Howe among leading candidates for Newcastle job

It was a bad day for Newcastle United fans yesterday as Rafa Benitez's reign at the club came to an end. But now it will probably be bad news for another club as Mike Ashley looks to grab a proven manager in the Premier League. While Gary Monk and Jose Mourinho are the leading contenders, Bet888 make Eddie Howe a 9-1 shot for the vacant position, while the BBC had Howe as second favourite in the first few hours after the announcement that Benitez was leaving.

Eddie Howe is one of the favourites with the bookies for Newcastle job.

I was surprised to even hear that Howe was on any of the Betting boards for the Newcastle job. I have to say that Newcastle is a big club and for Howe it would be great for his CV if he moved there and did well, but Eddie has not had the best of seasons and there are several other candidates who should be well ahead of him for consideration.

There will come a time when Howe does look at a new challenge. We may or may not like that when it comes, and even now some might consider that Howe is keeping AFCB afloat in the Premier League, but hasn't managed to build the club into a consistent top 10 side. If that is success for AFCB then Howe is on the verge of repeating a top 10 finish, but keeping there is not easy. What he does have is the backing of the board and owner at AFCB which is half the battle for a manager.

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Whoever steps into the Newcastle job will have to work with the notoriously difficult Mike Ashley and the availability of funds for transfers looks doubtful considering that Benitez couldn't get his hands on any money. So AFCB fans can expect Howe to slip further down the prospects for the Newcastle job. To me it says that there aren't many managers that haven't got a damaged record, but Chris Hughton would be my bet for a return to the Toon.

Rival Lines: 'It all goes back to Hughton's change of formation,' says We Are Brighton

Rival Lines

Match Preview: Brighton v AFCB

Blogger Interview: We are Brighton

Twitter: @wearebrighton

This week I've been chatting with Scott at We are Brighton. Fresh from a trip to Wembley where Brighton came close to shocking one of the best sides in Europe, Brighton have more pressing concerns of only being five points above the relegation zone with their seven games to go. Those games in hand could be Brighton's safety net, but they probably need to get points against teams like Bournemouth when they have other fixtures against the likes of Spurs, Arsenal, Wolves and Man City.

CC: Were you surprised at how close Brighton pushed Man City in the Fa Cup Semi-Final?

WAB: Very! City obviously didn't play anywhere near as well as they can do, but the fact it was a one-off game certainly seemed to help us. Chris Hughton is a very conservative manager by nature and that means that when we face one of the top six in the Premier League, we tend to defend at all costs to protect our goal difference. On Saturday, it obviously didn't matter how many we conceded which seemed to result in the players having a little more freedom to go on the attack. Hopefully, Hughton will look at how that made us more of a threat and stick with it in the future.

CC: Did the cup run and day at Wembley make up for the struggles in the league?

WAB: There is a surprisingly high proportion of Albion fans who would happily be relegated if it meant winning the FA Cup. I was very much in that camp; a day out at Wembley and Lewis Dunk lifting one of the most famous trophies in the world would mean much more than watching Brighton finish between 10th and 17th in the Premier League every season. Whilst the media and the bigger clubs will tell you that the competition is dying, it seems to be the opposite in Sussex. We sold out the Amex for both our home ties against West Bromwich Albion and Derby and our away allocations against yourselves and Millwall. It's certainly proven to be a welcome distraction and I hope that we have a real good go at winning it again next season as well.

CC: What have been the reasons for the drop in league form in 2019?

WAB: It all seems to go back to Hughton's decision to change formation. Around the start of December, he moved away from the 4-4-1-1 that had been so successful in our first 18 months in the Premier League in favour of a 4-3-3. The idea behind the change was to try and make us more of an attacking threat, but all it seems to have done is remove the defensive solidity that underpinned our survival last year. It also doesn't play to Glenn Murray's strengths at all as he no longer has two out-and-out wingers feeding him crosses, so we've blunted out best striker as well. Given that we've only won two league games since the end of December, I'm astounded that Hughton is still sticking with it.

