Yesterday, just as a week earlier, I found our football boring; I found the level of performance nowhere near what is required at this level and I left for home with serious concerns about this Burnley team's ability to win enough games this season to keep out of the danger that's called the bottom of the league.
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| Charlie Austin had no support |
Normally, on getting home, I'd go into a sulk, but such has my life changed in the last month that I was able to almost forget it all. I did all I needed to do on Clarets Mad, and then switched the computer off, sat down to watch television and got ready to listen to the wise words of Harry Redknapp on Match of the Day (a massive improvement on the pontificating Alan Hansen).
I'd had a good summer, or so I thought. I'd lost quite a bit of weight (and not before time some might say). Even the bathroom scales had ended their dispute with me as I put them under less pressure each week.
Without going into too much detail, it's just four weeks ago today that things all changed when I started to feel unwell. Just three days later panic buttons were being pressed at my GP's surgery and I began to think, with the information I was given, that my remaining time on this earth was short.
Everything pointed to that and I've spent so much time on hospital trips since. Besides that, I've had so many blood tests that my arm gives the appearance of belonging to a junkie.
I'm not out of the woods, far from it, but recent tests have proved more positive and it does look as though I'll be reporting on our games for a while longer, and certainly longer than I was expecting at the time I was forced, mercifully, to miss our pre-season friendly at Rochdale.
So, maybe poor performances and poor results aren't getting to me quite so much, but not for one minute should you assume that I was happy with that performance yesterday. It was another awful afternoon of football and a performance where surely no one can suggest we deserved to get anything from it.
Manager Eddie Howe made two changes to the team that had started at Huddersfield. In came Marvin Bartley and debutant Cameron Stewart at the expense of Sam Vokes and Ross Wallace. Both players left out were on the bench which also included striker Martin Paterson, he who has either been rested/ injured* for the last two league games. * - delete where applicable.
I wasn't quite sure how this line up was going to work, and, as it transpired, neither did the players. The trio of Bartley, Dean Marney and Chris McCann in the midfield never came close to working in a horrible first half. None of them ever got close to supporting Charlie Austin up front.
We looked vulnerable at the back and we got absolutely nothing from new boy Stewart and Junior Stanislas.
The first half was horrendous, dare I say even worse than Huddersfield. We offered very little, if anything, and I can't recall once us ever coming close to threatening a goal.
Not as though Brighton were the most productive of teams but, between all the falling down and niggling fouls that went on, they did take the lead. It was a good goal too but David Edgar will surely be asking himself why, instead of trying to close down Craig Mackail-Smith, he opted to turn his back on him.
The Brighton forward received the ball a few yards outside the box, and with no closing down it enabled him to rifle home past our vision in pink Lee Grant.
So, a goal down at half time and there could be no complaints at all. We were shocking and it was difficult to pick out a single player who had made anything remotely like a positive contribution.
The previously rested/injured Paterson came on for the second half with Bartley, whose contribution was close to zero, making way.
Nothing much improved and the frustration was growing both on the pitch and in the stands. In one incident, Brighton's Gary Dicker went down, seemingly untouched from my position, but not so apparently with Austin involved.
With nothing seen y the officials, Austin came close to scoring from the restart. Was he really trying to play the ball back to Brighton goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczack?
Suddenly, we came into the game, albeit briefly. Austin headed over and then we equalised. Stanislas got over a good cross that Gordon Greer, under pressure from Pato, headed into his own goal.
Now, half an hour to go, surely we'd take the game to them. We did for a few minutes and put in a couple of good efforts. Austin got in a good header and Wallace, now on as a substitute, fired in a long ranger, both forcing Kuszczak into good saves.
We also had one outstanding chance. Stanislas should have scored with a header. I'm not even convinced he actually got a touch on the ball. Either way, an easy chance had gone begging.
It hardly constituted giving it a go, as the manager tried to tell us, and it didn't last long. Then the better of the two teams took over again and we'd have gone behind again but for a superb save from Grant that denied Mackail-Smith a second.
Sadly, there was to be little respite. From the resulting corner, they got the ball into our box for a second time and Mackail-Smith spectacularly scored with an overhead kick.
Austin, who else, responded with another header but Brighton looked in control and, in truth, it was no surprise when they added another from yet another set piece. Our defending of set pieces is shambolic and this time Jason Shackell allowed Greer a free header and he didn't need a second invitation.
So, 3-1 it was. It was defeat number three since the opening day win against Bolton, and doesn't that seem now to be in the long, distant past?
It's simply not good enough. Nowhere near good enough. I don't like this slow motion football. I like the game to have some tempo. But it is the way we are going to play and, apparently, if last night is anything to go by we are not allowed to be too critical.
I'd just like to send my sympathies to Lee Grant and Charlie Austin. Our goalkeeper is doing nothing wrong just now and is suffering from what's in front of him. As for Charlie; I thought he played well again yesterday but what chance does he have with precious little support?
Me. I'm back at the hospital this week and I can also expect a few more needles going into my arm. I'm hoping for some more good news and I also get a week off from the football. When that returns I can only hope it provides us all with good news.
The teams were;
Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, David Edgar, Jason Shackell, Joseph Mills, Dean Marney (Sam Vokes 83), Marvin Bartley (Martin Paterson 45), Chris McCann, Junior Stanislas, Charlie Austin, Cameron Stewart (Ross Wallace 64). Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Ben Mee, Brian Stock.
Yellow Cards: Ross Wallace, Chris McCann.
Brighton: Tomasz Kuszczak, Saltor Bruno, Adam El-Abd, Gordon Greer, Wayne Bridge, Liam Bridcutt, Gary Dicker, Andrew Crofts (Will Buckley 38), Kazenga LuaLua (Andrea Orlandi 79), Craig Mackail-Smith, Ashley Barnes. Subs not used: Casper Ankergren, Lewis Dunk, Inigo Calderon, Ryan Harley, Torbjorn Agdestein.
Yellow Cards: Saltor Bruno, Will Buckley, Tomasz Kuszczak, Ashley Barnes.
Referee: Eddie Ilderton (Tyne & Wear).
Attendance: 11,413 (the lowest home league attendance since Crystal Palace in March 2009).