With a flamboyant character like Gus Poyet as manager you might be surprised to learn that Brighton’s success this season has come from being well oiled in defence.
Just 11 goals conceded in 15 appearances, the Seagulls have easily the stingiest defence in the Championship.
On paper at least, that’s bad news for a Wolves team with only 19 goals thus far (one of the lowest totals in the league) and struggling to create chances.
Poyet will have been glad to have seen his side register a narrow 1-0 over Peterborough in midweek, which arrested a run of 7 games without a win.
They’ve got some quality in their squad for sure.
Tomas Kuszczak in goal and Wayne Bridge at the back both have Premier League pedigree, so perhaps that goes someway to explaining why they’re not shipping goals.
Up top, Craig Mackail-Smith is the name most will be familiar with and the Scot has 8 goals already this season.
Wolves
Wolves are in a slump. There’s no escaping that fact.
With only 1 victory in the last 7 games, a run which also includes 4 defeats, things have turned sour after a positive early return.
Fingers are being pointed to the defence, but like many others, I feel our problems stem from a serious lack of invention going forward. If Sako doesn’t pull something out of the bag, we just don’t seem to have a plan B.
Pennant simply hasn’t performed and with Peszko and Boukari both still sidelined, it’s difficult to know where the creative spark is going to come from.
Solbakken just doesn’t have the options to play around with. This would be my team:
Nouble is the notable inclusion. I have to question why this bloke is not being given a go?
The last time I saw him play was against Northampton and I thought he had a great game. He offered a real physical presence and a direct threat (not to mention he scored).
A big problem for Wolves is that when crosses do arrive in the box, nobody is getting on the end of them. Sako is putting the ball in the right areas. We don’t need Pele, just a body to divert them towards goal.
Iwelumo did this in devastating fashion in 2008 and we need someone who can impose themselves similarly and lead the line. With Doyle playing deeper, we can allow Nouble to just get right up top and put himself about.
Why not?
Predictions
27 people said we’d lose at the KC on Tuesday. 3 of those pundits got the correct scoreline in addition.
So well done to colin, geordiewolf and J for getting the maximum. A single for everyone else.
We’re long overdue a decent win at home and ever the optimist, I’m going to back us to get it.
When you’re on a losing run, it’s very easy to think ‘all our wins were lucky’ and ‘the whole team are crap’, but if you’re telling me we don’t have enough in the squad to get the job done at home to Brighton, then I am worried.
We can do much better than we’ve seen of late and I’m hoping that will be proved correct on Saturday.
3-1.
Up The Wolves.
Interesting report.again mate. I also wonder why nouble doesn’t play because in the friendlies and all that he nearly scored in every game. It is going to be a good game but I’m tired of the doom and gloom so 2-1 to wolves 🙂
UTW!
2-0 Wolves….PLEASE GOD PLEASE!
You’re right to point out some of their better players, and I think you’re also underestimating the quality of their lesser lights. Poyet is no mug and tactically will set his team up (like Chris Powell/ Charlton) to make it difficult to pass forward .. sorry all but it’s a 1 – 1 at best.
Totally agree with this 100%. Doyle and SEB aren’t working at the moment and we need another route to bag some goals, as Siggy has also been a disappointment. If the wings can get some good balls perhaps he can cause some problems, or at least divert attention. I don’t think we’ve enough creative skill in midfield to get anything through the middle.
I’m not optimistic about a positive result – i think it’ll be an even game and either team could snatch it. money’s on a draw.
The manager seems to have wanted to give Doyle and Blake a chance, while gradually introducing his Nordic signing Sigurdarsson, who he hoped for great things from . Siggy may well prove himself given more time and the right support. He may well start again tomorrow although I’d be happy to see what Nouble’s like.
Our players are still unsure of the new playing style, passing it around to little effect, and must get the ball forward as everyone says. Solbakken knows what’s wrong and won’t persevere with it indefinitely, he’ll adjust to suit the situation.
In the hope that they click tomorrow I’ll go (as always) for a win, maybe not 3-0, but that’s my prediction.
1-0 Brighton to send us further into the Championship mire.
I have not predicted a loss all season so knowing my luck the game which I do, we will win.
Sod it Wolves to win 2-1
Come on me babies
1-1 we surely cant be consistantly as rubbish, so i expect an improved performance, but i still dont see how our 2008 squad can be expected to compete in 2012.
Where’s the Warchest ???