CC: Should Glenn Murray be starting more games than he does?

WAB: Not in this formation. He is still our main man - and there is a completely separate argument to be had about why we are still relying on a 35-year-old striker we initially signed 12 years ago from Rochdale to get the majority of our goals in the Premier League - but he just doesn't seem to be able to play in a 4-3-3. Florin Andone is much better suited to leading the line in this formation, but he seems to be made out of glass and will get a run of up to five games and then be out for another five.

CC: Is Chris Hughton still moving Brighton forward or has he started to plateau?

WAB: Some fans seem to think he has hit what Gus Poyet loved to call "the glass ceiling" and that if we want to move onto the next level, we need a new man in charge. But you only have to look at the likes of Stoke post-Pulis, Southampton post-Puel, Charlton post-Curbishley, West Ham post-Allardyce to see what happens when a club gets ideas above their station and moves on a successful manager. We should have enough to survive this season because of the excellent first half of the campaign we had but it could be a big summer for Hughton and the recruitment team as if we start 2019-20 as we are ending 2018-19, then we could be in big relegation bother in a years time.

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CC: Where do Brighton need to strengthen to get a higher finish in the league next season?

WAB: If Hughton is going to persist with 4-3-3, then he needs to get a holding midfielder in. Dale Stephens is currently playing in that pivot role but he looks ill-equipped to handle the unique demands playing at the base of the midfield requires. We also need a striker who can play in it - essentially, a fitter version of Andone. The only trouble with that is every other Premier League side will be looking for that striker and we aren't likely to outbid many clubs as Tony Bloom runs a very prudent ship.

CC: Do you feel Brighton are established in the Premier league now?

WAB: No. I don't think any club outside of the big six can feel established really with the possible exception of Everton. The division from 7th down to 20th is normally so tight that all it can take is a poor run of results and you can get sucked from one end to the other. We're finding that out the hard way - we were 12 points clear of the relegation zone around Christmas time but could be in it by 10pm on Tuesday night.

CC: How should Brighton line up against AFCB for this game?

WAB: If Hughton is going to play 4-3-3, he needs to start Andone. I'd also drop Alireza Jahanbakhsh who has done absolutely nothing so far since signing for £16m from AZ Alkmaar in the summer and replace him with either Solly March or Jose Izquierdo. In our last home game against Southampton we were so slow, and Andone, March and Izquierdo would add some much needed pace.

CC: If Brighton don't win the game will you be more worried about the threat of relegation or are you confident Brighton will be safe?

WAB: Saturday is important, but Tuesday night at home to Cardiff is even bigger. If we lose against Bournemouth and Cardiff beat Burnley on Saturday and Cardiff then win at the Amex in midweek, we'll be in the relegation zone. With our final three games of the season against Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester City, that is going to be a very dangerous position to get out of.

CC:What is your score prediction?
WAB:  I'm banking on the fact that Bournemouth have nothing to play for will count in our favour and we take a bit of confidence from Saturday's game against Manchester City and end up winning 2-1. Having said that, it would be typical for Brighton to push one of the best teams in Europe all the way and then get turned over 4-0 at home a week later. So who knows!

CC: It was intriguing to hear Scott's opinions on Brighton's tough season and how they enjoyed the cup run even if it wasn't ultimately successful and has left Brighton wondering of they are going to get enough points to get safe quickly. While I wouldn't want to swap AFCB's league position for Brighton I can't help but feel their fans have had a more exciting season than Bournemouth. Hopefully, AFCB can try and recapture some sparkle on the pitch and give us some fast improving memories of 2018-19. But we go into this game knowing that it is basically the decider between the two teams having had one win each in the league and FA Cup so far this season.

You can also read some of my answers from Scott's questions on We Are Brighton this weekend.

