WEST HAM - Home, Falmer Years:
Prem 17/18-24/25, seasons 7-14 . . C'ship 11/12, season1.
no league meetings in seasons between 2012 to 2016.
Prem previous encounters home & away: P14 W6 D7 L1 - see Clubs in Archive.
Albion V Iron PL/EFL record @ Amex: W = 4 D = 2 L = 2

manager: Julen Lopetegui (2024) P0 W = 0% @ July '24 . experience: top coach in Spain.
London Stadium - ave gate; 56.9K, cap; 62.5K . nickname: Iron . shirt: claret & blue.

Prem/EFL record from 11/12: 3 C, 10 13 12 7 11 / 13 10 16 6 7 14 9 14 @ 6/12/24.
recent best finish = 6th '21, worst finish = 16th '20.
C21; top six - '21, top ten - 9 times . bottom six - '01 '07 '10 '20, relegated - '03 '11.

24/25 odds at start: top four 16/1, top six 6/1 . sack JL 20/1 . expected to finish: top ten
run in: Wolves (A), B'mouth (H), Liv'pool (A), So'ton (H), Brighton (A), Spurs (H), Man Utd (A), Forest (H), Ipswich (A)
run in forecast*: ?pt > ?pt* . max was ? . actual = ? . Po was ? . actual Po = ?

Albion v West Ham (H) from 17/18: 3-1 1-0 1-1 1-1 3-1 4-0 1-3 . . W = 4 D = 2 L = 1 . F14 A7
scorers: Murray 2 Izquierdo Gross 2 Trossard Veltman 2 Welbeck 3 Mac Allister Mitoma.
memorable match: Season11 (H) - last game of our best full campaign to date.
note: for away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below.

Season14, 8th Premier League (H) Sat 26/4/25 - tba
This reciprocal Apr '25 fixture was the 17th of 19 at home, coming in the run-in period (Q4). The reverse game was 21 Dec '24, being the pre-Xmas contest (Q2) - see away scroll further below. Last term we'd met here during late Aug '23 when suffering an initial home defeat. We had drawn the away match last season during Jan '24 to remain unbeaten there. At the halfway stage (Q2) we had xpts and they had xpts. Then at the three-quarters stage (Q3) we had xpts and they had xpts. Now we had xpts and they had xpts. Our Prem record at the Amex versus Hammers was; wwd dww l - in all seven seasons to date. That latest single defeat stands out. Current home form was; W D L F A tba. Visitors away form was: W D L F A tba. At the moment Brighton were xth, while WHU were xth from x games played. At the halfway stage we were xth and they were xth. At the three-quarters stage we were xth and they were xth. In the last three campaigns we'd been 9, 6 & 8 at the halfway stage and finished 9, 6 & 11. Albion were looking to return to winning ways against Iron. Their latest boss had so far ... in the January window. In the FA Cup . Headline news this week was ...
*** match report: tba day after result
stats: ht , goals , poss %-%, on target , off target , corners , fouls , yellows , subs , shape
weather: . gate: . MoM:
team: 23 Steele 2 Lamptey 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 11 Adingra 10 Enciso 22 Mitoma 18 Welbeck
subs:
bench: 1 Verbruggen 3 Julio 4 Webster 6 Milner 7 March 9 Pedro 15 Moder 20 Baleba 28 Ferguson 34 Veltman 41 Hinshelwood 14 Rutter 17 Minteh 24 Kadioglu 27 Wieffer 33 O'Riley
squad: . injured:
Prem P34 . W D L . F A . W D L . F A . Pt? Po? = x.xxpt/gm . W = xx% L = xx%

Hammers:
Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
hfwy: 14 . 04 03 07 . 18 27 -09 . 15 14 = 1.07 . 28.5 50.0
start: 10 . 03 02 05 . 13 19 -06 . 11 14 = 1.10 . 30.0 50.0 - J Lopetegui
EFL Cup: Liverpool 5-1 (A) R3, Bmouth 1-0 (H) R2
FA Cup: Aston Villa (A) R3
Nov: 14th in table, 1pt off 13th at Q1

