WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month - August 2014

After a pretty terrible start to the season, things picked up for Brighton and Hove Albion towards the end of August with a four match unbeaten run.

That was largely helped by the work the club put in in the transfer window with two of those new faces featuring in our first Player of the Month poll of the season.

And of course there are still some stalwarts in there - Bruno who at one point looked like he was being reinvented as a central midfielder, Craig Mackail-Smith who is looking somewhere near back to his best after injury and Lewis "goal machine" Dunk. What?

August 2014 Player of the Month - Lewis Dunk (56.57% of the vote)
	Despite starting the season as third choice centre back, he saw off the challenge of Aaron Hughes to become Gordon Greer's established partner at the heart of an Albion defence that looked markedly better with him in it, including clean sheets against Cheltenham and Leeds as the Albion conceded the least shots on goal in the division during August. He also played his part at the other end, scoring against Cheltenham to save a potentially dire 30 minutes of extra time and then popping up with a points rescuing brace in the 2-2 draw with Charlton. Played 5 (5 starts). Scored 3.
	Second: Joao Teixeira (28.28% of the vote) The loan signing from Liverpool looked a class above in his early games for the Albion and as more quality was added to the squad after the Birmingham debacle he began to thrive, netting goals in consecutive games as Leeds and Bolton were beaten.
	Third: Danny Holla (8.08% of the vote) For a player who arrived with no pre season behind him, the Dutchman proved to be a revelation adding some much needed protection in front of the back four. His presence in the side coincided with that four game unbeaten run to end the month.

 

The contenders:
	Bruno - Was voted sponsors Man of the Match in the victory over Bolton for a composed central midfield performance. Looks like he will enjoy Sami Hyypia's style of pushing the full backs as far forward as possible.
	Lewis Dunk - His best month at the club since those heady early days of the 2011/12 season. Looks to have nailed down a spot as Gordon Greer's regular partner and even added three goals including a points saving brace against Charlton.
	Gordon Greer - Reappointed captain by Hyypia, he hasn't let his new boss down with a number of trademark solid performances at centre back in a defence that has given up the least number of shots on goal in the division.
	Danny Holla - Eyebrows were raised when the Albion signed an unheard of Dutch midfielder with no pre-season training behind him. They were quickly unraised as the holding player's arrival transformed his new teams form with us unbeaten since his arrival. HOLLA.
	Craig Mackail-Smith - Seems to finally have a manager who is going to play to his strengths and rewarded that with two goals in August in the Capital One Cup against Cheltenham and more impressively in the home win over Bolton.
	Joao Teixeira - Looked a class above his lacklustre team mates away at Birmingham and with more quality put in around him he has thrived, scoring twice in the victories away at Leeds and home to Bolton and looking like an outstanding play maker.