Brighton v Blackpool Official Matchday FA Cup Thread 23.01.21

Oh well. Nothing you can do about a Brighton player deflecting a Brighton shot into the net.

Just thought the bulks subs and default formation change wasn't needed and put them further on the back foot. Simms for one of Robson/Virtue/Williams and match up to their 3-4-2-1 maybe with runners behind Madine as the outlet.

But who knows what the thinking is about whether they'll play on in the league with a covid/injury outbreak. And were thinking about protecting players fitness levels of those who'll have to battle on for a few weeks in key positions.
 
Creditable under the circumstances, but there's got to be a push for the next couple of games to be postponed.
After all, there may be more of our squad suffering from the virus
Are they tested again in the next 24 hours?
 
.........and after all of Premier Leagues Brighton's possession and shots, they still only beat us lowly L1 COVID ridden squad, away from home, 2-1 by a very lucky massive deflection off the back of one of their players.

Well done lads, a very difficult test today that I'm very proud of 🤩

Now please get the next two week's games cancelled and get them all quarantined to clean the team of this shocking virus
 
I’m disappointed, we could have won that !
We didn't go at them as we should have .
All in all with a gameplan full of negativity and only half a team we came up a goal short.
Both of Brighton's goals showed what we've been crying out for all season, shoot on site!!
The 1st an absolute worldy, the 2nd a horrendous deflection BUT....if you don't shoot you'll never know.

I'm quite disappointed as we showed them far too much respect, in the few times we did go at them they looked shaky.

Let's hope to god we get the next few games called off
 
At the end of the day, we have 5 covid cases, numerous injuries, playing in a new formation and are ultimately against Premiership opposition. Yet we have given a decent account of ourselves, certainly not been embarrassed. Lads have worked hard and gave their all, all we can ask. However I will say that i find myself saying this most weeks, but I dont get Critchley's subs at all. One area he needs to work on. Chasing the game and brings on a guy who is stealing a living as a footballer. Just dont get it.
 
Took a deflection and a worldie to beat a league 1 team with 6 or 7 out with injury or covid. Better team won but nothing to ashamed of from any of the players in tangerine this afternoon.
 
Last edited:
He’s not up there on my list of favourite players, but today, before he tired, he did well against a PL midfield.

We need to be realistic in our expectations, given the absentees and that the likes of Williams are not match fit.
I have agreed with everything else you have said but Williams was atrocious today...granted not as bad as Virtue but nearly as bad...The midfield needs strengthening because if Dougall and Ward are out then we are going to really struggle. I am losing patience with Robson too and he hasnt got much left in the bank following a good start...I can see why Sunderland released him tbh.
 
That's the worst that I've seen us play this season. We were awful and what with our dreadful kamikaze playing across the back line, Brighton should have murdered us 7-1. To say that Brighton weren't that good is trying to flatter us. We were ** awful bar the goal.
 
They can hold their heads up high after that. If anyone thought we should have done more / been better with what we had available and given the opposition they need to give their head a wobble. Gabriel a standout, miles better than Turton. Feel like Williams started well and had a poor second half and for Robson the opposite. Special mention to Thorniley who I thought was really good, didn’t put a foot wrong.
 
Of the starting 11, 10 did well. Virtue was the exception, pulling a trailer from the start. We got tired, to be expected, with so many not having game time.

Well done to Williams and Robson, not easy covering the middle.

Gabriel class.

Only one comment on the subs - Sarkic is rank bad.
totally agree virtue was terrible never got close enough to his man allowed them to shoot instead of get tight to stop the shot just looked lost
 
Frustrating way to go out, with a huge deflection, but the better team won on the day; as we'd expect.

We need a bit more in depth and the chance to play the second string a bit so they are match fit; there we a couple playing today who looked a little heavy.

Gabrielle was excellent today and ran himself into the ground which is all you can ask of the players.

We've had a bit of money, showed our class as fans with Eastbourne, got the 45 year monkey off our back, made Big Sam sulk, got into the 5th round draw and seen a brilliant final goal of our FA Cup campaign. Given the number of 1st round defeats we've all witnessed; we should be pretty satisfied.
 
Last edited:
That's the worst that I've seen us play this season. We were awful and what with our dreadful kamikaze playing across the back line, Brighton should have murdered us 7-1. To say that Brighton weren't that good is trying to flatter us. We were ** awful bar the goal.
Not as bad first half but very very poor second half and looked tired from the hour mark...not sure on the teams overall fitness and we seem to be getting a number of injuries aswell.
 
They can hold their heads up high after that. If anyone thought we should have done more / been better with what we had available and given the opposition they need to give their head a wobble. Gabriel a standout, miles better than Turton. Feel like Williams started well and had a poor second half and for Robson the opposite. Special mention to Thorniley who I thought was really good, didn’t put a foot wrong.
Gabriel had a decent game, possibly Pool's best player after Maxwell.
 
