Vote for your September 2024 WAB Brighton Player of the Month
The Curse of the Manager of the Month Award hung heavy over the Amex. Brighton failed to win a Premier League game in September 2024 which should make for an interesting second WAB Player of the Month vote of the Fabian Hurzeler Era.
Hurzeler was announced as Manager of the Month on Friday 13th September. Unlucky for some. On Saturday 14th September, the Albion were held to a 0-0 draw at home by newly promoted Ipswich Town.
Next came a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest before Cole Palmer went berserk six days later, scoring four times in the first half to send Brighton to a 4-2 defeat at Chelsea.
That final score at Stamford Bridge should have been even worse. Hurzeler sticking with his favoured high line against a Blues front four featuring an abundance of pace proved as suicidal as virtually everyone predicted. With better finishing, Chelsea could have racked up seven or eight.
Forest also punished Brighton for their high defensive line. Wolves did likewise when scoring twice at the Amex, although the Albion got away with it on that occasion by sneaking through 3-2 in the third round of the League Cup.
Whilst plenty of column inches have been devoted to the high line, Hurzeler has not been helped by most of the Seagulls’ summer recruits spending the season so far injured.
Only one received enough game time to make the shortlist for WAB Brighton September 2024 Player of the Month – Georginio Rutter.
The £40 million signing headed past former Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to open the scoring at Chelsea. Sanchez was hilariously at fault for both Albion goals at Stamford Bridge – but more on him in a minute…
The candidates for WeAreBrighton.com September 2024 Brighton Player of the Month
Carlos Baleba
The flip side of Hurzeler’s high defensive line is that it is designed to go hand-in-hand with an aggressive press high up the pitch. Baleba was by far and away the most effective Brighton playar at leading the press in September 2024, directly contributing to both goals at Chelsea. He scored the second himself and also notched in the win over Wolves after dispossessing a visiting defender and finishing from 25 yards.
Jack Hinshelwood
Young Jack showed his versatility through September, playing as a left back, right back and in midfield. Produced what might rank as the greatest goal line clearance in Albion history when saving Adam Webster from a comical own goal against Wolves. Showed his worth up the other end in the Forest game with a brilliant header to open his account for the campaign.
Georginio Rutter
Leapt like the proverbial salmon to beat flappy Sanchez when putting Brighton 1-0 ahead at Stamford Bridge. His record in the Championship with 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United suggests he is unlikely to be prolific. What he is though is a lot of fun and hardworking. The latter of those qualities is particularly important in helping the Albion press effectively.
Robert Sanchez
Don’t worry. You haven’t gone back in a time machine two years. It is 2024. Sanchez plays in goal for Chelsea. But he makes the shortlist for Brighton September 2024 Player of the Month on account of him assisting both Albion goals at Stamford Bridge. First he missed his punch to gift Rutter the Albion’s opener. Then he passed straight to Baleba for the second. To be Brighton’s most dangerous player 14 months after leaving the club is pretty impressive.
Jan Paul van Hecke
Hurzeler might have been hit by the Manager of the Month curse, but Van Hecke had no such problems as he maintained the form which saw him voted WAB August Player of the Month. Solid performances against Ipswich, Wolves and Forest before being sorely missed when injured for the trip to Chelsea. He also made his international debut for the Netherlands, being compared by one Twitter user to a guard in Schindler’s List to complete a memorable month.
Danny Welbeck
Welbz is Dat Guy. Continued his prolific start to the campaign by scoring a magnificent free kick in the draw with Forest and was closer than anyone to breaching the stubborn Ipswich defence the previous week. A free kick almost as good was just the wrong side of the post and Arijanet Muric had earlier clawed out his towering far post header.
Loading ...Poll closes at 10pm on Sunday 6th October 2024
