In what may be destined to become one of the least lively threads in Gazza, I thought I'd offer up a semi-informed/semi-ignorant update on Brighton about a quarter of the way into the season. The Seagulls are sitting in 11th at 4-2-4 (-2 GD) heading into Saturday's match at Everton, with some encouraging signs that I will touch on in this roundup of random items from the campaign to date.
--Three wins "on the trot" mean the club is playing well, and also into a softer portion of the schedule. They played Liverpool, Man U, Spurs, and City before the end of September, with the results about what you'd expect aside from a second straight home win over Man U.
--That was Brighton's lone win from its first seven, although there were two draws in there, and in both of those the club came back from 0-2 to tie 2-2. One was home to Fulham (meh), but the other was at Southampton. The latter not exactly a threat to play in Europe next year, but given Brighton's inability dating back to last season to score at all on the road, this was a significant result. You got the feeling watching the players celebrate the second goal and again after the whistle that this draw was a real boost in confidence.
--A 1-0 win at home over West Ham preceded the last international break. That was followed by a 1-0 win at Newcastle, and the same scoreline at home last weekend against Wolves. There are no easy games for a club like Brighton, so taking 9 points from those three is a real positive.
--They've done all this winning without Pascal Gross, the German midfielder who in my view is their most valuable player and certainly their most dangerous set piece artist. Gross hurt his ankle in late September, and was expected back this weekend before experiencing a setback in practice. He now won't be back until after the next international break, three weeks from now.
--They also haven't gotten much from last year's big signing, Jose Izquierdo, who was injured after the world cup and has started just one of the last four games and subbed on three times.
--Veteran striker Glenn Murray has carried the offense. Six goals on the season, including the winner against Wolves last weekend, which was his 100th goal for the club. The guy is 35 and just has a nose for it.
--This year's "big" signings are easing into the rotation. Jahanbakhsh, the Iranian, has started the last three games. He hasn't scored or assisted on a goal yet. Balogun (Nigeria) hasn't appeared since August.
--Hometown defender Lewis Dunk got a call-up to England for the last international break. Brighton doesn't traditionally have a lot of capped England players so this recognition was trumpeted by the club.
--The schedule continues to be relatively favorable until mid-December: @Everton, @Cardiff, Leicester, @Huddersfield, Palace, @Burnley before hosting Chelsea on Dec. 16. It is time to make hay.
I'm cautiously optimistic that relegation won't become a serious threat this season. Any club of Brighton's stature can go scoreless for a dreary month and find itself in trouble, but they've put together a nice little run here with some key pieces out of the lineup. I'm a believer in Chris Hughton, he seems measured and knows what he's got to work with and gets a lot out of it.
Brighton fans, feel free to augment or correct anything I've claimed here.
--Three wins "on the trot" mean the club is playing well, and also into a softer portion of the schedule. They played Liverpool, Man U, Spurs, and City before the end of September, with the results about what you'd expect aside from a second straight home win over Man U.
--That was Brighton's lone win from its first seven, although there were two draws in there, and in both of those the club came back from 0-2 to tie 2-2. One was home to Fulham (meh), but the other was at Southampton. The latter not exactly a threat to play in Europe next year, but given Brighton's inability dating back to last season to score at all on the road, this was a significant result. You got the feeling watching the players celebrate the second goal and again after the whistle that this draw was a real boost in confidence.
--A 1-0 win at home over West Ham preceded the last international break. That was followed by a 1-0 win at Newcastle, and the same scoreline at home last weekend against Wolves. There are no easy games for a club like Brighton, so taking 9 points from those three is a real positive.
--They've done all this winning without Pascal Gross, the German midfielder who in my view is their most valuable player and certainly their most dangerous set piece artist. Gross hurt his ankle in late September, and was expected back this weekend before experiencing a setback in practice. He now won't be back until after the next international break, three weeks from now.
--They also haven't gotten much from last year's big signing, Jose Izquierdo, who was injured after the world cup and has started just one of the last four games and subbed on three times.
--Veteran striker Glenn Murray has carried the offense. Six goals on the season, including the winner against Wolves last weekend, which was his 100th goal for the club. The guy is 35 and just has a nose for it.
--This year's "big" signings are easing into the rotation. Jahanbakhsh, the Iranian, has started the last three games. He hasn't scored or assisted on a goal yet. Balogun (Nigeria) hasn't appeared since August.
--Hometown defender Lewis Dunk got a call-up to England for the last international break. Brighton doesn't traditionally have a lot of capped England players so this recognition was trumpeted by the club.
--The schedule continues to be relatively favorable until mid-December: @Everton, @Cardiff, Leicester, @Huddersfield, Palace, @Burnley before hosting Chelsea on Dec. 16. It is time to make hay.
I'm cautiously optimistic that relegation won't become a serious threat this season. Any club of Brighton's stature can go scoreless for a dreary month and find itself in trouble, but they've put together a nice little run here with some key pieces out of the lineup. I'm a believer in Chris Hughton, he seems measured and knows what he's got to work with and gets a lot out of it.
Brighton fans, feel free to augment or correct anything I've claimed here.