Brighton vs Man United, K.O. 20:00, Sky Sports PL/Main Event

Mr.Nice Guy

Interesting enough game this evening with Brighton looking to guarantee survival in the Premier League, while a win for United would leave them within a point of confirming 2nd place.

What way do you see the game going? I think it's a good time for Brighton to be playing this game. Lukaku is out, United will have half an eye on the FA Cup final, there might even be an element of complacency after last week's handy results. This is usually the time of year we see teams fighting for their lives pull big results out of the bag. I can see Brighton getting at least a point.

Team news:

Brighton XI: Ryan; Bruno, Dunk, Duffy, Bong; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, Izquierdo; Gross; Murray.

Man United XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Rojo, Young; Fellaini, Matic, Pogba; Martial, Rashford, Mata.

Good opportunity for Rashford

Wins a free kick in a good position

Mr.Nice Guy

Shame Fellaini was offside. It was a good free kick.

Brighton playing well

Not good enough from Utd so far

Mr.Nice Guy

Passing and decision making has been very poor from United. Gonna be punished if it keeps up.

StringerBell

Not sure why anybody would have expected any different than that first half given the irrelevance of the game and the line up. This is before you get into the season we have had of it.

May aswell play the kids in the league since the only game this lot might get up for will be the cup final. Bring on the summer

adox

StringerBell wrote: »

Not sure why anybody would have expected any different than that first half given the irrelevance of the game and the line up. This is before you get into the season we have had of it.

May aswell play the kids in the league since the only game this lot might get up for will be the cup final. Bring on the summer

I’d like to think it is important and would love to see Utd finish second.

Unfortunately I don’t think it’s lateness in season of the game that is responsible for this performance.

We’ve seen it throughout the season.

Harry Palmr

Can someone please explain to me how this man Utd side can be so bad and yet win enough games to finish on a likely very decent points tally?

Trigger

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me how this man Utd side can be so bad and yet win enough games to finish on a likely very decent points tally?

Because they are not really as bad as you think

kona

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me how this man Utd side can be so bad and yet win enough games to finish on a likely very decent points tally?

And can somebody explain how liverpool are so far behind this bad united ?

StringerBell

adox wrote: »

I’d like to think it is important and would love to see Utd finish second.

Unfortunately I don’t think it’s lateness in season of the game that is responsible for this performance.

We’ve seen it throughout the season.

We have seen it throughout the season, but it was practically guaranteed given that 2nd is pretty much done and dusted and the fringe players are out on show.

It is important to you to finish second, its important to me to finish second and evidently its important to Jose to finish second. If you felt Liverpool or Spurs were actually breathing down our necks it might be different but it feels like they know as much as I know second is done and dusted.

Quote me on that if it all goes tits up in the final couple of games.

StringerBell

astradave wrote: »

Because they are not really as bad as you think

Bingo!

KERSPLAT!

Whoopa!

Mr.Nice Guy

Brighton take the lead.

bucketybuck

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Can someone please explain to me how this man Utd side can be so bad and yet win enough games to finish on a likely very decent points tally?

Talent without character.

Talent will win games to a certain extent, especially in a league with so many poor teams. But the toxic character limits the potential of that talent, they will win games but will never have the consistency to push beyond that.

What won't be said is that it takes very delicate management to produce results from such a team of talented but fragile little flowers. When there are so many abject performances like this people really should be asking how on earth they ever got to 2nd, and giving the manager credit for getting results from such a poor group. But no, the players are all world class and the manager is crap, because Mourinho.

Mr.Nice Guy

bucketybuck wrote: »

Talent without character.

Talent will win games to a certain extent, especially in a league with so many poor teams. But the toxic character limits the potential of that talent, they will win games but will never have the consistency to push beyond that.

What won't be said is that it takes very delicate management to produce results from such a team of talented but fragile little flowers. When there are so many abject performances like this people really should be asking how on earth they ever got to 2nd, and giving the manager credit for getting results from such a poor group. But no, the players are all world class and the manager is crap, because Mourinho.

Nah, you don't come back from 2-0 down on more than one occasion, including away to the runaway champions, without character.

blueser

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Brighton take the lead.

Fully deserved. United with one eye on the cup final?

Harry Palmr

blueser wrote: »

Fully deserved. United with one eye on the cup final?

Well I hope they win simply because Liverpool play them next week and it would be nice if they had nothing to play for in the best way.

blueser

blueser wrote: »

Fully deserved. United with one eye on the cup final?

We have been woeful but full credit to Brighton

Deserve the lead

Mr.Nice Guy

blueser wrote: »

Fully deserved. United with one eye on the cup final?

