Across The Park Podcast

Brighton opposition preview with Joe from @albionobsessed

Judgy catches up with Joe from @AlbionObsessed to preview the opening game of the season including getting the lowdown on the new coach, his style of play and his expectations for the season. We forgot to cover our predictions for the game but Joe went for 3-2 to Brighton and Judgy went for 1-1. UTFT!

Duration:: 30m
Broadcast on:: 16 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

A Cross the Park podcast is proud to be sponsored by Globe, Gas and Heating. For the best kitchen and bathroom renovations, boiler servicing and repair and central and underfloor heating in the north west, head over to globecentionheating.com and call to Cross the Park for the free goes. Hello everyone and welcome back to the across the park podcast and I'd like to be joined once again by Joe from Albion Obsessed and it's our first preview of the season, first opposition preview of the season, absolutely delighted that the Premier League is back, not so sure, I'm completely excited about the first game, I'm actually aware I'm missing the game myself, I think as I think Joe is actually getting onto it but we're going to get into the game anyway and previewing it in its entirety, certainly focusing on the bright side of the thing. So first of all, Joe, welcome back and thanks for joining us. Yeah, good to be back mate, always good to chat to you. So yeah, let's go. So first of all, Joe, obviously the big news from the end of our season, which is somewhat inevitable anyway, the part should have deserved and I know you're a huge fan and a huge admirer of what he'd done in the pair he's used there. Take us back a little bit to that, what was that like losing him and how has it been, didn't you coach coming in, what are your feelings on that? Yeah, it was an emotional goodbye at the end of last season after the United game. I think they announced that Zirby would be leaving sort of a week before the United game, so we had obviously time to prepare any good buys and just sort of, I don't know, to get used to the fact that he won't be there but it was something that we were preparing for anyway. We thought that by Munich we'd come in for him, we thought Liverpool would come in for him. I really did think that he was going on to a much bigger job but he's gone to Marseilles and that's not the discredit Marseilles at all, they are a big club in France and they've got European football so it is probably a bigger job than Brighton if I'm being completely honest. So it's just a bit of a weird one, it ended quite, probably quite sourly in terms of the relationship between Dazirby and the owners and I think he's even come out in the last sort of couple of days to say why there was, why he left and it was a relationship breakdown with Tony Bloom. So in that sense if you've got someone trying to be bigger than the club, trying to push his ideas rather than following what the club have done and are continuing to do extremely well, you sort of have to let them go because it's not going to work out in the long run and I think that the writing was on the wall at the end of last season, our form it just took an absolute nosedive and if we kept him it would have continued this season so I think we've done well to move him on, move him on in the right way so the fans could say goodbye rather than obviously what we've had with Graham Potter in the past and that we still hold him in high regard as to what he's done for this club but then we move on to this new chapter and we're really excited. So Fabian Haresley, obviously I'm pretty sure like yourself it wasn't a name that you know rolls off the tongue and it was the first name on the list however as you just you know lose the two, you trust the process, you trust what Tony Bloom, whatever else David Wade, et cetera, may be involved in the process. What have you seen so far? I mean that the dealings in the summer have been typical bright if you like, it looks like you know you've bought some some good value in there, you know you've also picked up Menta from Newcastle who everything we're very keen on signing, who looks in pre-season like he's you know he flew out the traps and looks like he's certainly ready for the season but just before we touch on the players feelings on the coach, what have you seen so far in terms of you know what we can expect from the team? Yeah I think to get the overused thing out the way yes he is very young and I think when when they do come in and they're quite a young coach you sort of hope that they capture you straight away and I went to a fans forum and just this last week and Fabian Haresley was there and the way he commands a room is absolutely unbelievable. I was listening to his every word you could hear a pin drop and so he's got that sort of feel to him that no no matter how old he is no matter if there's a player four or five years older than him he will gain the respect from people and people will follow his ideas and what the club have said is that as soon as they met with him as soon as they spoke to him he was the man and so that feels me with a lot of confidence that we've not just had the settle for second, third, fourth, best we'd gone and got the person we wanted and that's succession planning at Brighton-Hovalbin is just one of the best in world football we could lose Cosada we could lose McAllister and yes we took a hit last season not having them in our side but we didn't fall from grace we finished 11th and that's not terrible by any stretch if we finish 12 this year that's not terrible by any stretch we're sitting mid-table in the Premier League and we're building something still so that