[quote][cite]Posted By: Frank Butcher[/cite]My mate claimed there was a fair amount of trouble? Find it a bit hard to believe for a friendly against a club like Brighton.[/quote]
were?
Ground nothing we were at the station area up till 2 nothing then as the local MET police were hanging round
from what I could determine, without binoculars, was they all did OK but only that really. Not much goal threat and all the wide players were pretty poor. Defence looked solid until Forch came on. Shelvey and Youga had good games but Racon was our best player on the day. Wished I'd stayed at home though.
As others have intimated, you are so far away from the pitch with a low rake, you feel completely detached from the game and its incredibly difficult to get a real perspective.
Positives:
Had we been closer, we would have seen more clearly how JonJo and Racon completely run the centre of the park. Amingly that JJ is only 16, he looked our driving senior player out there. I know the plan is to ease him in gently, almost hold him back for a bit, but i think this is going to prove impossible to do. Racon really seems to have stepped up as well, though cautiously because he was playing against a club he was at last season, this may have driven his performance on a little more.
Elsewhere, Hudson looked a dominent rock, which was encouraging, and i think there is no doubt he will be our skipper this season.
Jerome Thomas also looked a little leaner and sharper, and quality wise looked a class above most others on the pitch. Word is there has been a noticeable step up in his attitude and application at the training ground this summer, and if looks likely now he will be staying, that will only be for our good.
Lloyd Sam also looked busy and more direct when he come on, Youga looked particularly solid and untroubled at left back, and wanted to get forward well, while Semedo showed he can adequately do a job at right back.
Great turnout from Charlton yesterday. Away end sold out, and according to Brighton fans, there were a few hundred others in the homes areas. 9pm last night and there still loads of Charlton fans round the pier etc
Negatives
As mentioned above, Andy Gray looked a little out of sorts, a bit sluggish at times, and despite us having strong possession, the ball didn't really stick up front, and neither him or Gray looked the 'goal threat' we desperately need them to be this season. Wagstaff looks to me not quite ready for this level, he needs to add a touch more decisiveness in that initial split second he receives the ball. Feel a decent 3-month loan at a lower level is needed to see how he would progress from playing league football consistently. Bougherra also looked a little loose at times, and not a £2.5m defender.
Summary
I struggle to understand what people sometimes expect from these games. They are games where players will never commit 100%, so you will never get the equivalent of a league game. The weather would also have impacted the tempo of the game.
With a rookie kid in goal, against a team wanting to impress a new manager, this could have gone horribly wrong for us yesterday, and i see it as a positive that it didn't. But make no bones about, Brighton appeared a poor outfit and despite only a league below us, we well below the level we will see in the coming weeks. The structure of our side appeared younger and fresher, and the central midfield pairing really staked a claim to be there at the start of the season. We didn't carve out as many chances as our possession should showed, and perhaps that's something we have to work on.
does anyone know how serious the injury to dickson is.
imo he looked the sharpest of the strikers but he went off with about 5 minutes to go.
though basey and sam looked ok when they came on.
sitting there I did feel a bit sorry for those Brighton fans having to endure football at that shoddy place, all because of a few residents and some hippys trying to stop them having their stadium at falmer
Forgot what an absolutely brilliant town Brighton is in the sunshine.
Got down there early, walked round the street markets then the outdoor cafes and independent shops around Garderner St, a spell on the beach, lunch on the seafront, met mates in the pub, the amusements and rides on the pier afterwards. Cracking day out and my niece absolutely loved it. Love its quirkeness, love the sound of seagulls.
Only disappointment was making the stupid mistake of getting fish and chips on the pier. £32 for three adults and a nipper, and was absolute rank.
Bit harsh on Gray, I thought he did alright. He's a target man and brought people into the game, if anything our midfield were trying to knock it up to him too often and in the air. Much better playing it to his feet as his ball control is at least a heck of a lot better than Iwelumo's. Dickson, aside from a neat run for the goal, looked like Bambi on ice. I thought he looked all over the place.