Possibly. Brighton were always going to fight like mad in this game because they're still not guaranteed to be safe. I had a feeling United would fail to match that hunger and that's been the case so far. Still time to sort it out.

martyos121

Brighton playing some lovely stuff here on the counter. If United had something to play for the game would be very different but they’re comfortably in second and Brighton are taking full advantage of it.

bucketybuck

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Nah, you don't come back from 2-0 down on more than one occasion, including away to the runaway champions, without character.

If you like. We have seen performances like this not once or twice but ten/twenty times now. Character isn't just kissing the badge and its certainly more than deciding to play just whenever you ****ing feel like it.

StringerBell

Well well well, Brighton have the lead. Who in here is shocked?

martyos121

Clever foul from Gross there. A bit of the dark arts but it’s necessary in modern football at times.

Liam McPoyle

martyos121 wrote: »

Brighton playing some lovely stuff here on the counter. If United had something to play for the game would be very different but they’re comfortably in second and Brighton are taking full advantage of it.

If the performance from us was the exception rather than the rule lately you could be right but this level of shyt show has been rampant all season.

irishman86

Is Mata supposed to be a good free kick taker
Like Young at Villa was lethal and Pogba has hit a few, i dont remember Mata doing so

blueser

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Well I hope they win simply because Liverpool play them next week and it would be nice if they had nothing to play for in the best way.

Seeing as they now have the lead, they'll be hoping to hang on to (at least) a point. Away to City and Liverpool is not a kind end to the season for them.

martyos121

Business Cat wrote: »

If the performance from us was the exception rather than the rule lately you could be right but this level of shyt show has been rampant all season.

That level of shyt has ye in second place ahead of some very good teams, in fairness. I hate watching ye play from an entertainment standpoint as I usually just tune in hoping to see ye lose, but you’ve been effective at putting enough points on the board.

StringerBell

Mata was a great dead ball guy from 25 yards yeah

blueser

martyos121 wrote: »

Clever foul from Gross there. A bit of the dark arts but it’s necessary in modern football at times.

Sad, but true. I doubt there's one team in the PL that hasn't got at least one player who isn't well versed in said dark arts.

Mr.Nice Guy

bucketybuck wrote: »

If you like. We have seen performances like this not once or twice but ten/twenty times now. Character isn't just kissing the badge and its certainly more than deciding to play just whenever you ****ing feel like it.

We've also seen them come from behind to beat Chelsea, Spurs and Man City - the latter of which when they were seeking a historic title win on their own patch. I don't think a team without character could have done that.

StringerBell

Character isn't something that just appears selectively unfortunately

adox

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

We've also seen them come from behind to beat Chelsea, Spurs and Man City - the latter of which when they were seeking a historic title win on their own patch. I don't think a team without character could have done that.

Unfortunately those handful of performances only highlight the real lack of character in the team over the season. They have been anomalies in the season rather than the norm.

One thing this group lacks in abundance is character. A lot of them dialing it in for large parts of the season.

martyos121

blueser wrote: »

Sad, but true. I doubt there's one team in the PL that hasn't got at least one player who isn't well versed in said dark arts.

I’m still sorry we sold ours in Lucas Leiva, he’s been missed this season when we’re trying to close out a win. Doing very, very well at Lazio too. Who’s the cynical players for ye? Fernandinho only or is there more?

bucketybuck

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

We've also seen them come from behind to beat Chelsea, Spurs and Man City - the latter of which when they were seeking a historic title win on their own patch. I don't think a team without character could have done that.

Tell me though, does it not bother you that this shower have the talent to beat Chelsea, City and Spurs, but have so little application that again and again they produce performances such as this? Does that not rankle just a little, that they have it in them but just don't bother?

blueser

martyos121 wrote: »

I’m still sorry we sold ours in Lucas Leiva, he’s been missed this season when we’re trying to close out a win. Doing very, very well at Lazio too. Who’s the cynical players for ye? Fernandinho only or is there more?

Dinho, definitely. With honourable (!) mentions for Otamendi and Kompany.

Mr.Nice Guy

adox wrote: »

Unfortunately those handful of performances only highlight the real lack of character in the team over the season. They have been anomalies in the season rather than the norm.

One thing this group lacks in abundance is character. A lot of them dialing it in for large parts of the season.

They're hardly anomalies. They came from behind to beat Palace too. They're second in the league, not sixth.

bucketybuck wrote:

Tell me though, does it not bother you that this shower have the talent to beat Chelsea, City and Spurs, but have so little application that again and again they produce performances such as this? Does that not rankle just a little, that they have it in them but just don't bother?

As I said in the OP, I felt this was a good time for Brighton to play United. United are taking on a team fighting for their lives and the stakes aren't as high for United at this moment in time, coupled with the loss of Lukaku and an FA Cup around the corner. It's a lot of factors that have come together.

