Who is your all-time favourite BHA manager and why?

[Mackenzie]

My favourite manager is probably Hughton, I like the understated way he goes about things and the excellent style of (dinosaur!!!) football and results that he is producing. I wasn't old enough to appreciate Mullery but the stories are legendary and you sense the fire in him still when he speaks in interviews about the club.

Strangely though, my favourite season following the club was Barry Lloyd's 87/88 team. It was my first year as a season ticket holder and as a 14 year old doing those away trips with a group of mates will live with me forever. We were basically the Inbetweeners doing football. Lots of memories....and a great team too!

 

[Simon Morgan]

Really tough call. Between Gritt, Adams Mk1 and Poyet for me. I started watching us during the later Brady/Case years, but there was a lot of love for Gritt when he came in and started to get things together. Definitely gets the prize for most significant achievement. Under Adams, Brighton were good for basically the first time in my experience. It was pretty amazing. Think how many of his players were part of all 3 of the promotions that happened in those 4 years. Finally, divisive though he is/was, I absolutely loved life under Poyet. No one really liked us, we had a proper identity and he was at the forefront of it. Those were great times and could have ended so differently.

 

[Blue3]

1. Mullery by a country mile what exciting times and what a great personality Brighton through and through
2. Gritt saved us somehow and having meet him a few times can say a really nice guy
3. Adams gave us belief and Bobby
4. MaGee worked wonders on a very tight budget
5. Poyet when he was not being a self centred dick
6. Houghton in at 5 get us up and I can see this score improving
7. Lioyd play off final great nack of finding great value players from the lower leagues
8.. Cattlin could and should have been a great manager
9. Peter Taylor ex palace but did a good job with a very limited funds
10. Peter Taylor stayed when Clough left and built a team that nearly got us up giving a great legacy for Mullery
11. Garcia almost but not quite
12. Stewart the first manager I can really remember
13. Bailey boring but kept us in the top division sacking him at the time we did was in hindsight a mistake
14. Horton started instilling some self belief into what had been a very poor team
15. Brady thank you so much for what you did when not our manager
16. Clough can you believe little old Brighton manager to get Clough at the time regarded the best manager in the world by.....Clough
17. Webb must have bleed blue and white but way before my time

 

[fat old seagull]

Surprised people are avoiding saying Poyet. In the 31 years I have been watching the club he played the best football. The league one winning season was amazing and wins away at Charlton and Peterboro were as complete performances as I have ever seen. Throw in the 6-1 vs Blackpool, 3-0 vs Palace and beating the likes of Newcastle and Sunderland and you have one hell of a manager. Forget how it ended, Gus transformed our club and way of playing like no other manager before him.

Does it also surprise you that quite a number of BHA fans believe he was treacherous, using the opportunity and backing afforded him by the club to flog himself off like a 'lady of the night'. At the very time we were in with a decent shout of promotion. And then having suckered Sunderland into believing his self promoted brilliance, stabbed us in the back TWICE, by turning Bridcutt and Buckleys heads.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Chris Cattlin

 

[KneeOn]

1. Slade. Amazing guy, who bought some players which we still revere. Bennett being the best example but I think he bought Brez and Dicker too. And we can never not love Owusu and Hart's amazing partnership that year.
2. Oscar Garcia. To get us to the playoffs in an exciting manner (that last game of the season!) with the squad he did after we got battered by Palace the year before and having lost several key players was nothing short of brilliance. I think he had a harder job than Poyet did.
3. Poyet - some amazing away days. One of the best I now live overseeing the ground.

 

[Gully Forever]

I thought Chris Catlin could have gone further with us ...

Remind me again why the club sacked him?

My dad knew a director at the time.
Apparently Chris deliberetly drove his car into the back of the chairman's car while following him. (catlin's wife was apparently in the chairman's car).

That's all i know from that time. Don't know if there was any truth in it. But i was bullied into keeping my mouth shut about it for years.

