“Be careful what you wish for Brighton fans” - How the football world owes us an apology

[jackanada]

It's odd how if a newish team survive in the PL it is entirely uncontroversial to replace a member of the squad with a potentially better player. It's also pretty uncontroversial that said player may well be unproven at the top level and this is accepted because proven players while desirable command mighty wages and are less likely to come.

Yet make the same move with the manager and it seems most of the world entirely lose their shit.

 

[blue'n'white]

We do, of course, have to be grateful to Chris Hughton and I am. He got us to the Premier League and he kept us in it. But the football, at times, was turgid. Does anyone remember the game away at Spurs where we almost got a point but where Eriksen scored in something like the 88th minute. That's what we were then - an "almost" team. We "almost" beat Spurs but we weren't (and never would be) good enough. "Little" Brighton "Only" Brighton "Almost" Brighton and dare I say "Plucky little Brighton" with the opprobrium heaped upon the word "plucky" as applied to Bournemouth. We lined up with 10 men behind the ball that day and barely ventured out of our own half - 79% possession to Spurs and 21% to the Albion. 29 shots to 6 and Hughton openly admitting that we could not win so defend defend defend. Boxing Day this season for comparison - 54% possession to Spurs and 46% to the Albion.10 shots for Spurs and 11 to us. Brighter, better football all round. Yes I know it is only one game but the football played this year by our team - you know the ones in the blue and white stripes - has been, on the whole, immeasurably better. Yes there have been mistakes and we have not ben wonderful all season but no team (Liverpool I suppose excepted) has been. We have improved ourselves with the acquisition of Graham Potter and I believe that we will continue to improve ourselves. As a last thing the remark by Barnes was, I'm certain, solely because Hughton was a black manager.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

To be honest Harry, yes it would. Had you been arguing with points made by Robbie Savage, or Jamie Redknapp, you wouldn't have considered making an analogy about race. It was unnecessary to do so to make your point about John Barnes' belittling of BHAFC. People raising race in a conversation that is not about race just because of who they are arguing with has the effect of adding to the number of barriers faced by black figures in the media that are not faced by their white counterparts. I am sure that this was not your intention, but feel that you need to reconsider and, if you agree, change it. I'd be far happier with '**** right off.' It seems the more appropriate response to anyone dropping a 'teams like Brighton'.

On reflection, you are quite right.

I retract my earlier post.

Barnes' comments had nothing to do with race (his, mine, anyones) and my analogy was lazy. It would have been better had I been more creative.

 

[Stato]

On reflection, you are quite right.

I retract my earlier post.

Barnes' comments had nothing to do with race (his, mine, anyones) and my analogy was lazy. It would have been better had I been more creative.

Thanks for reconsidering. It takes guts for any of us to give pause and review not only our intent, but also the unintentional impacts of what we write in a social media environment. I hope that I will be capable of the same humility when I next write in anger (Probably below the line on the Guardian's website). My fear that I may not is one reason that I've never joined Twitter.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

To be honest Harry, yes it would. Had you been arguing with points made by Robbie Savage, or Jamie Redknapp, you wouldn't have considered making an analogy about race. It was unnecessary to do so to make your point about John Barnes' belittling of BHAFC. People raising race in a conversation that is not about race just because of who they are arguing with has the effect of adding to the number of barriers faced by black figures in the media that are not faced by their white counterparts. I am sure that this was not your intention, but feel that you need to reconsider and, if you agree, change it. I'd be far happier with '**** right off.' It seems the more appropriate response to anyone dropping a 'teams like Brighton'.

I think we all know that ‘teams like Brighton’ is not John Barnes’ only agenda here. As someone else pointed out, he has never waded in to support the unfair sacking of Big Sam. A few high profile campaigners threw racism accusations at the club when Hughton was sacked and subsequently were forced to retract. John Barnes is simply dog whistling the same agenda. The analogy is a good one.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think we all know that ‘teams like Brighton’ is not John Barnes’ only agenda here. As someone else pointed out, he has never waded in to support the unfair sacking of Big Sam. A few high profile campaigners threw racism accusations at the club when Hughton was sacked and subsequently were forced to retract. John Barnes is simply dog whistling the same agenda. The analogy is a good one.

