Sussex

Albion Unlimited from BBC Radio Sussex returns as Johnny Cantor and former Brighton forward Warren Aspinall debate Brighton's best-ever Premier League XI.

From era-defining figures to unsung heroes, the pair run through the toughest calls, the standout performers and what the selections say about the club's journey in the top flight.

Journalist and author Sally Freedman also joins the conversation to analyse why Brighton's home form has become such a crucial pillar of their season, while Ian Westbrook from Beesotted offers insight from the Brentford camp before Brighton's return to Premier League action against the Bees.

Listen to the full episode

Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here is BBC Sport's Brighton fan writer Scott's effort.

And you can ask us about the Seagulls using the Brighton Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

There was an even split between 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 but the picks suggested we ensure Danny Welbeck and Glenn Murray both got in the side so we plumbed for the first option.

In midfield, there is the creative genius of Alexis Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma and Pascal Gross alongside the steel of Moises Caicedo.

At the back, it is a familiar-looking defence, with the versatile Joel Veltman securing a berth at right-back and Marc Cucurella just edging out Pervis Estupinan.

The best of Brighton - and this team no doubt would be upsetting the big boys on a regular basis.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

In Ruben Amorim's hunt for midfield reinforcements, Manchester United are looking to sign Cameroon international Carlos Baleba, 21, from Brighton. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport