The North Stand area an hour before kick-off was filling up quite rapidly, but I still got a pie and a pint within a couple of minutes which seemed reasonable value by modern prices. The old photos and Attila’s poem Goldstone Ghost made you want to spend some time looking around rather than just head straight for the seating area. The sight of Harvey’s being poured also gave the new stadium a feeling of local heritage.

Walking into the stand itself was a momentous occasion as I looked around at the towering West Stand and behind me at the vast screen at the back of the North Stand. The pitch looked a lush green and the slanting design of the stadium gave the AMEX a unique style. This was a real sensory experience, soon to be followed by the colourful chanting by the North Stand faithful. As the floodlights came on there was a real sense of theatre at the AMEX and Ashley Barnes certainly didn’t fluff his lines as he executed a fine penalty.

The game itself was not a classic by any means, as the Gills came with a game plan for the Albion. However, another victory at the AMEX, round two of the cup and around 16000 fans leaving their first floodlit game happy is what counted in the end.

As we arrived prime seats were still available, but joy was followed immediately by disappointment as we had just missed Defoe’s goal. In the space of minutes though I got into the game and was impressed with England’s attacking football. It only took a couple of minutes after my arrival for Gerrard to place a low shot towards the right hand corner before being palmed wide by Handanovicv. This gave me a sense of optimism that a possible mauling was on the cards. In what followed, England produced a more purposeful performance then in recent games and certainly the best performance since the qualifiers.

However and there is always a however with England. While the country rejoiced with qualification as the final whistle blew the reality of England’s predicament emerged. The yanks injury time goal completely changed the outlook for England.

The pundits have said that to win the world cup you must beat teams such as Germany. Yes that is true, but England are slowly developing confidence in the world cup. A second round tie against Ghana would have offered a stern test, but one where England could have been the victors, setting up a clash against either Uruguay or South Korea in the quarters. Instead we have Germany, then maybe Argentina and then possibly Brazil.

Let’s face the facts; we have progressed to the quarter finals in recent years when we have had average opposition. In 2006 our second round match was against Ecuador, in 2002 it was Denmark, in 1990 it was Belgium and in 1986 Paraguay. In 1998 as we all know it was that epic against Argentina and while I would like to see a similar performance, I sense there will be a similar result against Germany.

So England’s lack of potency up front has seriously dented any chance of further progression. I hope to be proved wrong, but Germany look slick in their passing and attacking for such a young side. The fact that England has a talented bunch of individuals does not disguise the fact that we lack coherence as a team.

I hope Der Kaiser is wrong on Sunday and the boys do us proud. If we should lose though, let us as a nation try and lower our expectations and shelve the video highlights of 1966 until after we win a world cup again.

On similar poor form in the first game was ITV HD when they decided to cut to adverts during Steven Gerrard’s goal. However, I decided to take a risk on the channel for the Algeria game with the controller ready to switch back to ITV 1 if any incident occurred.

Sadly there was no chance of ITV HD spoiling celebrations this time with what was probably the worst England performance in a World Cup game I can remember. One fan said to me that the game against Portugal in 1986 was worse, but seeing that the opposition was Algeria on this occasion arguably this performance was worse. Back in the 1986 world cup Northern Ireland drew against Algeria so that further illustrates how bad historically the 0-0 result was for England on Friday.

The touch and passing of the England team was woeful and for players paid millions of pounds there really is no excuse. Players such as Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard are supposed to be the cream of the England crop in the Premier League. However, what I saw were players unable to hold onto a ball with a first touch akin to an elephant from a local South African safari park.

Gerrard out on the left instinctively wandered into the centre leaving the left exposed and Rooney did not threaten whilst lacking any real link up with Heskey. The saddest thing of all was the lack of any decent crosses into the box. David Beckham would have only featured in a cameo role had he been fit, but his crosses have been sorely missed.