I see your point and this was probably in my mind when I posted my original vituperation.

However, on reflection, using a race-based analogy doesn't sit right.

It would have been better to comment that Barnes was wrong to imply our sacking of CH was racist, and he's wrong again to belittle our club. His motivation can never be known, but he is certainly looking a bit of a dick.

 

[Dr. No]

Going back to the OP.

Do pundits owe the club an apology?

Calling [MENTION=34942]Dr. No[/MENTION]

No.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I see your point and this was probably in my mind when I posted my original vituperation.

However, on reflection, using a race-based analogy doesn't sit right.

It would have been better to comment that Barnes was wrong to imply our sacking of CH was racist, and he's wrong again to belittle our club. His motivation can never be known, but he is certainly looking a bit of a dick.

Fair enough. Your analogy, your rules
Your last sentence is irrefutable !

 

[keaton]

I think we all know that ‘teams like Brighton’ is not John Barnes’ only agenda here. As someone else pointed out, he has never waded in to support the unfair sacking of Big Sam. A few high profile campaigners threw racism accusations at the club when Hughton was sacked and subsequently were forced to retract. John Barnes is simply dog whistling the same agenda. The analogy is a good one.

He did mention Bolton and Allardyce on his Twitter
I don't think he's the one with an agenda when it comes to race.

This post sums up what he's been trying to say

"To all the Brighton fans.. if I was a Brighton fan, I’d be delighted graham potter is there and now would be happy that mr bloom took the decision he did.... but that doesn’t mean that ch DESERVED to be sacked..that’s the ONLY point I’m making.. not that it was the wrong decision"

 

[highflyer]

I think we all know that ‘teams like Brighton’ is not John Barnes’ only agenda here. As someone else pointed out, he has never waded in to support the unfair sacking of Big Sam. A few high profile campaigners threw racism accusations at the club when Hughton was sacked and subsequently were forced to retract. John Barnes is simply dog whistling the same agenda. The analogy is a good one.

As he himself has pointed out, he has NOT made any accusations related to race and CH sacking.

So, who really has the agenda here?

Frankly, given the persistent way that CH had been treated before he came to us, and given John Barnes' lifetime of experience (which lead me to be prepared to listen very carefully to anything he wants to say on the issue of race in the UK), I wouldn't be blaming him if he did have some nagging thoughts along those lines at the time. But if he did, he wisely didn't express them and therefore has nothing to apologise for (but still gets accused of having an 'agenda')

His position is perfectly justified in my view. As it would be in the view of any rational neutral observer.

In terms of looking like Dicks, I'd say it is the absurdly over-senstive Brighton fans doing the better job so far.

 

[Stato]

I think we all know that ‘teams like Brighton’ is not John Barnes’ only agenda here. As someone else pointed out, he has never waded in to support the unfair sacking of Big Sam. A few high profile campaigners threw racism accusations at the club when Hughton was sacked and subsequently were forced to retract. John Barnes is simply dog whistling the same agenda. The analogy is a good one.

I don't think it's fair to portray John Barnes as 'wading in'. If I follow the timeline correctly, he was one of many pundits who gave his opinion at the time and someone has contacted him a year later on Twitter to say that he should admit he was wrong. He has simply taken the stance that he wasn't wrong, defended his position against multiple challenges and said that he also wouldn't support the sacking of any of the managers who get relegated this season either.

My only argument with him would be that, in defending his position, he has exhibited the tiring viewpoint of many former employees of top six clubs that the top end of the hierarchy should remain a gold lined closed shop and that everyone else should be grateful that they can feed on the scraps from the top table. It is this attitude that means that a multi billion pound industry is constantly confronted with threats of clubs being in financial ruin. For the limits of the expectations of 'teams like Brighton' read 'teams like Bury'. It smacks of an elitist attitude to the way football is consumed that may be shared by many in the media, but that is completely unreflective of the true levels of passion and fan numbers watching all of the different tiers and of the true nature of football fan motivation.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Okay then - let's have at it

I am not going to go back over each post on this thread because they are mostly a rehash of older stuff from last year and it would be a pain trying to quote everything individually.