I think that's the positive that we take from it is the fact that we are still building and we haven't a lot of people say oh you've lost a zerba you've lost gross gosh you're taking one hell of a step back we're not we're still taking five steps forward and I think that's credit to Tony Bloom that's credit to Paul Barber for doing what they do and what they do so well and we're really excited for Fabian Hansler and the football work we've seen under him has been scary at times I think we're gonna get hit on the counter a few times this season but we're gonna score a lot of goals and so I wouldn't be surprised at this weekend it's like a four three either way again it sounds like the polar opposite to us but again we'll get it down to that in a moment so just briefly before we move on to the game the signings what have they looked like so far I've obviously just touched on Minter who's the guy who's caught my eye particularly because Evan we're you know really trying to trying to get him over the line yeah it's it's a strange one because we're struggling to keep track of our signings which is just crazy we've got two more coming through the door hopefully in the next couple of days and and once we get those guys in we're spending near on 200 million pounds which is a Brighton fan to say that considering in 2004 we spent 250k on Colin Kazan Richards which was given to us by a competition run by Coca-Cola it's just absolutely mental and you know we've made some incredible signings that a lot of bigger teams are a jealous of Matt's wife has come in from Fine Ord and I know Liverpool were trying to hijack that deal and towards the end of it but he chose us which is is incredible and obviously Vancouver Minter we got him because of the financial fair play deadline day if you can call it that and people are looking at that and saying 33 million pounds for someone who isn't proven in a Premier League but then you know he played European football last season for Fine Ord and played at a decent level one and there's a lot of people again jealous that we've got him Newcastle fans were losing their minds that they were losing him and it's just crazy that we're talking about 33 million pound signing in Yang Vancouver Minter and a 25 million pound signing in Matt's viper and we're not done there yeah we've spent an insane amount we've spending 40 million pounds on rutter from Leeds and 25 million on Caddio Glue from Fern about Chay it's just not not ending and obviously you just spent 30 million pounds on Gruder from from Mighton's as well so the one of the sticking points last season was we're not giving Roberta Dazzirby the financial backing that he deserves we did spend money for him spent over 100 million pounds which in my opinion is financial backing and it was known that Brighton were going to be sitting on a war chest this transfer window and then we were going into this window in the most healthiest way possible and I'm so happy that it's been proven correct that we've gone here and we're the fifth top spenders in the world alongside Real Madrid Chelsea Barcelona you know clubs like this and it's like it just blows my mind that that's my football club doing that if we're not just splashing money left right and center on anyone we're making really really good signings for the future as well and these are players that hopefully if they have a really good time with us they're going to go for double so it's just a revolving door of success at Brighton and I'm hoping that I've not got egg on my face at the end of the season yeah I mean I won't lie I think you love a lot of evertonians we were hoping you have just because they're envious if they had this before you know you crazy to use and again you're always the first to point out as you just start then it's it's not it's been far from rosie in the garden view guys you've done it the hard way you've come from the very bottom you know it's any any any fan or any other fans who are going to turn around and go okay it's all right for you guys it's not been easy and you've done it the absolute hard way so again to anyone who's sitting anything and I've got Joe's going on about that great is Brighton but again you've seen you guys playing in the equivalence of the league to almost getting relegated from the football league all together so no I'm delighted for it and again it's I look forward to seeing this young team coming together once again I think the relief from my point of view certainly listening to all the names roll off the tongue that probably not going to be quite gelled yet obviously the some players that are not going to be ready I assume for tomorrow the some players they're still coming through this or I always think when you've got a team that's being put together you've got a young coach who's in still new ideas the best time to play it is probably early on while it's still a little bit raw there's still a few things that may be concepts that have been completely sunk in with some of the players and as you all use the two that maybe that that backdoor might be a bit more wide open than it is later on in the season yeah um one thing we noted from the Villa Royale game that we played last week was that they had a chance within 30 seconds and it was Dan Juma who who was with you guys um and he hit the post to get us down to him yeah I'm quite glad um but yeah that could have been a completely different game they score inside the first 30 seconds we don't go on to win four nil there's no chance um and I think we scored at the right times um and and sort of put their heads down a little bit and and we got the opportunity to score more and more and more and so I think it's going to be on