A time to reflect on more than just the Seagulls' start to the season

Johnny Cantor spoke to Tony Bloom this week and also explains why it is a time to reflect on more than football.

As we move into yet another international break and with around a third of the season gone, it is the perfect time for players, managers and fans to look back and assess.

It was nice to be able to sit down with Albion chairman Tony Bloom to see how he perceives the start to this year's campaign and get his thoughts on the initial stages of Sami Hyypia's time in charge.

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He admitted it had been the toughest period of results since he took over the role of chairman, but he remains optimistic and says the squad will benefit from the challenges of a long run without victory. It is certainly a time to take stock and it would seem that is exactly what Bloom is doing. He says he is prepared to invest in January, if the price is right, but will decide only once 2015 comes around.

As well as a time to assess, I think it has also been a week to remember. Over last weekend and during the week the whole country, as well as those in football, has paused and taken time to remember those who gave up their lives while on duty with the armed forces.

The anniversary of the First World War appears to have touched everybody in different ways. The silences were wonderfully observed at grounds across the UK.  I was lucky enough to be involved in the BBC's World War 1 at Home series and enjoyed telling the story of former Albion keeper Robert "Pom Pom" Whiting (you can listen again on the BBC website), which was more a story of love and justice than football.

Of course, more recently Albion fans have remembered others who have fallen, such as 22-year-old Lance Corporal James Brynin. James was an Albion fan who died while on patrol in Helmand Province last year.

Passions run high in football both on and off the pitch, but sometimes it's right to just stop and pause and think of others, like James, who was described as "the best and the brightest". Amen.