Score Predictions
Send in your score predictions for Brighton v AFCB to @CherryChimes on Twitter. We will select a winner form the correct scores to win a T-shirt.

Fixture calendar gives AFCB chance of a better start in 2018/19

The fixtures for the Premier League were released yesterday with little fanfare on the day that the World Cup got underway in Russia. But just like all the teams in the World Cup, the Premier League clubs will want to win their first game. Bournemouth have not manage that in their last three attempts, but the fixture computer has been a little kinder than it might have been by giving the Cherries a home game against newly-promoted Cardiff City on 11 August.

AFCB officially displayed the new fixtures shortly after 9am yesterday.

The first month will also see games against West Ham and Everton. Bournemouth will also have to play Chelsea before the first international break. It is encouraging that the Cherries won't have to play another top six side from last season then until November, when they'll entertain both Man Utd and Arsenal. The Christmas period seems just as hard as always with Man City, Liverpool, Spurs and Man Utd on call, but they have to be played at some point. The Boxing Day fixture is highly likely to be popular with a first visit to Tottenham's new stadium.

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The home derby against Southampton comes early in October and it will be interesting to see which of the two clubs is doing best by that stage. Brighton don't feature at Dean Court until just before Christmas so it doesn't look like the Cherries first points will come against Chris Hughton's side like they did last season.

We'll have to wait until the second half of the season for the visits of the other newly promoted clubs to Dean Court and Wolves and Fulham will know if they are doing well by that stage. Just like last season though AFCB end the season with an away game. It isn't such a long distance haul though in having Crystal Palace on 12 May and for me it is always the closest game to my doorstep so I'll be looking forward to that one! But some have already pointed out that the fixture computer doesn't like to give the Cherries a home final game.

18/19: Palace away 17/18: Burnley away 16/17: Leicester away 5/16: Man Utd away
14/15: Charlton away 13/14: Millwall away 12/13: Tranmere away
Whether the fixture list gives one team more of an advantage than any other is hard to prove, and TV viewing will alter a good number of the fixture dates in the end. The fact is everyone has 38 games to get the points they need and every season it doesn't look any easier. Still, in Eddie we trust. UTCIAD!

Meanwhile, L'Equipe is reporting that Max Gradel is to be sold to Toulouse for EUR2m in a permanent move for the Ivorian.

Southgate's World Cup - Robbie Williams kicks off at the World Cup

To overtake Brighton is Bournemouth's big carrot

Happy New Year!

Brighton & Hove Albion now sit just two points above the Cherries and Bournemouth now have the opportunity to potentially enter 2018 as the highest place southern club if they can get a win against Brighton today. Brighton have been picking up points though at home and they have managed to hold some good teams at the Amex like Burnley, Everton and Southampton. They are quite the draw specialists, but Bournemouth will be aiming for more from this game.

Brighton at Bournemouth earlier in the season 

Brighton's weakness has probably been upfront. While Glenn Murray gives them good height and presence in the forward line they have not seen Tomer Hemed have as big an impact on games as he might have. Jose Izquierdo has probably played more games than he might have if Sam Baldock had been fit, while Isah Brown has yet to find the net. Chris Hughton might not have that many options, but Pascal Gross has been a bright light, scoring against Watford in their last home win.

Anthony Knockaert and Solly March were match winners in the Championship and they have had to step up this season. Dale Stephens and Davy Pröpper have also been involved in most games but have not been hot in front of goal. What Brighton do well though is compete and they are good at grinding out results. Apart from the 1-5 Liverpool match they have not been embarrassed so Bournemouth know they will be tested.

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Brighton come into this game after a long trip to Newcastle which won't be ideal for them. But they did get an away point so they will be thinking they can build on that. Whether it feels like a derby or not these are three points that both teams will feel they can take so I'm hoping for an open game.

It will be a return to Brighton for Steve Cook of course and he may feel slightly under more pressure than others to have a good game. He has been trying to get forward for more goals and it wouldn't surprise me if he is one to watch in this fixture.

