Gull-Mouth Action podcast - episode 40 | Albion ready for United, Crawley continue great start

last month

Matt Pole is joined by Brighton writer Derren Howard and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford.

Brighton's young manager Fabian Hurzeler started his Premier League career with an impressive win at ten-man Everton on Saturday. Goals from Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra ensured the league’s youngest ever permanent manager enjoyed a dream start to his Seagulls tenure.

We pick over the bones of Albion’s win at the Toffees, plus we’ll bring you the latest from Crawley Town’s dream start to the new season.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to another episode of the Goldmouth Action Podcast, where we take a look at all

00:05the latest goings on at Brighton, Hove Albion and Crawley Town. I'm Matt Pole and this week

00:09I'm joined by Brighton writer Darren Howard and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford. Brighton's

00:13young manager, Fabian Hurtzela, started his Premier League career with an impressive win

00:17at 10-man Edited on Saturday. Goals from Cowrie, Matoma, Danny Wilbeck and Simon Odinga ensured

00:23the league's youngest ever permanent manager enjoyed a dream start to his Seagulls tenure.

00:28We'll pick over the bones of Albion's win at the Toffees, plus we'll bring you the latest

00:31from Crawley Town's dream start to the new season. You can read all the stories we are

00:35talking about with videos and pictures online at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport and

00:40you can check out other great videos on shotstv.com and free to view channel 276. You may also

00:45be watching on native TV, so thank you very much for tuning in. Brighton and Hurtzela

00:50couldn't have asked for a better start to the Premier League season. Albion's 3-0 win

00:53at Everton sent them top of the table, albeit after just one game. How good were the Seagulls

00:58at Gunnarsson Park? I've watched the highlights of the match today and they looked incredible

01:02in the second half especially.

01:03Yes, you're right. The second half, they really got into their stride. The sending off from

01:09Ashley Young didn't help Everton's cause as well. But in the opening 20 minutes, Everton

01:14were actually quite good. They looked a team more likely to score. They were quite threatening

01:21and Hurtzela himself said the result was great, it was a good performance in the end. But

01:26there's still so much that we can improve on. I think he's right. There were areas where

01:33they did look a bit vulnerable in the opening stages, particularly on that left-back position

01:38where Harrison down the right-hand side for Everton, Jack Hinchley was playing as a cover

01:45left-back. He did pretty well there, but it is an area that they need to address, which

01:52they're looking to do. They're looking to bring in a new left-back. And also we might

01:55hear that Valentin Barco may be going out on a loan to Sevilla as well. So that's an

02:00area they need to look at. But overall, attacking-wise, it looks really promising. They've got so

02:06many options there going forward. Jankuba Minta, who was excellent in the first half,

02:12had to come off due to a concussion substitution just before the break. But he looked really

02:18promising. But he goes off, Odinga comes on and looked just as good and scored a goal

02:22as well. Matoma is back to his best. So, yes, very, very encouraging start for Brighton.

02:31VAR was at the centre of things once again on the opening day. Everton had a penalty award

02:36overturned at the start of the second half, despite Lewis Dunk appearing to catch Dominic

02:40Cavett-Lewin. Referee Simon Heapy reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor and

02:44said no penalty. And then Albion thought they had a fourth goal in injury time.

02:48A substitute Yassine Iyari's effort from the post range was chalked off for offside.

02:52What do you make of those decisions, Darren? It's nothing like a bit of controversy from VAR.

02:57Yeah, I know. You just sort of think, can we just leave VAR? But no, straight away,

03:00first game of the season, it comes in again. I think they made the right call in the end,

03:06especially with the Dunk situation. It looked as though that Calvert-Lewin did stand on Dunk's

03:12foot. Although Sean Dyche had a major issue with it after the game, as you'd expect,

03:18the managers disagreed on the various points. But Dyche's argument was that

03:23referees are there now to make a decision and that VAR must only intervene if it's a major,

03:29major error. He didn't think it was. But clearly, I think they got to the right decision in the end.

03:36I think Calvert-Lewin did initiate the contact with Dunk. It was very fine margins,

03:42but he could have gone. I think if the initial decision had stood, I don't think there would

03:48have been too many complaints. But in the end, I think it was just about right.

