Newcastle - Home, Falmer Years
Manager - Steve Bruce (2019)
UNITED PREM records from 11/12 to 18/19; 5, 16, 10, 15, 18, (1 @ Champ's) 10, 13. Best finish = 5th, Worst finish = 18th, Ave finish = 12th.
C21; Ave = 11th (18yrs), Top four - 2 times, Top ten - 6 times from 18yrs, Relegated - 2 times.
Recent managers; Rafa Benitez (2016-19), Steve McClaren (2015-16), Alan Pardew (2013-15)

MAGPIES FANS Expectations - onward, upward and be really big in a much larger fish pond.
Odds @ start: top ten 7-2, stay up 1-3, relegated 2/1, bottom 9/1, SB first for sack 4/1

UNITED AWAY;
19/20 - P4 W1 D0 L3 F3 A11 GD-8 Pt3 Po16 = 0.75pt/gm or 37.5% of total points. Wins = 25%, Loss = 75%
18/19 - P19 W4 D8 L7 F18 A23 GD-5 Pt20 Po13 = 1.05pt/gm or 44.4% of total points. Wins = 21%, Loss = 36.8% - Rafa Benitez.
17/18 - P19 W4 D4 L11 F18 A30 GD-12 Pt16 Po10 = 0.84pt/gm or 36.3% of total points. Wins = 21%, Loss = 57.8% - Rafa Benitez.
16/17 - not Premier League - see below Season6, Rafa Benitez.
15/16 - P19 W2 D3 L14 F12 A41 GD-29 Pt9 Po18 = 0.47pt/gm or 24.3% of total points. Wins = 10.5% - Steve McClaren.
14/15 - P19 W3 D4 L12 F14 A36 GD-22 Pt13 Po15 = 0.68pt/gm or 33.3% of total points. Wins = 15.7% - Alan Pardew & John Carver.
13/14 - P19 W7 D1 L11 F20 A31 GD-11 Pt22 Po10 = 1.15pt/gm or 44.8% of total points. Wins = 36.8% - Alan Pardew.

Season9 Premier League (H) Sat 9/5/20 -
This was the last home fixture as our third PL campaign drew to a close. It had been another dramatic domestic run-in, hosting four big-six clubs in a row, so on the face of it entertaining United was less of a contest - albeit 8 months since we last met in the PL. But many Brighton fans still remembered last season here (see Season8 below) when Seagulls were left grounded during a traumatic & stressful springtime that cost Chris Hughton his job.

Stats: shape, ht, goals, poss %-%, on target, off target, corners, fouls, yellows, subs. MoM - . Gate - 30,xxx, Weather - .
1 Ryan, subs - 27 Button,
Prem: P37 . W D L . F A . W D L . F A . Pt Po = pt/gm. Wins = %, Loss = %

Newcastle
Start: P8 W2 D2 L4 F5 A13 GD-8 Pt8 Po16 = 1.00pt/gm. Wins = 25%, Loss = 50%
EFL Cup: 2nd rnd - Leicester 2pen4 1-1 (H)
FA Cup:
Aug: new manager - but in with usual suspects among bottom eight clubs and out of EFL Cup to boot.
Oct:
Halfway:
March:

Season8 Premier League (H) Sat 27/4/19 - 1-1 ~ Gross
The penultimate home fixture arrived with a revised teatime kickoff for PL reasons regarding pay tv coverage. And the situation to date was Albion badly needed to win and hope drop-zone rivals Cardiff lost their 3pm ko away at already relegated Fulham. That would ease increasing pressure to halt falling thru the trap door after our second Prem season. Nobody had seen the major collapse in form at previous fortress Amex coming quite so dramatically during 2019 but here we were in the run-in and it didn't make for comfortable reading. BHA home sequence to date was; wdl wwd wld wld lwl ll. Those last two defeats had been debacles and set off a stadium chorus of loud booing on final whistles. So writing was now on the blank wall to reverse that losing run and again go get three points - one way or another.
Albion were booed off at halftime having conceded a soft goal and not got it together at all. Chris Hughton's strategy of playing 442 had flopped and hosts didn't look like hitting visitors anywhere, anyhow or from any distance. Toon netted the opener with ease, finding space at a cross with unmarked strikers (18min). After the interval Hughton reshaped to 4411, leaving Andone in the stand, inserting March on flanks while Gross moved inside. Kayal soon pulled up short and limped off for Bissouma to replace. Then Knockaert arrived for Izquierdo and things now began to rock & roll. Suddenly Seagulls were swooping on Magpies area and causing them some problems. Great work by Bruno saw his deep cross headed back by Murray and Gross got there to nod thru the keeper (75min). Three sides of the Amex rose as one & went wild with delight, hardly believing blue&white were playing good stuff after many weeks watching drivel. Hughton said, 'it's my responsibility not to feel too much until we know that mathematically we are safe. But for sure the feeling at the moment is better than it was at half time.' Brighton fans waiting on concourses had cheered defeat of Cardiff prior to kickoff but then had to suffer for three quarters of this contest before relief became the prime emotion. We lived to fight another day but hoped the Welsh club were going down the following week to spare us any more ptsd from second season syndrome.
Stats; ht 0-1, goals 75-18, shape 442-541, poss 50%-50%, on target 2-1, off target 5-3, blocks 2-5, crosses 33-10, corners 7-4, o/s 3-0, tackles 11-22, fouls 7-10, yellows 2-3, subs 3-3. Gate 30,587. Weather - sunny but windy. MoM - March, impact sub.
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo, 13 Gross, 6 Stephens, 7 Kayal (8 Bissouma 49 Y), 19 Izquierdo (11 Knockaert 66), 10 Andone Y (20 March 45), 17 Murray. Subs - 27 Button, 3 Bong, 33 Burn, 9 Locadia.
Prem P36 . W6 D5 L7 F18 A24 . W3 D3 L12 F15 A31 . Pt35 Po17 = 0.97pt/gm. Wins = 25%, Loss = 52.7%

Total; P38 W12 D9 L17 F42 A48 GD-8 Pt45 Po13 = 1.18pt/gm. Wins = 31.5%, Loss = 44.7% - R Benitez
3qtrs; P29 W8 D7 L14 F26 A36 GD-10 Pt31 Po14 = 1.06pt/gm. Wins = 27.5%, Loss = 48.2%
Hlfwy; P19 W4 D5 L10 F14 A26 GD-12 Pt17 Po15 = 0.89pt/gm. Wins = 21%, Loss = 52.6%
Start; P10 W0 D3 L7 F6 A14 GD-8 Pt3 Po19 = 0.30pt/gm. Wins = 0%, Loss = 70% - Benitez.
EFL CUP; 2nd rnd north - Nott'm Forest 3-1 (A)
FA CUP; 4th rnd - Watford 0-2 (H), 3rd rnd - Blackburn 1-1 (H) 2-4 aet (A)
RB record; to Aug 18 - P104 W49 D21 L34 Wins = 47.1%
Aug; we assume it depends mostly with the Ashley affect... on Benitez. The club is big enough but is the squad capable to go again?
October; going into the 2nd quarter Magpies were in some d-z trouble. Out of EFL Cup to lev2 side.
New Year; oh dear, looks like it's gonna be a tougher second half than last term. Out of FA Cup.
March; lower mid table but unpredictable as to final placing.