Season13, 7th Premier League (H) Sat 26/8/23 - L 1-3 ~ Gross
During mid summer's pre-season build up West Ham played 2 games in Australia; first won v Perth 2-6, then beat Spurs 2-3. Back in Europe for more friendlies; they were defeated at Rennes 3-1 (A) & Leverkusen 4-0 (A) prior to the Prem kickoff. We joined WHU in the Europa League this season (via separate groups) following their winning the '23 Euro Conference final during June. Albion finished 6th (62pts) and Iron 14th (40pts) last term, giving us a 12pts +ve difference. Visitors were therefore anticipating a better final placing this season. Our Prem record at the Amex versus Hammers was; wwd dww in six seasons to date. We hadn't lost a single contest, so there were always goals likely scored. Going into this late Aug holiday teatime match BHA were 1st and WHU were 7th after 2 games played thus far. In the summer transfer window Rob Sanchez was sold to Chelsea (25m) and Aaron Connolly went to Hull. Mac Allister had earlier gone to Liverpool (35m) but James Milner came the other way. Also Mahmoud Dahoud (B Dortmund) & Joao Pedro (Watford 30m) joined us by end of June. Bart Verbruggen (gk) (Anderlecht 16m) & Igor Julio (Fiorentina 15m) came aboard in July. The Friday before mid Aug's Saturday opening kickoff Moises Caicedo got offered a deal from Liverpool for a Prem record 111m. But he actually went off to Chelsea for 115m. Meanwhile Hammers had spent 65m on 2 buys and one undisclosed in the Aug transfer window to date after selling Declan Rice for 105m. A day after this game they spent another 38m on a player Albion had wanted to sign. Iron boss David Moyes retained his job courtesy of obtaining European silverware and was expected to guide the rehomed east London outfit to higher status this term. Based on previous meetings Brighton were now looking for a fifth win on home turf against perhaps a below strength West Ham side.
*** match report: for a kickoff De Zerbi was satisfied with this performance but Brighton fans would question a lack of plan B while watching our first frustrating home defeat. Coz the same thing was happening at both ends in both halves. Hammers were scoring while Seagulls toiled to hit the spot time & time again with the self same slow-mo approach. Yes, visitors keeper got a high rating but in all honesty majority of his saves were showboating behind a rock solid defence of ten men. And on the break they were devastating. First Webster blundered a back pass to present travellers with an easy score (19mins). Then he & Milner were exploited twice more from counter attacks where Albion couldn't get near the ball, let alone touch it (58 & 63 mins). Up the sharp end our strikers didn't convert their chances, big blue & white defenders going up for set pieces couldn't get their heads in place and flankers were stuck out on wings wandering round & round in circles. If that was an ok display then this isn't the Prem but an in house practice match of build up drills, possession techniques and time wasting. Not good enough Brighton! On a positve note, Gross scored to set a new BHA goals record of 27 (81mins). As time ran out it was worth taking a snap pot shot instead of trying to walk the ball in via multiple passing moves as previously from side to side and back again.
stats: ht 0-1, goals 81-19,58,63, poss 79%-21%, on target 10-7, off target 15-5, corners 17-4, fouls 10-9, yellows 1-3, subs 4-4, shape 4231-4141
weather: sunny . gate: . MoM: ? several below par displays
team: 1 Verbruggen 6 Milner 4 Webster 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 11 Gilmour 13 Gross 7 March 28 Ferguson 18 Welbeck 22 Mitoma
subs: 9 Pedro 60 (18), 14 Lallana 60 (11), 24 Adingra 72 (7), 34 Veltman 72 (6)
bench: 23 Steele 3 Julio 8 Dahoud 29 van Hecke 40 Buonanotte
squad: 2 Lamptey 17 Alzate . injured: 10 Enciso 15 Moder
Prem P3 . W1 D0 L1 . F5 A4 . W1 D0 L0 . F4 A1 . Pt6 Po4 = 2.00pt/gm . W = 66.6% L = 33.3%