What could have been the solutions? Formation change seems the obvious one, going to three at the back. The creativity of Joe Cole could well have helped on the left side and allowed Gerrard to link up with Rooney more. Aaron Lennon was anonymous on the right and Shaun Wright-Phillips didn’t do much either after coming on, suggesting Theo Walcott could have been a better option to unlock the defence.

Changes will have to happen for the Slovenia match, but I only hope Capello is willing to change formations and personnel. The team which qualified with flying colours has gone walkabout and if it’s the ‘pressure’ getting to them as Fabio has stated in the press then why are these top flight footballers playing well enough in the Premiership for millions but they cannot do it for their country?

A poor excuse for a poor performance I am afraid.

The game started with Steven Gerrard playing like a man possessed and he linked up well with Heskey for the goal. A first win of the world cup for England was on the cards against a work man like USA.

What actually followed was more of the same from England including injuries, needless bookings and of course a keeper howler which was arguably the worst by an England keeper. At least Scott Carson had to deal with a faster ball while Robert Green really had less to deal with after Dempsey’s shot had already bounced on the ground on the way through.

Gerrard, Carragher and Milner all picked up yellow cards. Picking Ledley King backfired and the pace of Jamie Carragher could be a liability to the team after he was skinned by Jozy Altidore. Robert Green saving from Altidore and then the ball ricocheting off the post would have given him some confidence back, but is it enough to stay in the team?

The Americans to be fair are not a bad team overall and what they lack in creativity is made up for by hard work. The US now has a good chance of reaching the second round and possibly the quarter-finals. It is important to remember that the US are ranked 14th in the world so a draw against England ranked 8th is not totally unexpected.

Even in the FIFA all time list England are actually 5th, so based on rankings we are destined for the quarter finals. So when many in the press state that the 1966 team started with a draw, surely the English public cannot be thinking of a world cup final?

Our team is not bad, but they are not great. The England teams of World Cup 90 and Euro 96 were arguably better and certainly more settled. To achieve a semi final again would be a great achievement. But even if we should go out in the quarters again we would at least be consistent in world cups over the last 8 years and should be thankful we at least qualified unlike in 1994.

http://www.seagulls-specials.org.uk

6th Apr ‘10 – Falmer High School – (Brighton) – 6:00 PM

Active Seagulls is a session for players aged 14 and over to work on their fitness and gain a basic understanding on leading a healthier lifestyle. Sessions include gym work, fitness and football.

6th Apr ‘10 – Withdean Stadium -(Brighton) – 7:00 PM

Fans Forum, this is special night for players and fans to ask their questions to the board made up of directors, managers, coaches and players.
anything you would like to know about the club, stadium or just interested in individuals now is your chance to get the answer to your question.
THIS EVENT IS TICKETED SO PLEASE APPLY AT THE ENQUIRY PAGE

7th Apr ‘10 – Portslade Leisure Centre – (Brighton)- 11:00 AM

Seagulls Specials Holiday Soccer School, training with qualified coaches, your chance to put your skills to the test whilst having fun with friends.
Times will depend on group.

7th Apr ‘10 – Portslade Leisure Centre – (Brighton) – 2:00 PM

‘Seagulls on Wheels’ take on the PRO’s
Seagulls Specials wheelchair players take on some of the first team and coaching staff not to mention our very own GUS POYET in a wheelchair football match.

7th Apr ‘10 – Waterhall Playing Fields – (Brighton) – 8:00 PM

Development Centre for the players who like the challenge to push themself to the next level with their skills, train as part of a team and compete in local and national events. For more information look on the club page

8th Apr ‘10 – Falmer Stadium – (Brighton) – 5:00 PM

BODS members take a tour around the new stadium.
THIS IS A PRE BOOK ONLY TOUR

9th Apr ‘10 – Falmer Stadium – (Brighton) – 10:00 AM

BODS member take a tour of the new stadium.
THIS IS A PRE BOOK TOUR ONLY

9th Apr ‘10 – St Andrews Boys School – (Worthing) – 1:00 PM

Come and play Football and Cricket with us and Sussex County Cricket Club.
For more information please contact us through our enquiry page.

