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To put it bluntly we were woeful and second best from start to end against a pretty ordinary Brighton side. Ordinary but they had far too much for us. We had an early warning when they shot wide and followed that up with a Zamora goal that was ruled out for offside. Everyone had said we would need to score two to win because Zamora was bound to get one but maybe we had got away with it when the flag went up.
It wasn’t to be though and we went behind around the half-hour mark courtesy of Graham Branch losing the ball. Needless to say the crowd had already been having a go at Branchy but he was not the only one to play badly. In my book after today’s game Robbie Blake, Lee Briscoe and Tony Grant can join him in taking a long hard look at themselves.
Somehow we got to half time just one behind and then we were treated to the half time entertainment of a £25,000 draw for the Foundation. It was difficult to understand what was going on because there was a major problem with the public address system that made it difficult to hear although with Mr. Here at Turf Moor on the mike that can be considered a bonus.
What was astonishing was the welcome that Chairman Barry Kilby received. Yes there was applause from some but Kilby was greeted with boos from all three home stands. This booing did not have an effect on the players, they were already back in the dressing room, but I admit to being staggered by this. What do they want?
Yes I think every fan is sick and fed up of listening to the constant bleating from the club about the loss of money. I know many fans are disgusted at receiving phone calls at home that basically are almost begging calls but this Chairman has dipped into his pocket more than any other director has ever done at Burnley Football Club.
Whether you agree with the way he does things or disagree it cannot take away the fact that had Kilby not invested in the club in 1999 we would certainly not be playing our Football in the First Division now and that is fact.
Someone was happy with his winnings but he must have been the only person celebrating because the second half was to be worse than the first. It didn’t help that not long into it we were down to ten when Arthur was sent off for head butting a Brighton player. From my vantage point, a good vantage point, he did not appear to make any contact and if that is the case then the Brighton player’s reaction was disgraceful. However if the intent was there then Arthur can have no complaints, he will now miss the games against Sheffield United, Reading and Crystal Palace.
Arthur had moved to left-back at half time and when he want Lee Briscoe became the third player to take up the position. He certainly didn't do any worse than he did in midfield.
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It was over then and many in the disappointing crowd of 14,738 started to make an early return home. By the time Lee Briscoe pulled one back in stoppage time there were probably less than 5,000 inside the ground.
At the best of times I can’t be doing with the goal music but to play it when we score in the last minute of a match is just downright insulting. Thankfully the idiot responsible for it, an idiot who is clearly not a fan, quickly put a stop to it.
So in the end the first opening day defeat for five years (a 1-0 defeat at Watford) and the first at home for fifteen years (3-0 against Colchester) but we were not second best in either of those games to the extent we were today.
There has to be a massive improvement and quickly if we are not to find ourselves down at the wrong end of the table. This poor home form has now been with us since the beginning of the year and today’s was the fifth home defeat of 2002. It has to be changed round.
Man of the Match was not difficult for me. Until his sending off it had to be Arthur, he was excellent in the first half when he played in the centre of defence and also covered for the inept Graham Branch. However he played just 51 minutes and his departure was a significant incident that made it even more difficult. That for me leaves just Gareth Taylor who played up front with little or no support for most of the game although Dimitri came on to fall over a few times. He led the line well, won just about everything in the air and it came as no surprise that when we did score it came from a Taylor knock down.
The referee, well it all hinged on the red card and if he got that right then there is not too much to say about him. Other than that decision though he seemed to do OK.
The teams today were,
Burnley: Nik Michopoulos, Dean West, Steve Davis, Arthur Gnohere, Graham Branch (Ian Cox 45), Glen Little, Tony Grant, Lee Briscoe, Ian Moore (Dimitri Papadopoulos 60), Gareth Taylor, Robbie Blake (Paul Weller 52). Subs not used: Paul Cook, Andy Payton.
Brighton: Michel Kuipers, Paul Watson, Kerry Mayo, Adam Hinshelwood, Robbie Pethick, Charlie Oatway, Richard Carpenter, Steve Melton (Paul Rogers 35), Gary Hart (Shaun Wilkinson 69), Paul Brooker, Bobby Zamora (Daniel Marney 86). Subs not used: Andy Petterson, Adam Virgo.
Referee: Tony Bates (Stoke on Trent).