads. 

Finally, you might  be wondering about the quote at the top of each blog this season. I am trying to find an appropriate Shakespearen Henry V quote for each game. I will be going to the Millwall game so the warrior King should have plenty to offer in the Den!

My personal alternative Man of the Match: Dean Hammond - it was as if he had never been away, not a pass out of place, covered every blade and very unfortunate not to score twice.

 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER


"And gentlemen in England now abed shall think themselves accursed they were not here"

Brighton and Hove Albion (3) 5
   Barnes 3 and 81
   Bridge 14
   Mackail-Smith 36 and 49

Barnsley (1) 1
   Davies 34(pen)

Attendance: 24,594

Thank you Jane and Joe!

Who are they you may ask? Well they are friends of ours from Ontario, Canada staying with us on a trip to Europe and when they announced they were staying for the weekend it created a crisis - the Seagulls were at home on Saturday! So my wife and I decided to give them an Amex experience. Neither had been to an English football (sorry soccer) game before.

The fantastic new East Stand

I bigged up the Albion making much of their second tier status and last season's giant killings of Premier League teams. I forget to mention the run of 11 games without a win, 5 of which were home, plus no goals in 3 attempts this season. Their seats were in the South Stand. Albion goals at the south end are about as rare as camels at the North Pole. I feared my beloved team would let me down when I wanted to most show them off.

I need not have worried as they swept a hapless Barnsley aside - truly the worse team to grace the hallowed Amex turf. David Gonzalez gave us the evidence that Gus was very wise not to sign him as he, first, dropped a Noone free kick when colliding with one of his own defenders for Barnes' opener and stood motionless as Bridge's firm strike from distance sailed past a few minutes later. 

The Ontario Branch of the Albion supporters club

And as if the boys knew Jane and Joe were in the South Stand we banged in 3 by half time. I am not sure we scored that many at that end all last season.

Barnsley were poor but you can only beat the team on the pitch in front of you. To their credit they tried to play football and some of their approach play was very attractive. The game must have ticked all Gus's boxes as the Albion had control for nearly all the 90 minutes, chances were created and converted, Mackail-Smith and Barnes got off the mark and they proved they can win without Vicente.

The big question is are we good enough to challenge for either promotion or the play offs this season? We should not be fooled by Saturday as Tuesday's game against Cardiff was a truer test of this season's challenges. 

Fantastic new South Stand banner

Despite scoring 5 we still need a striker to help Mackail-Smith and we need the creativity of Vicente to unlock stronger defences than Barnsley's. I have a niggling worry that Vicente is entering one of those periods of recurring minor injuries - I just hope I am wrong. 

Finally, a big thank you to Jane and Joe for bringing us good fortune - come back soon, our promotion challenge needs you.  




My personal man of the match - Ashley  Barnes - a Marmite player for some but he keeps going, covers every blade of grass and never hides. 

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

Going Shopping for the Premiership

Towards the end of the movie "Castaway" Tom Hanks drives up to a crossroads in the desert. Which way does he turn? In one direction lays the certainty and assurances of the past; in the other adventures and risks unknown. The Seagulls stand at a similar junction. In one direction lays good old Brighton and Hove Albion, the team everybody has a soft spot for given all those years of struggle without a home to call our own. Part of that package includes life in the third tier of the English leagues - a place we have occupied for all but 26 seasons since we joined the Football League in 1921. 

In the other direction lies a challenge for the Premiership and the senior cup trophies. To achieve that requires major investment in players, committed supporters and a full stadium for home games. We would lose friends on the journey and have to learn how to win ugly. The Club would need to operate at an entirely new level and not get silly with the finances. We would need to lose any lingering inferiority complex and not be intimidated by places such as Old Trafford, Anfield or White Hart Lane.

I doubt if there is a supporter who is not up for the challenge and it appears that Tony Bloom and Gus Poyet have not come this far just to retreat.

So the first task is team strengthening for 2012/13 and this would be my shopping list. One of the great attractions of soccer is being able to play virtual football spending other people's money!

Based on what I saw last season we need a new goalkeeper, left back, midfielder and striker. The first task, however, is sorting out whether Vicente will be returning for a second season. If he stays we need to build the team around him and learn to win with him in the side. Despite the goal assists we won only one of the 10 games he played in the run at the end of season. A full pre-season should help the other players to learn to play on his wavelength. 

