Up the Albion!
Mark Brailsford says we had players missing too!
Anyone who went to the game against Newcastle will know that this match was as good as it gets against Premier League opposition. The lack of first choice players was a familiar gripe from Newcastle, but this was a poor excuse for a second string of top flight players at a Premier League club, all of them on fantastic wages and presented with a chance to press for a first team place. The likes of Liam Bridcutt and Craig Mackail-Smith must think it’s easy at the top after seeing this insipid Newcastle team. The press reporting of the game was also illuminative of the blind spot and bias against ‘top’ teams many in the media have towards teams such as The Albion, particularly the very poor report on the match in The Guardian. The match report was entirely about how Pardew is facing a relegation fight and has issues with his team, hardly a mention of the fact that Brighton played very well, scored one of the best goals of the round and of the two teams on the pitch, looked to be the team from the superior League.
What of this ‘missing players’ excuse? Newcastle are a Premier League side; there is no excuse. The Albion had top players missing too. The Albion’s number one goalkeeper, Tomasz Kuszczak was on the bench, Albion were missing their first and second choice right backs, their best attacking player, Will Buckley, was not fit to start (also on the bench) and then of course, one of the best players The Albion have ever had, Vicente was not even in the squad. It was a poor show from those reporters who myopically only see the Premier League end of a game’s perspective, and from Alan Pardew we were treated to the bizarre post-match denigration of his own team, which must have demoralised his players completely. Anyone who manages people in other walks of life will tell you, that is terrible man-management.
It was nice to see Gus Poyet being magnanimous in victory and nicely contrasted with Pardew’s often churlish attitude towards Brighton and Hove Albion, which made the victory all the sweeter.
FA Cup 4th Round
The draw once again favoured The Albion with a home draw against Premier League opponents, the pressure is off and whether it’s Arsenal or Swansea, there is bound to be a fine exhibition of passing football, goals galore and hopefully a thrilling and even contest. Scrappy nil-nil draw written all over it…