Season7 Premier League (H) 24/9/17 - W 1-0 ~ Hemed
TV cameras set kickoff on a Sunday at 16:00 for a worldwide audience. This fixture, now at highest level, came seven months after Albion had lost to United here in the Championship on the last day of February. And what also stuck in Brighton fans throats since, was the fact BHA then handed NU the title in May, when failing to gain more than one point from the last three matches. Finishing as runners up wasn't exactly what Tony Bloom, Chris Hughton and Seagulls supporters wanted. So Bloom put more money into the pot and therefore Hughton added significantly to the squad during pre-season and into August - albeit strikers were conspicuous by absence. Opening Prem fixtures had been as tough as expected and survival was the main aim, now the elite league had finally been reached. The big talking point was, could Brighton regularly score enough goals to secure points to keep us out of the bottom three. On the day it was warm for time of year and perfect for footy in front of a sell-out Amex crowd.
Albion got 'revenge' but nobody wanted to see it recorded as a quote in print. And Brighton fans left the Amex happy they were averaging a little over 1pt/gm - which was necessary for ongoing survival. After a goalless first half Seagulls restarted on the front foot and soon went ahead. From a f-k by Gross, Stephens nodded down and Hemed turned the ball high into the net (51min). United threatened to restore parity and Albion were on the backfoot thereafter. Toon, backed by a near 3k support, brought on 3 subs to change the game. Likewise Murphy was introduced for Knockaert with the match still in balance. BHA held out and it was job done. Hughton said, 'we had to dig deep to see it out and show that bit of resilience. There wasn't a lot in it but overall I think we deserved it.'
Stats; shape 4411-4231, h-t 0-0, goal 51, poss 49%-51%, on target 3-5, off target 4-12, corners 2-8, o/s 1-1, fouls 6-8, yellows 2-1, subs 1-3. Gate 30,468 - ground record (away 2985).
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 29 Suttner, 11 Knockaert (15 Murphy), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 20 March, 13 Gross, 10 Hemed.
Prem P 6 . W 2 D 1 L 3 . F 5 A 7 . Pt 7 Po 13

Total; P38 W12 D8 L18 F39 A47 GD-8 Pt44 Po10 = 1.15pt/gm. Wins = 31.5%, Loss = 47.3% - Rafa Benitez. R2 Y53
3qtrs; P29 W7 D8 L14 F27 A40 GD-13 Pt29 Po16 = 1.00pt/gm. Wins = 24.1%, Loss = 48.2%
Hlfwy; P19 W5 D3 L11 F19 A29 GD-10 Pt18 Po15 = 0.94pt/m. Wins = 26.3%, Loss = 57.8%
Start; P10 W4 D2 L4 F10 A9 GD+1 Pt14 Po9 = 1.40pt/gm. Wins = 40%, Loss = 40%
Aug - large passionate crowds, a respected coach and previously successful squad. What could possibly go wrong?
New Year - caught up in the mad scramble to stay above the drop-zone.
March - around lower mid table in a tight bottom half points-wise. EFL & FA Cups early exits.

PREVIOUS PREM;
18/19 - P38 W12 D9 L17 F42 A48 GD-8 Pt45 Po13 = 1.18pt/gm. Wins = 31.5%, Loss = 44.7% - R Benitez
Mid table mediocrity after ongoing struggles with new players budget and club put up for sale. RB stayed in post tho.
17/18 - P38 W12 D8 L18 F39 A47 GD-8 Pt44 Po10 = 1.15pt/gm. Wins = 31.5%, Loss = 47.3% - Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard got on board as United drifted out of the elite, held the northeast giants together to win the Championship and precipated further elevated progress.
16/17 - not Premier League - see below, Season6, Rafa Benitez.
15/16 - P38 W9 D10 L19 F46 A65 GD-21 Pt37 Po18 = 0.94pt/gm. Wins = 23.6% - Steve McClaren.
United dropped out of the Prem and the ex-England manager was out of a job during March as well.
14/15 - P38 W10 D9 L19 F40 A63 GD-23 Pt39 Po15 = 1.02pt/gm. Wins = 26.3% - Alan Pardew & John Carver.
It was tight at the bottom right to the bitter end and United were one of six struggling clubs who failed to reach a 40pts total. AP left for Palace halfway through fixtures and John Carver did only just enough to ensure safety.
13/14 - P38 W15 D4 L19 F43 A59 GD-16 Pt49 Po10 = 1.28pt/gm. Wins = 39.4% - Alan Pardew, (P162 W61 D36 L65 Wins = 37.6%).
Magpies had a strictly middle of the road image that kept fans on the edge. Alan Pardew had been ongoing for over 3 years and it was all there in black & white.

