Brighton & Hove Albion

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Who is flying?: I make no apology for writing once more about Danny Welbeck when answering the question of which Brighton player is flying. Six goals in 11 matches and a place in the history books as the leading Albion scorer in top flight football, breaking a record Michael Robinson set back in the 1980s. Welbz is Dat Guy.

Who is floundering?: This is equally easy. Carlos Baleba. Forget a move to Manchester United; if he carries on playing like he has since being denied a summer transfer to Old Trafford, not even Maidstone United will be interested.

Tactically... I think Fabian Hurzeler should give the 3-4-3 formation he used at St Pauli a go. It is odd that the innovative approach he used in Germany and which helped land him the Brighton job has not been seen once in the Premier League.

I want Hurzeler to give me more... Instagram posts of him riding his electric bicycle around the city. On the subject of Hurzeler, his choice of dugout attire has become something of an obsession - and with good reason. Tracksuit Hurzeler has five wins, two draws, one defeat and 23 goals scored. Hurzeler dressed like he is going ice skating at the Royal Pavilion has one win, two draws, three defeats and six goals scored.

My expectations for the season... were a top-10 finish. I still think it is achievable; but only if the players start delivering over 90 minutes rather than in 20-minute patches as has been the case in most matches.

Season rating so far: 6/10 because we are 11th in the table and out of the Carabao Cup. What has not helped is all the pre-season talk about Europe being the aim, which ratcheted up expectations among supporters.

One sentence on how it feels to be a Brighton fan right now: Frustrating to support a team who are so consistently inconsistent – but at least the manager is a style icon.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Image source, PA Media

Brighton are one of five clubs yet to lose at home in the Premier League this season.

They have taken 11 points from their five home matches - but former Brighton forward Warren Aspinall thinks the Seagulls willfeel disappointed their tally is not even higher.

"Fulham was 1-1 with a late equaliser, Spurs was 2-2 when they were 2-0 up - they could be sitting there with five [wins] out of five!" he reflected on BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

Brighton play four of their next six Premier League matches at home, including when they return to action after the international break against Brentford on Saturday.

On the Bees, Aspinall added: "They lost the spine of the team and the manager [Thomas Frank] left as well. Keith Andrews has never managed but has been a very good coach and he's done tremendously well."

Listen to the full episode

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Brighton are monitoring Real Madrid's 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcaa ahead of a potential January loan move to strengthen their attacking options, with Sunderland and Leeds also interested. (Mail), external

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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

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Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Brighton's all-time best Premier League XI.

There was a widespread consensus on 4-2-3-1 with a few debates around personnel.

Here are some of your picks:

Cab: 4-2-3-1. Verbruggen, Estupinan, Dunk, Van Hecke, Veltman, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Mitoma, Gross, Trossard, Pedro. So many great players to choose from. We've been well and truly spoiled the last few years. Capable of beating any team we faced with this lot.

James: 4-2-3-1. Verbruggen, White, Van Hecke, Dunk, Cucurella, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Gross, March, Welbeck, Mitoma. Take each of these players in their prime and they finish in the Champions League places.

Gavin: 4-2-3-1. Sanchez, Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Cucurella, Mac Allister, Caicedo, March, Gross and Mitoma behind Murray. Only two maybe considered controversial. Sanchez was the best GK - big mistake by De Zerbi to write him off. De Zerbi fanatics cannot accept this. Murray is the natural goal scorer.

Adam: 4-4-2. Verbruggen, Dunk, Cucurella, Veltman, Estupinan, Gross, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Mitoma, Murray, Welbeck. I've always been a big fan of the 4-4-2 system - unfortunately we don't play that much now. For me, the players I've selected are the best we've had.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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A fresh episode of The Wayne Rooney Show has landed and there's a raging debate on who should be on the plane for England to next summer's World Cup.

As part of the conversation, the panel dive into the form of Ollie Watkins and the credentials of Jack Grealish and Danny Welbeck.

"I'm surprised Watkins is not in this squad," says Rooney. "We have an opportunity where we don't need to see Harry Kane - give him a rest. This is where the manager should be saying - 'you are not with us, go and have a rest'."

Emile Heskey joins the podcast this week and there's also a nugget on Rooney setting a somewhat different example for a young Theo Walcott while on England duty.

