Latest news with #BrightonHoveAlbion
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Brighton's player of the season: Danny Welbeck – the club's record Premier League scorer
The selection of Jan Paul van Hecke as Brighton & Hove Albion's player of the season in the official vote maintained a pattern during the club's Premier League era of defenders or midfielders landing the prize. The Dutch centre-back has added his name to a list that includes Pascal Gross (2023-24), Moises Caicedo (2022-23), Marc Cucurella (2021-22) and Ben White (2020-21). There is no suggestion that Van Hecke will extend another theme this summer — winners of the award immediately leaving the club. Gross (Borussia Dortmund), Caicedo (Chelsea), Cucurella (Chelsea) and White (Arsenal) all moved on. Jan Paul van Hecke. What a guy. 💙🤍 — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 8, 2025 Danny Welbeck is also expected to stay put. There is a good case that Welbeck, in the autumn of his career, deserved to be the winner from a shortlist that also included young player of the season Carlos Baleba. Welbeck was never prolific for Manchester United, Arsenal or England, but his value to those teams went beyond his goal tally. At age 34, he is better than he has ever been. Advertisement A 4-2 defeat at Brentford in April overshadowed two telling landmarks reached by Welbeck when he equalised with a header just before half-time. His ninth goal in the Premier League and 13th Premier League goal involvement (also four assists) equalled his best tallies in those categories in 17 seasons performing in the top tier. (He scored nine goals twice for United, his boyhood club, in 2011-12 and 2013-14.) Welbeck went on to reach 10 goals for the first time with a penalty in the 2-0 win at Wolves in May. It was also a season in which he became Brighton's record Premier League scorer, overtaking Gross with his 31st goal for the club in the top flight in a 2-1 defeat at rivals Crystal Palace in April. His 33 goals overall comprise 15 with his right foot, seven with his left and 11 headers, which highlights his all-round capabilities. He has scored inside the box, outside the box and, for the first time in his senior career, directly from a free kick (in a 2-2 home draw against Nottingham Forest in September). But Welbeck's game is about much more than the only currency that tends to provoke judgement of a striker. The way he led the line and linked the play was reassuring for head coach Fabian Hurzeler in a first season beset by the irregular availability of so much of the squad. Absences through injury have been an irritating constant throughout Welbeck's career. He missed the last match of the season at Tottenham on Sunday, but he still made 24 league starts. That was more than Joao Pedro (23) and Georginio Rutter (19). Hurzeler relied heavily on Welbeck after Rutter sustained ankle damage in the FA Cup quarter-final exit at home to Nottingham Forest, even more so for four of the last five games following a red card suspension for Joao Pedro in the Brentford match, and then the Brazilian's omission from the squad for the final two fixtures on disciplinary grounds after an altercation in training with Van Hecke. 'If you work hard and always try to give your best for the club, on the pitch and off the pitch, then you deserve it,' said Hurzeler, speaking after Welbeck went past Gross' goals tally against Palace. That sums up Welbeck. As well as his talents and enduring appetite on the field, he is a hugely respected figure in the dressing room. He is not loud but, when he speaks, team-mates listen. 'He's the best example,' Van Hecke told The Athletic after a 2-1 home win against Fulham in March. 'Why we are doing well is because of people like him, if you see him on the pitch. Advertisement 'Even when he's not playing, he gives everyone confidence and he's a real leader in his voice and also how he acts. He's an example for me and other guys. If you see each other on the pitch and have a feeling, 'We're going to win' it helps us a lot.' Van Hecke, who turns 25 in June, is a popular figure too, having picked up the players' players of the season award as well as the main prize. Together with 21-year-old Cameroon prospect Baleba in central midfield, Welbeck completed a spine that Hurzeler was consistently able to rely upon. Welbeck has another season left on his Brighton contract, while the club also has an option to retain his services for a further year. His influence is set to continue under Hurzeler. 'I know the value Danny Welbeck has for us and the value is crucial,' said Hurzeler before a 2-2 draw at Manchester City in March. 'It's not only the value he adds on the pitch by making assists, by scoring, by helping the team, by his work ethic, it's also the behaviour beside the pitch, how helpful he is to build this connection in a team, to build the social bond between the individual players. He's crucial for me and the whole club.'
Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Levi Colwill: How Lego helped me get through difficult time at Chelsea
Last season did not go perfectly to plan for Levi Colwill. Pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino made it clear that he would have a key role to play after his successful loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, presenting a chance to seize the moment, establish a foothold in the first team and bookmark a journey that began with the under-9s side at Chelsea. But he struggled, playing at first out of position as a left back and then hindered by a toe injury that would, ultimately, end his season. He dropped out of the team in March and did not feature again in the league. It was in those moments, frustrated with his form and progress, that he began to seek solace in an unusual way: through Lego. 'It just takes your mind away from everything,' Colwill says. 'Last season, when I was struggling a little bit, I started doing it. I built the 'Home Alone' [house] with the movie playing in the background and time just flies. It was around Christmas time, so I got myself in the spirit. It's a big house. It took me weeks. The detail they go into is crazy.' Colwill picked up the habit from TikTok, the social media app, and takes some stick from his team-mates for it: 'No one is really impressed with me building Lego.' He has built several sets, although all of them broke when he moved back to the family home in Southampton earlier this season. 'It's a heartbreaking subject,' he says, laughing. 'It just takes you back to when you're a kid in terms of there's no worries, there's no problems. You feel relaxed and in your comfort zone. That's why I enjoy it so much. 'Last season, when I had my toe injury and was trying to play, there was a lot happening on the pitch. I wasn't happy with how I was playing so I needed to take my mind off everything. That's what it did. It relaxed me and made me feel like stepping away from everything. That's what I needed at the time. It really helped me.' Colwill admits to being a hard critic of his own performances. 'I'm really harsh on myself because I know how good I could be and I believe in myself,' he says. 'In football you get a lot of people who tell you, 'You weren't that bad', or, 'You were really good'. But you judge yourself on how you play. I know when I've been rubbish, I know when I've been good. That's the only way I can improve. 'In life you want people to be honest with you. It's the way you grow faster and, in football, how you become a man.' He has kicked on. The 22-year-old has now become a mainstay at the heart of Chelsea's defence under Enzo Maresca, and he rounded off his strong campaign by scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, a moment that ensured the club would return to the Champions League. 'It didn't feel real,' he said of his goal. 'It will feel like a dream come true for all of our players who haven't played in the Champions League yet. But the best players deserve to play against the best players. I've got the best players in my team here.' The season, though, is not yet done. There is the small matter of a European final. Chelsea take on Real Betis in the Conference League on Wednesday knowing they can cap a successful season with a trophy. While Conference League success does not carry much prestige, there is value in winning silverware. Chelsea's first success under Roman Abramovich's ownership was the League Cup, won 20 years ago, which ultimately became the first of 21 trophies. It was won by a group of players who, collectively, did not have much silverware behind them. It can be a foundation for more to follow. 'Definitely,' Colwill says. 'I only think the people outside our bubble underrate the competition. If we win that, it will give us the confidence and belief to hopefully win more trophies for the club.' Colwill feels it can help his personal standing, too. 'It shows you have got it within you to push on,' he says. To win a trophy as an academy graduate means, among others, he will be following in the footsteps of former captain John Terry. 'It would mean everything to me,' he says. 'Similarly to John Terry, I've been Chelsea through and through. It would mean a lot to win a competition for the club. It's what I dreamt of as a kid and what many kids in the academy now will be doing.' Maresca has talked up Colwill's leadership qualities in recent weeks, outlining that he is one of those who have improved in the dressing room. Could he be a future captain? 'You'd have to ask my team-mates,' he says. 'Of course, as an academy boy, to play for Chelsea is a dream first and foremost, and then to captain them is a whole different level. But we have Reece [James] as our captain right now and I am learning from him. That's the best thing about it because he's an amazing leader.' What makes James a good leader? 'He's a very calm-headed person,' Colwill says. 'At times when I'm angry I can show my emotions a lot, which he wouldn't. He would be a leader, talk to the team, help the team. That's what we need at the moment, especially with a young squad. He's an amazing captain.' Colwill says the importance of securing the first trophy of Chelsea's new era, under new ownership, has been conveyed to the players. 'It can be huge for all of us,' he says. 'To hopefully win and get it under our belt, then hopefully we can go on to win big competitions in the future.' The best way to celebrate victory? Maybe a trip to Legoland next week. 'I'll be there,' he says. Real Betis v Chelsea Conference League final Wednesday, 8pm TV TNT Sports 1