FA CUP from 13/14; 3rd rnd, 3rd rnd, 3rd rnd, 4th rnd, 4th rnd, 4th rnd.
LEAGUE CUP; 4th rnd, 5th rnd, 3rd rnd, q-f, 2nd rnd, 2nd rnd, 2nd rnd.
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Season6 Championship (H) 28/2/17 - L 2-1 ~ Murray
This fixture got re-scheduled from 28/1/17 - due to a clash with FA Cup 4th round ties. Bizarrely both clubs were knocked out on that date by lower league opposition! But each had fielded a reserve side, hoping to progress anyway by big-name default into the 5th round. Since those late January debacles, Seagulls & Magpies swapped places at various times on top of the table during February. Now the crunch match had arrived and current leaders BHA were mindful of their home record against teams vying for automatic promotion last term. The Amex was almost a fortress this season but 2nd placed Magpies had a formidable record on the road during this campaign so far. Albion led the division by a single point, so victory for either team here would make them undisputed no.1.
Albion lost top spot in a frantic climax in front of tv cameras at a full Amex and Brighton fans were gutted to boot. Ref pointed to the spot when Murray got bundled over at a corner and he duly scored (14min). Then Pocognoli soon went off injured but BHA resisted visitors attacks for rest of that half. The second period was also like a stalemate until Magpies subbed for a striker. With ten minutes to go Stockdale punched out at a corner but the incoming shot deflected twice before going into the top corner as he & Tomori tried to clear (81min). Hughton responded with two further changes, Kayal & March. United also made another sub. Just prior to stoppage it was that man who drove in the winner as Dunk & Duffy tried to block while Stockdale dove the wrong way (89min). Albion were reeling and incapable of reply - shell-shocked and a spent force. Hughton said, 'we've been beaten by a very good side and our contribution to the game was very good. At times we didn't keep possession as well as we have in other games. I thought we started very well and over 90 minutes you are going to have difficult periods.' At end of the day Seagulls were retreating under pressure and Stockdale made some saves. But blue & white were not strong enough going forward to create & take enough chances to get a more positve result.
Stats; h-t 1-0, goals 14-81,89, poss 46%-54%, on target 6-8, off target 4-11, corners 3-6, o/s 1-1, fouls 12-11, yellows 3-1, subs 3-2, att 30,230
Stockdale, Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Pocognoli (Tomori), Knockaert (March), Stephens, Sidwell, Murphy, Baldock (Kayal), Murray
Champ's P 34 . W 21 D 8 L 5 . F 58 A 28 . Pt 71 Po 2

Season2 (H) 5/1/13 FA Cup r3 - W 2-0 ~ Orlandi, Hoskins
By bizarre coincidence, or luck of the draw, Albion again hosted the northeast Prem giants, twelve months since their previous encounter. United were in danger of getting sucked into a relegation scrap and hadn't yet won away in elite company this season. Also they'd conceded 25 goals on the road in return for merely four points. Toon had injury probs and their stars were indisposed, absent or being transferred. Once more this tie was selected for tv coverage but this time with a 12.30pm kick-off. Gus Poyet had most of his squad available for selection and apparently even Vicente was now fit. He hadn't played in the league to date and wasn't named sub previously either. Meanwhile there was talk of squad transfer activity during that open January window. On the day 21k attended after brunch at thirty quid per seat.
Newcastle's lack of first team regulars made for a more even playing field and Brighton duly took home advantage. The Poyet passing mantra held sway and Seagulls got forward in numbers when frequent opportunity arose. Just over the half hour, Bridge got right down to the by-line and cut one back. Orlandi juggled in the area and hooked the ball into the net (33min). Gus said, 'you want a moment that gives value for money and it was a sensational piece of control and a wonderful finish.' United made a double sub for the second period but it backfired and they got nowt. To make matters worse they lost their captain to two bookables and were reduced to ten men for most of that time. Gus sent on LuaLua around the hour mark and later introduced Hoskins. He duly made sure of a happy ending by running clear and bagging a late goal (87min) after good work by David. Albion had two thirds of possession, although visitors went 60-40 for territorial advantage. On/off targets were in single figures but the difference was in finding the net, where BHA edged it against a lacklustre outfit. Suddenly fans were not talking about anticipated transfers any more and wondering about round4 opponents.
Ankergren, David, Greer, El-Abd, Bridge, Hammond (Crofts), Bridcutt, Dicker, Barnes, Mackail-Smith (Hoskins), Orlandi (LuaLua)