I thought Waggy was OK too, Sam is maybe more direct but his crossing was out of sorts again. A neat one for the goal but another 10 that went over everyone or straight to the keeper.
Attendance 4612 Addicks officially 900 albeit around 200 more in home areas.
Getting down to Brighton proved to be a pain in the bum, traffic was horrendous. Finally arriving in Brighton, we eventually found a space in a seedy underground car park where we met up with some hideous young hag who screamed "what the F**K are you staring at" whilst I waited for her to get out of the sole remaining parking spot....then went on about "F**king punching me out" all I wanted to do was bloody park....This set the tone for the day. 30 Minute walk later and we managed to meet up with Kev in a seedy pub outside Brighton station....complete with vomit encrusted ladies loos. A quick pint and we jumped on a train to Preston Park, just 4 mins away. A leafy 10 minute walk to the Withdean, and a stroll around to the West Stand, passing Steve Waggott yet again who waved and smiled and we were in the ground. Another fine setting for a stadium after Wednesday nights trip to Dover, albeit this time it was run by ex officers from Stalag 17 and was all seated.....which wasnt too clever due to the rake of the seating and the bloody running track which meant we were about 50 yards back from the goal.....Brighton fans were good spirited and sang can you see the pitch from there.....and then got a rousing rendition from both sets of supporters of "Stand up, if you hate Palarse"
On the pitch we played a youngster in goal, who looked about 12.....Callum Christie, after Weaver pulled up in the warm up. He looked really small up against Hudson and Bougherra
1st half we looked really solid with only Gray , Wagstaff and Varney looking out of sorts on a really hot afternoon. Racon was again outstanding and ran the show along side Shelvey. Youga, Hudson, Bougy and Semedo (at RB) looked very capable and Youga in particular had a great game linking very well with a very sharp JT in the first half where every good thing stemmed from the left. Charlton carved out loads of chances, but they were at the opposite end of the ground to us, so its difficult to really say how close we went due to the distance, but first half we dominated and the midfield duo were outstanding. 2nd half saw the usual substitutions, and we lost a lot of shape. Moo2 didnt really get into his stride, but Sam played very well and linked with Josh Wright on a few occassions. Dickson didnt get much of the ball, but when sam cut in from the right and centred, Dickson was there to slam the ball into the corner, and the same two nearly repeated the performance minutes later. The game fizzled and it has to be said that Brighton were poor in a game we dominated without really having that clinical penetrating finish. Young Callum only had one save to make all game and aquitted himself very well. Defensively, we look very solid, especially with Youga, Bougy and Hudson...the question mark is the RB position and I fully expect us to start the season with Semedo in that position unless we sign somebody else. I'd love to see us give Racon a run now....he was the most outstanding player on the day and his work rate in hot conditions was outstanding.
We finished the day in similiar fashion to the way it started....had a few beers in Brighton up until 8pm with Kev and Wan, then went off to our hotel for a shower before meeting up again for dinner.....or so we thought....
We got to the hotel and hey presto, you knew something was wrong.......they had overbooked by three rooms and guess who didnt have a room?
Cue Kay driving us back home.....
One of those days lads and lasses......you can poke Brighton mate, I cant think of anywhere Id want to stay less right now
i had a great day out in the sunshine, Brighton can be a bit pikey in places but I've always liked it. I was in the home end and had a laugh with the Brighton fans.
As for the game -
Gray played too deep most of the time; being a target man doesn't work as well when you are standing in the centre circle, its better to pass it to feet anyway methinks.
Youga really stood out for me (Racon was good too) and he looked class.
Waggy looked a bit lost at times.
Some nice passing and movement and only one real scare after Bougy had been subbed.
We were clearly a class above a poor Brighton side, but it was very hot and only a friendly, I didn't expect too much!
[cite]Posted By: DA9[/cite]Best thing about Saturday (didn't go to the game) The weather and the strawberry cider in The Hope pub halfway down the hill from the station.
I walked past and saw you sitting in the window. Saw a few of your lot at the bar on the pier in the evening. Hope you didn't have the fish and chips there, i've only just got over it !
