A lack of urgency may cost Albion
By Andy Naylor
Albion could pay a heavy price for their tardiness during the January transfer window.
Nobody can quibble about the amount of money chairman Dick Knight was prepared to spend to land the sort of established goalscorer the Seagulls are crying out for to safeguard their League One status.
Bids ranging from £100,000 to £165,000 were made for Nicky Forster, Darren Byfield and Leon Constantine. The problem was not so much a lack of cash as a lack of urgency.
Why did it take so long for Albion to get their act together?
It was not until halfway through the month, on January 16 to be precise, that Forster forced his way back into Hull's starting line-up. We will never know but would Hull have been more willing to sell if the Seagulls had swooped as soon as the window opened, while he was still on the bench?
A bid for Byfield was not made to Millwall until about January 21, followed by an increased offer early last week with the deadline looming.
Albion had only 24 hours to divert their attention to Constantine once Millwall had revealed their inflated asking price for Byfield. The window was already well on the way to closing by the time the Port Vale marksman said thanks but no thanks.
The result? The clock ticked past midnight with no forward signed and, incidentally, with Albion's top midfield target Darren Currie still stuck at Ipswich.
Knight needs to be off the mark a lot quicker when the loan window re-opens on Thursday. It will be even more difficult to borrow a striker with the pedigree of a Forster, Byfield or Constantine but Albion must push the boat out to try.
Make no mistake, they have a fight on their hands to stay up. The next two matches, away to Brentford and Leyton Orient, two of the teams below them, have suddenly assumed greater significance after another blank scoreline and an unlikely set of results elsewhere.
While Albion were failing to score for the sixth time in seven games, and more than three-and-a-half at home, Brentford and Millwall were pulling off improbable victories at Blackpool and Yeovil.
Cheltenham have now beaten Bristol City and Swansea in their last two matches. Orient did what the Seagulls could not, by beating Port Vale on their own patch, and even that battling victory at Chesterfield last month was put into perspective by Bournemouth winning away from home for the first time this season at Saltergate.
As the rest rally, Albion continue to tread in treacle. It is one win in 11 now, two points from 15 at Withdean and, more to the point, no goals from open play this year.
The good news is that Albion look firm at the back now, although their new-found solidity will be severely tested by the next three visitors to Withdean, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Scunthorpe.
The problems lie at the other end of the pitch. They need a couple of wins to restore belief and that means finding the type of goalscorer they had 31 days to land last month.
By Andy Naylor
Albion could pay a heavy price for their tardiness during the January transfer window.
Nobody can quibble about the amount of money chairman Dick Knight was prepared to spend to land the sort of established goalscorer the Seagulls are crying out for to safeguard their League One status.
Bids ranging from £100,000 to £165,000 were made for Nicky Forster, Darren Byfield and Leon Constantine. The problem was not so much a lack of cash as a lack of urgency.
Why did it take so long for Albion to get their act together?
It was not until halfway through the month, on January 16 to be precise, that Forster forced his way back into Hull's starting line-up. We will never know but would Hull have been more willing to sell if the Seagulls had swooped as soon as the window opened, while he was still on the bench?
A bid for Byfield was not made to Millwall until about January 21, followed by an increased offer early last week with the deadline looming.
Albion had only 24 hours to divert their attention to Constantine once Millwall had revealed their inflated asking price for Byfield. The window was already well on the way to closing by the time the Port Vale marksman said thanks but no thanks.
The result? The clock ticked past midnight with no forward signed and, incidentally, with Albion's top midfield target Darren Currie still stuck at Ipswich.
Knight needs to be off the mark a lot quicker when the loan window re-opens on Thursday. It will be even more difficult to borrow a striker with the pedigree of a Forster, Byfield or Constantine but Albion must push the boat out to try.
Make no mistake, they have a fight on their hands to stay up. The next two matches, away to Brentford and Leyton Orient, two of the teams below them, have suddenly assumed greater significance after another blank scoreline and an unlikely set of results elsewhere.
While Albion were failing to score for the sixth time in seven games, and more than three-and-a-half at home, Brentford and Millwall were pulling off improbable victories at Blackpool and Yeovil.
Cheltenham have now beaten Bristol City and Swansea in their last two matches. Orient did what the Seagulls could not, by beating Port Vale on their own patch, and even that battling victory at Chesterfield last month was put into perspective by Bournemouth winning away from home for the first time this season at Saltergate.
As the rest rally, Albion continue to tread in treacle. It is one win in 11 now, two points from 15 at Withdean and, more to the point, no goals from open play this year.
The good news is that Albion look firm at the back now, although their new-found solidity will be severely tested by the next three visitors to Withdean, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Scunthorpe.
The problems lie at the other end of the pitch. They need a couple of wins to restore belief and that means finding the type of goalscorer they had 31 days to land last month.