But let's take this 'huge vindication' - Bloom made a decision to sack Hughton - it was a risky decision, sacking a proven coach to replace him with an unproven coach with little resume. Hughton had a remit of getting the club to the PL and keeping them there - something which he did incredibly well. Those who supported the sacking of Hughton have little understanding of how difficult it is to keep a team in the PL (just look at Bournemouth this season) - and Hughton did it with few resources and a bottom three budget. I have posted previously of how difficult it is for newly promoted teams to stay in the PL (two are likely to go down this season) - and for teams that don't get relegated the first season to survive for a second season (have a look at where Huddersfield are today). Again, I made this point before - last season Southampton finished just above Brighton - yet had 11 players earning more money that the highest paid player at Brighton.

It takes a minimum of three years to consolidate any club in the PL - and to do it you have to spend a lot of money - and even then there are no guarantees. To keep a club in the PL you have to spend - and spend big - and even then you can get relegated - look at Fulham last season and Villa this season. During the two seasons Hughton managed Brighton in the PL, the club was down near the bottom in terms of spending on players. The weakness of the squad that Hughton had is demonstrated by even a cursory look at the players who Hughton had to rely on and who are now plying their trade in lower level football - Knockhaert, Kayal, Locadia, Andone, Hemed, Bong. At the same time some of the transfers, which Hughton did not have control over, proved to be dodgy at best - Jahanbakhsh, Izquierdo. The job that Hughton did in keeping the club in the PL was quite remarkable - and that is openly recognised across all levels of the PL.

Now Bloom made his decision - and he was entitled to do that as owner of the club. But let's look at the difference with Potter in his first season - three signings - all of whom broke the club record - and a fourth (Mooy) who was effectively another record signing (he would have been if signed last August - and Brighton were lucky to get him on the relative cheap in January). Bloom spent nearly as much last off-season as he had spent in the previous two seasons under Hughton - and he let Potter bring in the players he wanted. On top of that Potter had the advantage of being able to use two very good younger players - Alzate and Connolly (and picked-up a nice signing in Lamptey) that Hughton did not have at his disposal. Effectively, Potter had half of a new team on the pitch for most games. We have no idea what Hughton could have done with those resources at his disposal (and the guff that Hughton wouldn't have changed is nonsense - he had proven that in the past when he had better players available to him).

Now - Potter (and Brighton) started the season very well - with a win away to Watford (over what has proven to be a very poor Watford team) - and all of a sudden people on here were praising Potter and Bloom for appointing him. Then no win in six games and the doom and gloom set in - then Connolly hits the scene against Spurs and Potter is a genius (and Connolly is going to be sold for £50million). Seven points in the next 3 games - Brighton are up to 8th - and Bloom gives Potter a six year contract. At that point opposition coaches start to figure out how Potter sets his team up - inconsistency sets in - some poor loses, a couple of lucky wins (Arsenal should have won) and then from New Year's day to the lockdown in March not a single win. Brighton are pretty much in exactly the same position as they were the previous season under - and the mood on here is dour. The lockdown came at just the right time for the club and for Potter. First game back and a very lucky win at home to Arsenal - and the rest of the relegation competition are going backwards. Watford lose three players - Fraser refuses to play for Bournemouth, the wheels come off at Aston Villa, West Ham struggle and 7 points from three games mean that Brighton are safe and will likely finish in roughly the same position as Hughton did in his first season in the PL with Brighton. The pressure is off now and the Brighton players can enjoy themselves on the pitch - they deserve it - they have put in a good shift this season.

