By Tim Hodges from the Amex
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Ipswich Town 2
The Albion were beaten by Ipswich in a vital play-off showdown at the Amex.
Despite having a variety of clear-cut chances in the first half, Albion could get their noses in front.
Jesse Lingard had the first of these, striding past two Ipswich defenders after Bruno Saltor sent him clear. But the young Manchester United loanee fired straight at Dean Gerken.
Ipswich were not looking like a team content with nicking a point and Stephen Hunt was extremely busy alongside the powerfully built Daryl Murphy.
Ipswich had the ball in the net just before the half hour, but as Palace loanee Jonny Williams tucked the ball past the hesitant Tomasz Kuszczak he was flagged for offside.
Many in the crowd felt that Kuszczak’s delayed reaction was because he had seen the flag raised but it was unlikely that he would have done and his indecision was a taste of things to come.
Lingard then had another clear chance but rolled the ball wide of the post with again only the keeper to beat.
Bruno, despite getting booked, was having a good game, his distribution almost perfect at times. From one free-kick Leo Ulloa forced Gerken to dive low to his left to keep the scores level.
Before the half was out Kuszczak did well to hold a header from Williams.
Albion really should have gone into the lead early in the second half. It was Lingard again, this time forcing Gerken to palm a 20-yard drive wide. Then, with Bruno still getting forward, Will Buckley was well placed but headed wide – a chance you suspect Ulloa would have gobbled up.
Stephen Ward was also getting forward and was linking up well with Keith Andrews. Andrews himself was spreading the ball around nicely but not always with enough venom.
Then came a hammer blow for Albion as Hunt whipped in a corner for Ipswich, Murphy headed back across goal and Kuszczak appeared to mis-time his attempt to punch. Tommy Smith headed Ipswich in front.
Albion immediately replaced Jake Forster-Caskey with Kazenga LuaLua.
Minutes later LuaLua played in Lingard who crossed for Ulloa but the man from Argentina glanced his header wide.
Albion has pressed Ipswich back but William broke clear, glided past Buckley and crossed for Murphy who guided a header past Kuszczak to put Ipswich 2-0 in front.
It was then the Amex started to empty – and noticeably. With scores of fans heading for the exits, the white Seagulls interspersed in the blue seats were highly visible.
When Ulloa put another clear chance wide, just before David Rodriguez replaced Buckley, the game was up for the Albion despite the generous five minutes of added time.
Albion fans may be fickle at times but the number who chose to leave early rather than try to spur the team on, with nearly ten minutes left, was almost shocking.
The Seagulls now travel to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday (25 March) before entertaining Middlesbrough at the Amex next Saturday (29 March).
Oscar Garcia will surely want at least four points from these encounters.
The existential beginning of the end for football as a whole? I do hope so… imagine there’s no football, it’s easy if you try…
The existential beginning of the end for football as a whole? I do hope so… imagine there’s no football, it’s easy if you try…
The existential beginning of the end for football as a whole? I do hope so… imagine there’s no football, it’s easy if you try…
I am as loyal an Albion fan as there is supporting them for 42 years but I must defend those leaving early, the reason people do this even at a game we win to a certain extent is the debacle of catching trains; so if you are 2-0 down with 5 minutes to go you are going to get an early train if you can rather than queue for 30 minutes.
However, Oscar got his team selection so wrong again and the Albion played so badly (everyone on the trains were saying worst they had ever seen and hard to disagree) many felt frustrated even angry that the team should play so ineptly with 29,000 fans cheering them on for the majority of the game.
I would rather watch people leave early than have the unacceptable booing that happens at most clubs. Oscar Garcia is starting to show inadequatecies with team selection (what does JFC offer the team when Stephens is sitting on the bench) and we had one tactic to play a long ball behind their defence for Buckley or Lingard to get on the end of, which Ipswich Sussed and just dropped a little deeper.
Buckley was so deep he wasn’t a danger when he received the ball and Lingard is very lightweight (maybe why he hasn’t made the Man U first team).
