| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting 01:08 - May 21 with 13619 views | The_Romford_Blue |
https://www.northstandchat.com/threads/kieran-mckenna.408004/
Couple of comments on page 1 are somewhat eyebrow raising:
‘Is this a joke thread? From an elite manager who essentially joined us from a Champions League club, to one who has never even managed in a top division anywhere? I think not.’
‘It's just a fact, we're a much bigger club than Ipswich, just like Chelsea are a much bigger club than us.’
Brighton are likely a more attractive club right now for sure but I’m not having it that they’re ’a much bigger club’ at all. And to be fair plenty of their fans were quick to say that we are bigger than Brighton. Which we are imo. Thoughts? [Post edited 21 May 2024 1:10]
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:11 - May 21 with 3553 views | Tangledupin_Blue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 08:48 - May 21 by The_Romford_Blue |
Fair play about Queens Park. I just assumed you meant rangers. My apologies.
I still don’t believe Brighton are bigger than us. I’d say it’s about the same. The ‘we are far bigger than them’ from that Brighton fan was my original point that they patently is not true. |
Fair enough.
My point is that there is no easily definable scale for measuring football clubs' sizes. And, even if we could measure club size, Bournemouth would still be rubbing shoulders with Manchester United in the PL and Bolton playing at Fleetwood and Cambridge. |  |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:15 - May 21 with 3519 views | baha |
Whatever happens with your manager, best of luck for next season. |  | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:20 - May 21 with 3485 views | vilanovablue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 08:54 - May 21 by Herbivore |
Size of club has always been rather subjective once you go beyond the handful of elite clubs who consistently maintain large followings and compete for trophies year on and year out over a prolonged period. Any fan under 30 who doesn't follow Town would likely tell you Brighton are a bigger club. We've had two years out of the last quarter of a century where we've been in the top flight and we've spent some of that time in League 1. Brighton are an established Prem side who have been in Europe. Older fans will remember the SBR and SAR years and will note that historically we are a bigger club than Brighton but even then you'd have to caveat that with them being far more successful than us in recent years. |
Worth remembering in that timeframe Brighton have also spent time in League One just not quite so recently. |  | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:29 - May 21 with 3464 views | pointofblue |
Which club is likely to finish higher in the division next season? Brighton.
At which club would McKenna feel more heat if they’re battling against relegation at Christmas? Brighton.
The bigger club argument is for the birds and doesn’t cone into the equation. Brighton have the structure and finances in place to at least have a more successful season than us in 24/25. But if it all goes wrong then there will be less loyalty and faith towards McKenna from the fans and board compared to here. Greater risk but potentially greater reward. Whatever he decides to do, I hope he makes the decision quickly. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:10 - May 21 with 3365 views | Battersea_Blue |
Just shows how this "speculation" gets a grip . . .
This has just been posted on the Brighton board:-
"He’s not coming, his Uncle, a United fan, was dining in The Goldstone 1901 East on Sunday. He’s extremely flattered by the link but has built up an amazing relationship with the Ipswich owners. Loyalty is a huge part of his Footballing DNA, in addition to this Sir Alex is one of his biggest admirers, so he will go about his business and further honing his craft in Suffolk but we could see the ultimate move a few years down the line. (If Fergie is still with us)
Part of me hopes his Uncle was throwing out a red herring but he seemed pretty genuine 🤷♂️" | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:14 - May 21 with 3346 views | The_Romford_Blue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:15 - May 21 by baha |
Whatever happens with your manager, best of luck for next season. |
You too actually. Plenty of clubs get on my tits for various reasons but I’ve never minded your lot. Remind me abit of qpr who I also dont mind at all - harmless, respectable, fair, genuine. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:16 - May 21 with 3310 views | Kievthegreat |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:10 - May 21 by Battersea_Blue |
Just shows how this "speculation" gets a grip . . .
