Sir Winston Churchill used to have a rallying thought he delivered to friends, family and colleagues when things got tough… keep buggering on.
He used it so frequently it soon become abbreviated to KBO. Churchill knew first hand as both a soldier and leader the dangers a defeatist mindset could inflict. He always did his best to lift morale.
Churchill could famously inspire with his words alone. Those words encouraged millions of people to keep buggering on through the most difficult of times.
Sunday afternoon at the Vitality Stadium was not what we expected as Brighton fans, was it? A 3-0 defeat made it six games without a win and no goal scored by an Albion player in April.
There are now only four games left of the 2023-24 season and although qualifying for Europe looks out the question, Brighton should not be giving up. Roberto De Zerbi and the players need to keep buggering on.
Us supporters show no sign of giving up. We keep buggering on, spending hard-earned money and using our spare time to support the team.
The least the players can do is use that loyalty to try and motivate them to keep buggering on. And if that isn’t enough, then how about the £3 million at stake for every Premier League place? Brighton need to keep buggering on for prize money reasons too.
One positive from this season for me has been to see so many young players getting first team opportunities. Odel Offiah and Mark O’Mahony were two of seven changes to the starting XI for the Bournemouth game, both making their first Premier League starts.
De Zerbi has made 131 changes to his Brighton line ups this season, 25 more than any other club. There has been rotation but De Zerbi has also had his hand forced by injuries.
That is something to bear in mind when analysing the job he has done. The Albion could still finish in the top half, which would be a fantastic achievement after all that has occurred. It fits Tony Bloom’s ambition too for Brighton to become an established top 10 side.
The weather in Bournemouth looked brighter than in Sussex. Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall guided us BBC Radio Sussex listeners through the game, whilst in another room of the Noble house the wife and family could be heard screaming each Arsenal goal which dropped in against Spurs to keep the Gunners top of the table.
Unfortunately, it was deathly silence from the Brighton-supporting room. Our main man Lewis Dunk had to do his stuff early on to prevent Dominic Solanke scoring inside the the first few minutes.
It did not take the hosts long to score, however. A good corner into the box was headed in by Marcos Senesi with 13 minutes on the clock. De Zerbi looked furious on the sidelines.
Brighton could have possibly equalised when Facundo Buonanotte decided to go on a solo run rather than passing to his teammates in the centre.
All that good approach play from Buonanotte was ruined by making it to within two metres of the goal line and failing to lay off the ball.
Igor Julio did not fare much better when misreading the play to be cleverly beaten by Alex Scott near the touchline. Scott made a great run, his pass to Enes Unal was brilliant but thankfully the final effort was wide of the post.
Trailing only 1-0 at half time meant this was a game Brighton could still do something with. What would De Zerbi to say to give the players a boost? Keep buggering on?
Mrs Noble appeared during the break to ask if I wanted a cup of tea. “No thanks, I need a large brandy, please” was my reply.
The desire for strong alcohol nearly increased two minutes into the second half when Justin Kluivert ran through, only to hit the side netting. Johnny and Warren’s commentary made the prospect of an improvement seem slim.
These fears were confirmed when Unal headed Bournemouth into a 2-0 lead on 52 minutes. I couldn’t see any way back for Brighton from that and sadly, I was right.
Simon Adingra drew a great save from Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers and Julio Enciso could not quite get a rebound into the back of the net. Those two chances summed up how things are going for Brighton in front of goal at the moment.
The Cherries then added their third in the 87th minute. The Albion defence disappeared, Kluivert had so much green grass to gallop into and after tricking Dunk, he fired past Verbruggen to make it Bournemouth 3-0 Brighton.
These past couple of months will have shown Brighton what needs to be done in the summer to get Brighton back into European contention.
For now, the Albion have to keep buggering on. Not too much to ask, is it?
Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony
Seagulls Best Ever Season Volume 2 charts Brighton’s record breaking 2022-23 campaign through the eyes of Tony Noble, an East Stand Upper season ticket holder at the American Express Stadium. It is available from Waterstones, WHSmith, Amazon Bookstore and all good bookshops as well as the Albion Superstore at the Amex and via this link.