Brighton Home Form
DDLDW

AFCB Away Form
WDDLL

Possible AFCB line up

AFCB Subs: Boruc, A Smith, Simpson, Surman, L Cook, Pugh, Mousset

The Guardian Half time report- see Cherry Chimes' entry

Cherry Chimes' January newsletter is out today. It includes the special newsletter article - Avoiding defeat will get you safety - and it reports on what has been a record month for Cherry Chimes. 

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Brighton arrive confident at Dean Court

Brighton & Hove Albion have done well in their first few games of the season. An away draw at Watford was followed up with a morale boosting 3-1 win at home against WBA and losing to Leicester City and Man City is no disgrace. But do we really know how good Chris Hughton's side is yet?

Bournemouth can start their south coast rivalries off with a win tonight.

I expect everyone knows the name of Pascal Gross by now after his heroics last weekend, but his signing from FC Ingolstadt 04 hardly raised a ripple of interest outside the Sussex coastline. Pascal impressed though with his desire to run at goal against WBA, and AFCB's midfield players could take some of that on board themselves. The big hope that took the Championship by storm for Brighton last season is Anthony Knockaert, but he may need a few games before we see him at his very best at this level.

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Brighton had not scored before last weekend, so it will be interesting to see how attack minded they are away from home. If Chris Hughton sets his side to defend deep and play on the break he has to have plenty of faith in his back  line and keeper. Mathew Ryan has only let in five goals in the four matches so far played and he has big defenders around him in the shape of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy who will both represent a danger at corners and free kicks.

Brighton do have their problems though in scoring and their forward line could be stronger. Tomer Hemed was expected to leave the club last summer and yet with Glenn Murray just back from an ankle knock, Izzy Brown out since the first match against Man City and Sam Baldock yet to make a start – this game could be much harder for AFCB if Hughton had more options up front.

AFCB Home Form
LL

Brighton Away Form
LD

Match preview on Ask the Fans

Possible AFCB team
4-4-1-1 Boruc (GK), A Smith (RD), Francis (CD), S Cook (CD), Daniels (LD), Ibe (RM),
L Cook (CM), Surman (CM), Pugh (LM), King (FW), Defoe (FW)

Subs
Begovic (GK), Mings (CD), Aké (CD), Gosling (CM), Arter (CM), Mahoney (RM), Mousset (FW)

Are Brighton this season's under achievers?

Every time I look at the table I wonder what an earth are Brighton doing down there. They should be in a much higher position in the table and yet at this time of the season surely the table does not lie. While many of their fans will blame Sami Hyypia's reign for the plight of the team I believe Brighton's players are capable of greater things than they have achieved to date.

When Gus Poyet left the club it was the end of a huge era for them. Gus was their link with the past and the Withdean stadium as well as their hope for a brighter future at the Amex. They perhaps lost a bit of that drive and vision at some point and the disappointment of not winning through in the play-offs is a warning to AFCB fans that what looks good today may not look so good tomorrow.

It could have gone better for Brighton this season.

In Chris Hughton I see a manager who is stable and has good values that has brought Brighton much closer to safety than they were at the start of the year. Now they have a clear goal and even with a few set backs they are on course to secure Championship football next season. But is that good enough for such a club? I expect many of their supporters would say that they should be nearer to where the Cherries are in the table and perhaps they will be up there again in 10 months time. But a defeat to AFCB on Friday night will have the Seagulls looking over their shoulder just a bit.

Under achievers they may have been this season, but I would say that Fulham are even bigger under achievers. They must be just glad that Millwall, Wigan and Blackpool are in even more trouble.  

The Cherries didn't get a win last time at the Amex so Simon Francis, Charlie Daniels,
Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook will be hoping to at least keep a clean sheet. 