This has just been posted on the Brighton board:-
"He’s not coming, his Uncle, a United fan, was dining in The Goldstone 1901 East on Sunday. He’s extremely flattered by the link but has built up an amazing relationship with the Ipswich owners. Loyalty is a huge part of his Footballing DNA, in addition to this Sir Alex is one of his biggest admirers, so he will go about his business and further honing his craft in Suffolk but we could see the ultimate move a few years down the line. (If Fergie is still with us)
Part of me hopes his Uncle was throwing out a red herring but he seemed pretty genuine 🤷♂️" |
This would be fab. If the club could just confirm this with an 8 year contract with £50m release clause please. |  | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:37 - May 21 with 3205 views | Herbivore |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:20 - May 21 by vilanovablue |
Worth remembering in that timeframe Brighton have also spent time in League One just not quite so recently. |
Sure, but they've also spent 7 consecutive years in the Prem now and look to be pretty well-established at that level. That's more time than we've spent in the Prem since its inception. |  |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:37 - May 21 with 3201 views | Guthrum |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 07:59 - May 21 by Herbivore |
You're an established Prem side now with the kind of set up McKenna would fit right into. I've seen some of our fans saying that you've hit your ceiling as a side but McKenna won't see it that way, he'll have seen the likes of Villa and Newcastle gatecrash the top 4 in recent years and he'll fancy himself to give that a good go. Yes, those clubs are historically bigger clubs but recent performances place them in a similar bracket to Brighton.
I am very much on the fence as to how this will play out. I'm not daft enough to believe it's not a tempting proposition for him, of course it is. It's a logical stepping stone to a genuine top job at somewhere like United if he comes in and pushes you into the top 6 and he'd absolutely back himself to do so. Staying with us is a risk as we're ahead of schedule and whilst I don't buy that our squad is a League 1 squad (it was better than at least half the Championship when we were in League 1, imo) we haven't had a year of consolidation in the Championship to develop the squad further. There's a fair bit to do to give us a good chance of staying up. A relegation potentially tarnishes his reputation but staying up puts him in a good position for a bigger job should he wish to then jump ship. There will be a pull towards wanting to continue the project here and there's a lot to be said for stability, but he will be very tempted to see what he can achieve at a side that is currently better poised to flourish rather than just survive in the Prem. [Post edited 21 May 2024 8:19]
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Good summary, Herbs. |  |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:55 - May 21 with 3128 views | pointofblue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:37 - May 21 by Herbivore |
Sure, but they've also spent 7 consecutive years in the Prem now and look to be pretty well-established at that level. That's more time than we've spent in the Prem since its inception. |
I know I keep banging this drum but, for me, outside of the big six there is no established team in the Premier League. Any of the remaining 14 could go down next year. Yes, some may have been there for quite a few seasons but all it’d take is the wrong appointment, an injury crisis, a bad start for the house of cards to fall.
Brighton’s ambition next season, especially with the upheaval of change of manager, should be just to survive. But will that be enough for the board and fans? If they finish 16th and us 17th, we’d see our position as an unqualified success. Would they feel the same about theirs? | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:57 - May 21 with 3105 views | Herbivore |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:55 - May 21 by pointofblue |
I know I keep banging this drum but, for me, outside of the big six there is no established team in the Premier League. Any of the remaining 14 could go down next year. Yes, some may have been there for quite a few seasons but all it’d take is the wrong appointment, an injury crisis, a bad start for the house of cards to fall.
Brighton’s ambition next season, especially with the upheaval of change of manager, should be just to survive. But will that be enough for the board and fans? If they finish 16th and us 17th, we’d see our position as an unqualified success. Would they feel the same about theirs? |
It is possible for a team to go from safe to struggling, as Leicester showed, but there's a fairly solid core of midtable sides who, barring a disaster, would expect to finish safely clear of the bottom 3. Brighton are one of those. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:19 - May 21 with 2983 views | pointofblue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:57 - May 21 by Herbivore |
It is possible for a team to go from safe to struggling, as Leicester showed, but there's a fairly solid core of midtable sides who, barring a disaster, would expect to finish safely clear of the bottom 3. Brighton are one of those. |
So if McKenna goes there and struggles, there will be far less patience compared to here. And, if he manages to get them to, say, tenth next year - will that be seen as much as a positive as 17th here would to the wider footballing world? De Zerbi himself is being considered by big clubs for his work last season rather than this time round. Of course, with a lack of European competition, maybe he could get them challenging for a European place once again. It’s that risk/reward balance which he’ll surely be considering should he be offered the post. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:37 - May 21 with 2930 views | Herbivore |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:19 - May 21 by pointofblue |
So if McKenna goes there and struggles, there will be far less patience compared to here. And, if he manages to get them to, say, tenth next year - will that be seen as much as a positive as 17th here would to the wider footballing world? De Zerbi himself is being considered by big clubs for his work last season rather than this time round. Of course, with a lack of European competition, maybe he could get them challenging for a European place once again. It’s that risk/reward balance which he’ll surely be considering should he be offered the post. |
McKenna won't even be thinking about a relegation battle if he takes the Brighton job. No offence, but you're quite a pessimist by nature based on your posting over the last couple of years. You tend to look to the negative first, which in this case is what if he goes there and struggles. For someone like KM, he won't give that a second thought, he's just not made that way. He has confidence in himself and what he does, he focuses on getting the process right and the outcome then takes care of itself. If he gets Brighton top half and playing good football that would increase his stock but I would expect him to be optimistic he could do better than that. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:41 - May 21 with 2903 views | pointofblue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:37 - May 21 by Herbivore |
McKenna won't even be thinking about a relegation battle if he takes the Brighton job. No offence, but you're quite a pessimist by nature based on your posting over the last couple of years. You tend to look to the negative first, which in this case is what if he goes there and struggles. For someone like KM, he won't give that a second thought, he's just not made that way. He has confidence in himself and what he does, he focuses on getting the process right and the outcome then takes care of itself. If he gets Brighton top half and playing good football that would increase his stock but I would expect him to be optimistic he could do better than that. |
No offence taken, I am definitely a pessimist.
