Pete Couhig January Window Review
Highly advise watching the latest pre-match drills interview with Matt & Pete.
Talks about us being right on the line of SCMP and how the AAH2.0 move gave us extra headroom this window, which allowed us to make the final few deadline day signings. Also gives us more headroom next transfer window.
Explains how the Brighton staff supposedly ran some analytics to suggest that our team should be in the top 8 this season based on their data - obviously take that with a large pinch of salt.
Very enthusiastic about the importance of the development squad, which holds the keys to sustainability.
"We have a distinctly different view of management - it doesn't involve firing a young manager when they go through a rough patch. We're better than our results right now."
It's generally quite an infectious interview which gives hope and positivity for the future, even when sprinkled with a portion of delusion.
Comments
There’s a lot of luck in football (and that’s one of the things that makes it so good) - but I would say we’ve not been particularly unlucky this season. We’ve just not played that well. If analytics suggest we should be in the top 8 then either the wrong things are being measured or the analysis is being misinterpreted.
I like the philosophy about sacking managers though.
The only analytics I know is scoring more goals than the other team. There seems to be an awful lot of mumbo-jumbo nonsense going on these days just put the ball in the back of the net more than the other lot and you’ll win.
But to score you need to attack. Hopefully Bloomfield will now desert his negative tactics, particularly having regard to the new signings.
Having survived the long and lonely summer under Sanchez, riddled with doubt as to whether we would capture Colin Greenacre from, I think, Mansfield only for the deal not to happen, this window has been incredibly exciting, about 7 in 7 out-ish.
We are backing the Blooms.
Whatever happens next it won't be for lack of trying off the pitch in terms of recruitment.
And hats off to recruiting the people who do the recruitment.
As a fan watching that’s fine, but if you were the management team it wouldn’t be very effective to say ‘just score more goals, lads.’
Analytics gives you a better understanding of the things the team (and individuals within it) need to do better to increase the chances of scoring goals. And as a manager that data should be actionable - allowing you to tweak things on the back of that info that leads to improvements.
But analytics isn’t needed to know we’ve not been a good team this season. Even without knowing the scores, anyone would just need to watch us a few times to see our struggle to play cohesive and effective football.
(in response to @Mr67)
I like Pete, he's a great cheerleader (sometimes literally) for the club. The loss of Bayo and GA left a huge personality void and Pete was publicly AWOL for a while too - and I am sure there was good reasons there. As a result the club felt like it had run out of puff. I agree with him on the not sacking a young manager, and I think that the vast majority of the fans agree with that especially with who the young manager is.
My only concern about Pete is he loves being a fan. He loves the game. He loves wins. He loves the players. One day he is going to have to make hard decisions and I am not sure he is balanced in the head v heart department. I know I would be crap as a director / owner of a football club as I have a squad of 50 where I never let anyone go and failing manager just cos he was nice and I had met his kids.
so exciting to be in the running for the Brighton analytics trophy as we approach the business end of the season
There's a lot of F-bomb muting of Pete !
Great to hear about Bloomfield talking about mental strength and his experience of being written off as a player several times. Starting to think and hope persistence with him will pay off but might take a while.
I think Pete is a great fan, but with his past history in business he won't be up for the hard decisions when needed. I admire him and Rob not taking the easy way out and sacking the manager as a gut reaction. How many respected and successful managers needed to be trusted at the beginning of their careers when things were not going well. Also, sacking the manager during the transfer window might well mean a new manager would not have been able to bring in new players so would have to work with the existing squad.
We all knew we needed a goal scorer, left back and strong midfielder and that is what Pete and MB managed to do, as well as defensive cover as it looks like Forino could be out for a time. Last Saturday's admittedly awful first half was followed by a second half which surely was as a result of both MB demanding an improvement in the half time talk and the players determinedly trying to put things right.
Agreed the recent performances were very poor, with a bit of misfortune thrown in, but with the additional players and Richard Kone, who seems to be the player we have needed for years, the future looks bright.
Also, Wolves, a club with limited resources and who develop their own youngsters obviously value our approach enough to trust us with loan players, a compliment to our strategy.
Good times are coming?
Last Saturday's admittedly awful first half was followed by a second half which surely was as a result of both MB demanding an improvement in the half time talk and the players determinedly trying to put things right.
And a referee practically throwing the ball in their net for us.
I'm not sure Wolves, a club who have spent well over £600m in the last seven years or so, can be said to have limited resources!
I'm sure we had an even more underwhelming pursuit of Steve Anthrobus one summer too.
Didn't realise he is now "Sporting Director", must've missed that announcement. Does that mean we don't have a CFO/FD any more?
Sorry to be very outdated but what does "SCMP" stand for?
On the other side of it, I think he is much more approachable than Andrew Howard was when he was in the role (no disrespect to him I might add)
Salary Cost Management Protocol
Salary Cap Management Protocol.
But I've no idea how to explain that to you, because I don't know myself!
Scampi, Chips and Mushy Peas I think.
Great to see Pete looking so engaged. Appreciate the depth he went into in this interview.
Although it must be tough viewing for the ‘Rob’s on his way out and Pete’s on a jolly’ crowd.
A reasonable explanation od SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol) can be found here - https://www.financialfairplay.co.uk/scmp.php
Interesting that there is virtually nothing other than an out of date press release and this https://www.efl.com/governance/financial-regulation on the EFL site.
Glad to see someone put a comedy one in rather than the dull real answer.
Good interview. It’s open and honest and puts to bed all the stuff about disengaged owners.
Of course, business done and lessons hopefully learned, it’s now about getting the results. We have had some bad luck, but it’s easier to ride that if you create and finish chances - something that even the most optimistic soul would admit has been lacking this season.
Have to say I enjoy Pete’s enthusiasm and passion. Does not sound the Couhigs are going anywhere soon. Clearly they believe Bloomfield is the man. Squad looks strong on paper. Now need to put all the positive stats into actual results which is all that matters.
"Last Saturday's admittedly awful first half was followed by a second half which surely was as a result of both MB demanding an improvement in the half time talk and the players determinedly trying to put things right."
I'd say Fleetwood having their best player sent off played quite a big part
That and the ref giving us 100s of penalties. That helped too.
Imagine a ref giving us penalties for handball when their players touch the ball with their hands.
Yeah one of them was absolute stone wall haha.
On current law interpretation both stone wall. Are you really complaining that we were given the penalties?