03:52And yeah, as you say, it's a shame for Yassine Iyari at the end. He's looked very impressive

03:56in pre-season, actually. He's a real threat going forward. He presses very well, plays very well from

04:02the attack in midfield areas and he gets into these advanced positions. And unfortunately,

04:07just for him, he just strayed a little bit offside at the key moment. But yeah,

04:12so shame he had his goal chalked off. But yeah, overall, a fair result all round.

04:32I agree with Darren. I mean, I think it would have been better if the referee didn't give it

04:37in the first place and then got referred to Iyari and stuck with his decision. But

04:42yeah, it was a funny one because he just rode Dunk's foot, didn't he, sort of thing.

04:47But if Dunk had slid it and tackled him, he wouldn't have gone down. So yeah, it's a very

04:54funny one. I sympathise with Sean Dyche a little bit. I never really sympathise with him.

05:02I do sympathise a little bit, but it was a funny one. It was a funny one. When you saw it back,

05:07you just thought, I don't know which way this is going, sort of thing. But the right decision,

05:12like you say, I think was got to at the end, but probably not the right way.

05:17Sort of backhanded praise for VAR then, I think.

05:20Yeah, it was.

05:22As Darren mentioned, Seagulls' debitant Yankouba Minte was very much in the thick of the action at

05:27Goodison. His run and cross set up Matoma for Albion's first goal, but just before half-time,

05:32the £30m summer signing from Newcastle clashed with Everton's Vitaly Mikhalenko and was swiftly

05:37replaced by Dhingra due to concussion protocols. Minte was fuming as he left the pitch and the

05:42gambling continued his protestations as he made his way to the away bench. We've kind of touched

05:48upon it, Darren. It was a positive first performance, but did that reaction from him

05:52kind of sour it a little bit? And did Zeyler have anything to say about his reaction?

05:56Yeah, he did. I was quite surprised by his reaction, actually. He'd been playing so well

06:02and I just think he was just so frustrated that he had to come off. He looked fine. He didn't

06:08look as though he didn't look groggy. He wasn't sort of wobbling around, you know, he wasn't

06:11knocked out or any means, but it was a head injury. There's certain protocols that you have to follow

06:17now. And it was a decision that was made for his own sort of personal safety. Having said that,

06:24there was a similar incident in the second half where Joel Beltman went down holding his head

06:28and he was down for quite some time as well. And the same rule didn't apply to Joel Beltman. So,

06:33I'm not quite sure the seriousness, whether the physios had assessed it to be not quite

06:38as serious as Minte's issue. But yeah, so there was a little bit of difference between the two.

06:47But Minte, he's trained this week. We just had the Man United press conference at the moment,

06:52or the pre-Man United press conference. And Herzela was asked how Minte's doing. He's

06:56trained perfectly well this week and he's fit and firing and ready to go to face Man United,

07:02which is a huge boost because not only is he electric going forward at the moment, he's very

07:07good off the ball as well. He tracks back, he starts to press. And if you're going to play

07:14under Herzela, then that is sort of like a key requirement. You have to press and you have to

07:21attack the defenders. So, yeah, he'll be key against Man United, I'm sure.

07:28Speaking of bright and new boys, Albion have completed the signing of French forward

07:32Jorginho Ruta for a club record fee of £40m from Leeds. The 22-year-old has scored eight

07:37goals and 66 appearances for Leeds after joining from Hoffenheim in January 2023.

07:42Joins the Seagulls on a five-year contract. What do you make of his signing? I must admit,

07:47seeing his goal return, Darren, I'm a little bit concerned by the amount Albion have paid

07:51for him, if I'm honest. Yeah, club record, £40m, which is £10m more than they've paid

08:00for any other player in their history. Jal Pedro was the previous record signing, then Minte came

08:06in for £30m as well. So, yeah, he's by £10m, the club record signing. And Herzela was asked

08:16just now, actually, what's his personality like? How is he going to adapt? How is he going to cope

08:21with this big fee? And he said, it's just the Premier League. The players accept it. They don't

08:28sort of feel burdened by it. And he said he's just been walking around. He's got a big smile on his

08:32face. He's so happy to be here. And he says his focus is on integrating into the team, being part

08:38of the team rather than this big transfer fee that's sort of floating around him. But yeah,

08:44you're right. It's a big fee. His goal return hasn't been, you know, he hasn't been prolific.

