OneMoSalah

Going to be extremely tough. Not sure if Potter can afford to experiment by changing system against Pioli. Have to play one system and stick it to get some sort of consistency.

All well and good saying that now he’s went to City for a decent fee in this market and has looked at home there (albeit again he’s only played due to injuries to Laporte, Stones and Ake more than anything). But lets be brutally honest, before that the majority on here probably never ever thought of him playing at a top 4 PL club, yet alone would of wanted him to come here specifically. I mean he didn’t even have a hugely successful time at Dortmund so I find it ironic now to say he’s someone we should have been all over. If he had a poor run for City it would of been “lol what were they doing signing him”….

Again none of them are natural strikers so its not really scary as most of them bar Sterling have only had success playing off of/with a recognised forward in their teams. I mean we can talk about false 9s and interchangeable front 3s but again, we’ve just spent the best part of 2 and a half years of playing this same idea with other players where people also thought it would be effective. Without a natural striker, with these sort of floaty/second strikers/number 10s/wide forwards. I mean theoretically it looks good on paper but again Sterling and Leao are much better from wide areas and Nkunku plays with Andre Silva at Leipzig so unless we play 4231, then it will be unlikely all 3 play at once considering Aubamayang is here.

So after another hat trick, are people still convinced Haaland will go missing/doesn’t do enough in the build up/doesn’t have enough touches? What. Absolute. Nonsense. What a player. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t go and score another 5 hat tricks this season. We are only 8 games in. The guys absolutely lethal. No doubt he will make the difference for them in the CL games as well. I would be surprised if they aren't favourites to win every trophy this season, domestic and European. And thats saying that despite the fact we’ve got them in FA Cup. Don’t want to watch him up against Fofana and Koulibaly. Will be a blood bath.

Amateur hour strikes again. If we don’t get the deal done it will almost be as laughable as when we got Willian after he had done a medical at Spurs. How the fuck is shit leaking every second week?

No. Thiago Silva did

Watching Everton Southampton highlights. Wow, Everton are a shambles defensively but Southampton are even worse offensively, how many big chances do they need to score? Both teams going nowhere fast regardless. Saliba looks like hes going to be a superstar for Arsenal also. Looks like a younger Rio Ferdinand.

Not impressed. At all. Just ponderous throughout most games. Hes played as a 8, 10, winger, CF and off the front now here and I still don’t see what his best position is or what he brings consistently. If we could recoup at least 55-60m for him, just sell him. He's a luxury player who doesn’t exactly excel at anything.

No Havertz or Mount. Please. My eyes cant take watching the pair of them in this sort of form.

Skeptical of Nkunku deal, Werner looked a better player in Germany than him for Leipzig and look how that turned out here. Not saying its a given he can’t do well here but lets see what happens. Wouldn’t say he’s sure to hit the ground running like Haaland is. I mean Werner and Sancho are two prime examples that it can be difficult regardless of how well you do at the likes of a Dortmund or Leipzig

I mean do Bayern really want him? Have they seen how he’s played over the last 6-8 months? I mean their record with buying players is usually spot on but I don’t think he’s done enough here, in a much more competitive league, in which Bayern would go “wow we need to sign him”…. was the same with Werner

No Juventus apparently rejected the notion of him or Timo in a swap deal for de Ligt. Nothing to do with loans or not. Why do you seem to be defending him 🤣 He was even linked to United and that never dame to fruition (obviously they are stupid but not that stupid) and we priced Newcastle out of a move. He is finished here effectively, if he’s still here next season then we have lost the plot.

Yeah but he’s 24 years old. And has achieved next to nothing in his whole career really. I mean he has 5 trophies but wasn’t a key figure in any of the teams bar the US national team in the Nations League… I mean if it were Messi, aged 24, writing a book about his life and career so far. Ok yes. Or someone who’s career has been of some sort of substance. Or broken records. But not someone who breaks down after playing 2 games a week or doesnt play/misses half a season every season… Cashing in or not to think at 24, ok I’ve done enough I can write a book and then to go after a manager whilst he’s still got to play for 10 years yet. I mean its egotistical, its narcissistic and quite frankly, its ridiculously naive. Whoever has advised him (his father undoubtedly again) is ridiculously naive also and he really should look at getting someone else to help him with his career off the field, someone without as much of a personal or emotional bound. I think a lot of people here and across the fanbase will be “dumbfounded” and “disappointed” he’s felt the need to write a tell all book when he’s been a full time professional adult footballer for maybe 7 seasons, wouldn’t you agree? Maybe he will have a better career writing books than as a footballer - I am not surprised TT and Boehly were both keen to get rid of him in the summer. Its as bad as Torres complaining after we won the CL in 2012 because he didn’t start the final. What he has got in terms of medals is scarce but the ones he has here is because he’s been a part of this group, not the other way around - I think he forgets that he’s lucky to still be here.