Iron:
Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
total: 38 . 14 10 14 . 06 74 -14 . 52 09 = 1.36 . 36.8 36.8
3qtr: 29 . 12 08 09 . 46 50 -04 . 44 07 = 1.51 . 41.3 31.0
hfwy: 19 . 10 03 06 . 33 30 03 . 33 06 = 1.73 . 52.6 31.5
start: 10 . 04 02 04 . 16 17 -01 . 14 09 = 1.40 . 40.0 40.0 - D Moyes
Euro Lg: Leverkusen 2-0 (A) 1-1 (H) - q-f, Freiburg 5-0 (H) 1-0 (A) - last 16
Olympiacos 2-1 (A) 1-0 (H), Freiburg 1-2 (A) 2-0 (H), Backa 3-1 (H) 0-1 (A) - group
EFL Cup: Liverpool 5-1 (A) q-f, Arsenal 3-1 (H) R4, Lincoln 0-1 (A) R3
FA Cup: Bristol C 1-0 (A) 1-1 (H) R3
Oct: 9th in table, 3pts off 6th at Q1.
Dec: 6th, 3pts from 5th at Q2.
Mar: 7th, 3pts off 6th at Q3.
May: finished 9th, 8pts from 8th at Q4.
23/24 odds at start: top six 8/1, top half 11-10, bottom half 8-11, rel 11/1 . sack DM 12/1 . expected to finish: mid div
run in from 30/3/24: N'castle 4-3 (A), Spurs 1-1 (H), Wolves 1-2 (A), Fulham 0-2 (H),
Palace 5-2 (A), Liverpool 2-2 (H), Chelsea 5-0 (A), Luton 3-1 (H), Man City 3-1 (A)
run in *forecast @ 29/3/24: 44pt > *58pts . max was 71 . Actual = 52 . Po was 7th . Actual po = 9th

Season12, 6th Premier League (H) Sat 4/3/23 - w 4-0 ~ Mac Allister, Veltman, Mitoma, Welbeck
Our record against Hammers was without loss at the Amex and since our initial winning Prem contest of Feb '18 (see scroll below) we appeared to be their bogey side. We'd also won here in Oct '18, drew in Aug '19 and May '21, before another victory in May '22 (seasons 7-11). What Brighton fans continued to think was; could this run extend into yet another season? Albion head coach now was Roberto de Zerbi and the Italian tactician had made a positive impact. He took BHA to Dubai for their warm-weather camp during the World Cup finals in December '22. Since then Brighton had held a top eight berth - with games in hand on near-by opponents. At closing of the January '23 transfer window Iron signed a proven Prem striker from Villa for 15m. In the week prior to this fixture both Albion & Hammers played FAC5 ties away from home. We went thru to quarter finals but Iron got beat out flat at Man United when conceding two late goals after netting first. On balance they carried a threat, although teams at the top tend to score regularly, while those at the bottom don't. Time would tell. On the day RdZ served a one match ban for talking & taking against Ref on final whistle last time here in late Feb - oh and 15k fine to boot... ouch!
*** match report: Albion racked up another multi-goal win against disappointing Hammers. It all started as a tactical battle with hosts exploiting flanks at speed to go forward. Unfortunately Lamptey soon went off injured, which appeared a negative. But next Mitoma got tripped in the box and Mac Allister stepped up to rifle the clear-cut pen into the top corner (18mins). After turnaround locals went two ahead when sub Veltman chested in Mac Allister's flick on at a corner routine (51mins). Seagulls then flew and Mitoma got on the score-sheet by finishing off a cross-shot by Gross (69mins). Young subs were added to the fray and there was still time for old hand Welbeck to drill a low shot into the bottom corner (89mins). All in all a very good day for celebrating Brighton fans, although travelling support saw their bubbles burst as Iron was blown away at the Amex. RdZ said, 'it's not perfection yet, we can still improve.' Hosts had sights on being higher and perhaps making the cut for Europe qualification. And on a day like this such thoughts seemed a possibility rather than pie in the Seagulls sky.
stats: ht 1-0, goals 18,51,69,89, poss 68%-32%, on 9-2, off 11-1, corners 7-3, fouls 6-8, yellows 0-3, subs 5-4, shape 4231-4231
weather: cloudy & cold . gate: 31,523 (away 2964) . MoM: Gross - great all over the pitch
team: 23 Steele (gk) 2 Lamptey 4 Webster 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 7 March 13 Gross 10 Mac Allister 25 Caicedo 22 Mitoma 28 Ferguson
subs: 34 Veltman 16 (2), 18 Welbeck 76 (30), 40 Buonanotte 76 (7), 19 Sarmiento 83 (28), 20 Enciso 83 (22)
bench: 1 Sanchez 29 van Hecke 21 Undav 27 Gilmour
injured: 14 Lallana . squad: 26 Ayari
Prem: P23 . W6 D2 L4 . F21 A11 . W5 D3 L3 . F22 A18 . Pt38 Po8 = 1.65pt/gm . W = 47.8% L = 30.4%