08:50But what he does do, again, Herzela is always, he judges forwards on how they press. He said,

08:56if they're good enough, they're going to score anyway. It's all about how they press, how they

09:01mix with the team, how they employ his tactics. And he thinks that Rutter will be perfect in that

09:08role. He can play centrally. His assists were quite good. If you look at his figures on his

09:13assists as well, they're very, very impressive as well. So he's going to be able to link the play

09:18with the likes of Minta and Matoma as well. So he sees him very much as a goal threat, but also

09:24he's going to be linking the play and helping to create chances for other players as well.

09:31Finally for this half, this Saturday sees Albion entertain Man United in their first home game of

09:35the campaign. United, like Brighton, won their opener. Joshua Zirkzee's late goal saw the Red

09:40Devils beat Fulham 1-0 on Friday evening. How do you see this one going, Darren? I think most

09:45people are probably quite confident that Brighton might get a result.

09:48Well, that's right. Yeah, they sort of go at it. They've got a good record against Man United

09:52recently. And they come into it, there's a question actually that was asked, are they

09:56almost favourites going into this game now against the Man United team? And Herzela stopped short of

10:03admitting that they are favourites, but they think that they can go in and attack them on an equal,

10:08as equals. And why not? After their first game against Everton, they looked really good and

10:15hopefully they can improve a bit defensively and start sharper than they did against Everton.

10:21But I think on their home patch as well, the Amex Stadium, Herzela's first match in charge,

10:26and it's the first time that the fans have seen all these new signings come together. It's been

10:32a remarkable period for the club, really. It's so unusual that they've spent this type of money.

10:36But with that, expectations will increase and the fans will now expect them to go up against

10:42teams like Man United and really give them, you know, really potentially sort of, you know, go

10:47there expecting a win. So, yeah, I think the mindset has changed for the fans and for the

10:53players as well. So, yeah, it's going to be an interesting one. Man United looked, you know,

11:00they looked solid in their first game against Fulham without being spectacular, but they're

11:05going to be very hard to beat. You still look through their team and they've got, you know,

11:09numerous world-class players, expensive players. So, it's going to be a tough ask, but I think

11:15Brighton will, you know, attack it with a lot of confidence, especially with the players they have

11:20going forward now. They can really go for it. Should be a very good game. Brilliant. Well,

11:24that draws an end to part one. In part two, we will be talking all things Crawley Town.

11:30Welcome back to part two, where we'll discuss all things Crawley Town, who have enjoyed a dream

11:35start to the League One campaign. They continued very much so on Cambridge on Saturday when Addy

11:40Adeyemo struck a late winner as the Reds' natural 1-0 victory at the U's to maintain their perfect

11:45start to the season. It was another excellent result for Crawley, wasn't it, Mark? I mean,

11:49you look at how they've done in their opening games, I'm not sure even the most optimistic

11:51Reds fan would have predicted this start. No, with everything that happened over the summer,

11:56with all the players leaving, and there was at one point a lot of negativity,

12:01but as the signings came in, I think people started to feel a little bit more confident,

12:05but I don't think anyone could have imagined a start like this. I mean, they played Blackpool,

12:10quite a big side. They did well last year, missed out on the playoffs,

12:16dominated that game, and then Cambridge did the same. I think their possession stats,

12:2160 percent Crawley had away from home in League One against an established League One side in

12:25Cambridge, with an experienced manager in Gary Monk. And yeah, again, absolutely dominated.

12:31Cambridge might have had more of the chances, but Crawley's defence looks really good this year,

12:36and it looks a lot more solid. I mean, people, when Will right-left, when Laurence Maguire didn't

12:41come back, it was all a little bit, oh God, what are we going to do in defence? But I mean,

12:45in Josh Flynn, they've got an absolute huge upgrade on the left side of that centre, back three.

12:52He's been superb, and I think there were some stats come out. We've got a story on our website

12:57today from whoscored.com, the best rated players in League One so far after two games.