I do believe the nose picking, occasionally drunken Steve Morgan called it his ‘treasure chest.’ My little boy is a big fan of Jake and the Neverland Pirates (great Disney cartoon to be fair!). Maybe once Father Christmas has been with a pirates costume and a Jake sword, he can find the treasure chest for us all.
Failing that, he can throw the pirates costume to Morgan and ask him to squeeze into it instead.
BTW: Great article in the E&S now. It’s all down to the fans folks. Spend yet more money to watch Championship fare we were promised we’d not see for years, and get behind them. If we lose, it’s all our fault you see. The Moxey mantra already being prepared.
More wonderful journalism from the E&S. If it’s not the players urging fans to get behind the team, we’re get stories about how Henry or Edwards have challenged their team-mates to get tough. Dreadful stuff.
As for the stories themselves, why can’t the players do their talking on the pitch instead of feeding false platitudes to the local rag? They, Moxey and Morgan don’t deserve our support.
I will put superstition aside and predict we will claw our way to a 2-1 win. Agree with Thomas we havent got many options and we need to spend in january.If we dont win this one the calls for an early exit for Stale will grow.
(Hadnt realised Brighton had gone 7 games without a win werent they top a month ago ?)
As long as we don’t see the same old line-up then I think we can win this . Either persevere with a Sigurdarsson start or give Nouble his opportunity . If Pennant is really out to impress Tony Pullis back at Stoke then it’s about time we saw him deliver . Still think Roger Johnson is improved and due his 1st goal soon . Agree with Thomas’s view
Wolves 3 Brighton 1 utw
Some good points here Thomas.
I agree that we should give Nouble a chance up front, at least he will put himself about which is more than EB or Siggy will. We always seem to be bullied off the ball by big defenders.
Brighton are going through a rough patch like we are and they only just shaded it against Peterborough so I think, with Nouble in the team we might just squeak a win.
I’m going for 2-1 to the lads.
If we don’t, then perhaps you should start a ‘predict the size of the crowd’ competition because I predict a dramatic fall in gates.
Fans do not turn up with the sole intention of having a go at the team!
The team has to perform and keep the fans ‘with them’
The whole ethos change was always going to take time to bed in but there had to more and better investment in the team because attempting to make a silk purse out of a sows ear was doomed to fail
I believe that now is the time to mix it up and stop the pedestrian passing. I would certainly give Ismail a go!
Come on Wolves!
I will guess at: Nil – nil. And no chances for either side.
Given the usual standard of my guesswork: Does anyone know where I can find a decent web-feed?
wolves will lose 1-0.
Wolves 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ståle had problems in his first year in Copenhagen and was accused for producing a team who played dull football with loads of low scoring games. We are in the same position now except that we fail to win. We will turn it around at some point and who knows, maybe it will be tomorrow.
Wolves 1 B&HA 0
UTW!
I really smell a home loss here but will go for 2-1 to Wolves.
Agree comments, I actually would think of puttiing Siggy and Nouble together hoping two newcomers might gel better than one with a “Senior” player. We just need to start winning the hiigh ball into the box.
Everytime I look at the back four I crap myself though.
I think we should forget the high ball into the box and concentrate on getting to the by line and putting low balls across the face of the goal at pace. No defenders like having to deal with that sort of cross when they are facing their own goal.
The goal we scored against Charlton was a perfect example.
Pennant was brought in, or so I thought, to do just that.
But all he seems to do is chip the ball in to the area from 20 yards out.
Lobbed high balls are meat and drink to most big defenders and keepers.
Point conceded DOOG, I guess I really mean winning any kid of ball into the box. But we should get onto a few of the higher balls though. On the few games I have seen so far defenders are coping far too easily with our strikers. We dont have a menacing prescence in the box. Oh for a Doog right now.
In fact the only menacing prescence we have is Ward but he menaces the wrong goal.
“Oh for a Doog indeed!”.
Great character, great footballer, great bloke.
He came and gave a talk at the art school when I was there and took the ones who were interested on a tour round the old Mol. Used to see him regularly walking through Wolverhampton and he would always say hello and was very happy to chat about football, or anything really.
Oh for my lost youth!
You mention, Thomas, that Brighton have a measly defence partly because of the Premiership experience of some of their defenders.
Our lot have ALL got bags of Premiership experience, and look how well we’re doing!!!
Nothing is going to change as long as
a) The same sorry sacks of shit are picked.
b) The same sorry sacks of shit are in charge of the club.