Why the fucks he writing a book already? What an egotistic little little man. Focus on what your good at.. or well could be good at. Get your finger out your arse, get fitter and stronger, stop letting dad convince you you’re the best player alive/are a certain starter etc and do the work. I mean if a manager says one thing and then does another maybe you should question why, did your training level or application drop? Did someone else out train you? Was there a tactical reason etc? If we as a club keep hold of Pulisic beyond the world cup or the end of this season for any reason other than consistently good performances then we have seriously succumbed to proper idiotic non footballing decisions. I mean I already have next to no faith with this new owner and undoubtedly he will probably see his fellow countryman as extremely marketable.

Wonder whats changed from previous years… a certain loudmouth American who every week is looking more and more dafter. I am already looking forward to seeing what else is going to happen in the coming months because it sure is going to be interesting and no doubt comical for either us or opposition fans 😂 There is no doubt if its not directly coming from him that some of this stuff is definitely coming from people close to him. I mean he is the owner and interim sporting director so who else could it be?

Christoph Freund is impressive but at the same time his history at Salzburg, they are a feeder club and the type of signings, are we going to have such an environment where these players who may be seen as unknowns come here and play straight away? Or if we go the multiple club route will they be signed by others with the long term in mind? Its going to be interesting to see if he can find these players who can contribute straight away and where time isn’t necessarily going to be a saving grace as there is a clear higher focus on short term as well as the long run in the clubs recent history - something that I don’t see changing with the new owners.

Will say it again, a lot of the players need to take a long hard look at themselves. Underperforming is one thing but some of them clearly aren’t that bothered and it shows. Only one game for GP but I am struggling to see what more he can really squeeze out of players like Havertz, Ziyech, Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek that Tuchel couldn’t. It is clear they aren’t going to be players we can rely on this season. Auba isn’t going to get goals with the service we seen tonight. Our attack needed at least another top level wide forward and although we got Aubamayang this summer, we are still going to be short up top solely relying on him and Sterling to get the goals. I am also baffled GP said that the effort and application was there tonight, we didn’t really play with any more urgency on or off the ball than we have done at any point this season. I hope he’s going to be a bit sterner behind the scenes with some of them. The supposed market value of a side means nothing. Particularly when you don’t do the basics against them well as a team ie winning headers, duels, running/pressing etc.

Really? For me it seems he hasn’t stopped talking since buying the club. And talking a lot of nonsense too. After initially being impressed with him and how he seemed/initial transfer recruitment, he just seems to be a bit eccentric and misinformed (won’t say clueless as thats maybe unfair) as to how things are done within the PL and European football. I mean the PL all star game is an incredibly stupid idea considering fixture congestion with domestic cups, the CL, European Championships and World Cups every 2nd year. Managers are rightfully going to call him out on it like Klopp has done. Also the bottom 4 relegation tournament thing is also daft, more unnecessary fixtures at the end of a long season for teams when most clubs have international players who participate in tournaments. It also defeats the purpose od the whole 3 up 3 down thats been used for years. Using American Sports as an example isn’t necessarily a good thing. American Sports are successful but the MLS and “soccer” is not. Not at all. The standards improved but its hardly a model or standard worth using for the PL, ‘the worlds greatest league”, is it? I mean does he want to disrupt football matches being broadcast by having breaks every 10 minutes and multiple sponsors and a half time show where Shakira or Dua Lipa or someone comes on and sing 5-7 pop songs next for the best part of 45 minutes? The alternative way to helping the footballing pyramid is the same way its always been, big clubs stop looking out purely for themselves and redistribute a % of the TV deal money or so its more even and can be used to help clubs in the Championship/League 1/League 2 who may need a parachute payout. Like Gary Neville suggested in 2020. I don’t think theres been a more sustainable or logical method to do it. Plus every big club in the country tried to join a European Super League almost a year ago - so it is clear the majority of the bigger clubs don’t care about the smaller clubs that much. So an All Stars styled game will never fly unless the majority of the big clubs get a cut of the revenue to make it worth their while. For me it looks like he is trying to reinvent the wheel without having any actual substance or experience in the footballing world. The whole multi club thing he is just copying whats been done before and plus actions speak louder than words. Being a successful businessman is one thing, being successful in baseball is another, but until he surrounds himself with proper football people I am unsure of what to expect. And the decision to sack Tuchel after 7 games, whilst being unsure he had same vision for the club months ago and then backing him, giving him a full pre season, it is one of the most amateurish and stupid things I have heard of in my time following football.

Not going to lie, for me, this guy is nothing but an absolute mouthpiece. Not a fan. All he does is talk and talk and talk and talk. Journalists must love him though- plenty headlines to keep them busy.

So they’ve offered Kante a 2 years extension with option for further year which he’s rejected.. months after giving Koulibaly - same age - a 4 year deal. Kante may of struggled with injuries in the past calendar year but he’s still world class. Him resigning needs to be addressed. Urgently.

That quote is alarming re the board/owners/those at the helm’s ideas about managers getting chances at elite clubs after “failing” at other clubs. I mean do these owners really have any idea about football? Not just elsewhere, specifically here. Have they not done any research into the hire and culture here from the past regime? And how elite level managers have gone and done after being sacked here for instance? I cannot think of many of the supposed elite level managers who after having been sacked, failed or left here in whatever circumstances, that haven’t gone on and achieved something significant elsewhere. I mean Mourinho, Ancelotti, Benitez, Mourinho again, Conte and Sarri all won trophies elsewhere and got big jobs after here. I really am getting more and more worried about Boehly and Clearlake with the amount of sheer nonsense thats come to light in the last few days. Really am. It seems as if they’ve came from Mars and are alien to almost everything that seems to be the norm in football.