10th Apr ‘10 – St Andrews Boys School – (Worthing) – 10:00 AM

Worthing Specials, a fun football club for players aged 5 – 16 with special needs. Players have the opportunity to learn and practice their skills in a fun and safe environment with qualified coahces, then put them into practice in friendly and competitive events.

For dates and directions look at the club page!

10th Apr ‘10 – Portslade Leisure Centre – (Brighton) – 11:30 AM
Visual Impaired football training and then go and watch the Brighton & Hove Albion 1st Team in action at the Withdean.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE ENQUIRY PAGE

10th Apr ‘10 – Withdean Stadium – (Brighton) – 2:00 PM

Seagulls Specials finish their Disability Awarenes week at the Brighton & Hove Albion’s1st Team Match. This includes demos by wheelchairs, VI and many other players.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE INVOLVED PLEASE CONTACT US VIA THE ENQUIRY PAGE

11th Apr ‘10 – Portslade Leisure Centre – (Brighton) – 10:00 AM

Sunday Soccer for adults who love playing football indoors for fun, learning new skills and playing in matches with friends. for more information please look at our clubs page

11th Apr ‘10 – Eastbourne Sports Park – (Eastbourne) – 11:00 AM

Eastbourne Specials for players who like to train, learn new skills and put them into practice in matches. Opportunities to participate in county league matches. for more information please look at out club page

13th Apr ‘10 – Falmer High School – (Brighton) – 6:00 PM

Active Seagulls is a session for players aged 14 and over to work on their fitness and gain a basic understanding on leading a healthier lifestyle. Sessions include gym work, fitness and football. For more information go to our club page

14th Apr ‘10 – Waterhall Playing Fields – (Brighton) – 8:00 PM

Development Centre for the players who like the challenge to push themself to the next level with their skills, train as part of a team and compete in local and national events. For more information look on the club page

17th Apr ‘10 – Oakmeads community college – (Mid Sussex) – 10:00 AM

Mid Sussex Marvels, a football club for young players with Special Needs. Come and learn new skills and play in fun matches. You can play in club competitions or just come and have fun in training. Have a look at the clubs page for dates or click more info for a leaflet.

17th Apr ‘10 – Portslade Leisure Centre – (Brighton) – 11:00 AM

Seagulls Specials football club for players of all ages and abilties, join in the fun sessions, learn new skills and be part of the team. you can play for fun or in competitions. Different sessions running throughout the day, look at our Seagulls Specials club page for times and more info.

18th Apr ‘10 – Portslade Leisure Centre – (Brighton) – 10:00 AM

Sunday Soccer for adults who love playing football indoors for fun, learning new skills and playing in matches with friends. for more information please look at our clubs page.

It’s another Wednesday morning after another terrible Tuesday night watching the Albion. Brighton were back to their comical worst and were on the end of yet another hiding. This time it was Norwich, this time 4 more conceded and a return of no points.

So far this year I have been to Bristol twice, Walsall, Leicester, Stockport, Hereford, Luton, Huddersfield and Norwich on midweek away trips. I dread to think how many miles that has covered, but it must be well over 2,000.

The return for my support – 3 managers, 4 thrashings, a traffic jam that meant I only saw the last 11 minutes of the Leicester game, 1 postponement, 1 exit from the Johnstone Paint trophy and just 2 wins. 17 goals against and 7 goals to cheer in our favour.

This was also game number 666 of my Brighton watching career, spanning 22 years over 3 decades and 102 football grounds. Maybe another sign telling me not to go.

Why is it myself and hundreds of others keep doing it? There is no logic to it apart from unconditional love which seems to put the bad bits to the back of the memory in the vague hope that something brilliant may just happen. And when it does, you can say “I was there!”

