Tag: FL72

BHAFC: Niki Mäenpää’s performance proved David Stockdale doesn’t need to be rushed back into first team action.

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Albion Analysis: #4 Rotherham United (H), 16th August 2016.

Brighton and Hove Albion moved to the top of the Sky Bet Championship after comfortably beating Rotherham United 3-0 at the Amex.

Goals from Anthony Knockaert, Glenn Murray and Tomer Hemed prolonged the Seagulls unbeaten start to the campaign, with the defence keeping a fourth consecutive clean sheet.

Credit is due to the likes of Bruno and Lewis Dunk for their fantastic performances at the back for Brighton so far this season, but yesterday it was Niki Mäenpää’s chance to prove his worth.

The Finnish shot stopper made his home league debut for the Albion in place of regular ‘keeper David Stockdale, who came off injured in last weekend’s clash with Nottingham Forest. 

Albeit it was an easy night for the Seagulls on the whole, the goalkeeper still had to stop the minimal Rotherham threat at times, and made some good saves when called upon.

Manager Chris Hughton was full of praise for Mäenpää; and he may even be in contention to start the weekend’s fixture away at Reading.

Since he joined the Albion just over 12 months ago, the 31-year old has helped transform Stockdale into one of the most potent goalkeepers of the division.

Cast your mind back to the Sami Hyypia era of 2014-15, and you’d remember a very different Stockdale, who produced some pretty bad clangers between the sticks.

Mäenpää though has helped develop Stockdale’s judgment when to come out, when to collect the ball in mid air, his positioning and most of all his distribution.

His work off the playing pitch hasn’t been brought up enough; and his performances in the League Cup and FA Cup last season weren’t bad at all.

It was only a matter of time before he got his league bow, as no player can remain fully fit all the time, and the 31-year old took his opportunity with both hands.

As much as it would please me to see Stockdale return in goal; I think Mäenpää should play, give him a chance to consolidate his place.

Reading at the Madejski will be a tough place to go and a good test for the Finnish goalkeeper.

Squad rotation is so important in this division; and it also creates good competition for places.

Should Mäenpää play and do well against Reading, then we know for certain we have two very good goalkeepers at our disposal here at the club.

 

BHAFC: Knockaert once again ran the show as Forest are brushed aside.

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Albion Analysis: #3 Nottingham Forest (H), 12th August 2016

Brighton temporarily moved top of the Sky Bet Championship table with a comprehensive 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest at the Amex.

Despite it still being early days, and other clubs playing throughout the weekend, Albion fans can expect the club to remain near the top of the table and in the hunt for automatic promotion once again, should that level of performance remain consistent over the course of the season.

On what was the fifth year anniversary of moving to the Amex Stadium, it was Brighton’s two biggest signings from the recent transfer windows that secured the three points for Chris Hughton’s side; Glenn Murray and Anthony Knockaert.

Murray may have stood out with his two goals on what was his second home debut for the club, but Knockaert was the best player on the pitch last night.

Knockaert admitted he felt extra motivated to perform well as it was also the anniversary of his brothers death; and the 27-year old wanted to make him proud of his performance.

Right from the outset, one could sense he was going to be on top of his game.

The little wizard seemed to cast spell after spell over his bewitched opponents, most notably Alex Iacovitti and Ben Osborn.

His conversion of Gaetan Bong’s inviting cross in the 36th minute opened the account for Brighton last night, and the Frenchman struggled to hold back the tears as he dedicated his first goal of the season to his late brother.

But it was a performance that Albion fans have been used to seeing since the winger joined the club in January. He has added a new level of creativity to the club, the likes of which we haven’t seen here since the days of Vicente donning the blue and white stripes.

Knockaert’s trickery and pace towards the Forest’s young defence caused problems for Phillip Montanier’s side all night, and once again he was involved in Albion’s third goal.

He led a Brighton counter attack and fed the ball to Sam Baldock who coincidentally laid the ball off to Murray to score his second of the night.