I like to think that it was just a bad day at the office but looking back over the season we have only impressed against Leicester and Wigan, apart from that we have ground out results. We set up to not lose a game not to win one even at home and I’m of the school that would rather lose 5-4 sometimes to watch an exciting game than to win 1-0 more often playing so called total football.
Oh and I think other teams have Sussed out that Greer is really rather slow and to get him in 1 on 1 situations.
I’m not a moaner, just taking such an abject performance to highlight some of the reasons we won’t make the play-offs this year.
To be honest I’m still undecided about OG.
I am as loyal an Albion fan as there is supporting them for 42 years but I must defend those leaving early, the reason people do this even at a game we win to a certain extent is the debacle of catching trains; so if you are 2-0 down with 5 minutes to go you are going to get an early train if you can rather than queue for 30 minutes.
However, Oscar got his team selection so wrong again and the Albion played so badly (everyone on the trains were saying worst they had ever seen and hard to disagree) many felt frustrated even angry that the team should play so ineptly with 29,000 fans cheering them on for the majority of the game.
I would rather watch people leave early than have the unacceptable booing that happens at most clubs. Oscar Garcia is starting to show inadequatecies with team selection (what does JFC offer the team when Stephens is sitting on the bench) and we had one tactic to play a long ball behind their defence for Buckley or Lingard to get on the end of, which Ipswich Sussed and just dropped a little deeper.
Buckley was so deep he wasn’t a danger when he received the ball and Lingard is very lightweight (maybe why he hasn’t made the Man U first team).
I like to think that it was just a bad day at the office but looking back over the season we have only impressed against Leicester and Wigan, apart from that we have ground out results. We set up to not lose a game not to win one even at home and I’m of the school that would rather lose 5-4 sometimes to watch an exciting game than to win 1-0 more often playing so called total football.
Oh and I think other teams have Sussed out that Greer is really rather slow and to get him in 1 on 1 situations.
I’m not a moaner, just taking such an abject performance to highlight some of the reasons we won’t make the play-offs this year.
To be honest I’m still undecided about OG.
I am as loyal an Albion fan as there is supporting them for 42 years but I must defend those leaving early, the reason people do this even at a game we win to a certain extent is the debacle of catching trains; so if you are 2-0 down with 5 minutes to go you are going to get an early train if you can rather than queue for 30 minutes.
However, Oscar got his team selection so wrong again and the Albion played so badly (everyone on the trains were saying worst they had ever seen and hard to disagree) many felt frustrated even angry that the team should play so ineptly with 29,000 fans cheering them on for the majority of the game.
I would rather watch people leave early than have the unacceptable booing that happens at most clubs. Oscar Garcia is starting to show inadequatecies with team selection (what does JFC offer the team when Stephens is sitting on the bench) and we had one tactic to play a long ball behind their defence for Buckley or Lingard to get on the end of, which Ipswich Sussed and just dropped a little deeper.
Buckley was so deep he wasn’t a danger when he received the ball and Lingard is very lightweight (maybe why he hasn’t made the Man U first team).
I like to think that it was just a bad day at the office but looking back over the season we have only impressed against Leicester and Wigan, apart from that we have ground out results. We set up to not lose a game not to win one even at home and I’m of the school that would rather lose 5-4 sometimes to watch an exciting game than to win 1-0 more often playing so called total football.
Oh and I think other teams have Sussed out that Greer is really rather slow and to get him in 1 on 1 situations.
I’m not a moaner, just taking such an abject performance to highlight some of the reasons we won’t make the play-offs this year.
To be honest I’m still undecided about OG.
As for many in the crowd leaving early that was f****** shamhaven’t got a clue!- too many JCLs who have
As for many in the crowd leaving early that was f****** shamhaven’t got a clue!- too many JCLs who have
As for many in the crowd leaving early that was f****** shamhaven’t got a clue!- too many JCLs who have
Sirry. ……….shameful. ….too many JCL’s who haven’t got a clue!!
Sirry. ……….shameful. ….too many JCL’s who haven’t got a clue!!
Sirry. ……….shameful. ….too many JCL’s who haven’t got a clue!!