You need luck in football - and Potter has had a fair share of it this season. In my view the teams in the bottom half this season were weaker than last season. Potter has also had much more financial support from Bloom than Hughton ever got - if Bloom was going to justify sacking Hughton and hiring Potter then he had to pump a lot more money into transfers. Is Potter the next big thing in managerial terms - the jury is still out on that one and will be for some time yet - he has managed for less than a season in the PL. Has Bloom been 'hugely vindicated'? - the jury is also out on that one. We have no idea what Hughton could have done with £80million of a transfer budget and a couple of young players coming through - Brighton might have struggled - Hughton may also have done better than Potter - we have no way of predicting this. Bloom's vindication will not be proven for some time yet.

Next season is going to be difficult - and the pandemic has made it even more so - it will be difficult for most clubs, not just Brighton. I suspect that the PL will be stronger next season - Leeds and WBA will likely have more about them than Norwich and Villa - and I wouldn't be surprised to see the third spot taken by Cardiff who have experience of a relegation dog-fight. If Bloom is committed to Potter then this off-season - short as it will be - he needs to remove the purse strings. Brighton need two strikers capable of scoring goals in the PL (Maupay still hasn't hit double digits this season and the next highest scorer is Troussard with 4) - the top 2 goalscorers for Brighton this season have 13 goals between them - the only teams with fewer are Bournemouth, Villa, West Ham and Watford. Bloom needs to spend at least £100 million this off-season - and even if he spends big on strikers there is no guarantee that they will work out. PL standard strikers are very hard to come by. Don't be surprised if next season is a struggle as well - indeed it could be a bigger struggle than this season as every club will strengthen their squads and Potter will not have the advantage of being an unknown quality. Also some Brighton players may be targeted for transfers - wouldn't be surprised to see Duffy leave and Dunk could well be targeted by one of the bigger clubs. The midfield also needs to be bolstered. Saying that - I expect Connolly, Alzate and Lamptey to make progress and it will be interesting to see what White brings to the party.

So if you want to claim that there has been a huge vindication of Bloom for sacking Hughton and hiring Potter - then I suggest that you need to wait a couple of seasons and see where Brighton are at - indeed you could argue that you need to wait out the six years of Potter's contract. It would be great to see Brighton progress, be consolidated as a PL club and, who knows, do a Leicester and win one for the little guys. But it is way to early to make any judgement on the vindication of Bloom's decision to sack Hughton last season - that would be way too arbitrary based on the evidence to date.

Great post and a lot that I agree with. I'd also add that I don't think anyone owes us an apology in any way, in fact, I'm uncomfortable even with the suggestion.
With all the above in mind, the big difference I see vs Hughton is in tactical flexibility. At times this season, the tactical changes made by Potter have turned games in our favour. I can't recall many occasions where Hughton did the same.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I don't really agree apologies are necessary – pundits come out with bollocks all the time; on the whole they are best taken with a pinch of salt or just ignored. Take this lot as a case in point: https://news.footballindex.co.uk/pr...etting-relegated-their-one-to-watch-and-more/

As I mentioned on another thread, the change wasn't made with this season in mind – it's been about bedding in a new system/philosophy and Potter sticking to his principles but also learning his trade as a PL manager and then kicking on with another multi-year 'plan'. There were BOUND to be hiccups along the way in the first season, but the stats don't lie and on the whole, it's a job well done and now it is – hopefully – onwards and upwards.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

First of all, credit to John Barnes for engaging with Albion fans on social media and risking opening himself to predictable accusations.

As for his comment: ("To all the Brighton fans.. if I was a Brighton fan, I’d be delighted graham potter is there and now would be happy that mr bloom took the decision he did.... but that doesn’t mean that ch DESERVED to be sacked..that’s the ONLY point I’m making.. not that it was the wrong decision") what exactly does it take for a manager to deserve to be sacked? Poor results coupled with dreadful football and a sense that he has run out of ideas? If so, then I'm afraid that CH ticked all three boxes.

Chris Hughton was and is a great guy, a dignified presence on the touchline and when representing the club in the media, and a role model for leadership. If that means that he deserved to keep his job, then the sacking was unfair. But those are not the criteria on which football managers are judged.