It was a terrific night for the Frenchman, and to top it off, he told media after the match he remains fully focused on the Seagull’s promotion push and wants to remain on the South Coast.

Hopefully that ends the whole Newcastle fiasco.

 

BHAFC: Fringe and youth players leave Chris Hughton with early selection headache.

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Albion Analysis: #2 Colchester United, 9th August 2016

Brighton and Hove Albion progressed to the second round of the EFL Cup with a convincing 4-0 victory over Colchester United at the Amex on Tuesday night.

Manager Chris Hughton made 11 changes from the side that drew at Derby at the weekend, with three Under 23 players making their senior debuts for the club.

Ben White, who signed his first professional contract this summer, made the biggest claim to start against Nottingham Forest on Friday with a fantastic performance.

His defensive positioning and commandment of the air was clear to see, and it limited Colchester to any worthwhile chances during the whole 90 minutes.

Hughton could only praise him during his post match interviews, and there would be no harm in giving him another opportunity so early into the season.

It would also allow Bruno to return to his best position at right back, although White would need to form a very quick partnership with Lewis Dunk at the heart of Brighton’s backline against far better opponents.

Fellow under 23 players Rob Hunt and Sam Adekugbe also played the full game at right and left back respectively. They both worked extremely hard up and down the flanks to provide an option going forward and then track the Colchester wingers back.

The quality of all three’s performances just how far the youth side has progressed under Simon Rusk.

Perhaps allowing the youngsters to play in the recently revamped EFL Trophy isn’t such a bad idea, as it will provide them with the opportunity to play more fixtures against opponents of Colchester’s level, as well as prepare them better for the first team.

Ahead of the defence, Albion fans were treated to see new signing Oliver Norwood make his debut for the Seagulls in centre midfield.

The Northern Irish man made a decent start to his Albion career as he was involved in most of the Albion chances in the first half.

His set piece and passing ability was on show occasionally, as he came close twice to assisting Brighton’s opener.

He also had an effort just before half time fizz just wide of the post from 20 yards.

But for me, he still remains a little rusty after helping Northern Ireland reach the last 16 of the Euros this summer; and it paved dividend in the second half as he faded out of the game and became less influential.

However, he could easily slot in alongside Beram Kayal in place of Steve Sidwell against Forest in order to give more match time with his new team mates and allow them to gel further.

Hughton’s biggest selection test for Friday however, remains to be the wingers.

Kazenga LuaLua and Jamie Murphy were Albion’s dynamic duo, as they tore the Colchester defence to pieces in the final 25 minutes.

Murphy scored twice, including a very fine solo effort, whilst LuaLua assisted in two of Albion’s goals.

Most will say Anthony Knockaert is a certainty for the right wing position, and I would probably go with that, seeing as he is our most creative player and can change a game in an instant.

That therefore leaves three wingers fighting out for the left side of midfield; Murphy, LuaLua and Jiri Skalek.

Whilst Skalek provides the biggest threat offensively with his delivery ability, one cannot simply ignore the performances by both Murphy and LuaLua last night, even if it was against Colchester.

All three will be confident going into Friday’s match, and I reckon Chris will be constantly changing his mind right up to game day.

Even the Albion strikers last night made claims for a starting position after both found the target.

Sam Baldock and Elvis Manu scored their first goals of the campaign respectively, and with Tomer Hemed and Glenn Murray firing blanks at Derby, would it be worth bringing in the pace of either Baldock or Manu to freshen up the side?

Baldock in particular impressed with an energetic performance. Last night’s stand in captain opened the scoring with a lovely curled effort into the top right corner and will be as eager as anyone to do the same against Forest.

Some will read this and think hang on, we played extremely well up at Derby so why change it?

I completely agree, we did play well, and we have no need to change the side from last weekend for the Forest match, but the cup game last night showed us how competitive this squad is now.

Where we have failed ever so slightly with our team up to now is squad depth. Whilst some may think we still don’t have enough and need to bring more in, I think we have raw quality coming through the youth sides nowadays compared to five or six years ago. For me, they deserve an opportunity to show us and the manager just how good they are on the biggest of stages.