a life edge for the first 10 minutes with us versus you guys you score first then you know every chance but I think if we score first it could be a bloodbath yeah so so just just briefly on the style of football and obviously just said that it you know you could be vulnerable to the cancer attack machine and with that it's possession base that's expansive yeah it's it's quite um basically he just empties the midfield when you go forwards it's six players in the final third ready and waiting to run into the box and it's very very intense football the high press is unbelievable um yankuba minta is an absolute pressing monster and it's what we've seen over pre-season he doesn't stop uh but then you've got kara metoma on the other side who again doesn't stop jal pedro last season didn't stop at all so I think if you've got all three of those players starting and ever turn and trying to I don't know place in football at the back then we could we could press you quite quite highly but um sure sure sure and die sure and die and all that and but yeah I think there's a lot to be worried about in terms of however some can break us and and counter I think you do counter well every time I've seen you play and every time you've beaten us it's been because you've counted so well that five-one win at the amex was you know five counter attacks and you finished them off so I think with a Sean Dyside you do probably get um that sort of I would say yeah and not anti-football but just yeah it's you know the it's very much uh I think probably Sean's age of the myth himself that he goes out to try and play the opposite of what the opposition are doing and try and you know not just play to their weaknesses but just do all of the things that are going to make it difficult for you guys and make it uncomfortable yeah yeah and that's what I worry about as you say you've got a young coach and you've got a young side and and they go to Goodness and Park which you know that the fans are quite close to you and can make you feel quite hostile I'd imagine um if they're uncomfortable and at the first 10-15 minutes then everson can have a really good start to the game and and you know there's a lot that Everton can do that that might unset a loss and so I think as I say it's going to be on an ifegen which way is it going to go can you give us the uh apart from the front three which you will use who can you give us an idea of the lineup just jay James Milneff for example is he still is he still going to start the game you think it's a good question it's a good question I I think he will I don't want him to but I think he will and although he has had a very good preseason and so I wouldn't be completely against him so I don't know um for me it would be Bob uh no for Rugen's out injured for now uh so Jason's dealing goal uh a back four of Hinschelwood at right back Lewis Dunk JP Van Hecker at center back left back would be Barco my midfield pairing I would like it to be Matt's Viper and Carlos Beliba I think they would be a really really good partnership um ahead of them uh would be minta on the right metoma on the left um and then I think it'll be Jal Pedro in the 10 and Danny Welbeck up top but I think what the shape that we like to play is Jal Pedro being more like a shadow striker so he'll be more sort of in line with Danny Welbeck and play off of him rather than being the natural number 10 role and so yeah I think it will probably be a 4-2-4 yeah I think I think you're gonna see a very typical well 4-2-3-1 from us we're two whole midfielders and Guy and Tim are around you and we've got we've got brand wait out we've got an abundance of right backs out I think I think Ashley Young will be starting which again a bit like Miller's I thought God he's still rolling him out again and he's gonna be so vulnerable he's so vulnerable to pace now particularly at his age but he's always been a little bit like that he's a he's a winger playing like back as in you know we always remember Ashley Young was that winger when he was young and he still got those those those traits he'll be Michalenko left back but I don't I don't worry as much for Michalenko he's a very good defender he's just not great going forwards ahead of them we'll probably have Jack Harrison whether he's gonna it'll be Jack Harrison I imagine McNeil on the other side although I think a lot of ever told me who would like to see Lindstrom play and Jesper Lindstrom's got the good free cooking's pressed and looking a very very technical player something we've been lacking he's got a bit more pace than than the other two and I think well I think he will he will stick with the core ABI and Calvert Loom but again a lot of fans hoping that element anxiety plays and again I play with a lot of pace that we've we've lacked the times and I think fair that's what you were saying in terms of the concerns about the break I would like to see a little bit more pace in that team so I guess the right and left and right players I always assume no one's shown tight in the way there is they'll probably stick with what he knows in Harrison McNeil and Dacore but I would like to see in Dye all Lindstrom in one of those two wide positions and I probably would stick with Dacore behind Calvert Loom because they've just got such a familiar partnership how long Calvert Loom is going to be with us you know his time will tell over the next couple of weeks but if we do lose Calvert Loom we're certainly going to have to bring somewhat in of similar athleticism and which is going to be a challenge but very interesting one and I mean I definitely look at your your back for particularly the two cents back and think we can get at them then two down