Neither can a chairman afford to let a manager keep his job purely out of gratitude and relief that a club has avoided relegation (thanks in the end to Palace beating Cardiff, because we looked incapable of helping ourselves by the end). We were going backwards and the next logical step was relegation.

TB's obligation is to himself first as the owner and major investor, and after that to his staff - many of whom would be made redundant in the event of relegation - and then to us as fans. He had to do what he thought was best for the club. And he did.

 

[highflyer]

I don't think it's fair to portray John Barnes as 'wading in'. If I follow the timeline correctly, he was one of many pundits who gave his opinion at the time and someone has contacted him a year later on Twitter to say that he should admit he was wrong. He has simply taken the stance that he wasn't wrong, defended his position against multiple challenges and said that he also wouldn't support the sacking of any of the managers who get relegated this season either.

My only argument with him would be that, in defending his position, he has exhibited the tiring viewpoint of many former employees of top six clubs that the top end of the hierarchy should remain a gold lined closed shop and that everyone else should be grateful that they can feed on the scraps from the top table. It is this attitude that means that a multi billion pound industry is constantly confronted with threats of clubs being in financial ruin. For the limits of the expectations of 'teams like Brighton' read 'teams like Bury'. It smacks of an elitist attitude to the way football is consumed that may be shared by many in the media, but that is completely unreflective of the true levels of passion and fan numbers watching all of the different tiers and of the true nature of football fan motivation.

If that is true, you do have to wonder why it was John Barnes, out of all the pundits that critized the decision, that gets contacted now?

And also, what would drive someone to go on twitter to attack a point of view, perfectly justifiable at the time, a year later once it looks like the risk (whch was very clearly a risk) seems to have paid off?

Very odd.

 

[Stato]

If that is true, you do have to wonder why it was John Barnes, out of all the pundits that critized the decision, that gets contacted now?

And also, what would drive someone to go on twitter to attack a point of view, perfectly justifiable at the time, a year later once it looks like the risk (whch was very clearly a risk) seems to have paid off?

Very odd.

I don't share your suspicions. The timing suggests that the Twitter contact was sparked by this thread. The first message to John Barnes was a few hours after this thread was started and it copy and pasted his quote from last year. Barnes's are the first comments in the OP and he seems a more regular Twitter user than the others. He also used the latest red rag of 'teams like Brighton...' in his comments.

His comments in defence of his position seem to show him to be a man capable of maintaining two seemingly conflicting viewpoints i.e. 'Yes, Brighton fans should be pleased with the performance of Graham Potter' and 'No, Chris Hughton didn't deserve to be sacked.' I think this speaks well of him. To be honest, had I been in Tony Bloom's shoes, I don't think I would have had the courage it took to make a potentially risky and unpopular decision over the future of a man who had given exemplary service to the football club. Though I suspected, like many of us did, that if not taken then, there was a good chance that the decision may well have been forced on him at some point during this season. There is a subtle difference between the questions 'Was Tony Bloom right to sack Chris Hughton?' and 'Did Chris Hughton deserve the sack?' It's perfectly possible to say 'yes' to the first and 'no' to the second, which is probably why we're still talking about it a year later.

 

[highflyer]

I don't share your suspicions. The timing suggests that the Twitter contact was sparked by this thread. The first message to John Barnes was a few hours after this thread was started and it copy and pasted his quote from last year. Barnes's are the first comments in the OP and he seems a more regular Twitter user than the others. He also used the latest red rag of 'teams like Brighton...' in his comments..

Fair enough, that makes sense.

 

[vagabond]

My only argument with him would be that, in defending his position, he has exhibited the tiring viewpoint of many former employees of top six clubs that the top end of the hierarchy should remain a gold lined closed shop and that everyone else should be grateful that they can feed on the scraps from the top table. It is this attitude that means that a multi billion pound industry is constantly confronted with threats of clubs being in financial ruin. For the limits of the expectations of 'teams like Brighton' read 'teams like Bury'. It smacks of an elitist attitude to the way football is consumed that may be shared by many in the media, but that is completely unreflective of the true levels of passion and fan numbers watching all of the different tiers and of the true nature of football fan motivation.