In a twisted way, I think it may be more fun supporting a team that only win every four or five weeks. When the win comes, the feeling is magnified and the happiness inside is uncontrollable. If we won every game every week, it would get a bit boring. Celebrating goals wouldn’t have the same passion.

At Southampton the goals were being celebrated like we won the World Cup final and won millions on the lottery on the same day. Even our goal at Norwich was greeted with a mass outburst of euphoric happiness, even though deep down we knew we probably wouldn’t win the game.

“Big Four” Premiership fans just mildly applaud as they stick a 3rd goal past Wigan/Burnley/Portsmouth etc. It’s just not the same. And that’s if they’ve even gone to the game, and not sat on the couch watching it home.

I won’t go into too much detail about the game as it was just so infuriatingly bad it was funny. Our own fans were laughing at just how bad we were when Norwich banged in their 3rd, their disallowed goal and their 4th.

Like the famous John and Edward, Brighton were so comically bad (at the back), it makes compulsive viewing in a weirdly entertaining way. For all the wrong reasons we are entertaining to watch. Brighton fans usually get to see at least 3 or 4 goals per match!!

Norwich scored from a cross, a toe punt, an own goal and miss hit shot from distance. Sums us up. Norwich didn’t play that well (according to their fans) and yet they easily put 4 past us.

For the hapless, maybe unlucky Graeme Smith, his latest outing saw him concede the 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th goal of his seven game long Brighton career. He is not a terrible keeper, but that is some going – which unfortunately may consign him to the “worst ever” in the record books.

We had our moments going forward, creating a couple of good chances in the first half, but in truth we look like a relegation threatened team low on confidence. The only fighting spirit we showed was in fact in a fight. A 20 man brawl sparked by a late challenge from Dean Cox.

After another terrible performance on the field, the 4-1 scoreline was not as hard to take as the £6.60 for a pint of Carling or Magners or the Delia Smith Cauliflower Cheese Pie. Despite all the rubbish served up on the pitch, hundreds of Brighton fans made the journey and made a right noise in the 24,000 strong crowd. At least something the club can be proud of.

Why is it, no matter how bad the team play, at the final whistle they get a standing ovation and a round of applause at away games, yet at home games, they get a chorus of boo’s?

I hope they (the players) realise what they put us through, as it was a total waste of money for a day drip. I know the Wigan players were humiliated (after losing 9-1) and offered a refund to fans, so it shows that some players do show their appreciation of the fans unconditional love.

It took nearly an hour to leave the car park after the game, by which time at least 74 Liverpool fans had rung in 606 to cry about winning away in the Champions League. The sympathy felt for the Liverpool fans from Brighton fans stuck in Norwich can’t have been that high.

The Liverpool fans had the luxury of still being entered into a European cup they so proudly won 4 years ago, and all they had to do was change over to BBC or ITV. In comparison, the travelling army of Brighton fans still had 175 miles to get home in the early hours of a cold November morning.

Well it was back down the A11 with Heart FM sympathetically blaring out the heartbreak classics. At 2am we arrived back home wondering what on earth made us ever think going was a great idea? As is mostly the case, it was a great day out spoiled by 90 minutes of the beautiful game!

Brett M

Brighton appointed Gus Poyet as their third manager of 2009 and he seems to have won the fans over already. Watching his various press conferences and interviews, he comes over as a very articulate and intelligent man, who says all the right things.

Russell Slade said a lot of the right things too, but he failed to get the team going how he wanted. After one game, Gus seems to have found the knack already. Maybe it is just the magical spell that is a new manager’s first game in charge, as always happens (and usually against us).

I was amongst many fans who thought Southampton away would be a game where we would get embarrassed live in front of Sky TV viewers. We conceded as many goals as Southampton had scored in the last four games, 12.

Outside the ground there was an almost carnival like atmosphere as hundreds of Brighton fans waited for the turnstiles to open. Uruguayan flags were draped around supporters and railings alike, as the Sky TV cameras interviewed both sets of supporters.