We have a healthy competition for places, and that can only do more good than harm.

The joys of being a manager, eh Chris?

BHAFC: Bruno proved once again why he is Brighton’s best defender.

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Albion Analysis: #1 Derby County (A), 6th August 2016

Brighton and Hove Albion opened their Championship season with a respectable 0-0 draw away at fellow Promotion candidates Derby County yesterday.

It was a game which could so easily have ended with the Seagulls travelling back to the south coast with all three points.

But despite this, the majority of fans travelled home happy with the performance and were even more optimistic of the what the team can achieve this season.

With David Stockdale, Beram Kayal, Anthony Knockaert, Jiri Skalek and Glenn Murray impressing for the Albion, it was actually the Seagull’s captain Bruno who caught my eye most.

It was his first competitive match since being handed the Albion captaincy in the summer, and he excelled in a position he hasn’t been accustom to.

He was vocal and kept the defence in shape. He was relatively unchallenged by the Derby County forwards and looked very comfortable alongside Lewis Dunk.

His calmness on and off the ball makes him one of our best players technically and although he wasn’t bombing down the right flank like we all know and love, he was a rock in the heart of the Albion backline.

His ability to play anywhere along the back line is a relief in my eyes, as before the match I was a little worried that the creativity of Tom Ince and strength of Darren Bent would have made it a difficult afternoon for the Spaniard.

Lewis Dunk has been well in the media spotlight, with a move to the Premier League swirling around constantly all summer.

The centre half may be a good player, but as he proved last season, he can sometimes make silly challenges and get sent off when the Albion are on top. His dismissals against QPR in December last year and Derby in May evidence that.

I think Bruno may have had a word with the young Englishman over the summer break and told him to be more focused when making a tackle, and making sure he wins the ball. It paid dividend yesterday as Dunk produced a commanding performance.

That’s why Bruno is captain.That’s why he is crucial to Albion’s promotion push.

He is our leader and he obviously has the respect from all his team mates on the pitch. Should he get injured, I worry that leadership and experience he brings would be missed massively.

I dare say he would be missed more than our creative players further up the field.

Manager Chris Hughton was also very pleased with Bruno’s performance but is adamant that the club will look to buy a centre back before the transfer window slams shut.

Bruno’s best position is at right back, but it’s good to see that he can do the job at centre half and no rush to buy the right centre half is needed.

 

 

BHAFC: Oliver Norwood signing a clever bit of business by Chris Hughton.

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Brighton and Hove Albion’s new signing Oliver Norwood shouldn’t take too long to adapt at the south coast club, as he is a player who fits the mould of manager Chris Hughton’s way of playing perfectly.

The Northern Ireland international signed from Championship rivals Reading on a three-year deal, and could make his debut for the Seagulls against Derby County in this weekend’s Championship opener.

Norwood, 25, is a defensive midfielder who likes to dictate the play and spring the forwards into counter attacks through his vast range of passing.

The former Manchester United youngster is also a fine set piece taker, and his deliveries from corners and free kicks could offer something different for Brighton going into the new season.

Some see this move as a bad omen, and feel that the consequence of this signing will be the departure of Dale Stephens. The box-to-box midfielder has been on Burnley’s  wishlist all summer but there is no reason why Norwood, Stephens and Beram Kayal can’t all play in the same team.

Hughton may decide to switch from his traditional 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 formation. This would allow Norwood and Kayal to play alongside each other, with Stephens in a more advanced position.

In his first interview with the Argus, Norwood insisted that it was Chairman Tony Bloom and his determination to keep all of Albion’s in demand players at the club was key to him signing the contract.

This is positive news to hear, after the most recent speculation linked Anthony Knockaert with a move north to Newcastle United.

Bloom, like the manager and players, is as determined as ever to finally get this club into the Premier League, and keeping the star players during the transfer windows is the first little step towards that.