Wolves 1 B & HA 3
I will not be listening or watching this weekend, they dont come and see me when I’m bad.
By the way, where is my scarf?
Totally agree. Including the score 1-3 to brighton.
By the way, there is no chance of Nouble playing. SS won’t pick him before sigurdson.
Wolves 0 – 2 Brighton. We have a nasty knack of conceding far to easily and not scoring enough at the moment. But this is more of me making a desperate attempt to score some prediction league points out of our abject performances for once.
I was hoping we’d at least have Nouble on the bench last Tuesday, he could have at least given us a bit more up front. I’d like to see him start tomorrow. Unless I’ve missed it and he’s injured I would leave Stearman at right back, otherwise, as you say, our options are limited at the mo.
1-1.
Changes are needed.
Stearman should stay at RB if the reports from Hull are correct and he played well. Personally, my first choice RB would actually be Doherty – I know he’s at Bury currently so it’s not possible. But going forward, I see him as the future and would like to see him blooded.
I would still rather see Batth in central defence and who he replaced (Berra or Johnson) would be on a flip of a coin. Probably replacing Berra, though.
We must stick with Pennant on the right wing – Edwards on the right wing (although I know he did very well at Hull) is not the long-term answer and we have seen this time and time again. If Edwards were to start on the wing on Saturday, Bridge would cope with him with minimal effort.
Up front I would rather see the Siggy and Doyle connection given time. Nouble is more of an impact sub for me.
Score?
Wolves 0-1 Brighton
Hopefully I’m wrong…but all I can see at the moment is Wolves 0 – 1 Brighton.
I’m in agreement that Nouble should have a go – but it won’t happen for reasons better known to Stalle. I expect to see your team minus Nouble and with Siggy. Sadly I expect Brighton to win 2 – o.
wolvercantwinfortoffee 0-brighton 4
Had a good week and as my Mother used to say:
‘Robin goes up and down with his football team Wolves.”
On the basis of this logic I predict:
Wolves 4 Brighton 0
Wise words Thomas, especially about the defence.
The expression ‘defend from the front’ has never seemed so apt – seems we can’t play up top and in midfield, holding on to the ball meaningfully and being penetrative, then no wonder our defence is under the cosh and are goalie is player of the season so far!
Granted this is hard to do as a ‘lesser’ team in the PL, but we’re a league down this year!!
Nouble looks like he’s in the stiffs (or should this be ‘pups’ now that the ressies are U21?) tonight, so there’s no chance of him tomorrow.
It seems to me that he just wasn’t Solbakken’s signing. If he can’t get a place on the bench in this league, where two strikers is mandatory in my opinion, then he’s obviously not rated.
Oops, forgot the most important part – my predication!
Down with the negativity, this is the start of a winning streak – WOLVES 3 – BRIGHTON 1
I’ve a bad feeling about this one as well. Br are a smart side who’ve just come out of their little slump and who score a lot of goals with careful, patient play. Simply stopping them from scoring will be a challenge in itself but at some point it will all fall into place. At the moment we cannot score enough goals and with an inferior, mediocre midfield unable to support attackers and constantly guilty of exposing the back 4 we need someone different in the mix.
New tactics always take time to be assimilated and accepted by established and new players alike. I’m afraid we must be patient, we are 7 points off top and 7 points from relegation zone so we’re in mid-table with options in both directions. I am still the eternal optimist and as fitness and skill levels improve the tempo will increase and we will be up to the challenge. Let’s not forget so many of these CH teams only have aspirations to survive and hopefully do as well as they can, that’s it, and that mentality has done them well season after season.
Our aspirations are higher, we don’t just want to be the party pooper for other teams, we want to show that we are worthy of winning and leaving this division in style. Deficiencies in midfield always affects the rest of the team by putting them under unnecessary pressure. Also it’s the back 4 that then get the blame as do the front 2. The midfield is the driving force for the whole team. With a fully fit midfield we will be a different team and the players will look the business and they will be able to last a full match.
Keep the faith in StÃ¥le’s vision, be patient a little longer and everything will be fine.
As ever UTW !!!!
P.S WW 1 Br 0
A little harsh Thomas leaving Edwards out of your line up, he has to start for me, perhaps for Pennant, but I wouldn’t mind him slotting in for Doumbia. Sod being defensive; we’re at home and it’s up to us to make things happen, and to be fair to Edwards he usually provides a spark.