I was drinking the Mixed Fruit koppaberg cider stuff in the Queens.. until they started serving it warm... and then they virtually stopped serving completely! Their loss.
Top weekend (apart from the 45 mins of football that i watched) had a great night out only slightly ruined by one of my pals deciding he had had enougth half way through the festivities and getting a £175 cab ride home to Bexleyheath (man after yout own heart off-it) , sun-burnt, hungover,tired and back at work BOOOOOOO!
have to say siting in the shade in some Brighton boozer i herd someone say "games kicked off" but hey i dint think i would have been dragged away from the sites and the booze even if i had a ticket.
Comments
were?
Ground nothing we were at the station area up till 2 nothing then as the local MET police were hanging round
Positives:
Had we been closer, we would have seen more clearly how JonJo and Racon completely run the centre of the park. Amingly that JJ is only 16, he looked our driving senior player out there. I know the plan is to ease him in gently, almost hold him back for a bit, but i think this is going to prove impossible to do. Racon really seems to have stepped up as well, though cautiously because he was playing against a club he was at last season, this may have driven his performance on a little more.
Elsewhere, Hudson looked a dominent rock, which was encouraging, and i think there is no doubt he will be our skipper this season.
Jerome Thomas also looked a little leaner and sharper, and quality wise looked a class above most others on the pitch. Word is there has been a noticeable step up in his attitude and application at the training ground this summer, and if looks likely now he will be staying, that will only be for our good.
Lloyd Sam also looked busy and more direct when he come on, Youga looked particularly solid and untroubled at left back, and wanted to get forward well, while Semedo showed he can adequately do a job at right back.
Great turnout from Charlton yesterday. Away end sold out, and according to Brighton fans, there were a few hundred others in the homes areas. 9pm last night and there still loads of Charlton fans round the pier etc
Negatives
As mentioned above, Andy Gray looked a little out of sorts, a bit sluggish at times, and despite us having strong possession, the ball didn't really stick up front, and neither him or Gray looked the 'goal threat' we desperately need them to be this season. Wagstaff looks to me not quite ready for this level, he needs to add a touch more decisiveness in that initial split second he receives the ball. Feel a decent 3-month loan at a lower level is needed to see how he would progress from playing league football consistently. Bougherra also looked a little loose at times, and not a £2.5m defender.
Summary
I struggle to understand what people sometimes expect from these games. They are games where players will never commit 100%, so you will never get the equivalent of a league game. The weather would also have impacted the tempo of the game.
With a rookie kid in goal, against a team wanting to impress a new manager, this could have gone horribly wrong for us yesterday, and i see it as a positive that it didn't. But make no bones about, Brighton appeared a poor outfit and despite only a league below us, we well below the level we will see in the coming weeks. The structure of our side appeared younger and fresher, and the central midfield pairing really staked a claim to be there at the start of the season. We didn't carve out as many chances as our possession should showed, and perhaps that's something we have to work on.
imo he looked the sharpest of the strikers but he went off with about 5 minutes to go.
though basey and sam looked ok when they came on.
brilliant PBS
an absolute snore-fest not helped by the need for binoculars
Got down there early, walked round the street markets then the outdoor cafes and independent shops around Garderner St, a spell on the beach, lunch on the seafront, met mates in the pub, the amusements and rides on the pier afterwards. Cracking day out and my niece absolutely loved it. Love its quirkeness, love the sound of seagulls.
Only disappointment was making the stupid mistake of getting fish and chips on the pier. £32 for three adults and a nipper, and was absolute rank.
I thought Waggy was OK too, Sam is maybe more direct but his crossing was out of sorts again. A neat one for the goal but another 10 that went over everyone or straight to the keeper.
That must have been an expensive day out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
You sure you're not really called Leftbehind .......?
;o)
ha ha we can swap names
I was home by 7 LOL
Christie, Semedo (Moutaouakil 66), Youga, Bougherra (Fortune 54), Hudson, Wagstaff (Sam 54), Racon, Shelvey (Wright 66), Thomas (Basey 54), Varney (Dickson 54), Gray.
