Mark Brailsford on support, managers & results

I know, let’s all head up north on a creaking, expensive train service in the middle of a freezing winter and watch us throw away another certain three points. How Albion fans are not thinking this whenever they venture to some Godforsaken Northern grimsphere, I’ll never know, but trek they do. They sing, they dance, they turn up in numbers, they back the team, yes even Ashley Barnes who plays well away, don’t ya know.

“Ulloa will play, Vicente is back – let the charge to the play-offs begin”

Albion supporters probably spend more on away trips than the average football fan. The cost of travel from Brighton to most parts of the country is via London and a small fortune on the train and not much cheaper in petrol either. But travel they do; they sink a few light lemonades and sing ‘Sussex By The Sea’ with gusto and try to keep up with ‘Go Left Go Right’ to no avail, (hymn sheets please!) as at Birmingham. But I’ll wager that all of the above is a reason for optimism, the “Big Pole” will not make that mistake again, he’s been brilliant, and the fantastic away support that heads to Sheffield this week may be the catalyst that turns the next few away games into victories. Ulloa will play, Vicente is back – let the charge to the play-offs begin.

Pep talk
Pep Guardiola has accepted the invitation to become the manager of Bayern Munich. How does this affect The Seagulls? Have a guess. The rejection of the Premier League by the most sought-after coach in world football may indicate a waning of the allure of the Moneyball ethos prevalent in the top division. The fact that a football aesthete, a true believer in the somewhat clichéd phrase, “the beautiful game” chose a Bundesliga team over the likes of Manchester City, United or Chelsea has sent ripples of anxiety through the tax havens… sorry, boardrooms of England’s elite clubs. Guardiola’s rejection of the short termism and control freakery of certain clubs has led to Bayern Munich landing a coach who in all probability will propel them to the pinnacle of the European game. Who’d have thought it? A league where revenues are equally distributed, with supporters on the board and with fair pricing for fans across the social spectrum, better than “us”? Factor in safe standing and a successful national team and you can see why the boardrooms of Qatar, UAE and Chelski are scratching their heads. Cue: a charge towards young dynamic (cheaper) managers who can coach well and bring on youth team players and foreign scouting networks listed on the stock exchange. Result. Poyet to Chelsea, a “piss on the fire, my toast is done” attitude from the top six of the Premier League and a long kiss goodbye to a decent England team.

Next up: Sheffield Wednesday
The other Championship team to play in blue and white stripes is not having a good time of it at present. The “much travelled” (meaning: had too many jobs that went badly) Owls manager, Dave Jones, is struggling to sign players in the January transfer window and his team are hovering just above the relegation zone. The Albion have never beaten Sheffield Wednesday away in the league, the only victory of note away from Sussex was at Highbury in a memorable FA Cup semi-final, Jimmy Case and all that. It’s time this statistic was remedied and it looks like the time is ripe for this to happen this week. If Albion win, will Jones still be in a job? The result at Birmingham City, where Albion had a similar record, should be considered unusual after this game. The pitch at St Andrews wasn’t conducive to Albion’s style of play but Hillsborough with a slick surface and a 20,000 crowd should put Albion in more comfortable territory. I’ll stick my neck out and say, I have no idea how this is going to go. There, how’s that for an unbeatable prediction? With my recent record of predicting Albion results, that’s as good as it gets this week folks!
Words: Mark Brailsford

Late goal injects confidence
Inigo Calderon believes that Albion’s late goal at Ewood Park will boost the squad’s morale.
David Lopez’s 96th minute penalty secured Gus Poyet’s men a point against Blackburn, erasing the bitter memory of the previous Saturday’s draw at Birmingham, in which the hosts themselves grabbed a late equaliser.

Calderon told seagulls.co.uk, “We are really happy as the last game saw Birmingham score a late goal and it was really hard to take.

“It was really important for our confidence to equalise because we did not create too many chances during the game, but that doesn’t matter now because at the end we had that something special.
“It wasn’t our best game but it was a bit weird because we played some good football but we couldn’t create.
“Their goal changed the whole game and we then had to go at them to try and get back, so it was a key moment. Maybe if we hadn’t conceded the early penalty the result would have been different. Overall a draw was a fair result for both of us.”
Meanwhile the Spaniard admitted he demanded his fellow countryman stepped up to take the injury-time penalty. “It was funny because when we got the penalty David was on the floor and I said: ‘You have to take it!’
“He is the specialist taker and I am delighted for him because he has waited for his chance to play and he has won us the point.”
Words: Adam Tigue