Brannigan's Banter

PATIENCE - n. Endurance Of Pain (The Little Oxford Dictionary).

All Brighton fans knew this season was going to be a bit of a struggle. We knew we had to remain patient while the team adjusts to Division One. We came into the campaign massively unprepared. No manager, no new players and no replica kits. With losses this week to both Rotherham (1-0) and Ipswich (3-1), we have now lost nine matches from 12 and are becoming a laughing stock. The two recent championships had brought smiles and congratulations from passing acquaintances. Now I get derogatory remarks about Brighton boys being used to going down.

The situation cannot carry on. It is imperative Brighton remain in Division One next year for the Falmer campaign to be sustainable. The finance and power advantages of being a top flight club, compared to playing in Divisions Two and Three are immeasurable. Relegation could see the Albion floundering.

So when do the Albion board take action and address the situation? Will the club's luck change before we plunge deeper than Robert Maxwell off his boat?

I believe this weekend is the crux of the Hinshelwood tenure as manager. The importance of the game cannot be overstated.

The only team worse than Brighton in Div One is Grimsby. They have a mere two points in the league and visit Withdean this Saturday. It is hoped several of the Albion players recently sidelined through injury could return. The likes of Zamora and Kuipers taking to the fray could be the catalyst the team and fans need to turn the season around. Maybe we will finally get to see the new strikers of Barrett and Kitson score some goals in the blue and white stripes, rather than enjoying the hospitality suite on a match-day.

I believe we will win on Saturday and the players achieve a massive confidence boost. We will still be dangling over the relegation trap door, but it could start a climb to mid table mediocrity.

The choice of players available to the manager has been dwindling since day one, but the players who have been representing the club in recent weeks have always tried their best. Youth players have been thrown to the lions and run over by the tractor boys in recent weeks. They have been asked to replace players such as Kuipers, who is better at saving than any building society, and Zamora, the Swan Vesta of strikers.

But will one win lead to others? If you look at the Albion's fixture list, they had a gentle introduction to Division One. The likes of Burnley, Wimbledon, Gillingham, Walsall and Stoke aren't the sides I feared pre-season. The likes of Watford, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Ipswich and Crystal Palace were likelier candidates. Or even Bradford, Wolves and Derby. These are the teams most likely to wing the Seagulls. These are also the Albion's fixtures over the next seven weeks!

So looking into the Banter crystal ball on my desk, how do I see the season progressing from here? (You can cut out this article and keep it until the end of the season and laugh at my expert judgement!)

After a win this Saturday, the Albion follow that up with two losses. Although the team plays valiantly, the board decide to release manager Martin Hinshelwood and his deputy Bob Booker from their contracts. Caretaker manager Dean Wilkins overseas a win versus Sheffield United. In comes former Crystal Palace manager Steve Coppell.

His first job is to take the Seagulls up to Smellhurst Park for the long awaited battle with Crystal Palace. A 4-3 win to the Albion brings some cheer to the hearts of four thousand travelling fans, before they make the treacherous journey home.

This match sees the Albion revival underway with them mid table by Christmas. After this, a further four months consolidation sees Brighton finish 13th in the table. Relegation for Palarse, along with play-off agony for Portsmouth sees a summer of smiles and congratulations from passing acquaintances once more. A summer of looking forward to the foundations of Falmer being laid. A former Palace man saved a season that could have sunk from abysmal to not-very-good-at-all.

Saying that, I hope Hinsh brings about the revival himself with the imminent return of some much-needed backbone to the team. Patience is a virtue I agree. But when does the endurance of pain for possible goals become just a mere endurance of masochism?