BRIGHTON POST-MATCH REACTION

Put it here........

6.10pm and on break at work. Must be getting on towards full-time, not looking at the match thread so I won't know how we are doing, will watch the Sky filming when I get home.

Game's not yet finished but I'll get started already as Brighton are 3-1 up and we only have 2 minutes plus stoppages left :

WHAT A LOAD OF TOTAL AND UTTER CRAP! Not good enough on any level and incredibly disappointing after recent results. The only good bit was Lambert's penalty. Why does the New Manager Effect only work against us and never for us? Bollocks.

Well we (Middlesbrough) HAVE a new manager - the one and only Gordon Strachan as i'm sure you're aware- and up to now , we've played two matches - lost em both and not scored a goal.

Watched it on TV (I am on call this week). Well, Brighton deserved it. They found holes in our defence, especially in the first half. Trotman seemed way off today. I think the whole team felt they just had to turn up today and register the 3 points. Brighton wanted it more. I think this was a good lesson for us and I think we will learn from it. I still have faith.

Taking what I hope will be a positive from this: I sincerely hope that this has given the players the kick up the arse that they deserve and that Norwich get the backlash next weekend. I said on the other thread that us fans may be overconfident but the players shouldn't be. How wrong that turned out to be. The whole team had an off-day and the defence was shocking. However, at the other end, the ball just wouldn't go in because of poor finishing (those sitters! ) and a decent goalkeeping display by Kuipers.

Well really disappointing both result and performance. Simply didnt play as a team and the 4 4 2 didnt work. With Antonio playing really 4 3 3 most of the time which means your midfield need to really work, sadly they didnt. Started brightly and first 15 min dominated, like we have in most games, then simply fell apart for 20 mins, conceded 2 and could have been more. Then came back to finish half strong and second half was mostly one way traffic but we only created a handful of chnaces despite posession, corners and balls pumped into box from James.

While defence was all over the place the midfield gave no support. Schneiderlin was awful, as he has been most of the season and despite his supposed quality he simply never delivers, looks like he doesnt want to be playing in this league. Trotman had poor first half but taking off at half time wasted a sub, could easily have left on, put james in midfield and taken off Schneiderlin. That said James was another who had a poor poor game, For gods sake AP stop him taking corners! Have been at last 3 games and we must have had 35 corners and never looked like scoring from them. Plus he takes so long to get there if on left we lose any advantage, not one short corner in 35!! Jaidi and Trotman struggled against pace of front two, bit like Bristol Robers in the league

Lambert and Connolly were of the boil and Antonio tries but his final ball is hit or miss. Really disappointed that AP left it until 15 mins left before bringing on Waigo. I'm not his biggest fan but he gives something else and 15 min is far to late. Harding man of match midweek, didnt seem able to handle the pressure today.

Hope they are all back in training tomorrow. Would drop James from RB, play Thomas until Murty fit. Drop Scheiderlin and think about 4 5 1 with Connolly and Antoino on bench to change game if we need to. If Trotman to be rested bring in Perry and play a midfield willing to run and tackle. Once you win the battle of midfield then you can play the ball around.

Davies 6 didnt do much wrong and a couple of good saves
James 4 Second half was abysmal, corners so wasteful with stupid hand signals and can't tackle!
Jaidi 5 Didnt look comfortable on the floor
Trotman 4 Mind not on the game at the moment
Harding 5 didnt come forward at all first half so we never exploited the space on left.
Hammond 6 Industrious but not great and again missed a good chance
Schneiderlin 4 Consistent at least, poor in every game I've watched.
Lallana 7 missed a great chance in second half but at least battled away just no one else with him
Lambert 6 Didnt seem up for it today
Connolly 6 ran alot but nowhere near Lambert to form a partnership, maybe better sub.
Antonio 6 couldnt fault his effort and more effective first half, again might be better to use as sub.
Thomas 6 did okay but still rusty and never heads the ball straight.
Waigo 6 far to late coming on, one great run along the goal line, crosses no one there to follow up.
Mills 6 didnt really have time to do anything, went to 3 at back when he came on but meant James one of three.

AP 5, didnt have the players fired up for it, seems to be accomodating Schneiderlin despite poor performances. Cant see James is useless at FB, corners are a waste of time should just kick out for goal kick. Subs left far to late to bring on Waigo no idea why as we were losing if he hadnt noticed. Conceding goals a problem but it is the shape of the team and certain players not prepared to do their bit.