The other big decision is whether to say thank you but farewell to some of the players who have been so successful for us over the last 3 seasons. Can Painter, Dicker, Barnes etc make the transition from level three to level one of English football like Peter O'Sullivan and Brian Horton did all those years ago?

Goalkeeper

Gus used 4 goalkeepers last season so I suspect he knows he has a problem in this position. Brezovan and Ankergren are great shot stoppers but are prone to simple errors when not under pressure so I would not be surprised to see a new goalie arrive soon.

Full Back

When the transfer window opened in January Gus went shopping for a right and left back and Reyes and Mattock duly arrived. To his great credit Calderon benefited from a break from the weekly rigours of Championship life and came back very strongly showing he could leap the divide from League 1 to the Championship. His goals from full back give us a bonus few other clubs can boast.   


We do not have the same strength  and pace at left back and with Mattock being released by West Bromwich Albion it would be great to have him back permanently.


Midfield

Despite all the midfielders in the squad we lack physical strength and are prone to give the ball away a bit too often. We need a ball winner who can get from box to box particularly if we play two in that position to accommodate Vicente. I personally would like to see Abdul Razak return on a season long loan.

Striker

It is clear after one season that Mackail-Smith is not a hold-up-the-ball type central striker. He needs to play off other players and run on to the ball if we are to get the best from him. Will Sam Vokes return? 

So that is my close season shopping list - what is yours?

Finally, last November my wife and I visited New York for the first time. We visited Ground Zero and, although I never knew Robert Eaton, I found his name on the memorial plaque around the twin towers' fountains and reflected for a few moments on all the Club had achieved. He would have been very proud.

 

A VIEW FROM THE WEST STAND LOWER

A Look Back at the 2011/12 Season

Well the season is over and it is time to sit down with a builder's cuppa and reflect on our first season at the Amex.

The first kick off in the first Amex League game

I have a confession to make! I feared we would struggle against the power and pace of some Championship sides and just simply be out muscled. And what was my evidence for this you may ask? Well it was that mauling against the ugly but efficient Stoke City side last season plus Steve Claridge's musings on The Football League Show. Who takes any notice of him I hear you say? I will know better next time although he does seem to get particular joy from telling the world how to play against Gus's passing game.

I need not have worried for apart from West Ham away, and briefly Blackpool and Leeds at home, we coped admirably against the all action hoofing sides.

Judged against our previous history it was a season to remember and the numbers look pretty impressive:

• best finish for 21 years
• 9th best finish ever
• highest average home attendance since 1980
• 607,000 passed through the turnstiles in 30 games

Preparing for a corner at Brum City

 We should also not forget the 232,000 pies and 150,000 pints of beer consumed in the Amex!   No wonder there was always such a queue for the gents at half time.

If the giant jumbo screens had told us after the Doncaster game we would finish in the top 10 we would have nodded wisely and have settled for that. 

Sunderland arrive for a giant killing

In the end we flattered to deceive. A good start saw us go to the top of the Championship table but a poor spell saw us in mid table by New Year. This was followed by 12 games unbeaten (joint best run by any team in the division) and we were back in a play off position only to be followed by a run of draws and defeats and and finally settling in 10th.  The success of the season was built on excellent home form and an ability to keep going and snatch points in added time.

Game of the Season

No doubt we all have our choice for game of the season but for me it was that magic day in August when life at the Amex began with a dramatic last minute victory. For periods we were made to look pretty ordinary by an efficient looking Doncaster team but one thing Gus's team does not do is give up. Who would have thought that Will Buckley would emerge the unlikely hero? A superb outside of the foot pass by Craig Noone and Will was away in a space and calmly chipped the ball around the goalkeeper. At that moment 14 years of hope mixed with despair was lifted. The long wait for a victory in a home we could call our own had arrived. It was if a great cloud had been lifted. We were no longer the little team struggling against impossible odds. We had arrived in our new stadium and we meant business. To be honest I shed a tear.