I am sorry but what? 🤣 The situations aren’t even removedly close. Or comparable because the levels are different.

After a good start initially when he came in, I am now a bit more dubious and also curious to see how things go from here on, seemed to be a lot of noise about him in the window and now after sacking a manager, lots of talk of situations which you wouldn’t necessarily want to see at an elite level football clubhouse . First and foremost if you don't want someone as manager don’t let them spend 270m and sack them 7 games after full pre season. For me that is amateurish. If he wanted Graham Potter before the season started, cut the cord, make your intentions clear… don’t go on talking nonsense about giving another manager a new deal, wanting him central to the club etc. Absolutely amateurish. Secondly the Ronaldo situation as mentioned above also by another member. Let the football people make the football decisions. Or appoint some competent football people first. Ronaldo would of purely been a statement signing and a commercial one, as he clearly like Lukaku wasn’t going to fit TT’s team. No wonder pundits such as Neville and Souness weren’t waiting about to take pot shots at him but also rightfully so in some regards. Thirdly his refusal to follow Tuchel’s idea to meet certain players who were targets and get a feel for their character, personality and figure out how they may fit in the group as well as in the team and just purely trusting performance data. I think after the Lukaku debacle, their character and how their personality fits into the group should be hugely considered. Fourthly scrapping a whole football infrastructure without having any real key components in place or at least some personnel to try and smooth it over, this has also contributed to the Tuchel situation and furthermore whilst it may not affect Graham Potter immediately, may when things are in place. Could always be a clash of personalities, opinions etc. this guys need to all be on the same page for us to be successful. I am still hopeful after this whole summer and the Tuchel sacking that Boehly’s intentions are obviously to challenge and improve the club on all levels so that it can be highly successful but I am a bit more sceptical now. I might end up eating humble pie eventually but I just feel the guy was full of shit on all the messages and praises on Tuchel so who’s to say he wont be with Potter? Or anything else that he made out to be his intentions? Anyway onwards and upwards.

His Brighton teams haven’t necessarily been big scorers during his time there, that is a big concern for me. Or been efficient at keeping clean sheets either. If he can have a similar effect to what TT did when he first came in though with the structure of the team improving and the likes of xG, chances created, key passes etc going up then its a good start but I still think that barring Sterling and Aubamayang, our attackers are still too inconsistent in this aspect. I get he is going to be working with a supposed higher quality of player but these things are telling. Also the likes of United, Arsenal and Spurs are much better now be it due to certain signings or managerial appointments so the room for error with this appointment in both the short and long term is very slim because once you start slipping down that table, it is a very slippery slope. For me, Boehly is either going to look very good or very foolish by the end of this season because sacking an elite manager and going for someone who, whilst he is promising as a coach, has no experience at an elite level, it is risky. TB will undoubtedly have had to give GP certain assurances (no way he takes this position in the same way the likes of a Tuchel, Conte, Mourinho or even a Pochettino may have due to their reputation and knowledge that they will likely get a big club again regardless because of what they’ve achieved in the game already) and time will be one of those. It remains to be seen if TB isn’t full of shit - he obviously was when he was pumping out the message that Tuchel was his man, the man who would be central to how the club would be under their ownership, how it was his say only on transfers etc although turns out he wasn’t convinced entirely since last season, was annoyed TT basically publicly made it clear he didn’t want CR7 and that a majority of the signings were club led and not coach led … - if he is going to let GP come in and try change the ethos of the club, the footballing style etc, it will take time so he has to let him get some. And has to take a step back from picking the targets.

Oh god 😂 Now thats Potter basically confirmed, lets hope he can get going quickly. Although with some of these players, its going to be a process to extract something out of them as a lot are either not bothered, very very out of form or some of them nowhere near it (RLC, Ziyech, Pulisic are 3 who will undoubtedly get another shot due tot the new manager appointment and the usual “I can get more from him” thinking despite the 3 of them being nowhere near the level required here). (Side note - if Pulisic is still here by the start of the next season then it will be for one of two reasons, 1 highly probable and 1 highly unrealistic. Highly probable being his US nationality for marketing potential which aligns with new ownerships ambition to improve and grow the marketability of the club and then, the highly unrealistic one being he’s somehow able to perform to a high standard for more than 3 games in a 18 month period and doesn’t get injured most of the time he participates in a game or training… which we know isn’t happening). GP has a lot to adapt to in terms of the lack of footballing infrastructure compared to what Brighton had in place, bigger ambitions, bigger player egos to manage and ultimately by the looks of it, a much more ruthless owner who has just shown he isn’t afraid to pull the plug on things despite the fact it is known that he doesn’t have a lot of very knowledgeable football people in place compared to other elite level clubs. It’ll certainly be interesting….