He may not be an Alex Pritchard, nor an attacking midfielder who will score 10+ goals for us this season, but Norwood didn’t cost eight million pounds to buy, and with just under 200 appearances in this league, he knows the Championship like the back of his hand.

With just under four weeks to go before the transfer window slams shut, fans will be hoping to see more new faces come through the doors in the coming days.

 

 

 

 

BHAFC: Interest in Tomer Hemed becoming difficult to shrug off.

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It’s slowly becoming more and more like Brighton and Hove Albion are coming under heavy fire from the spending power of more reputable clubs.

The past week has seen bids made for key players come and go a plenty for key players Beram Kayal and Dale Stephens), and now Maccabi Haifa are set to imminently offer £5 million for the services of Tomer Hemed.

The Israeli striker only moved to the Amex last season on a three-year deal, but we all know contracts these days are about as worthless as a banged up motor left on the side of the road to rust.

Maccabi Haifa are looking to strengthen their offensive line ahead of their upcoming Europa League campaign, and Hemed is top of their list.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv are also considering making a bid for the 29-year old.

Hemed started his career at Haifa, scoring 16 goals in 47 appearances during a six year spell at the club before moving to Mallorca in 2011.

Last season the forward netted 17 times for the Seagulls as they came within a whisker of promotion to the Premier League.

Whilst some fans are crying out for the club to spend on a striker, keeping our current bunch has got to be the priority during this period of  transfer bombardment.

We don’t want to go into pre-season needing to bring in another two strikers when one is proving elusive so far.

Although Baldock and Murray could lead the line for the Albion, Hemed is a crucial part of Chris Hughton’s plans. Without doubt, he will be our first choice striker when we make the trip to Derby comes around, and I know the manager will do everything in his power to keep him on the south coast.

Hemed is loved by Albion fans, and a premature departure would spoil what has been a quite successful start to life in English football.

Yes the chance to play in Europe and return home could be two factors the striker may feel too good to pass up, but he did recently comment that he is focused on scoring more goals and helping our club reach the Premier League. To give up on that and join one of the Maccabi sides would be a bitter pill to swallow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BHAFC: Beram Kayal linked with move to Premier League.

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Hull City are reportedly interested in signing midfielder Beram Kayal, according to reports.

The figure being whispered around social media is believed to be £1.5 million, which in my opinion is way too short of his true valuation.

The Israeli international featured in almost all of the Seagulls games last season, making 43 appearances in the Championship and scoring two goals.

Brighton’s number seven is a key member of Chris Hughton’s team, as he is a player who reads the game well and makes crucial interceptions which lead to our counter attacks.

He has also formed a formidable partnership in the centre of Albion’s midfield with Dale Stephens, with Steve Sidwell failing to break into the side during his initial loan last season.

Whilst Kayal seems happy at Brighton, the worrying factor that comes with Hull’s interest is their ability to offer him a better contract and the opportunity to play in the Premier League.

At 28 years of age, it is very much make or break for the central midfielder. He could easily play in the top flight of English football, but does he want to try and make it there with the Seagulls? Or is this potential move north just too difficult for him to pass up.

On the plus side for Brighton fans, Hull’s current crop of midfielders makes me wonder why they are even considering any kind of bid for our man in the first place.

Kayal has no Premier League experience, whilst the likes of Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore and Mohamed Diame between them have plenty.

Huddlestone and Diame in particular play similarly to Kayal, so it makes you think, would the Israeli actually get any game time?

Brighton are yet to accept any bid, (thats if one has officially been made), and anyway, I don’t think Kayal has any intention to leave.

His Instagram account and Twitter feed show him looking more than content at Albion, and with him playing consistently for Hughton, why would he want to go?

I’m more than confident he will remain in an Albion shirt when the window shuts.

BHAFC: Reports say Seagulls close to third summer signing.

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Brighton and Hove Albion are set to sign a promising new right back, according to the Blackpool Gazette. 

20-year old Tyler Hornby-Forbes has reportedly rejected a new contract at current club Fleetwood Town and is close to sealing a move to the Amex.

