It almost seems light years ago, but it’s less than a month since I sat in front of my computer contemplating Albion’s next four league fixtures, respective home games against Bournemouth, Everton and Palace, with a visit to Fulham in the middle, convinced that a full 12 point haul was not out of the question – and with it increased momentum in the Albion’s quest to get back into Europe.
But 360 or so EPL minutes later and it couldn’t be a more different story, two points from my anticipated 12, culminating in Sunday’s Amex defeat against our bitterest rivals from up the road.
After nearly 53 years, every time Brighton lose it hurts, but there’s degree of hurt, to suffer a defeat when you’ve done your best, well that’s part of parcel of why we all love the beautiful game. But to lose in the manner Brighton did on Sunday, well to the rank and file of the core support, it’s almost unacceptable.
Despite the 90 minutes of football, I actually had a great afternoon in the company of a couple of mates from South London, Harty Jnr, fellow Albion lifer Dave ‘Rusty’ King and my great friend Jim White, from talkSPORT.
Brighton Head Coach Fabian Hurzeler is facing an uncerrtain future (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)placeholder image
Brighton Head Coach Fabian Hurzeler is facing an uncerrtain future (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Jim, along with Palace legend Simon Jordan, now attracting nearly two million listeners daily on their mid-morning show, has long been a great admirer of all that the Albion do both on and off the field, but he could only watch as Fabian Hurzeler’s men clearly fluffed their lines on arguably one of their biggest stages of the season.
Ever the professional, Jim got Rusty and I to record a post match soundbite which he played out on Monday’s show.
Regular readers know I love an analogy, and I’ve had a little bit of leg pulling since my latest one made the airwaves – but to clarify: back in April 1992, I was newly-wed, buying my first house and with a baby on the way, I believed this country needed change, and regardless of the colour of his rosette I thought Neil Kinnock was the man who could instigate that change. In the end unfortunately he wasn’t up to the job, or so the electorate thought.
Fast forward 34 years, and is Fabian Hurzeler another Neil Kinnock in my life?
Despite his age and relative inexperience, I wanted him to succeed, and this column over the past couple of years up is testament to this, but in the wake of the Palace defeat, the chorus of boos at the final whistle, (for the record I didn’t boo but I won’t condemn anyone who did, we’ve all paid good money, and like Russell Crowe said in the Coliseum it’s all about entertainment) and the subsequent fans’ meltdown on social media I went to bed Sunday night thinking a change would almost certainly be coming.
So far it hasn’t, as animated and upset as we all are, there’s only one man’s opinion that counts, Tony Bloom, and ever the poker player he’s keeping his cards very close to his chest.
Collectively Albion fans of a certain age bear the scars of relegation, I’m currently on seven, (73, 83, 87, 92, 96, 2003 and 2006) but 2026 would probably hurt as much as the previous ones, if not more so, because it’s effectively crept up behind us and got us in a choke hold the late Hulk Hogan would have been proud of.
And getting back into the EPL from the Championship would represent a huge challenge again.
Yes, I’ve just mentioned relegation, in a column less than a month ago I was talking about potential European qualification. Ever the Albion optimist I still can’t get me head round it, but anyone who is naive to think it isn’t a possibility, one win in 12 is relegation form whatever spin you put on it.
West Ham have found some form, from where I don’t know, and football history across the leagues tells us that more often than not there’s a mid-table team get sucked into the relegation maelstrom – the Albion wouldn’t be immune from the phenomenon, regardless of how well they are run as a club.
But in Tony we trust, and always will. And in turn, he, at the time of going to press, still trusts in Fab.
But it never rains it pours, and now the Albion face trips to Villa Park on Wednesday night and Anfield on Satuday in the league and Cup respectively, probably two of the places we’d least want to go to in the current vein of form.
Maybe a welcome bit of reverse psychology? Frankly, at this point, I’ll take anything…
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