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Style, set pieces and yellow cards: Assessing Fabian Hurzeler's first season in charge of Brighton
During his first press conference as Brighton & Hove Albion head coach last July, Fabian Hurzeler said he wanted to 'challenge the establishment'. The German achieved that goal in his first season in the Premier League, guiding his team to eighth — the second-best finish in the club's history — although not quite as he intended. Advertisement In that reference to the teams routinely at the top end of the table, Hurzeler was not to know that Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur would be so bad (four of Brighton's 16 wins came against those sides). He challenged the establishment in another sense by finishing top (or bottom, depending on which way you look at it) of the managerial disciplinary table with four yellow cards and a red card, thereby carrying on the work of his predecessor, Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian set a Premier League record with six cards in 2022-23 — five yellows and a red. Hurzeler's debut campaign turned out to be a surprise in many ways. It included a first point in eight top-flight attempts against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium after beating them at home, winning at Newcastle United in the league and the FA Cup, and defeating Chelsea twice in the space of a week at the Amex Stadium in the league and the FA Cup. And yet Brighton dropped eight of the 18 points on offer in matches against the three teams ultimately relegated by a distance (two draws with Leicester City, and one each at home to Ipswich and Southampton). Given they finished four points off a European place, and five off the Champions League, those results will sting particularly hard. The only consistent feature of Hurzeler's version of Brighton was inconsistency, demonstrated by the sequences of league results — six wins and two defeats in the first 12 games, no wins in eight, six wins in eight with a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, no wins in six and then four victories out of five (the other a draw) in a strong finish. In assessing Hurzeler's first season, The Athletic has turned back to some of the key messages in his opening press conference to see if he was able to deliver on his plans… Hurzeler: 'He (De Zerbi) brought a different style of football, so of course I take some elements but in the end I have my own philosophy because you can't copy anyone. His teams played with a lot of courage with some very interesting elements in terms of ball possession. 'All the German coaches are role models for young coaches in Germany. The intensity Jurgen Klopp's team have is something special and I really like to have also intensity on the pitch.' It is surprising how different Hurzeler's team looked in style compared to De Zerbi's. The blend of control with the ball and intensity without it has only been noticeable in periods of games. It has not been sustained. A clear identity has yet to be fully established under Hurzeler. It was hard to know what to expect from his team from match to match. Performances often resembled the slightly flattering 2-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the penultimate away game of the season. Advertisement 'In the second half, it was a completely unpredictable game,' Wolves' Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira said afterwards. 'It was an open game and this is the kind of game I don't like. When it's physical, with transitions and transitions, we lose the ball, they counter-attack, they lose the ball, we counter-attack, they come again, we come again. It's like tennis! This is not for me.' It ought not to be for Hurzeler either in searching for the consistency he craves. Before the game against Wolves, Hurzeler had told The Athletic: 'You have seen it in our season, positive and negative. The most important thing is to be consistent regarding performance, results, availability of the players, building connections. If you have consistency, then you can achieve something, but if you don't have it then you easily get into trouble in this league.' It does Hurzeler great credit as a young head coach in his first season in a new country at a new level — with a challenging set of fixtures at the start, including visits to Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle — that Brighton were never in trouble, always maintaining a top-10 position. They showed resilience in adversity, winning six league games after trailing and gaining 23 points from losing positions — both club highs in the Premier League. Terrible luck with injuries undermined the quest for stability and building partnerships on the pitch. Hurzeler expected more injuries, because of his demand for intensity, but he could not have anticipated them to be on such a widespread and damaging scale. 