At the moment, although I think you’re right, I almost wish McKenna was too. But he probably wouldn’t have got us where we are if that was the case. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:53 - May 21 with 2848 views | Tangledupin_Blue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 09:00 - May 21 by Europablue |
You took my "argument that size goes some way to determining revenue", which is vague statement to make a definitive argument that is a misrepresentation of what I said. |
I have posted it as a question rather than a statement but isn't it chicken and egg situation?
Do you become bigger by generating greater income or do you generate the greater income because you're bigger? I suspect that the answer is 'a bit of both' in that you have to go step by step.
In the last three years our owners have put a lot of money into the club. Small investment by PL standards but substantial for where we've been. This is where Brighton were a few years ago and now we must try to emulate them by taking the next step... PL survival.
If we fail and are relegated then we will, at least, be in a better position than 12 months ago, hopefully with our present management still in place.Step by step, up a ladder, down a snake, try try again.
Brighton are where we are aiming to be... a few years ahead of us... can we call that a fact? Do you agree that we are trying to emulate them? If we are trying to emulate them then aren't they, at least by some definition, bigger than us? | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:55 - May 21 with 2825 views | solemio |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 01:28 - May 21 by Tangledupin_Blue |
The whole business of which club is bigger is nonsense.
Each set of supporters uses those criteria which best suit their argument. Our lot are forever quoting our history even though we have won nothing major for 42 years. And by the 'history' criterion we are roughly on a level with Huddersfield, Burnley and Preston.
If you take 'recent performance' as your criterion then once you've decided what 'recent' means then you'll have to concede that Brighton, Norwich, Brentford and Bournemouth are all bigger than us.
Some people think that ground size matters. That would make us smaller than Brighton and Queens Park.
Size makes no difference to our league position. Size really doesn't matter. |
History: Preston were good in the 1880s and 1890s.
Huddersfield were very good in the 1920s.
Not sure when Burnley were that good.
Makes our Ramsey and Robson achievements seem like yesterday!! | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 12:03 - May 21 with 2742 views | Tangledupin_Blue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:55 - May 21 by solemio |
History: Preston were good in the 1880s and 1890s.
Huddersfield were very good in the 1920s.
Not sure when Burnley were that good.
Makes our Ramsey and Robson achievements seem like yesterday!! |
I remember the most recent time that Burnley were league champions. It was within weeks of my seventh birthday and I was pleased because most of the other kids preferred Tottenham and they finished second. I preferred Burnley because of family connections with Lancashire. | |
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 12:56 - May 21 with 2619 views | benrhyddingblue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 02:04 - May 21 by The_Romford_Blue |
You’ve said a lot of nonsense here bud imo.
