Latest Seagulls: Mark Brailsford looks at the winter ahead

So the search for a new loan striker has yielded Leroy Lita, with the possibility of a further signing to cover the injury worries of Oscar Garcia. That Albion are not exactly firing on all cylinders at the moment is down to one thing: lack of finishing power. Once Craig Mackail-Smith and Leo Ulloa are fit, this problem should be alleviated. However, the danger is that Albion’s lack of firepower may have embroiled the club in a flirtation with the relegation zone prior to that, which is worrying. Is Leroy Lita the answer for now? Only time will tell. It would be unwise to expect a reserve team player at Swansea to immediately step up and bang in goals for fun, wouldn’t it? Well, actually, no. If the players signed in the expectation of hitting the ground running then happen to hit the ground knackered, then we could be looking at a difficult month for Albion fans.

“With only one home game – one against a strong Blackburn team – November could be the cruellest month yet”

Doncaster away, which is usually a bit of a love-in for the away fans, may be the only game in November with a realist chance of away points, as Wigan and Bournemouth away look like tough matches. With only the one home game against a strong Blackburn team in the month ahead to look forward to, November could be the cruellest month for the head coach. Albion fans may need to lower their expectations in the next few weeks, safe in the knowledge that brighter days lie ahead. Then Oscar Garcia will be welcoming Ulloa, and Mackail-Smith back to the party and should have Liam Bridcutt at full throttle. Any team containing this essential spine of top players would be a good bet to repeat the feats of the Crystal ‘bouncebackability’ Palace team that Ian Dowie took from bottom three in November to promotion in May. Hold tight and grit your teeth in the meantime.

Bournemouth away

At least this match is on a Saturday, which means a weekend trip to a favoured local destination. After the “we wuz robbed” game a few years ago, Albion fans will be hoping for a modicum of revenge this time around. Failing that, an afternoon (and evening) of merriment in the watering holes of Bournemouth beckons. If only this wasn’t a midday kick off, but then again this means more drinking time afterwards! Roll out the hangover remedies, and don’t expect your husbands home ‘til Sunday!

Photo: Paul Hazlewood