Brighton 3 Manchester Utd 2
It proved an excellent week for Sussex sport with 3 wins for the Sussex Sharks and consummated by Brighton HAFC’s first win in the Premier and second over Manchester Utd.
It was a thoroughly deserved victory and one for team spirit over expensive but fragile egos. Jose Mourinho rails publicly – am I alone in finding his ranting a bore? – about his lack of depth in defence when it was he who bought Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof for £61m and has England defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling on his bench.
Chris Hughton has no such depth of choice so when skipper Lewis Dunk came off with a foot injury it was the midfielder Leon Balogun who came on as his sub.
Brighton’s team performance was so complete that we struggled to find a man of the match. The sponsors gave it to Davy Propper but I would have chosen the old warhorse Glenn Murray, 35 years young, on the pitch for 80 minutes who scored the best of the 5 goals with a superb flick at the near post from Solly March’s cross. Pascal Gross, Gaeton Bong, Solly March and Anthony Knockaert were also well praised in the car on the way home.
It was instructive talking to Alan Tanner afterwards.
My view is that injuries and suspensions soon come thick and fast, not to mention loss of form, and by November your squad can be depleted by a third.
But for the moment stick with tried and tested and make the new boys, however expensive, earn their stripes.
It’s not really within my brief to comment on the opposition and no doubt the sports pages will be filled with Jose Mourinho anyway. I could not though resist watching him.
Sometimes he stands on the edge of his technical area micro-managing, occasionally even outside it, then he is sulking on the seats.
When Martial came off he publicly snubbed him. To me he is like a bloke I know in a £6 million mansion in Hove with a six figure salary forever moaning about his lot to others who have to make do with far less and do not complain.
He looks perilously close to losing his dressing room and the United powers that be. I certainly would not entrust another £100m to him to buy new defenders whom he might well disparage soon after signing.
Good old Chris, so calm, appreciative of his group in public, wishing them well when he transfers them, a role model for managers of every colour.
We’ve had our egomaniacs down on the coast like Brian Clough and – though not on that scale – Alan Mullery’s programme column rarely strays from himself whilst I see Gus Poyet has had a bust-up at Bordeaux which does not surprise me.
Our noisy and boisterous fans who have created Fortress Amex – we have one of the best home record outside the big boys – might just add “There is only one Chris Hughton!” to their repertoire.