For a start, your thing about ground size makes little sense as brightons stadium is virtually the same as us and QPRs is 11,000 less. And our actual attendance this year is a higher average than Brighton anyway. |
I think they mean Queens Park in Scotland who play at Hampden Park. | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 13:14 - May 21 with 2545 views | oldburian |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 12:56 - May 21 by benrhyddingblue |
I think they mean Queens Park in Scotland who play at Hampden Park. |
A pedantic point, Queens Park sold Hampden Park to SFA and now play alongside that ground, I believe called 'Little Hampden'. | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 13:20 - May 21 with 2525 views | OldFart71 |
Don't see anything remotely more appealing about Brighton than Town. As both the CEO and one of our owners said " They don't believe there is any limit to what Town can achieve" Admittedly it's what they can achieve against where Brighton already are, but I don't consider them a stepping stone for better things for McKenna. He already has the attributes to be a success at a much larger team than either Town or Brighton. But Brighton at the moment, according to the press are the only serious competition on the horizon. I'm not looking at the situation through blue tinted specs but my honest opinion is " Brighton who ?" | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 13:38 - May 21 with 2489 views | glasso |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 07:20 - May 21 by baha |
Brighton supporter here. I certainly don't understand why he would jump ship now. He's got your club to the The Premier League, so it makes sense to see the project through. There is also a lot of expectation here now, so any manager who comes in now has a lot of weight on their shoulders.
I hope your club invests in some players, because as you have seen the three that got promoted have gone straight back down again. It doesn't matter how big your club is in the way of history, attendance, you need somebody with deep pockets, or a decent system in place where you can get top quality players in at a good price. [Post edited 21 May 2024 7:26]
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Unfortunately I'm not sure the expectation thing bothers KM. He's painfully good at staying calm under pressure and I think he'd back himself, I'm sorry to say.... | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 13:42 - May 21 with 2468 views | MattinLondon |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 10:55 - May 21 by pointofblue |
I know I keep banging this drum but, for me, outside of the big six there is no established team in the Premier League. Any of the remaining 14 could go down next year. Yes, some may have been there for quite a few seasons but all it’d take is the wrong appointment, an injury crisis, a bad start for the house of cards to fall.
Brighton’s ambition next season, especially with the upheaval of change of manager, should be just to survive. But will that be enough for the board and fans? If they finish 16th and us 17th, we’d see our position as an unqualified success. Would they feel the same about theirs? |
Totally agree with your first paragraph - too many people view the ‘size’ of a club through a 1980s lense. The traditional criteria of what makes a big club went out of fashion when the PL came into being. Outside of the top 6 (which are the big clubs) you have the attractive clubs of the PL which, as you mentioned, are all at risk of downfall if they get recruitment wrong or get bad injuries.
Historically a club could well have won lots of trophies in the 70s and 80s and could fill their 40k stadium with ease. But if they fall through to the championship or L1, then that great history counts for little in the eyes of modern players. Bournemouth for example, are a lot more attractive than Derby or Sheff Wed and Leeds (if they stay down).
All that matters now is wages, the ambition and stability of the club plus facilities. |  | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 15:08 - May 21 with 2390 views | Tangledupin_Blue |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 13:14 - May 21 by oldburian |
A pedantic point, Queens Park sold Hampden Park to SFA and now play alongside that ground, I believe called 'Little Hampden'. |
Okay, let's put this right...
QP played at Hampden until 2021.
21/22 they played home games at Firhill, home of Partick Thistle.
22/23 they played home games at Ochilview, home of Stenhousemuir.
23/24 'til September. Preseason friendlies and a few competitive home games at City Stadium, formerly known as Lesser Hampden.
23/24 from September. Home games are back at Hampden. [Post edited 21 May 2024 15:14]
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| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 15:28 - May 21 with 2327 views | Stewart27 |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 01:28 - May 21 by Tangledupin_Blue |
The whole business of which club is bigger is nonsense.
Each set of supporters uses those criteria which best suit their argument. Our lot are forever quoting our history even though we have won nothing major for 42 years. And by the 'history' criterion we are roughly on a level with Huddersfield, Burnley and Preston.
If you take 'recent performance' as your criterion then once you've decided what 'recent' means then you'll have to concede that Brighton, Norwich, Brentford and Bournemouth are all bigger than us.
Some people think that ground size matters. That would make us smaller than Brighton and Queens Park.
Size makes no difference to our league position. Size really doesn't matter. |
Nah.
You lost me at Norwich.
You must be on a wind up. | | | |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 16:33 - May 21 with 2225 views | flykickingbybgunn |
| Brighton thread about McKenna is interesting on 11:55 - May 21 by solemio |
History: Preston were good in the 1880s and 1890s.
Huddersfield were very good in the 1920s.
Not sure when Burnley were that good.
Makes our Ramsey and Robson achievements seem like yesterday!! |
Burnley were the team that were pipped at the post by a team managed by a bloke called Ramsey to win the 1st Div. Star one.
He did that with 5 players that had been with him in the old 3rd Div.
Just sayin'. |  | | |
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