Another ninth placed finish would be progress for Brighton
A little boy stands on the edge of a rock in a river. The rock is part of a series of stepping stones going from one side of the river to the other.
He always wished he could cross the whole river and having just made a huge leap, his biggest so far, he feels ready to move on again.
But his excitement may lead him to a hasty preparation for the next jump. In order to reach the next stepping stone, he must not ignore the importance of stabilisation on the current stone. If he does not find the balance he needs, he risks falling and going back to the start.
If this boy were wearing blue and white stripes, he could be Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls find themselves in the same position after their record-breaking 2021-22 season which ended in a ninth placed finish.
Making progress is not always about taking a step forward. Sometimes, it is about ensuring stability in the place you have just found yourself, proving that you now belong there and have not reached it by chance.
This is the challenge Brighton face in the season to come. A greatest ever finish will naturally lead to increased expectations.
A long campaign came to an end with the highs of April and May, meaning that the good outweighed the bad – those winless runs in October, November, February and March – in the minds of Albion supporters.
And rightly so. Ninth place combined with that amazing end-of-season form has filled everyone with optimism. Seagulls supporters cannot wait for 2022-23 in the hope that it turns out to be even more special.
Many of us will be dreaming of a European tour loading in the next few years. Brighton finished only five points away from Europe, which still feels surreal to say.
Imagine a Thursday night at the Amex with “Sussex by the Sea” accompanying the Albion walking out alongside a giant from Europe.
Or visiting stadiums around the continent and showing that indeed “We are Brighton, Super Brighton, from the South.” Just the thought can give you goose bumps.
It is our job to dream as fans. It is the club’s job to come up with plans. They are working hard to ensure they have the plans to make our dreams a reality.
They have already done this on plenty of occasions. The dream of reaching the Premier League. The dream of staying in the Premier League. The dream now being of Europe shows have far we have come.
Every good plan consists of certain steps that must be followed, or else progress may be interrupted. In that sense, Brighton’s next step is not necessarily about securing a higher finish.
If Graham Potter manages to keep the Albion exactly where they are now, that would be a big step. Establishment in the Premier League top 10 comes before qualifying for Europe, and so another ninth placed finish in 2022-23 represents further progress.
Lots of clubs have done what Brighton did in 2021-22 and finished in the top 10, only to fall back into the bottom half the next season.
Burnley, Leeds, Sheffield United, Southampton and Everton are just some examples of teams this has happened to since the Albion joined the Premier League in 2017.
This shows that even finishing ninth again is not as easy as it sounds. Especially when Brighton players are now getting serious approaches from the big six.
Yves Bissouma has already gone, Marc Cucurella could join him should Manchester City get their way. How will the Albion cope without two of their stars?
The club always knew this would happen, which is why they invest in under-the-radar stars-in-the-making like Moises Caicedo.
Having Caicedo can lessen the blow of losing Bissouma and is another example of the step-by-step planning Brighton have to make steady progress.
Steadiness is a keyword for the Albion and it ensures a future that looks much better than most clubs. This is what allows us to keep dreaming.
At the same time, we should keep in mind that a slow and steady ascent of the next peak is safer than a rapid one. This is the Tony Bloom way after all and it has not failed us so far.
To go from Championship to Europe is a long journey, filled with glory but also hard times. We should not be overwhelmed by success or extremely disappointed by the next let down – and there will be a let down!
It is what it is. In the long term, the Seagulls are flying the right way. “Stand or Fall” we all sing. If Brighton are to avoid a fall and reach even greater heights, then first we must stand where we are now.
Jason Therios @JasonTherios
