Brighton falter & new cricket season starts
Brighton were badly beaten 3-0 at the Amex last night by Aston Villa. We played well without creating too many chances.
The number 10 position poses a problem for Fabian Hürzeler since Pascal Groß departed back to Germany.
Six players have been tried there but the most obvious candidate is Georgino Rutter, acquired from Leeds for £40 million.
Unfortunately he is now out injured for the rest of the season. Hürzeler acquired Groda from Mainz but he looks more of a winger than a 10.
Critical fans question Hürzeler.
True we are competing for Europe, but the recent expensive project of acquiring youth is not working out.
Some say that Graham Potter and Roberto de Zerbi profited from a brilliant chairman in Tony Bloom, a superb recruitment team and low expectation from fans for whom survival is still the main aim.
Others – more critical – believe the club should have recruited Dan Ashworth (ex-Director of Football at Manchester Utd) and that Hürzeler is too young and inexperienced.
I don’t think he is in immediate danger but if the Seagulls get off to a bad start next season he may be.
Sussex CCC will start their season back in the First Division after a decade away next Friday with a march at Warwickshire.
They then play Somerset at home, Nottinghamshire away and Surrey over Easter.
That is a baptism of fire.
One cricketer responding to the challenge is Tom Haines. Three seasons ago he was topping the batting averages. He was an unhappy captain under the Kirtley/Salisbury regime but is responding better to Paul Farbrace. A good season and he could be selected for England, an indifferent one and he’s toast.