2,700 Brighton fans made the short trip to St Mary’s to see a new look Brighton team under the guidance of Poyet and captaincy of Crofts. For the rest of the Brighton fans, they had a glimpse of what it would be like to be a Chelsea fan, sitting on sofa/in a pub watching their team win on TV.

The atmosphere was electric, more Uruguayan flags, the fans in great voice and a tremendous reception for Gus – that was just the warm up drills! Under the stand, the lager was flowing and the rubbery burgers selling fast. Charlotte Jackson’s zip top kept fans glued to Sky Sports News.

Just before kick off was an impeccably observed minute silence. The reason for it happening bemused many fans, but the reason given was for All Saints Day which happened over 2 weeks ago.

The game kicked off and the Brighton team looked up for it and the fans sung their hearts out. The troubles of the previous season and a half gone by seemed to have disappeared as there was pride amongst everyone connected to the club.

Poyet came out to the touchline to scream advice to the team. The over animated body language and gestures showed, he cared, and the fans responded.

Surprisingly on the pitch, the out of form Brighton were playing the inform Southampton off the park. Glenn Murray and Nicky Forster were battering the Southampton defence like the gale force winds did to the Sussex coastline.

In a crazy 20 minute spell where we looked like world beaters. Murray scored two goals in 5 minutes and should have had a penalty. Forster could have had a brace himself, missing two glorious one on one chances.

Murray’s first goal was the best team goal I have seen from Brighton in a long time. And it was largely down to Gary Dicker. Usually when the ball is on the edge of our box, the ball gets hoofed aimlessly forward.

From Dicker deep in his own half to the goal took 7 touches. With the ball only leaving the ground for the cross for Murray’s volley. It was all first time football apart from Cox controlling Dicker’s first time pass. It was the type of football I have only ever seen whilst being thrashed playing FIFA on the Playstation against someone on the other side of the world.

Even at 2-0 up and missing two glorious chances, we all knew that at a drop of a hat we could easily concede 2 or 3 goals in quick succession. There was a slight feeling of regretting missing those 2 chances, but to be fair, the defence was quite solid.

During the game, Poyet then did something no Brighton manager has done before. He made a tactical change that agreed with what the Brighton fans could see from the stands.

El Abd was not coping with the pace of Antonio, and all of Southampton’s play came from that wing. Poyet then put the speedy Elliott Bennett on the left wing, and he kept pace with Antonio and doubled up on him with El Abd. This took Antonio out of the game and he was subbed.

Southampton scored just before half time with a dubious penalty given against Whing. And the Brighton fans were waiting for the self destruct button to be hit. Luckily the half time whistle came and gave Gus the chance to re-group the team.

The second half was what we all feared. Us sitting deep and letting Southampton attack. We kept defending deeper and deeper, and letting them cross balls in from every angle. For once the defence stood firm.

Tunnicliffe, who never seems to get a run in the team despite being the best of a bad bunch played well. Elphick who has been badly off form, had a solid game, yet there were still moments where we looked all over the shop, but luckily for us we didn’t concede.

We barely registered a shot on goal in the second half; Crofts forced a brilliant save from the edge of the box, and then scored with an identical chance with 5 minutes to go. Dickinson with some great work down the left wing, found Crofts on the edge of the box to smash it home!

The final whistle went; Poyet was first down the tunnel, letting the players take the glory.

As Bjørge Lillelien of Norwegian commentary fame once said, “Matt Le Tissier, Alan Pardew, Dan Harding, Craig David, Dean Hammond, Uwe Rossler, Francis Benali, and Lawrie Mcmenemy – your boys took one helluva beating!”

I know it’s only his first game, but the buzz about the place is like nothing I have seen in a long time. People outside of Brighton & Hove Albion have heard about our manager, and seem genuinely interested in how it’s going to go.

More importantly, Brighton fans have a smile upon their faces, and having something they can be proud of (for now).

A win is a win, but in reality it has only taken us to 19th in Division Three. A lot of work is needed, the goal remains Championship football and Gus is the man we have entrusted to do this.

Next up, it’s Poyet’s first game at home. The FA Cup against a team we have already beaten, and who we hit 4 goals past last weekend. For everyone going, they will receive a free “Hola Gus” t-shirt. Let’s hope the rain holds off and we see a performance that will take us through to the 2nd round against Rushden.

Brett M

The Albion sit in the relegation zone once again, with even less points than under the failed guidance of Micky Adams this time last season. Luck, or lack of it has played a part, but in truth, we are in the relegation zone because we are not good enough.

The euphoria of staying up last season has worn off, and yet again, we are subjected to dire, losing football. I don’t think people mind losing so much, but it is the way we are losing. No fight or passion seems to be the problem. Couple that with aimless long punts and generally negative formations and tactics, you can see why fans are becoming restless.

If we go a goal down, we tend to lose, and there isn’t any motivation in the players during games to try and inspire a comeback. We have conceded the first goal in 7 games this season, and our return from that is one point (away at Millwall).

The Oldham game was yet another miserable day at Withdean, possibly the worst since losing to 9 man Walsall last season. There just seemed to be nothing, despite playing against a very poor team at home.

Oldham won the game without putting a shot on target through their own attacking play. Once the first goal went in, the team looked like they had accepted defeat. There was no fight to get an equaliser, and every pass was going astray and Oldham were winning every header and tackle.

So how do we change it? Everyone agrees Slade is a likeable chap, but does that make him the right man for the job? Some would argue it is his back room staff that is holding him back. Some say get rid of the lot.

Managerial – Sacking Slade would mean a new man in charge. Dennis Wise and Gary Stevens have been linked in the recent past. A lot of fans would like Steve Coppell to come back and complete what he described as an “unfinished job.” There are lots of names being banded about, but how many are going to be better than Slade? A fresh approach maybe what is needed though.

Back Room Staff – For all the people that want White and Booker out, there doesn’t seem to be any ready made replacements, but the case to keep them seems to be shrinking. Wilkins and Chapman seemed to have the coaching set up nailed, but since their departure, things have gone downhill.

The Keepers – It maybe time to give Kuipers a rest. He has been great over the years, but there are signs time is catching up with him. Graeme Smith had a horror start to his Albion career, conceding 9 in his first two games, but he didn’t play that badly. Walker seems to be a diamond, but at 17, it is way too much pressure to put on his young shoulders.

The Defence – An experienced centre back would also be ideal, as he could mentor Elphick, Tunnicliffe, Virgo or El Abd whilst playing. Tunnicliffe seems to be the best of a bad bunch at the moment, so he deserves a start. Coach them to pass the ball to Dicker or Bennett’s feet. These two players seem to be the only two with any composure and ability to do something that isn’t hoof it.

The Midfield – It all seems a bit one dimensional. Dicker has the composure, Crofts does the donkey work, but between them, there is no real attacking intent as they both sit quite deep. Elliott Bennett is the shining light, but he doesn’t seem to get enough of the ball. Get it to him, and things may improve.

The Attack – Only Forster is causing any real threat. Dickinson has shown glimpses. Murray has never settled, Hart hasn’t scored for 3 years and Davies is out of form and been on loan. Something new is needed and quick, or get Murray firing on all cylinders until the transfer window opens and let him get his move back north.

The Tactics – Everything seems to be negative, just be solid and not concede. There seems to be less emphasis on attack. The negative tactics seem to demotivate the players, so when we go behind, the attacking intent is still not there. We are losing whilst sitting back, so we may as well lose at least trying to attack.

Captain – There is a lack of leadership on the playing field. Adam Virgo for all his effort is not captain material. His lack of form and ill-discipline is not the example that needs to be set. There are of course candidates, but does anyone really stand out? Forster, Dicker or Crofts may be the answer?