the sides and I'm not sure how ambitious the fallbacks are going to be in terms of getting forward but I look at it and think you know we've lost your cheers Joe lost you for a moment there but yeah what I was saying Joe is I get I get a feeling from our point of view that certainly given what you said about your vulnerability the counter attack and and maybe the style that the manager is going to employ from users that getting down the channels will be our best chance i.e. Calvert and running in that and the channel in between the center back and behind the fallbacks how how forward what style how is he how is he deployed the fallbacks so far inside the picture outside the picture and how high have they been yeah they they do push quite highly which would probably be something you want to hear when we're in possession we look more like a sort of back three was wifer would drop in as the the holding defender or defensive midfielder and form that three with JP Van Heckerin and Lewis Dunk and the fallbacks would just bond forward and and join Minter and Karen Matoma and so as I say that that's that I think that's why we're worried to play against the teams and like Everton who will play to our our weaknesses and and hit us where they feel like there are gaps and that's where there are gaps and and it worries me slightly that that you've sort of said that you can play that way because I think that's your best will hurt us that way so um yeah it it's going to be a really interesting game a really interesting tactical sort of battle on the pitch I think um just to see how well we can cope in the Premier League playing the way that Hertzler wants us to play and we're absolutely I mean even with a lot of Ana we're a huge team now and as it was always going to be on the show on Zaids with the sign of J-Hope Ryan who I think six foot six and bigger than Jada Brantway told you although Jada Brantway isn't available at this weekend we've got a huge threat from set plays now um so I definitely think you know given that as well hitting in channels thinking that regardless of how it goes if we can just you know nick it off dunking get a corner or you know we can just hit it that was something that was there was I wouldn't say bizarre but when Sean's like face to hover he literally would just have the wire play is passing the ball against defenders to get corners just kicking it off them so I think if you go back to those types of uh strategies just to try and get the set plays where we can set pieces terrify me as well we have just got rid of Nick Stanley who is our set piece coach he's gone to Norwich um and Norwich fans aren't having a very good time we're with their set pieces at the moment which is quite amusing um but again I think the defensive phase of the set pieces for us is still a problem and because we conceded quite a few over over preseason I say quite a few we only conceded three goals over preseason but two of those were a set piece um so yeah that is there is a worry but I think it's something that hurts Lewis has been vocal about um is improving our set pieces both defensively and defensively and having them as real opportunities to one break away and and get you on the counter when it's a corner for you guys or two um use them in really effective ways when we get them in your final third and so that is definitely a positive for us I think you actually spoke did you score against those at the Amax I'm sure you realize the last season was from a corner I'm not mistaken yeah so Pascal gross delivered it hit the first man of course and it came back to Pascal gross he did one of his lovely Pascal gross turns we don't call it a gross turn we call it a Pascal gross turn and he delivered it to Lewis Donk who luckily was there to to bury it for us in the 90th minute yeah of course it was yeah thanks so much I mean but yeah listen Joe before we get before we lose a couple of things first of all before we get into the prediction for the game prediction for the season and I don't my prediction for the Premier League table yes the day on a different show I had you finish in ninth I think but that's exactly the same as the season I think my comments were again typically excellent business from right which looks to be improving as the as the window goes on again an exciting young coach who looks like he's going to pay progressive football and I think that a lot of teams around you both below and above that haven't significantly improved and in a number of departments your your squad looks stronger and added to that no European football which is which is obviously disappointing but less distractions where as you see Brighton finishing the season it's such a weird one if we can get these last two signings over the line then I think we've got probably one of the best squads we've had minus in chi-sader with McAllister I think if you put chi-sader with McAllister into the squad that we will have at the end of the window you'll be talking about a team that could easily qualify for the Champions League which blows my mind to even think a slight possibility of that happening um but I think we we are going to have enough to to mount a serious European challenge um I think we might fall just short and and I I would place us I think eighth and I don't think the what they call the coalitions or something like that we'll work out in our way coefficients coefficients yeah coefficients uh we'll work out in a way that we don't get Europe which would be slightly annoying but I think we'll mount a serious charge yeah I agree I think I think the teams I have finished in above here were with the likes of Newcastle etc and I think I would I mean I tempered that