13:03Josh Flynn was sixth in that list, so he's done so well, and yeah, very, very impressive. But

13:11they've just been so good, and Addy Adeyemo comes off the bench, scores a brilliant goal. If you

13:17haven't seen it, he's a long ball through from Flynn, funnily enough, an assist from Flynn,

13:21and he cleanly rounded the keeper. It looked like he took it too wide, but such a calm finish,

13:26sort of into an empty net, but from a tight angle. Still had a lot to do, so it was a really good

13:31finish, but they've just been so good, and I think probably the only people it hasn't surprised to

13:36start is Scott Lindsay and all the players, because I think, again, you just sense that

13:41confidence there that they are going to shock a lot of people this season.

13:46And that result at Blackpool, although bizarrely after two games, it's cost the Blackpool manager

13:51his job, isn't it, Mark? Yeah, Neil Critchley, he's gone. I mean, I just find it crazy. I mean,

14:04we saw Ryan Lowe in the Championship leave Preston North End after one game, and then Neil

14:09Critchley after two games. It's like, I mean, I suppose you can sense after, if you've lost the

14:14opening games, if you're the owner and you sense this isn't quite right, I suppose you've got to

14:19take action early. But two games, really? Yeah. I just find it very odd, and obviously we saw

14:26Scott Lindsay's name in the list. He wasn't top this time for the Blackpool job, but I think it

14:33was Ryan Lowe who was top, wasn't he? But he is in the list again, but it's just going to be

14:38speculation. People are going to always put money on Scott Lindsay getting a job at what is seen to

14:43be a bigger club, as it were, or a higher level. But yeah, I just find it crazy at this time of

14:49year. But who knows? If Gary Monk goes soon, there could be a Crawley Town curse this year,

14:53because they are going to be a few people. Yes, I'd say the Wigan manager better watch out then,

15:00this coming Saturday, just in case. Away from League One, Tuesday evening, sorry,

15:05much changed. Crawley side beat Brighton under 21-4 on penalties after the opening game. The

15:09EFL Trophy Southern Group B had finished 2-2. Can Poupillon open the scoring for

15:15Avion on 10 minutes before Charlie Barker levelled three minutes later. Anthony Papadopoulos

15:20fired the Reds in front on 55 minutes, but Joshua Duffus equalised for the Seagulls with six minutes

15:25remaining. Good result against the un-Brighton side, Mark. What were the main takeaways from

15:29that game? Yeah, as again, it just shows whatever side Scott Lindsay puts out, they are going to

15:36play the same way as they play if the first 11 are starting on a Saturday in a league match.

15:43I mean, he's had the same back three for the first three games. I think a takeaway from that is that

15:48they are a little bit weak in strength, in terms of depth in that area, because Dion Conroy's

15:55injured. He's still maybe a week away, I think. And yeah, they've played Charlie Barker in midfield

16:02because they're managing Jay Williams' time and that. So if they stay fit, those three,

16:08McKainer, Malarkey and Josh Flint, they haven't got a problem. But obviously you're asking a lot

16:13if they're going to play in Carabao Cup, EFL Trophy, etc. It's a lot of minutes.

16:19So he's got to manage that. I know Malarkey came off at half time and Charlie Barker dropped back

16:23into defence because they signed him as a defender, but he's actually played a couple of

16:27games in midfield now and he's looked impressive. He scored a cracking goal as well to equalise.

16:33And like you say, Anthony Papadopoulos, he scored a cracking goal as well. And actually,

16:36that's one thing I noticed in the last two games, in the midweek games, when it's been

16:40the Carabao Cup where he's played a different side, EFL Trophy played a different side,

16:44the goals have been spectacular. They've all been, a lot of them outside the box, Jack Rowles twice

16:49against Swindon in the Carabao Cup. And it's something we maybe didn't see as much last year,

16:53a few, a couple from Will Wright from distance, but most of them were really good football,

16:59crossing in, Orsi tapping in kind of thing. This year, we've already seen, I think they've had

17:04seven different goalscorers from the nine goals they've scored. So, that's a real big positive

17:09for Scotland. I was speaking to him this afternoon, I'm going to talk to him about,

17:13he's just got so many options where goals are going to come from and that just adds such an

17:16excitement to the team. But it was a really important competition last year, the EFL Trophy,

17:21in terms of bringing players through. Joey McKenna, I don't think would be playing centre

