When chips are down, Brighton need our support more than ever

It was telling after Fulham 3-0 Brighton that the normally upbeat pair of Roberto De Zerbi and Adam Lallana came across as being quite down in their post-match interviews.

De Zerbi said the team were missing that winning mentality and confidence. Lallana stated that the lads are better than they showed at Craven Cottage and will bounce back.

What everyone knows is Brighton need to get back to winning ways. The FA Cup dream is over for another season and five wins in 20 Premier League games is not form which takes you into the top six or seven.

With games coming thick and fast now, these next few weeks will define how the Albion finish the 2023-24 season. Starting with a massive match against Roma on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Everyone is by now, I am sure, digging out their passports, ready to jet off to Italy and the Stadio Olimpico. Oh boy, what a trip it is going to be.

And our support will be vital in Rome and back at home when the Premier League action resumes against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

It can make a difference to lifting the low morale the squad seem to be suffering from currently. So, if you are lucky enough to be off to Rome, sing loud and proud, and we hope some of the injured players will be able to return.

If you are watching on TV or listening to Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall on BBC Radio Sussex once our faithful commentators have visited all the sights of Rome earlier in the day, then sing and shout along with the attending fans… just try not ruin your settee jumping up and down as I have done.

Roma of course will not be easy opponents. Backed by over 65,000 home fans, they have the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Tammy Abraham, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala. Head coach Daniele De Rossi is a good friend of Roberto De Zerbi.

The result may not go the Albion’s way. But hopefully this season is a learning experience, the first of many forays into Europe in the future. A dummy run for next season and beyond.

If Brighton do lose against Roma, it will not be the end of the world. We must remember where we have come from, where Mr Tony Bloom has taken us and that if social media is to be believed, the Albion are planning to become Europa League regulars. We all know what that means in terms of investment.

De Zerbi has rotated his starting XI more than any other manager in the Premier League this season. The trip to Fulham was no different, with seven changes from the team who lost 1-0 against Wolves on Wednesday night.

Despite the changes, it looked like a great line up on a showery yet sunny afternoon by the Thames. Victory would have taken the Albion through the 40 point barrier. However, it was not to be.

Johnny and Warren discussed referee Simon Hooper before the game. Warren said Mr Hooper had calves bigger than this thighs, whilst Johnny wondered how far Mr Hooper could get through the game without getting puffed out! I must admit I agreed with both statements, having watched Mr Hooper closely before.

They are also reported that Mr Bloom was in attendance, watching from the Cottage balcony. The highlights later in the game showed both Mr Bloom and Mr Paul Barber OBE looking a little glum.

That has been a rarity over the last few seasons. They are always there to support De Zerbi and the team, which is so lovely to see.

Brighton have never beaten Fulham in the Premier League but that did not stop the travelling Albion fans from being in good voice.

Sussex by the Sea could be heard loud and clear over the airwaves, along with “Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, we’re going to Italy.” It all sounded fantastic.

Mr Hooper took his first break as early as the eighth minute, when halting play to book Carlos Baleba. It seemed like a harsh decision on Baleba and left him walking a tightrope for the remainder of the game.

Chances were few and far between in the opening 20 minutes. Jason Steele made one save and it sounded as though Brighton needed to do much better in possession if they were going to take anything from the game.

That task was made harder when Fulham took the lead on 21 minutes. Harry Wilson was the scorer, and it was a good goal at that. A long ball caught out Adam Webster and once Wilson had it on his left foot, it was destined for the onion bag as Warren would say.

The Albion were looking lost and playing too slowly. Last season, it was lightning football which caught opponents out. Recently, Brighton have been a little ponderous. That really needs to change in Rome on Thursday night.

Having nine players injured plus Billy Gilmour suspended does not help. Knitting a team together to play well takes time and changes every week – forced or unenforced – makes cohesion difficult.

Lallana nearly came up trumps to bring the Albion level with some great footwork. His shot from the edge of the box, however, was just wide of the right side. It had plenty of power but not enough placement.

Julio Enciso then lined an effort up from just outside the box. A good strike flew just over the bar, leaving Enciso obviously displeased.

Had either of those half-chances gone in, the game might have turned out differently. Fulham instead went 2-0 ahead on 32 minutes. Wilson crossed with that trusty left foot of his and Rodrigo Muniz met it with a firm header past Steele.

All hope was not lost going into half time two goals behind. We know the Seagulls rarely give up, and words of inspiration from De Zerbi could easily turn things around.

The Albion did start the second half brightly. An early Pervis Estupinan corner was placed beautifully into the bus queue of Brighton players, where Lewis Dunk headed squarely at Bernd Leno.

Fulham missed a couple of chances next. Wilson once again raced away into space to shoot. Thankfully, it was wide of the mark. Andreas Pereira then had an opportunity to put the game to bed but he could only shoot wide as well.

Evan Ferguson popped a glorious chance to cut the deficit wide of the post from five yards after some wonderful skill from Lallana created an opening.

Ferguson may not have scored for 19 games now, but we have to remind ourselves he is a young man of only 19. He needs support to fulfil his potential. It will happen for him; it is just a matter of time.

Opportunities for a third Fulham goal keep coming with both Muinz and Pereira going close. When Facundo Buonanotte then hit a post, it was probably time to accept it is one of those days when it was just not going to happen for Brighton.

That feeling was confirmed when Adama Traore capped it off by scoring his first goal for Fulham in the 91st minute.

The UK did away with capital punishment many years ago. This though was punishment in the capital for Brighton. Now more than ever, the Albion need our backing with three season-defining games to come.

Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony

Seagulls Best Ever Season Volume 2 charts Brighton’s record breaking 2022-23 campaign through the eyes of Tony Noble, an East Stand Upper season ticket holder at the American Express Stadium. It is available from Waterstones, WHSmith, Amazon Bookstore and all good bookshops as well as the Albion Superstore at the Amex and via this link.