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No time now for near misses or 'if onlys' as Albion bid to end worrying run

And Brentford would be a good, if difficult, place to start.

The Seagulls are, in terms of position and points, midway between Europe and relegation as they go to West London.

But the dynamic of recent weeks - including their last visit to these parts, at Fulham - means most eyes are on the latter.

That is because they have failed to win games and have failed to win key moments.

Yes, they were poor against a weak Crystal Palace - and awful after going behind. But they should still have drawn 0-0.

Generally, though, they have had decent periods in games. Not necessarily sparkling, although some of their football in tight areas is better than critics would have you believe.

But good enough to have deserved and got more points.

Those two things are not always the same. They did not deserve to beat Everton but they should have done.

And in all that lies the frustration.

Yes, there is a school of thought that Albion are terrible and the coach must go. Simple as that

But there is also an argument that it has often been a case, collectively or individually, of didn’t play badly but just switched off for a moment.

Played quite well but were unlucky with a decision.

Played well at times but didn’t take chances. Were hindered by a cheap yellow card.

Too often players have exited the pitch and fans have walked away with that feeling of heads down disappointment. Fulham was a great example.

And it has often been because of moments. Moments which undermine a lot of good work in the game and in the training week which preceded it.

There have often been positives to take, moments to refelct on, things to learn. All that stuff, But you don’t get any consolation prizes or bonus points for those.

Off the pitch, the wide range of moods seems to range from calm on one extreme to demanding immediate revolution on the other.

Most of us are probably somewhere between relaxed and concerned. Or a mixture of both.

It all should be okay. But, until Albion start winning games again, they aren’t winning games.

There is still a lot to play for – even if they follow a path somewhere between Europe and relegation in these final 12 matches.

Every league placing is worth about £3 million. So a couple of narrow wins could be worth the equivalent of maybe four extra home fixtures in term of income.

It also about going into the summer feeling your are moving in the right direction.

And about perception, which seems to be a big thing at the moment.

Ninth or tenth is not Europe but still feels like a respectable league position which would see Albion continue to take steps as a solid Prem outfit while 14th or 15th would be seen as them slipping away.

And yet there might only be a couple of wins between those two scenarios.

The hope will be that Albion will dominate games and win in style.

In reality, only five of their matches have ended in margins of two goals or more and three of those (Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United) only became two-goal margins in the final seconds.

We are in a situation now where, were Albion to win ugly, the focus for many would still be on the ‘ugly’ rather than the ‘win’.

But it is about that win and not 'if onlys'.

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