Player of the Season

We forget now but way back last August we had a bit a crisis at centre back. Tommy Elphick and Adam El-Abd were out with long term injuries and we were down to our last 2 recognised centre backs one of whom had not played more than a handful of first team games. Lewis Dunk seized his chance and improved with every game to the extent that Premiership teams were supposedly looking him over. We had no defenders with any Championship experience to talk of and we could easily have fallen apart at the back but partly due to Dunky we did not. Inevitable for one so young and inexperienced his form suffered a bit as we moved into the second half of the season but nonetheless he is my personal player of the season.

Coming Through the Ranks

As much as we all like to go shopping it is not sustainable for any club, let alone the Albion, to rely on buying new players each season. Bringing players through the development squad is cheaper and they are more likely to remain loyal to the club that gave them a chance. It was, therefore, very encouraging to see Jake Forster-Caskey and Torbjorn Agdestein come into the first team. Jake provided a much needed goal scoring ability from midfield. Torbjorn gave us pace and power down the left. I am quite sure we will see more of them both next season. 

Adapting to a Higher League

It was pretty obvious from early on that the Championship was a big step up from League One. Opponents were fitter, faster, more skilled and just did not give up. Most teams had a class striker. Giving the ball away was more likely to be punished. Unlike the previous season nobody threw the towel in once they went a goal behind. 

Albion adapted well to the new challenges and several players quickly looked at home in the Championship particularly Bridcutt and Greer. El-Abd and Dunk were not far behind and Calderon recovered from a slight loss of form to emerge as one of the best attacking full backs in the League. KLL, Noone and Buckley all had purple patches and Barnes worked his socks off and scored some  vital goals. And then there was Vicente! He had most goal assists and we need him to stay but perhaps we have not yet worked out the best way to make the most of his obvious skills. 

At times our play belied our traditional lowly status and in some games our build up, passing and control made some more regular Championship sides look pretty ordinary. The second half against Liverpool was perhaps our best 45 minutes of the season. My particular favourites were the second halves against Southampton and Ipswich and the defeat against Reading was cruel given how well we played. 


.......And Next Season

In football you cannot live on past glories. To be brutal we are a team in progress and need strengthing if we are to challenge next season. I will take a look forward in my next blog but in the meantime will bathe in the warm feeling of a very successful first season at the Amex full of great memories and new friendships. 
 

FRUSTRATION

Brighton and Hove Albion(0)1 Birmingham City(0)1
Barnes 84                                   Redmond 69

Once more unto the breach

We are in the last minute of the last added time of the last match of the first season at the Amex. A corner has been awarded. Vicente stands over the ball. Will this be his final kick in a Brighton shirt? Vicente, as expected, delivers a superb corner. Dicker finds space at the edge of the penalty area and meets the ball with power but is unable to control his header and it flies over the cross bar. The Seagulls chance to snatch a deserved last second win disappears but in truth they could have had the game sewn up much earlier had they not, for the third home game in a row, come up against a goalkeeper in fine form.

The new team bus did not look like this in the catalogue

This time it was the Brum City reserve Colin Doyle.  He made two crucial saves. The first came early on when Buckley was found home alone in the penalty area by a wonderful pass from Vicente. Somehow Doyle got down to partially block Buckley's shot but the ball spun up and fell agonisingly inches the wrong side of the cross bar from Buckley's point of view. The second came just after half time when Navarro let fly from outside the penalty area. His low shot looked booked for the corner of the net but Doyle got down again and just managed to deflect the ball around the post.

The Amex is aflame

The boys from Brum had come for one thing - the precious point that would guarantee a play off spot. They defended in depth and robustly when needed. They scored with their first on target shot in the match and managed only one more after that. The goal came from a Brighton corner. For the only time in the game Doyle cleared the ball quickly via a mighty hoof towards the constantly booed Marlon King. Not for the first time this season the Brighton defenders allowed the ball to bounce which gave King the opportunity to shield it and play back to Redmond who planted it low to Brezovan's left. It was hardly deserved but if we had been playing away from home we would have taken it. 

Millon de gracias Vicente

After that the Seagulls poured forward at every opportunity looking for an equaliser. Brum for their part played keep ball whenever they could and gave Doyle plenty of opportunities for time wasting. 