17:26back and captain in the side, in these games, if it wasn't for the EFL Trophy performances he put

17:32in last year. So, I think we're going to see a few more players come through and make names

17:36for themselves in this competition this year. Well, this Saturday sees Crawley travel to Wigan

17:42Athletic in League One, the Latics sit third from bottom after failing to win any of their

17:47opening two games. How do you see this one going, Mark? It kind of feels a bit like a false league

17:53position for Wigan at the moment. Yeah, it's one of those fixtures at the beginning of the season

17:58where you thought, this is a big one kind of thing, a real big test for Crawley. And it still

18:02is going to be a huge test. They're a huge club, it's a massive stadium, loads of fans.

18:07Former Premier League side, obviously they were established for quite a while in the Premier

18:10League, weren't they? But I think, yeah, obviously their confidence is probably not going to be that

18:17high. Crawley's is going to be through the roof after the first two games. So, before the season

18:25kicked off, you would have thought, oh, this is just a free hit for Crawley, go to Wigan,

18:29experience a really good day out, good experience for the fans and the players. But now they're

18:33going to go there and I think they're going to be like, they're there for the taking and why

18:38shouldn't they? Crawley have been brilliant so far. Yeah, Wigan, I must admit, I haven't looked

18:44at who they actually lost to, but yeah, it does feel like they're too big a club to be where they

18:51are. But size of club doesn't really matter, does it, these days? And I think Crawley,

18:59I mean, they will go there. Crawley have now won most amount of games along with Doncaster than any

19:05other team in the EFL this year, in this calendar year. And only Arsenal and Man City have won more

19:10games than them in all the top four leagues in England. So, you wouldn't bet against Crawley

19:17going there and pulling another win. And actually, it's getting to the point now where it won't be a

19:21shock anymore. It will be just a run of the mill. But I mean, you come away from Wigan with a point

19:26as well. That's a good result. Scott Lindsay probably will say it's not a good result if they

19:29get a draw. But yeah, anything from the game at Wigan will be brilliant for Crawley and to carry

19:35on this really good run. Well, next Tuesday sees a massive game in Sussex and the Sussex World as

19:42Brighton entertain Crawley at the Amex in the second round of the Carabao Cup. The time will

19:46be the first competitive Sussex derby since 1992, where the Seagulls ran up five-nil winners in the

19:51third round of the FA Cup. Deren, I'd be interested to know how you think Albion will be approaching

19:57this game. I think the League Cup, obviously, we know that they play United on Saturday.

20:02The League Cup comes between two stern Premier League tests, I think, for Brighton. Where do

20:07you see that going for them? Yeah, it does. It'll be interesting to see what team they put out

20:11against Crawley. As you say, they've got Manchester United on the Saturday lunchtime

20:16kick-off and then the Crawley game is sandwiched in between the trip to Arsenal the following

20:21weekend. So, yeah, lots to juggle and it will depend on injuries following Manchester United

20:28and how players are shaping up. But I expect some of the fringe players to be included. It could be

20:34a good occasion for the likes of the new signings, Brian Gruder and Georgina Rutter. They could get

20:42some minutes against Crawley as well. But expect the likes of Koza Dubri as well. He could be

20:49featuring as well. He wasn't in the matchday squad against Everton. He came from Arsenal on

20:54a free transfer in the summer. He looked really good in pre-season in Japan. So that could be

21:00an opportunity for players such as that who aren't really getting some minutes on the pitch

21:06so far in the Premier League. So it could be a good test for them against Crawley. But yeah,

21:12like you say, it'll be a really good match, especially for the fans as well. First Sussex

21:17derby for a long while and a good test for Crawley. The way Crawley are playing, I'm sure

21:22they'll be confident that they can go to the Amex stadium and give a really good account of

21:26themselves. So yeah, it'll be one that Brighton would want to progress in. But they'll have to

21:32manage the team quite carefully for that one with those two Premier League games, as you say,

21:38either side.

21:40Mark, how do you think Crawley Town are going to attack this? Do you reckon they're going to go

21:43full tilt for this, considering the great start they've had for the league season? And what has

21:48Reds manager Scott Lindsay said about the game?