The right back broke into the first team under Graham Alexander at the League One club, but has struggled for games in recent months, with Northern Ireland international Conor McLaughlin ahead of him in the pecking order at Highbury.

He has so far played 33 games for Fleetwood, scoring two goals.

Brighton have been searching for a replacement right back since the expiration of Inigo Calderons’ contract earlier in the summer. Although it seems an uninspiring move, signing a player from a lower division, it’s not one that surprises me.

Just look at how Connor Goldson rose to first choice centre half by the end of the last campaign. Yes, injuries played a part, but even when Gordon Greer returned to fitness, he couldn’t get past the ex-Shrewsbury man in the starting XI.

I’d even go as far as saying he was ahead of Lewis Dunk in my opinion by the time April came round.

We have already signed another young centre back in Ben Hall from Motherwell during the close season. He could well be another player who in the coming months and years, could rise to become another star at our disposal.

So don’t rule this guy out just yet. He may make initial mistakes, playing at a higher level than he is accustom to, but let’s not forget he will be cover for Bruno. It relieves some of the pressure off Liam Rosenior, who is currently our only alternative wing back behind Gaetan Bong and Bruno.

Obviously no official word has come from Brighton, so let’s wait and see if the dotted line is signed before moving any further into this debate.

BHAFC: Glenn Murray, Is he the answer to our goalscoring problems?

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So the paperwork was signed last night and Glenn Murray is once again an Albion player (for a season at least). The former Albion favourite returns after five years away with arch rivals Crystal Palace and short stints with Reading (on loan) and Bournemouth.

The 32-year old isn’t a spring chicken anymore like he was back in the Withdean years, but he brings along with him some Premier League experience following his time in the big league with the Eagles and Cherries respectively.

Although manager Chris Hughton feels this is a good signing for us going into the new campaign, I look at Glenn and then look at our current top dog, Tomer Hemed, and struggle not to come up with similarities between the two.

Both are strong men who hold the ball up well. They are both deadly in the air and have that striker’s instinct of being in the right place at the right time. But both simply don’t have the pace we need to inject into this side up top.

We are too reliant on our wingers, Jamie Murphy and Kazenga LuaLua in particular, to bomb down the wing into the box and cause defenders problems.

Look at the teams that went up automatically last season. Burnley had Andre Gray, Middlesbrough had Jordan Rhodes (maybe for only half a season but that was more than enough). Both caused havoc for opposition back lines and scored the vital goals to get their teams promoted.

James Wilson was meant to bring our pace to the table last year along with Sam Baldock, but whilst one struggled to find form, the other suffered injury problems all season.

Then there is the question of whether Glenn will score us enough goals? We know he will score some big goals for us, but is he the same striker that powered in 31 goals for Palace during their successful promotion season back in 2012-13?

He is a good signing in the fact that he has been there and done it, and he will be key in the dressing room, telling the younger players not to feel too nervous and enjoy the experience.

But this makes him more of a like for like replacement for Bobby Zamora, who was released this summer, the only exception being he is younger and will be on the pitch far more than BZ was during the previous season (touch wood he doesn’t suffer a nasty injury).

So the question is where does Chris go from here? He now has three first team strikers in Hemed, Baldock and Murray, but he will definitely need to be in the market for a permanent striker. A young, pacey forward that will have the ability to score 20+ would be perfect, but we all know how difficult it is this day and age to afford one of those.

Newcastle are already using their parachute payments they received from the Premier League following last season’s relegation by signing Dwight Gayle for around £13 million pounds. We simply cannot compete with that.

However, forgetting the poor Elvis Manu, Chris and his recruitment team have done extremely well in bringing some excellent players to our football club. The likes of Beram Kayal, Liam Rosenior, Tomer Hemed, Gaetan Bong, Anthony Knockaert and Jiri Skalek have all come in settled well into the first team, so in Chris and the team I trust.

7K to MK: A look back at a huge win for Brighton and Hove Albion

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When the away support makes up one third of the match attendance, it can really spur a team on. That could not have been more evident than at the Stadium:MK yesterday, where Brighton and Hove Albion held on to win 2-1 against MK Dons.