Goal: Dickson 54
Attendance 4612 Addicks officially 900 albeit around 200 more in home areas.
Getting down to Brighton proved to be a pain in the bum, traffic was horrendous. Finally arriving in Brighton, we eventually found a space in a seedy underground car park where we met up with some hideous young hag who screamed "what the F**K are you staring at" whilst I waited for her to get out of the sole remaining parking spot....then went on about "F**king punching me out" all I wanted to do was bloody park....This set the tone for the day. 30 Minute walk later and we managed to meet up with Kev in a seedy pub outside Brighton station....complete with vomit encrusted ladies loos. A quick pint and we jumped on a train to Preston Park, just 4 mins away. A leafy 10 minute walk to the Withdean, and a stroll around to the West Stand, passing Steve Waggott yet again who waved and smiled and we were in the ground. Another fine setting for a stadium after Wednesday nights trip to Dover, albeit this time it was run by ex officers from Stalag 17 and was all seated.....which wasnt too clever due to the rake of the seating and the bloody running track which meant we were about 50 yards back from the goal.....Brighton fans were good spirited and sang can you see the pitch from there.....and then got a rousing rendition from both sets of supporters of "Stand up, if you hate Palarse"
On the pitch we played a youngster in goal, who looked about 12.....Callum Christie, after Weaver pulled up in the warm up. He looked really small up against Hudson and Bougherra
1st half we looked really solid with only Gray , Wagstaff and Varney looking out of sorts on a really hot afternoon. Racon was again outstanding and ran the show along side Shelvey. Youga, Hudson, Bougy and Semedo (at RB) looked very capable and Youga in particular had a great game linking very well with a very sharp JT in the first half where every good thing stemmed from the left. Charlton carved out loads of chances, but they were at the opposite end of the ground to us, so its difficult to really say how close we went due to the distance, but first half we dominated and the midfield duo were outstanding. 2nd half saw the usual substitutions, and we lost a lot of shape. Moo2 didnt really get into his stride, but Sam played very well and linked with Josh Wright on a few occassions. Dickson didnt get much of the ball, but when sam cut in from the right and centred, Dickson was there to slam the ball into the corner, and the same two nearly repeated the performance minutes later. The game fizzled and it has to be said that Brighton were poor in a game we dominated without really having that clinical penetrating finish. Young Callum only had one save to make all game and aquitted himself very well. Defensively, we look very solid, especially with Youga, Bougy and Hudson...the question mark is the RB position and I fully expect us to start the season with Semedo in that position unless we sign somebody else. I'd love to see us give Racon a run now....he was the most outstanding player on the day and his work rate in hot conditions was outstanding.
We finished the day in similiar fashion to the way it started....had a few beers in Brighton up until 8pm with Kev and Wan, then went off to our hotel for a shower before meeting up again for dinner.....or so we thought....
We got to the hotel and hey presto, you knew something was wrong.......they had overbooked by three rooms and guess who didnt have a room?
Cue Kay driving us back home.....
One of those days lads and lasses......you can poke Brighton mate, I cant think of anywhere Id want to stay less right now
i had a great day out in the sunshine, Brighton can be a bit pikey in places but I've always liked it. I was in the home end and had a laugh with the Brighton fans.
As for the game -
Gray played too deep most of the time; being a target man doesn't work as well when you are standing in the centre circle, its better to pass it to feet anyway methinks.
Youga really stood out for me (Racon was good too) and he looked class.
Waggy looked a bit lost at times.
Some nice passing and movement and only one real scare after Bougy had been subbed.
We were clearly a class above a poor Brighton side, but it was very hot and only a friendly, I didn't expect too much!
I enjoyed the footie....the stewards were a bit naff though....youd think it was Millwall the way they over reacted to things
I walked past and saw you sitting in the window. Saw a few of your lot at the bar on the pier in the evening. Hope you didn't have the fish and chips there, i've only just got over it !
The name was Brothers on the bottle, and it was like drinking cherryade, when in Rome GH, when in Rome.
just sit and watch the world, girls go by (aint that a song ?)
you did 45 mins as well - quite a few of us left then.