The Seagulls Love Review Rival Lines has not materialised, but if it does come in I'll put it up later. Safe journey to those going to the match tonight. I'll be there and on All Departments' podcast review of the game over the weekend if all goes well. UTCIAD!

Finally, well done to Eddie Howe on winning SkyBet's March Manager of the Month in the Championship - I hope AFCB can buck the usual trend and keep winning despite the award!

Brighton are no pushovers at home

It was only back on 3rd April when Norwich were down at Brighton's Amex stadium and the Canaries were certainly delighted to come away with a 0-1 win thanks to a Bradley Johnson goal. Brighton tend to keep possession well at home and deny opponents too much time on the ball. They have beaten Derby and Ipswich at home since the new year and AFCB cannot expect an easy ride against this team.

With Brighton on 45 points and still having five games to go they are not mathematically safe yet, but it would have to be a poor run of results and something spectacular from either Wigan or Millwall to catch the Seagulls now. Brighton fans will write this season off, but they won't hesitate to celebrate a minor victory over the Cherries if they get the chance and watching their team against AFCB down at the Goldsands Stadium last November I know they have enough about them to make this possibly the most difficult match left on the Cherries' fixture list.

I hope the weather is a bit better than last time we visited the Amex.

While Brighton have not been setting the league alight with their goal tally, they don't exactly give that many away either. their last five games have not seen more than two goals scored in each match and Brighton have only let two goals in during those five games. Their back four in their last match against Rotherham consisted of Bruno, Greg  Halford, Lewis Dunk and Joe Bennett while Stockdale has been keeping goal.

Their much talked about striker for his goal celebrations in particular is Kazenga Lua Lua, but he has only scored three league goals all season. Chris O'Grady, the former Barnsley striker was brought in to bolster their attack last summer but he has netted just one league goal since his arrival. Craig Mackail-Smith is on the same league total of one, so you can see where some of the problems have been for Brighton. Yet, they have a strong midfield with Rohan Ince and Joao Teixeira as well as Forster-Caskey who I see as all good players.

AFCB prepare to take on the Seagulls again.

Chris Hughton has not been happy with his sides blocking of crosses and you just get the feeling that this could be a game when Kenwyne Jones might get some joy if he can get on as a second half substitute for the Cherries. Before that though I expect Eddie Howe to feel that his side is good enough to craft a way through the Seagull's defences with the kind of form that the Cherries have been in at home, but away from home the Cherries need to be more clinical than they have been of late. The aim will be to give David Stockdale a torrid time, although I have heard that he could be a doubt for the game.

Brighton Home Form
WWWDL

AFCB Away Form
WLWDD

Do check out our Rival Lines with The Albion Roar as well for more Match Preview views.

Rival Lines: Will The Albion Roar cry penalty before a ball is kicked?

Rival Lines

Match Preview: Brighton v AFCB
Blogger and Podcaster Interview - The Albion Roar
Follow on Twitter @Albionroar

We nearly did not have a Brighton Rival Lines and my usual contact did not come through but I had a mad dash to try and find a Seagull site that I could talk to before Friday's match and I was really pleased to come across The Albion Roar podcast and Blog. Who did I find there? Well I threw my questions over to Alan Wares who is just full of information on all things Seagulls and if you have not visited The Albion Roar I suggest you do so immediately after you hear how he got on with my questions on the Blue and White shirts from down the road.

CC: Where do you think the season turned round for Brighton - is there a particular game when you thought that has sparked something?

AR: It was probably Nathan Jones’ second and final game in temporary charge - away at Fulham in December. The fans were down, the team seemed shot of confidence and yet managed to pluck an excellent result of somewhere that no one really expected. It got us to realise that the team could get out of the mess it had got itself into if it stopped feeling so sorry for itself.

CC: What has Chris Hughton done so well to get more out of the team?