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Brighton's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Simon: 4-4-2. Steele, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan, Veltman, Mac Allister, Caciedo, Gross, Mitoma, Murray, Welbeck. Mixture of club legends and world class talent.

Liam: 4-5-1 or 4-3-3. Steele - slim pickings, Dunk, Van Hecke, Cucurella, Lamptey, Gross, Mitoma, Caicedo, Mac Allister, March, Murray. Defensively OK and harsh on Welbeck to miss out, but Murray was critical for the early years. That midfield could live with any Premier League team ever.

Colin: 4-4-2. Ryan, Bruno, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan, Mitoma, Gross, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Welbeck, Murray. Every team needs quality but it must be consistent quality. All these performed at a top level for years and made nine out of 10 contributions nearly every time they played.

Derek: 4-2-3-1. Sanchez, Dunk, Colwill, Cucurella, Burn, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Mitoma, Welbeck, Knockaert. These players all gave everything to the club or have gone on to be top class players, either in the build up to the club's Premier League campaign or currently.

Steve: 4-4-2. Verbruggen, Bruno, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinian, Mac Allister, Caceido, Mitoma, March, Murray, Pedro. Solid back four, width on the wings with the ability to cut in, powerhouse in the middle and goalscorers!

Robin: 4-4-2. Ryan, Bruno, Cucurella, Dunk, Van Hecke, Gross, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Mwepu, Murray, Welbeck. A mix from the whole period. Survival under Chris Hughton, stability under Graham Potter and excitement and Europe under Roberto de Zerbi. It is also sad as Mwepu was forced to retire.

It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream Brighton's Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Image source, Getty Images

Alongside his commanding presence, Brighton loanee Carl Rushworth's "outstanding character" also "shines through", says BBC CWR's Coventry City commentator Rob Gurney.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper has impressed on his loan spell so far with the Sky Blues, helping them to the top of the Championship table and breaking a club record along the way for the number of minutes without conceding a goal.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Gurney said: "One of the things that Oggy [former Coventry goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic] likes about him is his presence and the fact he takes command of situations.

"You rarely see these days keepers coming for crosses and trying to catch crosses. Modern keepers try to punch everything instead of catching it. Carl is excellent at taking and catching crosses, and holding on to them, rather than trying to just clear his penalty area with punches.

"He has also made some tremendous individual saves. There was one in the Blackburn match, while it was still 0-0, when the ball was arcing towards the top corner and he made a miraculous save to claw it out.

"We were sitting with the perfect view of it and Oggy was purring watching it because it was a tremendous stop. That has been peppered throughout his performances so far.

"He is such a likeable person too. For 24 years of age he is incredibly mature. He will talk to you as though he is 34, never mind 24. We have done two or three interviews with him and what an outstanding character he is as a person, as well as a footballer, has shone out.

"If you asked 99.9% of Coventry fans right now, they would love to sign Carl Rushworth permanently, but clearly Brighton have got a lot to say in what happens going forward and he will have a lot to say on what happens going forward. If Coventry do get promoted, it will be interesting to see what happens.

"After a slightly sticky start, he is doing magnificently well in goal and has endeared himself to the fans already."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here

Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen reacts to the 0-0 draw at Palace, commentator Rob Gurney analyses Carl Rushworth's progress at Coventry City & the team discuss men's mental health with fans Kieran Maguire from the Price of Football podcast & Samaritans' Dean Gallagher.

Listen to the full episode 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

Joe Sayers
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

There is always a lot of discussion at the start of the season about when is best to take the table seriously, and being 11 games and nearly a third of our way through the season, I think we have enough of a sample size to reflect on what we have seen so far.

It has certainly been a mixed bag of results for the Albion this season, with consistent inconsistency being the main frustration among fans. The most frustrating part is seeing our performances hit the level we know we can, and then in the next moment the levels and intensity drops far below the benchmark.

Having said that, we are going into this international break on the back of keeping consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since February. We are beginning to form a solid foundation to springboard ourselves up the table, and the standards of what our players expect from each other is starting to show.

After our demolition of Leeds United, Jan Paul van Hecke was captured in the changing room demanding that "we need to be better in training" and show the levels of a team that is chasing Europe for the second time, and I am quietly confident we will grow into this season and shape ourselves up for a strong push yet again.