The goal is Championship football by the time Falmer is finally open, how we get there depends on Mr Bloom. All in all, I personally don’t think sacking Slade is the answer. I fully understand if he was to go, but I think we need consistency. Slade certainly has the right ideas and talks a good game but his record is very poor.

My answer is to let him have his own coaches that can help him implement his ideas/visions to the team. If we change the whole managerial set up, we need more time to settle down, bed in etc. How long can we keep doing this? It has ruined last season and is having the same effect this year. Can we afford to do it again next season? – the final season before Falmer!

On the plus side, Falmer is coming along nicely and there are still 96 points to play for…

Brett M

In four home games, we have only kept one clean sheet and leaked more goals than news stories about Katie and Peter.

The facts are we have played four home games, lost three. That record is terrible, and is one that would normally be associated with teams at the bottom end of the table, precisely where we sit at the time of writing this.

Withdean used to be intimidating with its poor facilities and make shift pitch. It then became a fortress, and winning was a habit. Now the pitch is great, the changing rooms, luxury and facilities vastly improved. In this respect, it has become more like other stadiums and with that, it has become a lot easier for teams to come to Withdean and get results.

It is weird how the back 5 players (Kuipers, Virgo, El Abd, Elphick and Tunnicliffe) can be heaped in praise one minute, and then the next are vilified, singled out and held responsible for a loss. How can a team look so solid and not concede for 4 hours of football, and then be reduced to a wreck that even a Sunday League team could score past?

The inquisition has started, and seems quite public too. This is not something that the fans normally see. Under previous leaderships, the bad performances were followed by excuses and deflection away from the poor performances. Now everything seems to be more honest, and blame is laid down with the guilty parties having to accept it. Slade may not be the best manager, but he knows what he wants, and how he wants to get there – if the players aren’t up to his standards, he lets them know!

Everything, of course, is not all bad. At 36 years young, this man is a class above. Nicky Forster belies his age and body to continue to spearhead the Brighton attack. At £75,000 he is an absolute bargain.

Two more goals against Southend took Forster’s tally to seven, scoring in five consecutive games. It could have easily been ten for the season. He has missed a penalty, missed some easy chances and had two goals disallowed. He described it as the form of his life, for which we are very grateful; otherwise, we would be in a much worse position.

As for the Southend game, it was probably the most entertaining game seen at Withdean in recent times. The defenders on both teams looked like they had been watching Derren Brown’s latest stunt, with Brighton looking particularly bad.

However, they were not as bad as Jean-Yves Mvoto of Southend, who was so bad he was substituted before half time. He then reappeared in the second half in his tracksuit and backpack to take his place on the subs bench extension.

Southend took the lead through Lee Barnard who always seems to score against us. Forster hit back after a mistake from Mvoto and delightfully chipped the ball over the diving keeper.

The comedy defending was back at the Brighton end, which allowed O’Donovan to tap in from less than 2 yards after a cross from the right wing evaded everyone, making it 2-1.

Forster capped off the entertaining first half by equalising after latching onto a great pass, turning Mvoto and slotting the ball through Mildenhalls legs to make it 2-2.

The second half was less entertaining, with Southend passing the ball about a bit more. Bennett had a great effort smash the cross bar, which unluckily did not cross the goal line.

It was Southend that scored right at the death, Elphick failed to deal with a long punt forward and let Laurent run to the by-line. He seemed scared to put in a tackle in case he gave away a penalty, so Laurent then slotted the ball into the far corner to win the game. Elphick and Kuipers should have done a lot better, but it was too late, the points gone and a 3rd home defeat out of 4 was a formality.

Changes are likely for the next game, especially in defence. El Abd and Tunnicliffe have arguably been the best of the defence so far this season, so it is up to Virgo, Elphick and Jake Wright to make up the rest of the back four. We may even see us make a dip into the loan market to try and sure up the frailties that have become visible.