'I call myself the 'friendly authority'. Football is my passion. And I try to convince the players by using the power of my ideas.' A lot was made of Hurzeler's age when he was appointed (31 then, 32 now), not to mention an absence of top-flight coaching experience after taking St Pauli to the second-tier title in Germany last year. But he has taken a collaborative approach with his squad. He leans on a core group of experienced players in what is otherwise essentially a young team. Communicating with his players prompted tinkering with a high defensive line used in the early stages of the season. Advertisement Following the low point of a 7-0 hiding at Nottingham Forest in February, Hurzeler held individual discussions with key members of the squad, including 33-year-old Dutch defender Joel Veltman. 'Sometimes the gaffer makes his own decisions, but he wants to feel the situation in the room and that is what makes him a really good gaffer,' Veltman told The Athletic after an FA Cup victory against Chelsea in the following match, the first of six successive wins. 'He has a sense of what is going on in the dressing room'. Hurzeler encourages the players to have an input into team meetings before matches and training sessions by writing down their ideas and bringing them into the conversation. 'That is more how I want to lead – commitment by involvement,' he said during his pre-match press conference for the 1-1 home draw against Newcastle in May. If anything, Hurzeler's age is an advantage. He is in tune with the players' lifestyles. He enjoys boxing and playing padel. He rides an e-bike into training, he likes designer watches. He has learnt from James Milner about the Whoop, a fitness tracker worn on the wrist that helps with sleep patterns and nutrition. He could still be one of them if he had not given up a playing career to concentrate on coaching at 24. But he has also exerted authority when the need has arisen, defining a line between being 'one of the boys' and the boss. Yankuba Minteh was dropped from the starting line-up to the bench after arriving late before a 1-0 home defeat against Everton in January. The 20-year-old Gambian winger has nevertheless thrived under Hurzeler's guidance. Julio Enciso was shipped out on loan to Ipswich Town, essentially because Hurzeler sees the Paraguayan as an individualist more than a team player. Joao Pedro was also left out of the last two games of the season against Liverpool and Tottenham after an altercation in training with team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke. 'I need a lot of courage and, of course, humility. I need to stay humble. These two values are very important.' Every pre-match press conference with Hurzeler is preceded by a handshake with everybody in attendance — journalists, cameramen, the club's media staff. There is no trace of aloofness or arrogance in his actions or when he speaks. A good communicator, he passes the credit onto his players and staff when things go well, stays calm and level-headed when things go badly. Answers occasionally became briefer and blunter during a bad run of form towards the end of the season, but that was understandable straight after a disappointing result. He has not been afraid to make bold selection decisions, for example using midfielder Mats Wieffer at right-back in the latter stages of the campaign, blooding young players and regularly introducing multiple substitutes in the second half of matches and not just in the closing minutes. They often worked as well. Brighton had eight Premier League goals scored and seven assisted by substitutes this season, including Jack Hinshelwood's late winner at home against Liverpool. No side has ever had more goals both scored and assisted by subs in a single campaign in the competition's history. 'On top of that, there are set pieces' Hurzeler made the reference in his first press conference when talking about his playing methods. It was not De Zerbi's style to pay much attention to set plays. Hurzeler used goalkeeper coach Marco Knoop for defensive set plays and assistant Jonas Scheuermann for the attacking side. Even though Brighton had the fourth-best record when it came to defending set pieces, and the fifth-best when it came to scoring from them, it is still seen as an area of potential improvement by the manager. The club is recruiting a specialist set-piece coach this summer. Advertisement 'I am the person who puts the most pressure on myself,' Hurzeler told The Athletic before a 3-2 home win against West Ham in April. 'I always demand the highest standards from myself, I always demand to give this club and the fans the most success I can give them, so I don't feel the pressure so much from outside, I feel it from the inside. 'It is something completely different when you see a team playing on TV and you see a team playing on the scouting feed and then you face them in real life. That is something where I especially have different experiences and face different challenges. I am still young and, like the team, in a learning process. I've had a lot of tough and good experiences, but one thing for me that is quite sure is that I grow as a person, that I really learn from these circumstances and I am sure they will help me for the future.'
Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Times
James Milner: I feared I'd never walk properly again
James Milner has said he is close to agreeing a new contract to stay at Brighton & Hove Albion after recovering from nerve damage that left him unable to lift his foot. The 39-year-old had doubts about ever being able to walk properly again after he damaged a nerve following an operation on his knee. Even though Milner had not played since the end of August, Fabian Hürzeler, the Brighton head coach, brought Milner on against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as a gesture of gratitude for the midfielder's contributions this season. 'I didn't know whether I could walk properly again let alone play football again,' Milner said. 'It's been a long road. I had a contact injury in training before the Arsenal game on my knee. 'It was stable but then my hamstring went. It looked like there was a problem with my hamstring but there was nothing wrong with my hamstring. I had a knee operation and knee reconstruction. 'It was fine and I would have been back at the start of December but then a nerve got damaged. After the operation I couldn't lift my foot or my toes. December 31 was the first time I saw any flicker of life. It was literally a tendon. 'It's been a long, tough road and it drove me on. I don't think many people would have probably come back from this.' Milner, who joined Brighton in 2023 on a free transfer after eight years at Liverpool, says he would have been fit 'next week' if the season was continuing. He wants to stay with Brighton for what would be his 24th campaign in the Premier League, and one in which he would turn 40. 'I think this season's been frustrating. I started the season well, I look at my fitness now and I feel good,' he said. 'Coming on today, I would like to keep playing, I've definitely got another year left in me. I think we're in talks with the club and quite close so it will be nice to be here and be part of the team and help the boys.' Brighton's 4-1 victory over Tottenham meant they ended the season in eighth, which was their second best finish in the Premier League. 'We have good players and good results but there have been times when we've dropped points and shouldn't have done,' Milner said. 'Hopefully with myself and the senior guys involved, we can keep pushing these guys.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Bloom set for £10m Hearts stake after vote approval
Tony Bloom is set to take up a 29% stake in Hearts after the club's majority shareholder group voted in favour of the Brighton & Hove Albion owner's £10m investment Foundation of Hearts say from a total of 6,208 votes - which represented a 70% turnout - 6,112 voted in favour and 96 voted against. Bloom needed approval of more than 50% for his offer to be accepted."Clearly it is a huge majority in favour and this demonstrates - once again - the passion the foundation members have for the club and their determination to see it move forward and reap the benefits of the financial investment," the group said in a statement. "Tony Bloom's decision to invest in Hearts was very much founded on the many benefits he saw at Tynecastle through the club being in fan ownership, not least its financial security through the level of our pledging."Bloom will be purchasing non-voting rights shares, which would not impact the 75.1% voting rights held by the Foundation of Hearts but he will be entitled to one place on the board and is expected to appoint a representative rather than take up the position had said Bloom believes Hearts can "disrupt Scottish football" and that he wants to be a part of a "glorious chapter" in the Edinburgh club's finished season 2024-25 seventh in the Scottish Premiership and have appointed Derek McInnes as their new club has a formal relationship with Bloom's company Jamestown Analytics for recruitment.