Ashley Barnes was saving his best to last and was having perhaps his best 45 minutes of the season. One minute clearing in his own penalty area the next charging into Brum's. For all his efforts it was fitting he should score after the  best move by either team. A simple lay off by Vicente to Calderon, a cut back and their was Ash coming late into the penalty area in loads of space to pass the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net.  After several near misses we had managed to pass our way through Brum's 9 man defence. 

On way to the beach via Barnsley

It felt like a win and the players received a very warm reception on their end of season lap of honour. The big question on everybody's lips was "would Vicente be back?" Perhaps the clue was in Tanno's remarks about recruiting more players that are on his wavelength and can link up with him. 


My feeling is that the season was just 6 games to long for us and we ran out of a little bit of puff at the end after a hard physically challenging campaign. Only Buckley and CMS had any real previous experience at this level. We are a work in progress but  have much to build on.

Team Bloom have their trial

It was a happy occasion so I shall gloss over yet another display of inconsistent refereeing and the time wasting he indulged. The ref joined the exclusive club of 3 who have awarded the Seagulls a corner and blown for half or full time before it could be taken.


And finally a word of praise for my darling wife - a born and bred Brummie who for many years supported Aston Villa and Brum City but is now a fully paid up member of Gus's blue and white army. She felt honour had been done for her home town and adopted teams.  We both have added reasons for beating Wolves next season! 


My personal man of the match: ASHLEY BARNES

A GAME OF TWO HALVES

Brighton and Hove Albion 2(0) Watford 2(2)
Calderon 55                                 Murray 6
Buckley 79                                   Deeney (pen) 44

Attendance: 19,189

Surely not the players?

There was an end of term feel about the Amex last night but little sign of end of term truancy on the terraces. The game was in part about the Albion faithful. Would they turn up after the mauling at Upton Park and would they get behind the team now that all realistic chances of the play offs had evaporated?

They certainly clicked there way through the turnstiles. Given the 1,000 or so keen souls from Watford this must have been one of the biggest turn outs of Albion followers this season. The alarming gaps in the East and North stands quickly filled in the 5 minutes before kick off and the temporary home seats in the South were well attended.

Despite Gus's post match comments the fans got behind the team in the second half as the 12th player came into force. Yes there were a few ironic cheers when David Gonzalez managed his first piece of competent goal keeping but that would have happened at any ground. Again there was some booing after a pretty hapless first half marked with lost possession and misplaced passes with Dicker and Barnes the main culprits. But it was pretty half hearted.

My over riding recollection was the home stands getting behind the team after the break. Gus had clearly turned the radio up loud in the dressing room as the players were out early and raring to go. The crowd sensed this. Everybody put in a shift and Barnes and Dicker did not hide. Indeed it was Dicker's deft lay off that lead to the first goal.

Ref rejects Calderon's petition to sent Eustace off

A piece of Spanish magic was needed and this was duly supplied by Vicente who had apparently risen from his sick bed to join us. 2 fine shots joined by a wonderful piece of ball control saw Calderon sweep home his fourth of the season. The way he controlled his shot after the first was punched out by the keeper showed a piece of skill rare amongst English players.

Vicente drew defenders like flies to a light. Eventually he found space on the left and hit a sweet low centre which Buckley coming in from the opposite wing deftly steered past Kuszczark. Kuszczak beat away another shot from Vicente deep into injury time to deny the Seagulls a win.

A draw was about a fair result given Watford's first half display. They were gifted 2 soft goals from a free kick and penalty needlessly conceded. In the last 2 home games goals have come from free kicks given away just outside the penalty area so fewer rash challenges required that near goal. 

Clearly the Seagulls are a work in progress but have a strong nucleus to build on for next season. We need to be able to challenge for the ball more strongly in midfield and have the strength to win possession when rolling the ball out to a defender is not an option. 

So on to a visit from Brum for the last home game and the opportunity to say thank you to the players and Gus for giving us an exciting first season at the Amex full of rich promise for the future.

When shall we 3 meet again?

It was a personal pleasure to see Eric Gill being interviewed at half time. He played in goal the first time I saw the Albion in 1958 and went 5 years without missing a game. We have been through 4 keepers this season - there must be a message in there somewhere!

And a last thought..... will Brum City become the third team in a row to hold up the kick off for a secret seven huddle? How long before this silly time wasting tactic is banned?

Where did all those games go?