Going forward, we look OK, after not scoring in the first two; we have scored in every game since. The only problem is that only Forster and Dickinson have scored. It is time for the rest of the team to step up to the plate and start the push up the table…

Brett M

You know it’s bad when the Sky Sports vidiprinter has to spell out the score, and for a nation watching Jeff and the gang, they would have seen Huddersfield Town 7 (SEVEN) – Brighton & Hove Albion 1. Being there was no better either.

The reaction of our fans covered a wide range of emotions. Speaking to fans during the game, it was so bad you had to laugh, no matter if you had 10 pints or none. When you look at the flurry of Facebook updates in the proceeding 10 minutes after the final whistle, there was anger and embarrassment.

Whatever the fans thought of the dismal display of hapless defending and comical play, Huddersfield played well and 7-1 was not a flattering score line. The fact they missed a penalty, two sitters and hit the woodwork a couple of times shows that we were thoroughly outclassed on the night.

Going into the game, the general consensus was that we were solid as a defensive unit, but weren’t creating anything upfront. How that was to change over the course of the night.

Brighton, actually started the better of the two teams and forced a number of corners without properly threatening to score. Huddersfield scored with the very first attack, after Virgo sent a diving header across his own six yard box, and a cross came back in for a header by Kay to make it 1-0, slightly against the run of play.

Then our single moment of glory. 303 minutes after the season started, we got our first goal, and what a goal. Liam Dickinson sent a rasping half volley from distance into the top left corner to equalise, and things were looking up.

The celebrations barely finished when Clarke scored unchallenged in the 6 yard box less than a minute later, making it 2-1 to Huddersfield.

Adam El Abd ensured the game was over after a suicidal back pass left Novak one on one with Kuipers. Novak nicked the ball past Kuipers dive at his feet and went down. Although Novak appeared to dive, it was a clear penalty and the inevitable red card came out from the referee.

The scenes which followed are not what you want to see associated with the club, but maybe they were understandable from Michel’s point of view. It was a dive, but it was a penalty. The way Kuipers reacted was bad, and got worse as the card came out. If the referee reports it, there maybe a lengthy ban for Brighton’s number 1.

The dismissal lead to Jamie Smith (who had played well) coming off for Graeme Smith to make his debut in goal. Within 5 seconds of coming on, he was booked for time wasting. He then dived the wrong way for the resulting Novak penalty and it was then 3-1 to Huddersfield.

The second half just went wrong. What can you say? Brighton barely put two passes together and the defence collapsed like the nations economy and cricket team. I can’t even remember all the goals, but looking at the match report there were further goals for Gary Roberts, Darren Drinkwater, and two late goals for Brighton target, Theo Robinson.

There was even time for Jordan Rhodes to miss a penalty. He had scored 5 in the first 3 games of the season, but failed to beat Smith with his spot kick.

The Brighton fans in the ground were angry at half time, but the 4th goal was greeted with the odd rye smile. The 5th goal was just disbelief and resulted in fans taking photos of the scoreboard. In that time, a 6th goal was shipped in and Brighton fans just kept singing their hearts out in adversity, as there were still 17 minutes left, and double figures a possibility.

The 7th goal went in, and there wasn’t even a hint of resentment from the 407 who travelled there. You had to laugh, there was no point getting angry. We were rubbish, they were quality, and the thrashing was a fair result.

Bizarrely, at the final whistle, the players and fans were clapping each other very loudly; you would have thought that we’d just won a Johnstone Paints Semi final. There were no boo’s, no calls for the managers head, and no abuse of the players. Maybe it just hadn’t sunk in just how bad we were, but it was an unusual display of affection in a ludicrous situation.

Although it does look bad, 3 games, 2 defeats, a draw and only being kept off the bottom by a team that started on -10 points, at least it happened early doors, and not at the business end of the season.

As one Brighton fan so brilliantly put it, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another, with no loss of enthusiasm”

Brett M