 

[Spunk Bubble]

My favourite manager is probably Hughton, I like the understated way he goes about things and the excellent style of (dinosaur!!!) football and results that he is producing. I wasn't old enough to appreciate Mullery but the stories are legendary and you sense the fire in him still when he speaks in interviews about the club.

Strangely though, my favourite season following the club was Barry Lloyd's 87/88 team. It was my first year as a season ticket holder and as a 14 year old doing those away trips with a group of mates will live with me forever. We were basically the Inbetweeners doing football. Lots of memories....and a great team too!

My 1st as a ticket holder. So many memories from that season. I can still visualize most goals like it was yesterday. Fantastic times for a 16 year old lad

 

[Brownstuff]

Alan Mullery
Even though I was too young to witness his 1st and successful tenure with us I was so excited when I found out he was going to be boss again mid-80's
It didn't work out but who cares the man breathes,loves and understands football
Not felt like that for any other manager we have had
Poyet would be 2nd, loved his passion but watched too many away games under him negative tactics, home games meanwhile were great

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Poyet for me. We played some unbelievable stuff at times, and he bought some absolute bargains - Greer, Noone, Ulloa, Bridcutt, Barnes etc etc. Yes he was arrogant, but frankly I liked that in him - he brought the Albion to the attention of the National Press. I would say his teams played the best football I've seen at the Albion

 

[Blues Rock DJ]

Alan Mullery
Even though I was too young to witness his 1st and successful tenure with us I was so excited when I found out he was going to be boss again mid-80's
It didn't work out but who cares the man breathes,loves and understands football
Not felt like that for any other manager we have had
Poyet would be 2nd, loved his passion but watched too many away games under him negative tactics, home games meanwhile were great

agree with Mullery, not only for the squad he had, but for the travelling on the Seagull Special train with us supporters to and from away games......but have to take issue with you for mentioning Poyet in the same breath !

 

[Wilko]

Does it also surprise you that quite a number of BHA fans believe he was treacherous, using the opportunity and backing afforded him by the club to flog himself off like a 'lady of the night'. At the very time we were in with a decent shout of promotion. And then having suckered Sunderland into believing his self promoted brilliance, stabbed us in the back TWICE, by turning Bridcutt and Buckleys heads.

Yeah but he is like your stunning, beautiful ex girlfriend who flirted with other guys and almost cheated on you, you want to hate him but actually know he was brilliant

 

[Colonel Angus]

George Aitken. Total gent and a true club man.

What do you mean, you didn't know he was appointed joint manager with Melia?

 

[Hampster Gull]

Mullers
Then Gritt

 

[LowKarate]

Micky Adams. I have a lot of fond memories of the Cattlin era, but looking at what he achieved versus micky's results and the characters in the team that Adams formed then it has to be Adams.

 

[ewe2]

Mullery......I was young,and lived the dream......!

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Mark McGhee.

Brought key players like Virgo and Butters back and used them to build the solid defence which won us promotion. How many clean sheets was it and the end of that season (2003-04)?

After that he led us to our highest league finish in 22 years, but had his best players sold because of our financial circumstances.

Sadly, the boo boys didn't cut him any slack for this.

 

[FamilyGuy]

Jimmy Melia - for giving me some of the best days out of my life, in 1982/3

Quite enjoying the current bloke too though!

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

Mullery because we'll never know how good Catlin could have been.

 

[Working class pride]

1. Steve Gritt - saved the club from non league and what a year.
2. Charlie Webb - He made us champions of England and gave us our only trophy
3. Alan Mullery - Its a long story
4. Jimmy Melia - He actually achieved something by getting us to the Cup Final and of course that very funny interview in the helicopter on the way to Wembley.
5. Liam Brady - For his support in the civil war.
6. Barry Lloyd - controversial but look at the facts. Took us from the third division to the brink of the Premier League with no money. I also enjoyed singing "Barry Who?"