Your next job Herr Hurzeler… quell the Manager of the Month curse
“Congratulations to Fabaian Hurzeler, who has been named Premier League Manager of the Month for August.”
Whilst the football world marvelled at a 31-year-old (youngest permanent manager in Premier League history) winning Manager of the Month after only his first three games in England, I thought to myself… oh shit.
We all know about the curse. Whoever wins Manager of the Month, their team is doomed to see form fall off a cliff. Quicker than Janine pushing Barry over the edge in EastEnders.
The Manager of the Month Curse is not something Brighton fans have to worry about much. Before Hurzeler, Chris Hughton was the most recent Albion head coach to win the award.
Hughton was rewarded for two wins and a draw from three matches in February 2018. He then kicked off March by giving the Albion their first Premier League win over one of the European Super League Elite Six, beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Amex.
That was on Sunday 4th March. On Friday 9th March, Hughton was announced as February 2018 Manager of the Month. Guess what happened next?
Brighton subsequently went on an eight game winless run spanning two months. The Albion lost to Everton, Manchester United in the FA Cup, Leicester and Crystal Palace.
They drew with Huddersfield Town, Spurs and Burnley before ending the barren sequence with victory over United at the Amex.
Even before Hurzeler won Premier League Manager of the Month, facing Ipswich Town at the Amex had the look and feel of a banana skin.
The Albion are unbeaten through three tough games at Everton, home to United and away against Arsenal. Logic suggests back-to-back Amex matches hosting the Tractor Boys and Nottingham Forest should be much easier. Six points out of six, right?
Wrong! The flying start combined with Ipswich still looking for their first win since promotion mean this is exactly the sort of game Brighton struggle in.
The Manager of the Month Curse adds another reason to be pessimistic. And all this is before you take into account who will be in the dugout opposite Hurzeler.
Tractor Boys boss Kieran McKenna was the Albion’s first choice to replace Roberto De Zerbi in the summer. Naturally, this meant McKenna also popped up on Chelsea’s shortlist.
He was also linked with Manchester United whilst Sir Jim Ratcliffe did the hokey cokey over whether to sack Eric ten Hagg. Wonder if Ratcliffe was so undecisive when pondering whether to move all his wealth to tax-free Monaco?
None of the Amex, Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford ended up being McKenna’s destination. He instead signed a new contract with Ipswich.
The loyalty to a club he had taken from League One to the Premier League in back-to-back seasons was commendale. Although a big, fat new contract paying him £5 million a year probably helped.
McKenna managing at the Amex for the first time will give Brighton fans an opportunity to see what we might have had.
Hurzeler has outbattled Stone Cold Sean Dyche, outthought Erik ten Hag and sent Mikel Arteta into meltdown. Would it not be typical that the first opposition manager he comes unstuck against is the one Brighton initially wanted for his job?
So, we can conclude at the end of all that, there are three very good reasons why the Albion lose to Ipswich. The cards are stacked against Brighton.
But imagine if it now goes the other way. Brighton beat the Tractor Boys in precisely the sort of game seasoned Albion observers expect them to struggle in.
What then? Anything will seem possible. And we will all undoubtedly be hailing the genius of Tony Bloom for getting Hurzeler rather than McKenna.
Me, I will be aiming for the best of both worlds. Ipswich are 15/2 to be victorious at the Amex. The Ipswich-draw double chance is 2/1.
A tenner on either outcome will help numb the pain if Brighton lose. If the Albion win, who cares at losing a tenner when you’ve been left dreaming about winning the Premier League?
Which will surely be the Seagulls’ destination if Hurzeler quells the Manager of the Month Curse.
Win-win.