21:51Oh, he's really excited about it. He just says what a great fixture it is for the club to go

21:55there to a great stadium. He's good friends with Andrew Cross, first team coach for Brighton,

21:59so he's been having a text banter with him apparently. But I think it's a funny one because

22:05the temptation for Lindsay will be like, right, we don't want to go there and we want to be at

22:10our strongest and give them a real good run. But he's also very much about giving the whole squad

22:16minutes and he manages the minutes so carefully for these players. And I think he would have seen

22:21the Carabao Cup and the EFL Trophy as a chance to use these players. And they've proven themselves

22:25so far, the likes of Jack Rowles, Addy Adeyemi, Pinochet Kamara has started in those two midweek

22:31games. Cameron Bragg, who's on loan from Southampton, he started those and he's been really

22:40impressive. So I think I wouldn't be surprised if Lindsay goes with the side that beats Wyndon or

22:46most of the side that beats Wyndon. I think he'll stick with the same back three.

22:51Jojo Wolcott in goal, I think he'll go with. So I think, yeah, I think he will stick with that

22:56because again, he will see the Wigan game and the Barnsley game at home afterwards as huge games as

23:02well for the club as well. So it's a huge occasion, but I think we will see a changed Crawley squad

23:09from the league side because I think that's the way Lindsay goes in these competitions.

23:13But as I've said, they play the way they play whoever's playing. So they're going to give

23:18Brighton a good test, I think, and it will be interesting if Brighton have got a few players

23:22that haven't quite gelled yet and all that. I think Lindsay might see they're there for the

23:26taking and it's a chance for a huge scout for Crawley Town and a really historic game.

23:31Well, I'll ask you both your predictions for that game in a minute, but Derryn,

23:35starting with you, Brighton Man United on Saturday at the Amex. How do you see that one going?

23:40I think it's going to be tight. I think it's going to be a close game. I'm going to go

23:451-0 for Brighton. I think they may just sneak it this weekend.

23:50Mark, how do you see that one going?

23:52You're a fool, Derryn. Brighton are going to hammer them 3-1.

23:56Yeah, Hoyland have scored, but Brighton will have too much for them. I think, like you say,

24:00confidence side have played so well against Everton in the second half.

24:03So yeah, I think a comfortable win for Brighton.

24:06I think I'll have to agree with you there, Mark, I think. And speaking of Mark,

24:11Wigan Crawley on Saturday, what do you reckon?

24:14I'm going for another 1-0 away win for Crawley. I think they'll keep it tight at the back

24:18and they will get another latest goal. And whether that's Adeyemo, whether that's Hepburn-Murphy,

24:25I think they'll have enough confidence is high at the moment.

24:29And Derryn, how do you see that one going at Wigan?

24:31Yeah, I agree. I think their confidence is high and they just seem to be finding a

24:35way to win at the moment. So yeah, I'll go 2-1, 2-1 to Crawley.

24:39Yep, I think we're looking at six points for our side in Sussex this weekend. And finally,

24:44the big one, Brighton Crawley in the League Cup. Derryn, what do you reckon?

24:49I'm going to go for a Brighton win. I'm going to go for a 2-0 Brighton win. Crawley have been

24:54really good lately, but I think the Brighton start in 11 is very strong, but so is their squad these

25:00days as well. So they've got quite a lot of strength in depth. So I think they may just

25:04have too much for Crawley on the night. And Mark, how do you see this one?

25:08I'm going for a draw in 90 minutes and then I think it goes straight to penalties in this

25:13competition, doesn't it? Yeah, it goes straight to penalties. And if you saw Crawley's penalties

25:17the other night, they're going to win. Crawley will win on penalties. That's what I'm going for.

25:23All I know is that Sussex World will be the real winner, won't it? I think.

25:29Yes, and you can catch up with all this latest sports news covering everything we've talked

25:32about today at sussexworld.co.uk for SES Sport. And you'll also be able to keep up with all the

25:37latest from Brighton's game against Crawley in the League Cup on Tuesday there as well. So keep

25:41your eyes peeled there. And you can watch more excellent videos on shotstv.com and Freeview

25:45channel 276. Thank you very much for listening and watching. And we will see you all next week.

25:51Cheers, guys.

Gull-Mouth Action podcast - episode 40 | Albion ready for United, Crawley continue great start

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