The notion that my club is not entitled to hope and ambition, and should know its place, and be grateful for every little victory that comes our way is prejudice, however, based on assumptions about the divine rights and expectations of the 'big'. That the irony escapes people is itself not surprising. to me.

Thank you guys, this encapsulates the spirit intended by the opening post.

For anyone on the outside looking in (hello Twitter), it’s worth noting everyone who has contributed to this thread, and Albion fans in general have the highest opinion of Chris Hughton regardless which side of the debate they fall on, and have at no point been disparaging.

But it was the right time. And credit has to go to Bloom for making what was an unpopular call (as evidenced by John Barnes twitter the last 48 hours).

Graham Potter looks to be a fantastic appointment and life goes on, the future is bright. Seagulls.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

And huge credit to Tony Bloom (yet again) for making what cannot have been an easy decision and following through by replacing Chris with what then (and still now) looks to have been a very brave and considered alternative.

 

[Jim in the West]

Okay then - let's have at it

I am not going to go back over each post on this thread because they are mostly a rehash of older stuff from last year and it would be a pain trying to quote everything individually.

But let's take this 'huge vindication' - Bloom made a decision to sack Hughton - it was a risky decision, sacking a proven coach to replace him with an unproven coach with little resume. Hughton had a remit of getting the club to the PL and keeping them there - something which he did incredibly well. Those who supported the sacking of Hughton have little understanding of how difficult it is to keep a team in the PL (just look at Bournemouth this season) - and Hughton did it with few resources and a bottom three budget. I have posted previously of how difficult it is for newly promoted teams to stay in the PL (two are likely to go down this season) - and for teams that don't get relegated the first season to survive for a second season (have a look at where Huddersfield are today). Again, I made this point before - last season Southampton finished just above Brighton - yet had 11 players earning more money that the highest paid player at Brighton.

It takes a minimum of three years to consolidate any club in the PL - and to do it you have to spend a lot of money - and even then there are no guarantees. To keep a club in the PL you have to spend - and spend big - and even then you can get relegated - look at Fulham last season and Villa this season. During the two seasons Hughton managed Brighton in the PL, the club was down near the bottom in terms of spending on players. The weakness of the squad that Hughton had is demonstrated by even a cursory look at the players who Hughton had to rely on and who are now plying their trade in lower level football - Knockhaert, Kayal, Locadia, Andone, Hemed, Bong. At the same time some of the transfers, which Hughton did not have control over, proved to be dodgy at best - Jahanbakhsh, Izquierdo. The job that Hughton did in keeping the club in the PL was quite remarkable - and that is openly recognised across all levels of the PL.

Now Bloom made his decision - and he was entitled to do that as owner of the club. But let's look at the difference with Potter in his first season - three signings - all of whom broke the club record - and a fourth (Mooy) who was effectively another record signing (he would have been if signed last August - and Brighton were lucky to get him on the relative cheap in January). Bloom spent nearly as much last off-season as he had spent in the previous two seasons under Hughton - and he let Potter bring in the players he wanted. On top of that Potter had the advantage of being able to use two very good younger players - Alzate and Connolly (and picked-up a nice signing in Lamptey) that Hughton did not have at his disposal. Effectively, Potter had half of a new team on the pitch for most games. We have no idea what Hughton could have done with those resources at his disposal (and the guff that Hughton wouldn't have changed is nonsense - he had proven that in the past when he had better players available to him).