I’m predicting a slight improvement, but not enough to get the win. 1-1.
Wolves 0 Brighton 0
Think the Sig needs a longer run but would have Nouble on the bench. Possibly Edwards for Doumbia.
Last week I asked the question ‘can we stop Austin ? ‘ This week it’s Mackail-Smith and I think it’s the same answer.On that basis I think we’ll lose 2-1.
2-1 nail biter to the Wolves.
Going to try and be positive. Wolves to scrape a narrow 1-0 win.
We don’t stand a chance…
Wolves 0-2 Brighton.
Brighton at home , really need to win this but you can’t see where the goals will come from unless sako scores from 25 yards. So lets hope he can do it twice and we scramble a 2-1 win.
And I agree with giving Nouble a chance but can’t understand why he never even gets on the bench.
Oh Dear
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-20258433
Pity the current squad are’nt on anything, might improve them!!!
seem to remember a few wolves players from that era ending up in trouble….this lot would be too tired by 3 45pm thus no problems any more! wtid
Nouble scored a good goal in the preseason game against Walsall but at other times he seems to have the first touch of a nun in a brothel and his scoring record is as good as a nun’s in a brothel but in the absence of Christina the Astonishing let’s give him ago Wolves 2 Brighton 1
no i must really try hard to be positive …….wolves 1 brighton 4 …its soooooh hard but yes thats me being positive!
How abouta prediction on the crowd, I for one have n idea.
south bank will do their best to get behind the team..north bank will be the north bank steve bull will want to get behind the team and thebilly wright will wake at half time and full time…….only joking!!
I’ve had me KMC and swig of Coke, I am restored! 2-0 to Wolves, C’mon find a performance please.
Just Watched Middlesbrough destroy Sheff Wed, Who we were just about lucky enough to beat…
OH dear….
We are well short.
Interesting to see current top of the table Middlesborough beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 tonight to go 11 pts above us.
See who their left back is George Friend ex of this Parish! Why could’nt we have developed him?
I think on our current form & performance level we would struggle to beat any but the bottom 3 or 4 sides. So the best would be a draw but I predict a 1-0 win for Brighton.
But then as a fan you always hope for a miracle & hope that Solbakken & the lads have just been winding us up, and we’re gonna make tomorrow the start of an unbeaten 20 game run.
As for the side, the gaffer has very little to choose from, although from reports of the last games, Edwards & Siggy deserve to start.
Here’s hoping we turn the form book upside down tomorrow.
Somethings got to give so i’m going for a 2-1 to the wolves.
I for one think our 1st team look far off the mark at the mo,so give the kids a chance to show what they can do and if it does’nt work, at least he would get the credit for having tried something different and the fans would applaud him for that.
UTW.
I am prepared to give them this “Term”, up to Jan. On the basis:
SS now knows what crap he has to work with.
SM and JM will realize their mistakes.
We have an unspent treasure chest.
I know its not always the best market but If I dont see some recognition of the plight we are in and serious efforts to correct, I will fear the worst.
Interesting to read among the comments while we are in crisis Brighton have just got over there ‘little slump’ of 7 games without a win.Also plaudits for the way Mowbray’s Middlesborough are now playing after over 2 years in his post.
Massively different circumstances to us and Brighton, no? Just the 28m quid in sales, millions of parachute payments…yet BRIGHTON afford Mackail-Smith for £3m? Funny that…(as We ‘buy’ Frank Nouble)
Ben i want to see Stale backed to the hilt i said yesterday Morgan should give him at least another 15 million as soon as he can use it.Just want to see him get some time aswell i think it was an imaginitive appointment and it might be a shame if we panic replace him with a journeyman manager.
I agree entirely Colin. I’ve already written this season off to be honest. I too want him backed meaningfully. We shall see what Morgan will give him
cant see that happening ben- lost all faith in morgan considering we all thought he was our knight in shining armour….he is beginning to look more like homer simpson…after all we have been lead to believe ..all the drivel it; just shows how much morgan is out of his depth. i reckon we still need a clearout as we all said on here last season this time from the top down ..then maybe we will start going forward..instead of sideways and backwards
If Stale doesnt get backing in the transfer market i will be on here slating Morgan.I dont have much affection for rich developers the only thing that makes me slightly more cautious is who we might get stuck with next – owners of football clubs generally look a dodgy lot to me.
