Brighton in action against Roma in the Europa League and Albion's - and the Premier League's - youngest ever manager | Picture: GettyBrighton in action against Roma in the Europa League and Albion's - and the Premier League's - youngest ever manager | Picture: Getty
Brighton in action against Roma in the Europa League and Albion's - and the Premier League's - youngest ever manager | Picture: Getty
Early cliché alert, but 2024 truly has been a landmark year for Brighton and Hove Albion.
In the spring the club played in the knockout stages of a major European Club competition for the first time ever. In the Summer transfer window the club spent a record breaking £194 million (the previous record being £90 million 12 months before) on squad recruitment and during that time appointed 31-year-old, Fabian Hurzeler, as not only the youngest manager in the club’s history but also the youngest manager in the EPL since its inception in 1992.
Hurzeler replaced the departing Roberto De Zerbi, who went on to join former Europa League group opponents Olympic Marseille.
I think its best to leave the adjective at departing, over six months on, debate still rages as to whether the charismatic Italian was sacked or resigned? Perhaps in keeping with the 21st century’s obsession with all things non binary, it was a little bit of both.
If push came to shove, I’m sure De Zerbi would have loved to have stayed, but unfortunately he had almost penchant for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, worse still normally when there was a microphone or camera in front of him.
He clearly wasn’t sacked in the traditional sense of the word as the Albion effectively received a ‘transfer fee’ over his appointment in the South of France, but needless to say bridges had previously been burnt that could not be rebuilt.
Fabian hit the ground running, and its fair to say the season so far has been a bit of curates egg, a number of high points, home wins against Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs, but equally almost as many lows, culminating in the recent Amex humbling by bitter rivals Crystal Palace, for fans of a certain age that will take a long time to get over, myself included.
Perish the thought, but apparently I upset a couple of readers last week, possibly every week, when my headline question if young Mr. Hurzeler is up to the job?
Judging by one reaction from a fan in Broadwater High Street, it’s just as well they haven’t got the ducking stool at Falmer Pond still!
With this being my 20th Christmas Column in the Herald, and hopefully not the last one, to reiterate I know I’m in a privileged position to have a platform for my views on all things Albion, I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I write, that would be almost Orwellian.
But I do thank you all for reading over the last 12 months, and I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and slightly off tangent but a request, based on the issue of loneliness at Christmas, if you reading this, please contact someone you haven’t done so for some time, someone you know might be on their own during the festive season.
So what of the Albion in 2025?
Well if it turns out, as we all hope, that he’s not out of his depth, and the better early season results are replicated, I still feel the Albion can get into the European qualification places.
We live in hope!
Continue Reading