Now - Potter (and Brighton) started the season very well - with a win away to Watford (over what has proven to be a very poor Watford team) - and all of a sudden people on here were praising Potter and Bloom for appointing him. Then no win in six games and the doom and gloom set in - then Connolly hits the scene against Spurs and Potter is a genius (and Connolly is going to be sold for £50million). Seven points in the next 3 games - Brighton are up to 8th - and Bloom gives Potter a six year contract. At that point opposition coaches start to figure out how Potter sets his team up - inconsistency sets in - some poor loses, a couple of lucky wins (Arsenal should have won) and then from New Year's day to the lockdown in March not a single win. Brighton are pretty much in exactly the same position as they were the previous season under - and the mood on here is dour. The lockdown came at just the right time for the club and for Potter. First game back and a very lucky win at home to Arsenal - and the rest of the relegation competition are going backwards. Watford lose three players - Fraser refuses to play for Bournemouth, the wheels come off at Aston Villa, West Ham struggle and 7 points from three games mean that Brighton are safe and will likely finish in roughly the same position as Hughton did in his first season in the PL with Brighton. The pressure is off now and the Brighton players can enjoy themselves on the pitch - they deserve it - they have put in a good shift this season.

You need luck in football - and Potter has had a fair share of it this season. In my view the teams in the bottom half this season were weaker than last season. Potter has also had much more financial support from Bloom than Hughton ever got - if Bloom was going to justify sacking Hughton and hiring Potter then he had to pump a lot more money into transfers. Is Potter the next big thing in managerial terms - the jury is still out on that one and will be for some time yet - he has managed for less than a season in the PL. Has Bloom been 'hugely vindicated'? - the jury is also out on that one. We have no idea what Hughton could have done with £80million of a transfer budget and a couple of young players coming through - Brighton might have struggled - Hughton may also have done better than Potter - we have no way of predicting this. Bloom's vindication will not be proven for some time yet.

Next season is going to be difficult - and the pandemic has made it even more so - it will be difficult for most clubs, not just Brighton. I suspect that the PL will be stronger next season - Leeds and WBA will likely have more about them than Norwich and Villa - and I wouldn't be surprised to see the third spot taken by Cardiff who have experience of a relegation dog-fight. If Bloom is committed to Potter then this off-season - short as it will be - he needs to remove the purse strings. Brighton need two strikers capable of scoring goals in the PL (Maupay still hasn't hit double digits this season and the next highest scorer is Troussard with 4) - the top 2 goalscorers for Brighton this season have 13 goals between them - the only teams with fewer are Bournemouth, Villa, West Ham and Watford. Bloom needs to spend at least £100 million this off-season - and even if he spends big on strikers there is no guarantee that they will work out. PL standard strikers are very hard to come by. Don't be surprised if next season is a struggle as well - indeed it could be a bigger struggle than this season as every club will strengthen their squads and Potter will not have the advantage of being an unknown quality. Also some Brighton players may be targeted for transfers - wouldn't be surprised to see Duffy leave and Dunk could well be targeted by one of the bigger clubs. The midfield also needs to be bolstered. Saying that - I expect Connolly, Alzate and Lamptey to make progress and it will be interesting to see what White brings to the party.

So if you want to claim that there has been a huge vindication of Bloom for sacking Hughton and hiring Potter - then I suggest that you need to wait a couple of seasons and see where Brighton are at - indeed you could argue that you need to wait out the six years of Potter's contract. It would be great to see Brighton progress, be consolidated as a PL club and, who knows, do a Leicester and win one for the little guys. But it is way to early to make any judgement on the vindication of Bloom's decision to sack Hughton last season - that would be way too arbitrary based on the evidence to date.

You make some really good points - especially the one about the Lockdown coming at the right time for us. However, the fact we have emerged from it in a much better place is surely credit to Potter. And our rivals could and should have benefitted too (Bournemouth - lots of players back from injury - including Brooks; Villa - McGinn back; etc). And it's difficult to argue that this season's bottom three are worse than last season - Huddersfield only won three games (and achieved 16 points!); Fulham couldn't defend; Cardiff were a bunch of mid-Championship cloggers who somehow stayed in the game until the penultimate match. Finishing above those three wasn't much of a success, in reality. And thinking back to our run-in last season, I have very distinct recollections of our abject performances at Fulham, home to Cardiff and Bournemouth, those games away at Wolves and Spurs (where we basically conceded 70% of possession)....it was truly awful. CH was fantastic for this club, but we needed a change.