Season1 (H) 28/1/12 FA Cup r4 - W 1-0 ~ Buckley
Both Cup competitions for Albion, in our very first year at the Amex, had previously seen likes of lowly Gillingham, plus Prem outfits Sunderland and Liverpool visiting and now Newcastle arrived from up north too. It had added excitement to our inaugural Championship season and also to coffers with Falmer sell outs. Brighton had been fortunate with home draws but only squeezed past Wrexham in r3replay via a penalty shoot-out in Wales. Gus Poyet was sending out teams playing football on the floor, who were confident enough to test those travelling elite sides. This tie was covered by TV, so k-o got put back to after 5pm. On a cold evening, the gate was over 21k. A nice little earner my son.
Newcastle dominated the match, which was confirmed by stats such as on/off targets, pass rates, possession and successful tackles. They might have won all the numbers but one vital fact emerged as temperature dropped - they couldn't score. Credit to BHA for defending resolutely and making it hard for Toon to register a goal. Albion operated 4123, where both Sparrow and JF-C were prepared to push on in support of CMS. Getting to the break goalless was encouraging for Seagulls, although the Prem big-boys shoulda easily been ahead but for poor finishing. Navarro came on after turn around and Harley joined him just over the hour with Albion still in it. On 76mins, Buckley broke down left flank and fired across the area. A defender deflected the low ball up and over his keeper for an og of sorts. Boots were flying in when visitors got frustrated and Ref was lenient to say the least. Albion clung on to a slender lead, Hoskins arriving very late to wind down the clock. It was a historic victory to add to the club's new scrapbook and almost felt like glory days of yore.
Brezovan, Calderon, Greer, Dunk, El-Abd, Sparrow (Navarro), Bridcutt, Forster-Caskey (Harley), Buckley, Mackail-Smith (Hoskins), Barnes.
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Withdean Era - from 1999 to 2011, no meetings.

Newcastle Away, Falmer Years
UNITED @ HOME;
19/20 - P4 W1 D2 L1 F2 A2 GD0 Pt5 Po16 = 1.25pt/gm or 62.5% of total points. Wins = 25%, Loss = 25% - S Bruce
18/19 - P19 W8 D1 L10 F24 A25 GD-1 Pt25 Po13 = 1.31pt/gm or 55.5% of total points. Wins = 42.1%, Loss = 52.6% - Rafa Benitez.
17/18 - P19 W8 D4 L7 F21 A17 GD+4 Pt28 Po10 = 1.47pt/gm or 63.6% of total points. Wins = 42.1%, Loss = 36.8% - Rafa Benitez.
16/17 - not Premier League - see below Season6, Rafa Benitez.
15/16 - P19 W7 D7 L5 F32 A24 GD+8 Pt28 Po18 = 1.47pt/gm or 75.6% of total points. Wins = 36.8% - Steve McClaren.
14/15 - P19 W7 D5 L7 F26 A27 GD-1 Pt26 Po15 = 1.36pt/gm or 66.7% of total points. Wins = 36.8% - Alan Pardew & John Carver.
13/14 - P19 W8 D3 L8 F23 A28 GD-5 Pt27 Po10 = 1.42pt/gm or 55.1% of total points. Wins = 42.1% - Alan Pardew.

