The Seagulls are Circling

Tomorrow evening, Everton host Brighton and Hove Albion (nicknamed The Seagulls) the last of a run of festive season fixtures.

Trying to establish the views of the south-coast team's fans has proven to be something of a thankless task as there are few fans' websites which are not proving to be fertile ground  to establish how they see this fixture. Nevertheless, I have given it my best shot, in the narrow tie frame available following their last game vs Arsenal at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton are managed by Roberto De Zerbi, appointed following the departure of Graham Potter and his coaching staff to Chelsea. Since the Italians' arrival the club's form might best be described as variable, although one site is at pains to point out that they have won four games away from home this season and three of their last five outings. There is optimism in the air.

Following the home defeat to Arsenal, The Seagulls stand 9th in the table, but note that a win at Goodison Park would take them up to 7th. This reinforces an oft-repeated stance that the club should be seen as an established mid-table side capable of replacing a club such as Everton in that regard.

Their confidence in their status is reinforced by the presence of two stand-out players in the form of the Japanese international Mitoma and the Argentinian international Mac Allister. The latter could well feature at some point in the game at Goodison.

Notwithstanding the heavy defeat at home to Arsenal (2-4) last time out, they take heart from the team's performance over the last 30 minutes of that fixture. De Zerbi introduced three players aged 20 or under which brought energy and freedom to the team's forward play and yielded two goals. It remains to be seen if these same players have a role to play on Tuesday night.

Seagulls fans are well aware that any jury of Evertonians is out in the matter of the clubs' prospects for avoiding relegation. With that in mind and the lack of fan commentary on the game, I have to conclude that they travel north with some degree of optimism that there are points to be had from a team with only two home wins under its belt.

Finally, and as something of an aside, writing this short article reminded me of an old friend and Seagulls supporter, Pete Collins from Rainford, with whom I worked during my employment with St Helens Borough Council. His life was tragically cut short at an early age, having suffered a heart attack. Maybe he will be watching from above.

 

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