With over 7,000 albion fans making the trip up to Buckinghamshire, there was a sense of optimism in the air. The recent drop in form for promotion rivals Middlesbrough, Derby County and Hull City have coincided with the Seagull’s regaining there early season momentum.

It was just one defeat in 11 prior to yesterday’s vital clash, and Chris Hughton’s men knew that a win was a must ahead of a tricky looking April.

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Stadium: MK ahead of MK Dons vs Brighton and Hove Albion. (Image Credit: Liam Richner)

It was a first visit for me to Stadium:MK and what a lovely ground it is. It’s just a shame it wasn’t filled to it’s maximum capacity of 30,500 as the place would have been absolutely rocking.

It was certainly a party atmosphere in the away end- compared to the subdued home MK Dons supporters. Balloons and confetti  were being thrown about as if the fans were already celebrating what has been a magnificent season for the Seagulls.

With such a carnival like build-up, the first half of the match was an anti-climax. The game was very stop start, with the referee blowing for a foul every time a player went down.

The ground went from party central to a rather loud silence within those opening 45 minutes- something had to give the place a bit of noise again.

Step up Gully and the team mascots. As part of the MK Dons family fun day, the mascots had a race from one side of the pitch to the other (Watch here). Forget Usain Bolt, this was the 100m race that we all wanted to see!

Gully flew out the blocks and by the time he crossed the halfway line he was in the lead. I’d like to say he won, but I think it was too close to call with the chicken on the outside who came out of nowhere!

With the feel-good factor back, Brighton went on the offensive early in the second half. Tomer Hemed came on to replace Sam Baldock, who went straight down the tunnel, and the Israeli striker made an instant impact.

Brighton’s number 10 won and then converted a penalty to give the Seagulls the lead. Six minutes later, he latched onto Jiri Skalek’s cross to head home powerfully for his 13th goal of the season.

The crowd were going crazy. 2-0 up and controlling the match, it looked like it was going to comfortably be a fourth win in six games.

James Wilson came close to making it 3-0 but his first time effort was saved brilliantly by Cody Cropper.

But, as many Brighton supporters will know, the Seagulls never make life easy for themselves. Bruno, who usually is superb at the back, gave away a cheap free kick, and MK Dons scored from the resulting set piece to get back into the game.

Hemed was again involved in Kyle McFadzean’s red card with fifteen minutes left. The MK Dons defender appeared to elbow the albion striker in the face, resulting in an early bath.

The striker could have gained his hattrick when the ball fell to his feet 10 yards from goal, but he hit the ball wide of the post.

He did guide the ball into the net eventually with a couple of minutes to go, but he was ruled offside by the linesman.

Then the controversy started. Dons swung a corner in which hit Tomer Hemed in the face. However the referee adjourned the ball hit his arm and gave a penalty in stoppage time. Incensed, half the Brighton team got booked for complaining and time wasting.

The albion fans’ hearts were in their mouths. Shocked, they knew if this went in it would be a huge blow to their promotion charge.

Carl Baker stepped up for the hosts…and missed the target to send the Seagulls’ players, coaches and supporters into raptures.

The coaches were jumping around the touchline in delight at the miss, they knew how much this game meant, and when the full time whistle blew, the fans had a belief this was their year.

The Brighton players also celebrated passionately at the final whistle in front of the travelling support, with Chris Hughton applauding the fans for a good two minutes.

The chanting began. “WE ARE GOING UP! SAY WE ARE GOING UP!” The noise was deafening. Fans jumping around, celebrating, some with tears of delight. They had been through it all in those last 20 minutes, and in the last few seasons they would arguably have seen their team draw that game. They just sense it’s their time.

The coach journey home was a quiet one. A majority of the fans slept, others trying to soak up what had just happened.

But one thing’s for sure. This club is together, and the good run keeps going. You just sense this could finally be the year Brighton break into the top flight for the first time in 36 years.