I’m going for a home win with plenty of goals and the reason for this is I’m just not right in the head when it comes to the Wolves!
Wolves 3 Brighton 1
Play 5 in midfield with a centre midfield of henry and doumbia holding and edwards supporting doyle. I cant believe im gonna predict this. Wolves 1 brighton 0
A well considered and thought out analysis which emphasises the glaring differences in defence’s of the two teams and the seemingly huge psychological struggles plaguing our strikers at the moment. With that in mind, sadly I’ve got to say Brighton 2 Wolves 1….arggh!! Funny how no one seemed to have anything to say at the departure of our so called ‘talent’ scouts to Ipswich this week…the people who brought us the players of our inglorius ‘premier league’ defensive line up (presumably). Solbaken has had a shocking inheritance. It’s time for the ‘the old guard’ players to put their proverbial hands on their respective ball sacks and play up or move on.
I love your optimism Thomas but, as you said, we don’t have any other options that can help pull us up from this dross. With that we are facing the best defence in the league and we have strikers that just aren’t scoring. I can’t see Solbakken turning to the young and inexperienced Frank Nouble now is not the time to take risks but I see your point, what else can we do?
We seem to shy away when we’re at the Mol
Wolves 0-0 Brighton
UTW
40m in the bank and that’s our starting XI? Thank fcuk for booze because that’s the only comfort a Wolves supporter has these days.
Wolves 0 Brighton 3
PS Would have predicted that scoreline regardless of whether we were 1st or 13th place – we simply never beat Brighton.
The last time we won was the last time we played 5 in midfield, away at Blackburn when we had no option as the so called ‘strikers’ were injured.
I’d like to see 5 in midfield with Edwards or Doumbia pushed up behind SEB. We can’t create or defend with 2 in the middle and neither Doyle or SEB are the type who thrive on aerial crosses anyway.
To be honest, i haven’t a clue what Stale’s trying to achieve at present but, if it carries on, i predict another defeat 0-1.
Wolves 1 – Brighton 0
Wolves 2-1 Brighton. It’s just like watching Celtic!
Nil nil.
Nothing nothing.
A “Go home and kick the cat” kind of game.
The rot stops here (PLEASE)
Wolves 2 – Brighton 0
was speaking to a palace fan last night and not sure how correct it is but he reckons they have only spent just over a million and look where they are…..tis not ALL about how much we spend . can we play 3 keepers -is that legal? or 4?
I wan’t Stale and the team to do so well, But I can’t see anything positive at all at the moment. It’s depressing, made worse by that lot down the road having a good run. I have turned down a freebie for next week when they play Chelsea and my mate (Chelsea fan) is not happy with me. If we loose today I might have to swollow my knob and change my mind.
or swallow your mind and change your knob …
Poyets B&HA will pass Wolves off the park. If we concede early it could be embarrassing,
but then again we could show some fight 2-2.
Agree that it’s time to give Frank Nouble a chance upfront.
Fans need to be patient and get behind the lads. Morgan needs to keep his trigger finger in his pocket too.
Wolves 2 Brighton 0
UTW
about time for our players to get a backbone and pull that history laden shirt on their backs and put in a PROPER shift…even if we lose – just give everything for the fans!! if they really are too fragile as to get upset if the fans start moaning then can i suggest they get a proper job paying ONE PERCENT of what they are earning now!!!!!!!
Optimistic/foolish (take your pick)
2-1 Wolves
Until I see a game that drastically changes my opinion, I’ll have to go for a 2-0 loss. We really are woeful, can’t score in a brothel, keep playing Berra not Batth, not giving Ismail a go… Give me inspiration boys! Plus they’ve got Mckail-Smith… Please Win! (Yes I feel that desperate!)
Really disappointed with last weeks performance but can’t help being (foolishly?) optimistic. I still think that this is obviously a transitional time and we must be patient. I’ve got faith in Stale, but we need to change personnel and that takes time.
I can’t bear to opt for a loss so 2-1 to the Wolves.
Come on the Wolves!!!
Paper states Roger rescued a point.
I reckon we dropped another two against a side that has won 1in last 8.
How many have we won in last 6?
By the sounds of it you don’t know the details of the game – we had ten men for the whole of the second half so I view that as a point won myself 🙂
you but we had ten men because Henry made a very bad tackle Self inflicted wound that cost us the match
Can’t argue with that!
I am well aware of the details of the game – we took one point out of a possible 3. In my book that is two points dropped.