Brighton no better off under Potter than Hughton

After 24 games of the Premier League season, Brighton and Hove Albion have a point fewer under Graham Potter than at the same stage of the previous campaign when Chris Hughton was in charge. What does that tell us?

Taking that stat at face value, it suggests the Seagulls are no better off with a young, up and coming manager at the helm than his veteran predecessor.

Albion chairman Tony Bloom ultimately decided last season’s brush with relegation, finishing 17th in the table and two points above the bottom three, was too close for comfort.

“Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.” (CC BY 2.0) by Jonathan Rolande

Hughton is an easy figure to sympathise with. Critics often talked of stagnation at teams he has managed down the years and a certain tactical predictability, but few would argue he hasn’t been treated shabbily on more than one occasion in his coaching career.

Brighton – the side he steered into the promised land of the Premier League – are not alone in that. The infamous second season for a club in the top flight is often tougher than the first.

Yet the Seagulls survived the spectre of relegation under Hughton despite bookmakers believing they would struggle. They were right, but there were also worse sides – Cardiff City, Fulham and Huddersfield Town (the latter were victims of second season syndrome).

What’s strange about this is when you compare then to now. Albion are just three places and two points above the drop zone, yet Space Casino football betting odds have them at 15/4 to be relegated.

Would this price be shorter if Hughton were still in the Amex Stadium hotseat? It was in the same market this time 12 months ago and that highlights how perception is key.

Potter plays a better brand of football at Brighton than his predecessor but – as their points tally shows – what good is style if there’s no substance behind it?

The current Seagulls boss as of the time of writing has steered his side to consecutive Premier League victories just once. Hughton managed that in three separate parts of last season – October, December and March.

Brighton were very reliant on veteran poacher Glenn Murray for goals during their first two years as a Premier League club, supplemented by the set piece exploits of defenders up from the back. The burden has fallen upon French forward and summer signing Neal Maupay – prolific for Brentford – under Potter.

In many ways, the two strikers almost embody the bosses who signed them. Murray worked his way up from non-league just as Hughton climbed through the coaching ranks to make it in management with two Premier League promotions on his CV.

That common ground is also reflected in Potter and Maupay. Both player and coach blossomed abroad, then impressed in the Championship enough for the Seagulls to take a chance.

Where Murray is the wise old head like Hughton, Maupay is a young, exciting talent with the potential to go further just as Potter may have.

Don’t let the irony that either approach to football at Albion seemingly produces the same overall result be lost on you.