AR: Hard to say. Under Sami Hyypia, no-one could work out what it was he was trying to do - unlike Gus Poyet and Oscar Garcia. It’s not evident the players knew either. Chris has brought some stability to the side - and the ludicrous policy of squad rotation has largely stopped. Hughton is fulfilling his one key objective this season - survival in this division.

CC: Which player has been the strongest for you during the run-in so far?

AR: During the run-in, probably Rohan Ince. He is a young, though enormous holding midfielder who is pretty agile for someone topping out at 6’3”. He played poorly under Hyypia (but then, everyone did) after impressing in his first season last season. He has regained some of his form, though as a youngster is still prone to the odd howler. If he plays, expect to see some telescopic-legged challenges.

CC: Brighton still have to play Watford and Middlesbrough so you could have a big say in who goes up. Do you think that is good for the Brighton players that none of the games will be meaningless - I imagine you think Brighton are safe now?

AR: As professionals, I’d expect the players to be up for every game anyway. We actually have a not unreasonable record against the top six this season. We’re still looking over our shoulders. We believe another five or six points ought to be enough. As much as other team are in the mire, it ain’t over til it’s over.

CC: Does it say it all this season in what has gone wrong for Brighton when Lewis Dunk is your top scorer and do you expect new strikers in the summer?

AR: It doesn’t say it all. I would expect the likes of Dunk to weigh in with half a dozen goals a season. But you’re right - our forward line has been pathetic all season. During the early part of the season there was little or no creativity in midfield. Now, the forward is exceptionally wasteful. Chris O’Grady aside, we would be expecting a wholesale clear-out of what are supposed to be our goalscorers during the summer.

CC: Do you think Brighton are very far off the pace to being a top six side again next season?

AR: Yes. I will be astonished (though delighted) if we can find - in one summer - the calibre of players required to be as good as those who have left over the past 18 months, and therefore return us to the top six.

CC: I was most impressed with Joao Carlos Teixeira at Dean Court has he started to control games more often for you this season?

AR: Tex is infuriating and brilliant in equal measure. He can run through many defences at will, but he still must find the right to torment and the right time to pass. Can go missing for periods too.

CC: Brighton played well against Bournemouth at Dean Court earlier in the season in what was one of the Cherries hardest games. So do you feel the TV cameras and ‘derby- nature’ of these games brings the best out in Brighton?

AR: Not necessarily. We were on TV v Millwall at Christmas - one of our most inept performances in a long time. I thought the game at Bournemouth ebbed and flowed, and though we did well in patches, we were always playing catch-up. I love the attitude of the players for the most part, but the quality as a team - and individual choices at a given moment - can be maddening, whether on TV or not.

CC: With AFCB strong forward players coming at Brighton, what do you think Brighton’s best way is to stop Bournemouth in this game?

AR: Nothing, You always get a very moody penalty at Brighton (well, two in the past three visits). There is a sweepstake on the Brighton forums as to when (not if) you get one this time.

CC: Can we have a score prediction for the game please?

AR: Nope. I’m not Tim Lovejoy.

CC: I see that Alan is keeping his prediction close to his chest but he is not shy when wanting to let you all know where you can find some more of his work and views. So I think he has earned this plug - Alan Wares is a co-presenter on The Albion Roar, an independent Brighton fans’ radio show on Radio Reverb 97.2FM in Brighton & Hove, on www.radioreverb.com and on podcast at www.albionroar.co.uk

Remember to send your score predictions in to @peterbell19 to get your tweet up on Cherry Chimes.

As for the penalty call, I do think AFCB are getting a reputation for going down a bit easy as I have said before. It is not something I like as I am not a fan of diving. I think referees have said no to a lot of AFCB's penalty shouts that may be should have been pens, but equally the Cherries style of play is going to draw penalties from many defences which simply have not been able to cope with the forward runs and pace of players like Wilson and Pugh. I can't say that AFCB fans wouldn't mind a few more penalties though!

There is a Match Highlights summary of the Birmingham game now up on the Key Match Highlights page with video of the goals.