It is an incredibly tough Premier League this season and the competition for those European spots is going to be tougher than ever.

Now is the perfect time to regroup, get a few of our familiar faces back on the training pitch and hopefully continue to build on the positives we have already shown so far.

Find more from Joe Sayers at Albion Obsessed, external

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, on loan at Bolton Wanderers, was involved in all four goals against Port Vale on Saturday.

The 19-year-old got two goals and two assists, and has seven goals and seven assists in total this season for the promotion-chasing League One club.

When asked about his performances, manager Steven Schumacher praised Cozier-Duberry as well as the contributions of some of his other players, including top scorer Mason Burstow, and insisted: "We're not just a one-man team."

However, it has sparked reports he may leave the third tier of English football, with a January break clause in his loan contract and Championship offers expected,

Brighton are known to be happy with the loan arrangement and are not actively looking to move him.

Still, clubs like Sheffield United, West Brom, Preston and Bristol City have been mooted as possible destinations, with two years left on his Albion contract as of June.

Bolton have put the England youth international back on an upward trajectory after a mixed first senior loan spell at Blackburn Rovers last season, which was partly disrupted by an ankle injury and a change of manager.

Brighton continue to monitor Cozier-Duberry having signed him from Arsenal, despite attempts to keep him in north London, in July 2024.

Interestingly, Jason Ayto has since made the same move, leaving the Gunners to join Brighton as sporting director in September, and will have some say over the player's long-term future.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Brighton

Here are some of your comments:

Crystal Palace fans

Dave: Some great performances across the team and particularly in defence. But as the game went on, the team looked really tired so I was happy with the point at the final whistle. I think we may need some reinforcements in January.

Paul: Again two points dropped, missing great chances to score. There have been a lot of games this season we should have won. The Brighton dive for the penalty was rightly booked - Tom Daley would have been proud! Jean-Philippe Mateta needs a rest.

Dave: Looked tired in the final 10 to 20 minutes but probably should have nicked it. Those midweek games do take their toll. We need a couple of decent additions in January.

Steve: Fatigue is fast becoming a crucial factor, contributing to a lacklustre Palace display. Some are clearly running on empty. So it's time for some of the fringe players to step up. Brighton were tidy on the ball, but created very little. A draw was probably the right result. Now, we move on to go after a much-needed away win at Wolves after the international break.

Brighton fans

Ian: Only Brighton have the ability to control a game that much and come away with a draw. If it was Palace placing that much pressure in the final third, they would've won by three clear goals. Brighton seriously have to get a grip on putting games like this to bed. The quantity of games drawn is once again proving costly and will give us another mid-table finish this season.

Stuart: Carlos Baleba is half the player he was from last season. Obviously his head is elsewhere right now and we are suffering in the middle of the park. Kaoru Mitoma's absence is also a factor as Yankuba Minteh is shouldering all responsibility for our wide creativity and it is unbalanced. That said, a decent result and a strong defensive display against a decent Palace. A lot more to come from Albion.

Adam: Brighton played well and stifled Crystal Palace's attack. Great saves from Bart Verbruggen and a good point away from home. But we should've dominated that game much more given we had eight days' rest.

Joe: Bart Verbruggen take a bow - two outstanding saves to keep us in it. He's put an iffy season last year behind him. Minteh again showed how technically poor he is - it really shows in the final third. Both sides had big chances that were not taken.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen speaking to BBC Radio Sussex after the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace: "There are a lot of positives to take from the game. We defended really well as a team and I don't think Palace created too many opportunities and chances.

"We need to improve those small margins to get a goal and a win. It is something we will work on after the international break and hopefully we will continue to improve to go a winning run.

"The boys were fighting on the pitch and trying not to concede shots, but I was happy to help twice when needed.

"I don't think we are doing too much different than the beginning of the season. We speak a lot about the importance of clean sheets and trying to restrict shots."

• Hear more from Verbruggen on BBC Sounds

Captain Lewis Dunk added: "We defended solidly and didn't give them many chances. Back-to-back clean sheets is always a good thing.

"I thought it was a good battle with the two teams going at each other."

• Listen to more from Dunk here

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth

• Brentford 3-1 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton

• Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds

• Man City 3-0 Liverpool