Poyet announces himself in style as Brighton slice through Southampton
As the 2,709 travelling supporters waved Uruguayan flags in the air and sung “Gus Poyet, my Lord” with such gusto that it could probably be heard the other side of Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion’s new manager gave a little wave.
He then disappeared down the St Mary’s tunnel, where there was a glass of red wine with his name on it. After all, it’s not everyday you turn 42.
It’s not everyday that you blow away the best team in League One in your first game as a manager either. Hammering Southampton 3-1 away from home would have been reason enough for Poyet to crack open a bottle, even if it wasn’t his birthday.
“I’m feeling great,” said Poyet afterwards. “It’s a bit unfair on my wife, but this was the best present I can remember in the past five years. Three points – it’s a perfect start.”
Most Brighton managers begin life in the dugout with victory. Off the the top of my head, Graham Potter, Chris Hughton, Dean Wilkins, Peter Taylor, Micky Adams (twice), Brian Horton, Steve Gritt and Jimmy Case all kicked off with a win. Even Jeff Wood and Martin Hinshelwood managed it.
But rarely has a new man announced himself in the style of the rangy Uruguayan. It took Gus Poyet just five days to turn Brighton from a side with three wins in 18 and who had lost 4-2 to Stockport County and 7-1 at Huddersfield Town into one capable of hammering Southampton 3-1 on their patch.
Southampton’s side of 2009-10 were quality too, their team sheet obscene for League One. Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana, Michael Antonio and Rickie Lambert would all be established Premier League footballers within three years.
David Connolly had already been there and done it in the top two divisions. Kelvin Davis was probably the best goalkeeper in the division at the time.
Ex-Albion duo Dean Hammond and Dan Harding were too good for that level, although Harding did seem to turn into a complete nervous wreck whenever he came up against the Albion. On this occasion, it was Dean Cox profiting.
Despite their talents, the Saints came into the game in the relegation zone. That was as a result of a 10 point deduction for slipping into administration at the end of the previous season.
Such had been their rate of progress though that victory would have allowed Alan Pardew’s side to leapfrog the visitors, plunging the Albion into the bottom four. Which wouldn’t have been such a happy 42nd birthday for Poyet.
With the Premier League and Championship enjoying an international break, Sky Sports couldn’t resist the opportunity to show a ‘South Coast Derby’ live to the nation.
A 4.30pm kick off on a Sunday when there were no trains along the coast was pretty bloody inconvenient. Even so, the away end was packed as Seagulls fans flocked west to witness what everyone hoped would be the dawn of a bright new era under a manager of whom much was expected.
With wonderful over-the-top gusto, the Albion’s official match report from St Mary’s had even labelled the appointment, “The single most exciting since Mike Bamber lured Brian Clough to the south coast.”
From the moment he named his first starting XI, Poyet was dedicated to the passing, possession based football that would become his trademark over the next three-and-a-half years
Adam Virgo was the big name casualty as the Albion captain lost his place to James Tunnicliffe, favoured at centre back because he was better on the ball.
Andrew Crofts assumed the armband for the first time and Poyet was afford the luxury of having both Nicky Forster and Glenn Murray available to lead the line in tandem.
Normally, one was fit while the other was sidelined. This was only the third time they’d started a game together in the 2009-10 season.
Twice in the first 25 minutes, Brighton sliced through Southampton with sweeping moves to race into a 2-0 lead. The first arrived with 16 played.
Cox picked up the ball just inside the Southampton half and found Crofts. Crofts played a perfect first time ball back into path of Cox who had hared into a gap vacated by Harding.
Cox’s low curling cross from the right wing was missed by Radhi Jaidi and Murray was on hand to cushion a right footed volley across his body and past Davis into the far corner of the Southampton goal.
Three passes, four touches, five seconds. That was all it took for the Albion to advance 50 yards down the pitch and open the scoring. This was football Jim, but not as we knew it.
The second was more fortuitous but no less beautiful. Murray and Forster exchanged a quick one-two in a tight spot out on the left, creating some space for Murray to crack an effort goalwards from outside the box.
Davis was beaten but the post wasn’t. Luckily for Murray, the ball rebounded straight back into the middle of the goal where his follow through had naturally taken him and he was able to produce a calm side foot finish into the unguarded net.
As Martin Tyler, making a rare League One appearance in the commentary box said, “It’s 2-0 to Brighton and they’re cutting Southampton apart under Gus Poyet.” St Mary’s was shell shocked.
The Saints pulled one back before half time when Andy Whing wrestled Lallana to the ground as a cross came into the box. Lambert made no mistake from the spot, giving the hosts a lifeline going into the break.
Normally, that have led to a very long second half from an Albion point of view, much nail biting and in all probability, three points for the Saints.
But Gus Poyet didn’t have a capitulation written in his birthday script and so Brighton instead continued to take the game to Southampton, pushing for a killer third.
There were a few hairy moments and Michel Kuipers was forced into a couple of inspired saves. Even as the game ticked into the final five and Brighton were holding onto a one-goal lead, the Albion were still looking for ways to wrap the thing up.
That positivity was duly awarded on 86 minutes with a lovely counter attacking goal. It was Gary Dicker this time with the expertly weighted through ball to send substitute Liam Dickinson away down the left, back in the side 13 days after he’d phoned in ‘sick’ to training the morning after he was pictured by The Sun carrying a comatose girl up West Street at 1am.
Dickinson showed that he wasn’t just handy at carting around paralytic females. He checked back inside and guided the ball to the edge of the box where Crofts arrived to drill a low effort into the bottom corner of Davis’ goal.
As Crofts sprinted with his arms outstretched towards an away corner which was now going mad with disbelief, Michel Kuipers sank to his knees in front of the Itchen End. The Former Dutch Marine looked to the sky as if he’d just found God rather than Gus.
Not that there seemed to be much difference between the two at that moment in time. We’d just witnessed a performance unlike anything Brighton had delivered for a generation, which surely must have involved some sort of divine intervention.
It was the dawning of the modern day Brighton and Hove Albion on the pitch. Performances like that would be common place as we swept aside all comers in League One, Poyet transforming the Albion into a thoroughly professional football club forged in his vision who went from perennial third tier strugglers to regular challengers for a place in the Premier League.
The good times had begun.