Think AP better have some targets for the Transfer window. A RB to cover for Murty when injured, a CB as Trotman likely to go back to Preston though after today they may not want him and a midfield terrier who can win the ball. Get rid of Schneiderlin, Saganowski, Lancashire, Gillet and Thomson

I read elsewhere that Lambert has had the flu, or some other illness (if it was genuine flu he wouldn't even be out of bed, let alone running round a football pitch), hence his mediocre performance. It would explain the fact that, apart from the penalty, he was largely anonymous all game. However, that doesn't excuse the others' poor showing, not unless they all have the dreaded lurg as well.

Oh well, it was crap, but hopefully just a blip and I hope the players get a richly deserved kick up the arse for complacency and not trying and come back to beat Norwich next week.

It was Bristol Rovers all over again but without us doing any good attacking play. Too slow in the middle of defence, no support for the full-backs, Jaidi couldn't be bothered and looked scared of getting a nosebleed if he headed the ball and Trotman was at another game. James needs to put his foot in when he has the chance. We are still missing a natural left winger (Holmes or Mills please) and are unbalanced in midfield with everything going through Antonio. Lallana cannot play there and it would be interesting to give him a chance in centre midfield and see how he does there. Connolly worked hard but was restricted to half chances. Lambert was out of the game.

Davis 7 Made a few good saves
James 5 Slow and never tackled. Crossing mostly average
Jaidi 4 Don't know what happened to him
Trotman 4 Didn't turn up
Harding 5 Not great
Antonio 6 Good pace and trickery but never actually created a good chance for all the times he got to the byline.
Hammond 6 Not at his best but tried hard
Schneiderlin 5 Always last to the 2nd ball
Lallana 6 Tried to drive us forward, but no positional discipline
Connolly 6 Worked hard
Lambert 5 Struggled

Subs:
Thomas 6 A bit better
Mills 5 Didn't do much
Papa Waigo 6 Not bad

Much as I hate to say it, I think we needed to take Spiderman off and have Wotton in as holding midfield player. I would also have swapped Thomas for James.

We still need a LB as well as a RB. Another cB and another strong holding midfielder but preferably one rhat can pass.

Pardew doesn't seem to rate Holmes, or is he injured??

I read somewhere Holmes is fit. I think Pardew just doesn't rate him. I have no idea why, maybe Holmes has displayed an 'attitude' or something, or he's not doing as much as he can do in training, these are the only explanations I can think of.

Anyway, it's going to be interesting to see what the response to Sunday's poor showing will be at the weekend. The beginning of a bad run or a blip? Let's hope it is the latter.

Like most can only think Holmes is not showing desire in training but again a wide player who cant tackle. Think you can only have one of Waigo, Antonio or Holmes on the pitch at anyone time or midfield will be over run. Have to say you would think he deserves a chance, prove it on the pitch.

I keep waiting for Scheiderlin to show his class but just doesn't seem bothered. Think I would rather give James a run in midfield where he seemed okay against Charlton, just dont let him take the corners! Think Wotton is still a player to have on the bench rather than start

If Pardew really doesn't rate Holmes which I find hard to believe then we should look to bring in a left footed version of Antonio, but preferably with a better cross on him! We were linked with Brighton's left winger a while ago, so he could be a target in the window.

I am still wondering whether the midweek performance had an effect on the team as a whole. None of the team really looked up for the Brighton game. I just hope that they are not thinking about wembley just yet.
I would much rather make it to Wembley in the playoffs.

SFC Forever wrote:I am still wondering whether the midweek performance had an effect on the team as a whole. None of the team really looked up for the Brighton game. I just hope that they are not thinking about wembley just yet.
I would much rather make it to Wembley in the playoffs.

So would I, but I don't think that is going to happen this season. The ten point deficit combined with the slow start we made to the season has, I think, damaged our chances of going up this season. If we fail to get out of this division this season, I would like to see the team strengthened over the summer and go up as champions next season. There is no reason, if we keep our best players and add some more, why we should not be champions in the 2010/11 season. While I don't want to see us languishing down here for any longer than humanly possible, I also want us to go up in style, as champions.