This Brighton run against West Ham cannot last forever… can it?
One of my West Ham supporting fans has a theory as to why the Irons have gone 12 games without a victory over Brighton, a run stretching back to when the Albion first entered the Premier League six seasons ago.
“It was a bad deal with the football gods,” he says. “We beat you 6-0 at Upton Park but then you don’t lose for the next however many matches against us.”
The spine shivers at the mere mention of April 14th 2012. Neptune Collonges won a Grand National overshadowed by the loss of the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner from the previous month, Synchronised.
A surprising number of Albion fans got to watch the race in The Queens Pub, despite it starting at 4.15pm whilst the second half was still going on a short hop down Green Street.
This was due to Brighton finding themselves 3-0 down in 11 minutes. It was 5-0 just after the hour mark. Sexy Pete Brezovan and Marcos Painter looked like they had never played football before in their lives, let alone at Championship level.
In turn, this made Ricardo Vaz Te look like Diego Maradona, Pele, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rolled into one. Vaz Te hit a hat-trick, meaning 1/5th of his career league goals for West Ham came in a 62 minute spell against the Albion.
Vaz Te in fact was having such a nice day of it that he would have hit zero at the roulette table if he visited the Cookie Casino after the game.
No such luck for Brighton fans and just to round off a totally grim afternoon, some of the more interesting characters who support West Ham took exception to Albion supporters watching the Grand National in “their” pub and an almighty fight broke out.
The WAB Team had luckily abandoned ship a few minutes earlier and were in the queue for the Underground by that point, on route to London Bridge.
Your correspondent falling asleep on the last train back from the capital and somehow waking up in Lewes dazed and confused at 2am in the morning completed the experience nicely.
If my friend is right and West Ham’s disastrous record against the Albion stems from that afternoon, was it a worthwhile exchange?
Losing 6-0? Paying £32 for a match ticket only to walk out of Upton Park after 20 minutes with the game already over? Nearly getting a kicking from a bunch of blokes who thought they were extras in Football Factory or that hilariously bad movie where Frodo Baggins plays a hooligan?
Of course, the answer is yes. Brighton winning their first Premier League away game at West Ham in October 2017. The Jose Izquierdo Show at the Amex five months later.
Glenn Murray scoring his final goal in Albion colours as Brighton came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at the London Stadium. The two most recent 4-0 hammerings dished out when the Irons have come to Sussex.
Some amazing memories have been created by the Seagulls in this 12 game unbeaten run against West Ham. Let the ‘Appy ‘Ammers have their 6-0; Brighton have had the last laugh (and in true Albion style, most Seagulls supporters saw the funny side of such a defeat at Upton Park to end our playoff hopes within about 48 hours. Typical Brighton, etc etc.)
The second part of my friend’s statement is more interesting: “You don’t lose for the next however many matches against us.” Because this run cannot go on forever.
It has to end at some point, having become so bad and well known that West Ham boss David Moyes is having to answer questions about it in his pre-game press conference.
“It has been a bit of a bugbear that we have not been able to beat them,” said Moyes. “We are playing a team that we have found it really hard to beat over the last few seasons.
“We go there in good spirits, but they have won their first two matches by three goals or four goals in each game just about. So, they are in really good form, and we have to play extremely well to get a result. There is a first for everything so let’s hope this is the one.”
“They’re difficult opponents and they are arguably as difficult as they have ever been. They are showing that by their league position. But I am looking forward to it.”
“We have had a great start and it gives us flexibility and the ability to change things to try and have a go at Brighton and beat them.”
Will it be a West Ham victory at the 13th time of asking? Despite a disappointing season in the league last time out in which Moyes found himself under pressure, the Irons won the Europa Conference for their first piece of silverware since the 1980 FA Cup and a first European trophy since 1965.
The buzz created by that victory appears to have carried into the current campaign. Captain Declan Rice might have been sold to Arsenal for £105 million (which in turn gave Tony Bloom reason to up his valuation of Moises Caicedo, so thanks for that West Ham) but the Hammers have four points from six so far in 2023-24.
Included in that haul was an impressive 3-1 London Derby win over Chelsea last week. If West Ham can bring a similar performance to the Amex, then Brighton are going to have to work hard to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table.
The Albion will be without Julio Enciso, who is facing several months out after a serious meniscus tear was discovered to his left knee.
In reaction to the news, Roberto De Zerbi said he wanted Brighton to sign two new players before the transfer window slams shut next weekend.
That hogged the headlines to the point that De Zerbi confirming Evan Ferguson will make his first start of the campaign almost went unnoticed.
Whether Ferguson comes in for Enciso with Danny Welbeck dropping in at number 10 or the Irish teenager takes over at nine from Dat Guy remains to be seen. The good thing is that De Zerbi does have options, even with Enciso ruled out.
It is probably fair to say that Brighton leading the way at the head of the table will not last forever. Neither can their ridiculous record against West Ham.
One more week at the top would be nice though. And one more victory over West Ham. Let us hope the deal done with the football gods for losing 6-0 all those years ago is not finished quite yet.