Season9 Premier League (A) Sat 21/9/19 - 0-0
You didn't have to go way oop north pet to see the game live - pay tv profitably accommodated at teatime. Also highlights shown on motd for free around bedtime as usual for good measure. Eleven months ago Albion rocked up here, when Toon were an outline of what they should be, to make it well worth the journey for value (see season8 below). Now both club's managers/coaches were different but the same prize was at stake, namely picking up enough points during the first quarter (Q1) to hopefully forecast future mid-table mediocrity. That would be a great goal to aim for at this level, for sure. And guess what? Could this actually be our first six-pointer type of clash between ex-Championship title-holders and runners up? Well, suffice to say Albion had, a little too easily, 'handed over' that silverware to reside in a Tyneside trophy cabinet, so we'd still got to prove capable of taking this contest extra seriously. And the loser here would next be immersed within PL drop-zone peril, plus threats of going back to level2 as a result. As a fundamental, BHA had to: 1 - keep a cleans sheet, 2 - score an away goal.
Albion dominated possession, kept a clean sheet, strung a few moves together but failed to score. Stats show a lot of nice numbers but cannot reveal the lack of killer instinct BHA need to develop in order to enhance a basic points tally for survival. The game was there for taking but Toon competed enough to share spoils, while Seagulls flapped around the box. And of course they also had chances, which on another day may have soiled our sheet. Potter said, 'I am disappointed we did not win. Our performance level was good. We were just lacking in the final third but that will come.' All very fine but Brighton fans have been there before and proof of getting the best result is in scoring... as Hughton realised when Bloom's patience ran out during the run-in last term. It's a results driven business after all.
Stats; ht 0-0, goals none, shape 433-541, poss 29%-71%, on target 4-3, off target 5-6, blocks 2-7, o/s 0-3, crosses 19-17, corners 5-3, tackles 19-13, fouls 12-8, yellows 2-1, subs 3-3. Gate 43,316, away 1233. Weather - dry & mild. MoM - Alzate.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya, 15 Webster, 5 Dunk Y, 33 Burn, 46 Alzate, 13 Gross (3 Bong 81), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 18 Mooy (44 Connolly 70), 7 Maupay (8 Bissouma 82). Subs - 27 Button, 4 Duffy, 28 Baluta, 17 Murray.
Prem P6 . W0 D2 L1 F2 A4 . W1 D1 L1 F3 A4 . Pt6 Po15 = 1.00pt/gm. Wins = 16.6%, Loss = 33.3%

Season8 Premier League (A) Sat 20/10/18 - W 0-1 ~ Kayal
Albion took their trip right up to Northumberland a little earlier this time around (see season7) and was following the second international break (UEFA National League). Dunk had received a first call up but only sat on England's bench. Going into the fixture Albion's away form continued winless since beginning of last November, a tad short of 12 months ago. Points on the road had been hard to come by last season and also again this term to date. Mind you, Seagulls visited Watford (2-0), Liverpool (1-0), Southampton (2-2) & Man City (2-0) so far, which hadn't exactly figured as an easy start. On the day Chris Hughton selected an attacking side in these circumstances.
Albion broke their duck for the year and got the proverbial monkey off their back up north. The game was not without incident and Murray was carried off to hospital unconscious after a clash of heads (15m). Locadia deputised up front and did his best in lieu of our talisman. Then prior to the half hour Duffy rose at a corner, Izquierdo took a pop at his header and Kayal deflected it in (29m). The second period was backs to the wall defending where Seagulls were supreme. Magpies couldn't hit a barn door but Ryan held out for a clean sheet to boot. Late substitutions ensured BHA kept shape tactically and also faith to see it out to the death. Hughton said, 'Glenn is ok. There are rules with concussion. We faced a lot more shots than normal. Our keeper and centre halves were outstanding.' Brighton fans from the north who made it there had a rare occasion to celebrate victory and couldn't hardly wait until their heroes in green were back in their neck of the woods once more.
Stats; shape 4411-4411, h-t 0-1, goal 29, poss 68%-32%, on target 6-2, off target 12-4, blocks 9-2, crosses 41-10, corners 10-2, o/s 1-1, tackles 17-19, fouls 13-17, yellows 0-2, subs 1-3. MoM Kayal. Gate 50,329, away 1545.
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno (30 Bernardo 68), 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 16 Jahanbakhsh Y74, 6 Stephens, 7 Kayal Y43, 19 Izquierdo (8 Bissouma 80), 20 March, 17 Murray (9 Locadia 15). Subs - 27 Button, 14 Balogun, 11 Knockaert, 10 Andone.
Prem P9 . W2 D1 L1 . F7 A6 . W1 D1 L3 . F3 A7 . Pt11 Po12 = 1.22pt/gm. Wins = 33%, Loss = 44%