with the likes of Newcastle needs a lot of players to stay fit for them to be consistent and to you know to stay above you but I think I just thought that there's a lot of moving parts still and the will be I think up until Christmas plays coming in and out and trying out different positions etc and and players obviously are coming into the Premier League so I think you'll pick up massively not not that you lose a lot of games early in the season but I think you'll you'll beat a lot more of the top sides I think later in the season when things ought to come together but it might be a little too later to get that the European places but I think that the team that people are sleeping on a little bit is born of they're making some really good signings and they play some good football at the end of last season and I think they could be the ones to upset the apple cart at the top uh not at the top but I think they could they could probably challenge for a top half space which will be annoying for for us and the likes of Villa and Crystal Palace and people like that it was one of those things where last season we were looking over our shoulders and thinking form of could catch us and there's always one one or two teams that sort of breathing down your neck and you're like just go away we don't have to think about you we want to think about who's above us but I think they could be one of those teams this year I think they'll finish probably 12th but I think they will be okay I actually I'm not sure I mean it was good they raised a good sign and they didn't have any else in very good sign and yesterday but I was concerned at the loss of Sanke and they get so many goals and all these budgets such a strong influence on that team I think a lot depends on how quickly have any else and can certainly certainly got the right physical profile and he's definitely you know it'll definitely relish that that challenge in the Premier League but I think that a lot depends on all hinges on that I think if they had their way they lost Sanke at the end of last season and had the chance of you know the whole summer bedding a new strike hitting both I think that would be interesting. Fallen for me the ones who I think are staring down a battle of season and I think Marco Silva's got such a tendency to shulk and he's doing that a lot in the media at the moment. This is the longest by a distance that he's been in a club management position and I think he'll be gone by November if not earlier he hasn't really been backed lost they've lost a couple of defenders and there's offenders they've lost in Tim Reiman and Towson have been there for a while and Marco Silva doesn't defend well anyway he struggles with that but he's has a few experienced campaigners back there that are kind of kept things together I think without them we're going to be wise open and they haven't really got the firepower anymore to we'll just shoot teams down so I think for me they would be the team that sticks out as a probably a bit of value to back together to be honest. Yeah and no gel parlinaire as well and that's always gone to buy and so I don't know what it's like losing your sense of defense in my field I think I say though so yeah I think they'll definitely struggle and when you bring in in you know smithrowers you're as the new you know the the player is going to hold the the candler and you expect them to get goals and assists and he's never even counted on this whole career you've got the likes of a world where we'll be you can just go missing yeah you know I'll be deckers over me just for me as a championship player it's a yeah well interesting one any any other teams you think that's all the health or any teams you you can say in the ball apart from everything? Concerned about Crystal Palace they had a very good end to the season last season concerned about them because I think they could finish above us again which I will not like at all I really hope not but there is certainly a possibility that that could happen and I think you would be wrong not to think of that possibility but it's something that I don't like to think about too much and it's like yeah I wouldn't be so concerned I think all of a glass night is a very good coach but I think he got four in it last year when he came in with the return of Elisa and Elisa almost right both at the same time true. Fair play to how much of a cheer you got out of Mateta and I think he you know you can keep that up they've obviously got a good chance of finishing higher but I don't see enough depth in that scoring losing Elisa and bringing in the guy from from Latio looks at a neat and fuzzy player but he's he's a second tier attacking Matilda and I think a lot depends on Elisa they've got to keep it and they've got to keep Mateta fifth and I don't think there's too many dimensions dimensions to that team and it is very one-dimensional that is style of play anyway so I think that I wouldn't say that you'll struggle but I don't think that'd be as effective as they were towards the end of our season which I think you guys will be. Yeah yeah definitely I really hope that Man City coming for Red Day and just taking away £60 million but yeah I'll be very happy with that and if they're weakening them rather than ask because I think there's a slight concern that they might come in for Jal Pedro but they'd have to spend a lot of money for him. Wow well Joe as always absolutely pleasure catching up with you and again best of luck for the season after tomorrow as we always say and again we look forward to catching up with you for the return life later on the season. Nice one buddy, I appreciate it and good luck. Cheers. All the best ways, bye bye.