Tippex

We deserved to lose we have been awful. Way too slow in the buld up taling far too many touches.

That was a penalty

StringerBell

**** em they deserve nothing from the game.

adox

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

They're hardly anomalies. They came from behind to beat Palace too. They're second in the league, not sixth.

They are anomalies in as far as a show of character goes. Tonight’s performance is more typical of what we have seen from Utd this season than the games you mention.

I do of course realize they are second. That doesn’t negate the pint I’m making though.

SEPT 23 1989

Hopefully Hove Albion can see it through

bucketybuck

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

As I said in the OP, I felt this was a good time for Brighton to play United. United are taking on a team fighting for their lives and the stakes aren't as high for United at this moment in time, coupled with the loss of Lukaku and an FA Cup around the corner. It's a lot of factors that have come together.

I disagree completely, those factors are all irrelevant in my opinion, which you are free to disregard.

This team repeatedly puts in these types of performances and its regardless of the game or the circumstances. Meaningless end of season game? Or how about a vital CL quarter final? Christmas time game against team in relegation zone? Away game against deadly rivals Liverpool? Doesn't matter, big game or small game they put in these shocking performances and we have the evidence to prove that. Hell, we even got proof of that in one game if people are prepared to acknowledge how ****ing useless they were in the first half against City.

This isn't about a Friday night end of season game, pretending that it is would be ignoring the bigger issues.

Great result for Albion and deserved

No complaints and they deserve to stay in the league

We were ****, simple as

Mr.Nice Guy

adox wrote: »

They are anomalies in as far as a show of character goes. Tonight’s performance is more typical of what we have seen from Utd this season than the games you mention.

I do of course realize they are second. That doesn’t negate the pint I’m making though.

They're only anomalies if you choose to discount the numerous examples where they have shown character.

martyos121

Well deserved Brighton, I’d normally take more joy in a United defeat but it just doesn’t really matter at this point. Wasn’t a great game of football in general, Knockaert is a tidy player though.

Mr.Nice Guy

bucketybuck wrote: »

I disagree completely, those factors are all irrelevant in my opinion, which you are free to disregard.

This team repeatedly puts in these types of performances and its regardless of the game or the circumstances. Meaningless end of season game? Or how about a vital CL quarter final? Christmas time game against team in relegation zone? Away game against deadly rivals Liverpool? Doesn't matter, they put in these shocking performances and we have the evidence to prove that. Hell, we even got proof of that in one game if people are prepared to acknowledge how ****ing useless they were in the first half against City.

This isn't about a Friday night end of season game, pretending that it is would be ignoring the bigger issues.

4 points against the deadly rivals Liverpool as you call them. A comeback victory over a Man City side that had run away with the league and who were talking up a historic moment where they would beat United to take the title. A comeback win over Spurs at Wembley - effectively an away game given Spurs had more familiarity with the ground - to reach the Cup final. These don't exemplify a team lacking in character. Is it where United need to be? Of course not, but lack of character ain't the issue.

United are still favourites for second place and have an FA Cup final to look forward to. Considerable improvement from where the team was last season.

blueser

martyos121 wrote: »

Well deserved Brighton, I’d normally take more joy in a United defeat but it just doesn’t really matter at this point. Wasn’t a great game of football in general, Knockaert is a tidy player though.

Same here. United obviously weren't too concerned with that game tonight. If they were, they wouldn't have put in a performance like that.

bucketybuck

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

They're only anomalies if you choose to discount the numerous examples where they have shown character.

Again, character is more than pumping the chest up every now and then and making a burst to catch up because you have gone behind after another **** show.

To me character would be players who actually put the work in every time they step onto the field, not just once in a while.

This lot don't have character, none of them have the Ronaldo/Keane style drive to push and push and push until they win. They don't have it and never will.

Mr.Nice Guy

bucketybuck wrote: »

Again, character is more than pumping the chest up every now and then and making a burst to catch up because you have gone behind after another **** show.

To me character would be players who actually put the work in every time they step onto the field, not just once in a while.

This lot don't have character, none of them have the Ronaldo/Keane style drive to push and push and push until they win. They don't have it and never will.

Sounds like your definition of character is going through a league season unbeaten and not allowing for any off-days whatsoever.

Two trophies last season, a Cup final this season, victories over all of the big sides in the league, but they don't have any character. Whatever you say mate.

adox

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

They're only anomalies if you choose to discount the numerous examples where they have shown character.

Well if the shows of character are in the minority by a long way over the season then yes I will conclude this team lacks character.

I’m not discounting games where they have shown character. The scarcity of games where they have shown character only strengthens my belief that this group of players lack character overall.