Overall I thought we did ok but result was about right Raggy winner but if you don't shoot at goal you wont ever score . disappointed that we didn't create more after a promising start to the second half , we just didn't look like creating anything . Worst bit was the BTSports commentator constantly reffering to our colours as "Orange" 😲😬
 
Not a bad result with seven out, but disappointed with the way they seemed to stop playing halfway through the second half. We might have won this with an attacking formation. I won't say anything about Simms yet, that would be unfair considering he was just thrown on not knowing the team. Might just as well have put Holmes and Apter on for the last ten minutes.
 
Game plan was obviously to stay in it as long as possible and then see if we can nick something. All going well till deflected goal.
If we had opened up and just gone for it(whatever that means) they would have ripped us apart.
A lot of the squad not had 90 mins most of the season and were blowing out their arse at the end. No disgrace in that. Did us proud and scored a great goal.
 
Virtue played like he always does as did MJ Williams who is one of those players who is always jogging after the game. He always arrives just as play moves on and is always a few seconds behind. Also pretty poor on the ball. Not my kind of player at all I'm afraid. Still he's a squad player who doesn't usually see the team sheet so as a back up he did OK.
 
I have agreed with everything else you have said but Williams was atrocious today...granted not as bad as Virtue but nearly as bad...The midfield needs strengthening because if Dougall and Ward are out then we are going to really struggle. I am losing patience with Robson too and he hasnt got much left in the bank following a good start...I can see why Sunderland released him tbh.
Unfortunately, from 60 minutes he tired, but he was doing Virtue‘s job too. Not the quickest and not great on the ball, his job is pure holding. Same with Robson. To be clear, Williams would not get anywhere near a full strength team, but today, I saw his performance differently.

I 100% agree we need another midfielder of the attacking variety.

Need to let go Virtue, Sarkic and let Bez go on loan for experience.
 
And apparently Brightons 1st was the goal of the day. They were creaming all over it on final score.
For team work and the build up I thought Pools was the goal of the game
 
Last edited:
Good goal at end of first half got us back in it then in the second half they got a very lucky goal but for the last half hour Brighton were well on top and should have got 4 or 5.We were well beaten in the end and never looked likely to score again.
 
Overall I’m disappointed, I don’t feel we really had a go at them. We were hanging on in the last 10 minutes and looked tired. Maxwell kept us in it and some poor finishing from them it could of been 4 or 5. That said a thunderbastard that no goalkeeper in the world would of saved and a ridiculous deflection won them the game. We lacked a focal point when Madine went off and the game petered out for us.
 
So disappointed that we just didn't put them under any pressure in the second half. We defended far too deep and did not press enough to move forward
 
It was always going to be a bit of a struggle with key players missing. Reading some of the comments here you'd think we'd just gone out to Morecambe though, not a PL side playing at home with lots of options on the bench.

Putting the negativity aside, what did people think 3-5 at the back as an option? It's not for me but I do think the two wing backs should be in our best side, either at full back or pushed on to wide midfield.
 
For a team that has been affected by COVID 19 and injuries, we actually held our own against a average premier league side and we had a good cup run so I’m happy with the pool today and hopefully either get 1-2 signings this week or take two weeks off to cleanse the squad of this horrible virus UTMP 🍊🍊
 
Good goal at end of first half got us back in it then in the second half they got a very lucky goal but for the last half hour Brighton were well on top and should have got 4 or 5.We were well beaten in the end and never looked likely to score again.
Maxwell MOM Garbutt and Gabriel very good. Williams was terrible. Critchley terrible for taking Madine and Yates off should have given it a go with those 2 plus Simms for the last 20 mins.
 
What to make of that.
Firstly, I'm pleasantly surprised by how narrow the scoreline ended, considering the team we were able to put out. We absolutely must start cancelling league fixtures now we have this Covid outbreak - other clubs have been doing it with far less players affected, and we are down to the utter bare bones.

With that in mind, it's difficult to criticise the players today despite a poor performance. One word can sum up today, and it can sum up the entire season for me to be honest - frustration. Frustration because the goal we lost by was ridiculously lucky, and frustration because I honestly think with Ward, Dougall, Hamilton and Ballard in the side we could've really had a go at Brighton, as they weren't great imo.

Maxwell played well, and the more I see of Gabriel the more I think he's a good un. He was the pick of the players today.
Our main problem that will hopefully be looked at before the window ends, and in the summer, is that the midfield just doesn't give our forwards a chance. The balls played forward are all over the place, never spot the runner, and on the rare occasion when Madine or Yates gain possession, the midfield often take ages to support. That's just general observation.

We had a decent cup run, but we can't afford to lose at least four key players and expect to go away to a Prem side and win. As I say, if we're still depleted due to Covid I'd be very annoyed if we don't call off the next couple of games.
 
Back
Top