Season7 Premier League (A) 30/12/17 - 0-0
Going right up to the northeast for the last PL fixture of 2017 wasn't exactly an easy ride because the traditional New Year Day match was merely two days later. Xmas w/e games had seen a first win in eight overall for Albion since early November. Then in the Boxing Day contest in London it was a familiar return to losing plus failing to score. Results on the road had been, 2-0, 0-0, 2-1, 2-0, 0-3, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0, 2-0, 2-0, so there was obviously an ongoing problem with goal scoring. Once Albion went behind they had a proverbial mountain to climb - alarmingly there was also one contest where BHA had lost after leading. So in simple terms, score first and keep a clean sheet throughout. Part of the modus operandi was to play 451 variations on the road, which wasn't really cutting the mustard in the final third. To date Seagulls were not able to score from corners or set pieces and defenders & midfield weren't contributing to the meagre goals tally. A way had to be found to up the ante and find the net pdq!
Albion added a second goalless draw to their away stats on an afternoon when they could have gotten three points but for scoring that elusive goal. The numbers below tell the story of a game which probably didn't reach PL standard for offensive execution in the final third. The biggest problem from visitors point of view was failure to test the keeper and follow in to pick up second chances. Set pieces were once again cause for let down where Seagulls attempts on goal lacked quality. Ryan made at least two important saves and kept a clean sheet with help of a resolute rearguard in front of him. Hughton swapped Murray for Hemed after an hour but persisted with starting wingers even though Brighton fans anticipated 13million man Izquiero to appear any moment. Hughton said, 'it showed where both teams are. You have to play at a good level. Anything less and you get beaten. You have to stay in games.' Reflecting on 2017, BHA support couldn't really have too many complaints with the Championship & Premiership campaigns, although that foundation wasn't yet solid enough to predict remaining where we were after coming so far.
Stats; shape 442-4411, poss 45%-55%, on target 2-3, off target 5-5, blocks 4-2, crosses 19-21, corners 3-6, o/s 1-2, tackles 11-13, fouls 11-10, yellow 2-2, subs 3-1. Gate 52,209 (away 2210)
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 20 March, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 11 Knockaert, 13 Gross, 17 Murray (10 Hemed)
Prem P 21 . W 5 D 7 L 9 . F 15 A 25 . Pt 22 Po 12
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Season6 Championship (A) 27/8/16 - L 2-0
Albion had not met Magpies for a fixture in the modern era after turn of the century. While BHA rebuilt at Withdean & Falmer during the noughties & teenies, United were a Prem club until falling back into the second tier at end of last term. And were pre-season favourites to go straight back up as they had as title winners in 2010, when spending a single season in the Championship. Seagulls went to St James Park on a roll, being unbeaten in league & cup to date. Chris Hughton had retained bulk of players and also enhanced the squad in close season. On paper we were a stronger side than previously, when outsiders to challange for automatic promotion. In the event Brighton had reached play-offs for the third time in five years, missing auto-promo on goal difference. Those outfits with Prem experience took all 3 places to go up and Hughton knew a repeat of last year's consistent form & unbeaten runs was maybe tougher this time around.
In front of 49k, Albion gave a debut to their most expensive signing in Shane Duffy at cenre back. But alas, he was unable to help keep a collective clean sheet as visitors were undone at two set pieces. Seagulls went a goal behind when failing to mark properly at a f-k which was headed past Stockdale - who did get a touch (15min). The first half display was below par and Magpies were exploiting our 4411 shape to control midfield. Just before the interval Baldock was booked for a rash challenge. Just after the break he was sent off for a similar infringement against the keeper (55min). A little past the hour mark United scored direct from a f-k as Stockdale stood still (63min). Hughton then made a triple change as he accepted BHA's fate. Norwood, LuaLua & Hemed came on and Brighton went to 442. Travellers gave as good as they got with ten men stats-wise but were on a hiding to nothing. Hughton said, 'in the second half with more of the ball, we had a chance to get back into the game. Newcastle didn't create lots of chances.' It was a long way to go for Brighton fans and many went home disappointed because in truth, Seagulls could perform better on the long road.
Stats; h-t 1-0, goals 15, 63, poss 55%-45%, on target 4-2, off target 5-5, blocks 5-4, corners 2-3, o/s 3-2, fouls 22-13, yellows 4-2, red 0-1, subs 3-3, att 49,196.
Stockdale, Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell (Norwood), Kayal, Skalak (LuaLua), Baldock, Murray (Hemed).
Champ's P 5 . W 2 D 2 L 1 . F 8 A 4 . Pt 8 Po 8