Quatr: P . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
total: 38 . 11 07 20 . 42 55 -13 . 40 14 = 1.05 . 28.9 52.6
3qtrs: 29 . 08 06 15 . 27 39 -12 . 30 14 = 1.03 . 27.5 51.7
hfwy: 19 . 04 03 12 . 15 25 -10 . 15 17 = 0.78 . 21.0 63.1
start: 10 . 03 02 05 . 09 11 -02 . 11 12 = 1.10 . 30.0 50.0 - D Moyes
Euro Conf: final - Fiorentina w 2-1 . s-f - AZ Altmaar 0-1 (A) 2-1 (H) . q-f - Gent 4-1 (H) 1-1 (A) . last 16 - AEK Larnaca 4-0 (H) 0-2 (A)
gp - Andelecht 2-1 (H) 0-1 (A), Silkeborg 1-0 (H) 2-3 (A), FCSB 0-3 (A) 3-1 (H) . qual - Viborg 0-3 (A) 3-1 (H).
EFL Cup: Blackburn 9pen10 2-2 (H) R3.
FA Cup: Man Utd 3-1 (A) R5, Derby 0-2 (A) R4, Brentford 0-1 (A) R3.
Oct: 12th in table, 2pts off 10th at Q1.
Jan: 18th, 1pts off 17th at halfway stage Q2.
Apr: 14th, 0pts above 15th at three quarters stage Q3.
May: 14th, 4pts above 17th at Q4.
22/23 odds at start: top six 4/1, top half 8-13, rel 25/1 . Sack DM 33/1 . Expected to finish: in top eight.
Run in from 8/4/23: Fulham 0-1 (A), Arsenal 2-2 (H), Bournemouth 0-4 (A), Liverpool 1-2 (H),
Palace 4-3 (A), Man C 3-0 (A), Man Utd 1-0 (H), Brentford 2-0 (A), Leeds 3-1 (H), Leicester 2-1 (A)
Run in *forecast @ 7/4/23: 30pt > *39pts . Max was 57 . Actual = 40 . Po was 14th . Actual po = 14th

Season11, 5th Premier League (H) Sun 22/5/22 - W 3-1 ~ Veltman, Gross, Welbeck.
This was the final fixture of our fifth consecutive Prem campaign. And what a season it had been in terms of points and our best position regarding the league table. In truth most of Seagulls improvement had been via away tallies, rather than accumulated from a mediocre domestic record once more. However over four previous seasons Albion had always gotten points from Hammers at the Amex. Now for our last home game of this season, fans wondered if it could positively happen again. Financially a top ten finish would provide extra mega-bucks for funding possible squad additons over the summer thru pre-season, leading up to start of next term. West Ham meanwhile had done good too and were assured of entry into one of the two Europa competitons next season. So there was still all to play for and thoughts of being on the beach would have to wait a little longer.
*** match report: Albion were a goal behind at the interval after what was a fairly tame first half. Dunk seemed to be fouled at a high cross but the striker struck the ball into the top corner and Ref thought it all ok (41min). Potter inserted an additional striker for the second period and later further shook up midfield. Veltman bagged his first of the season when driving a shot under the keeper (51min). With Seagulls now flying towards the north stand ultra support a second score was always on the cards. Gross got it with a sublime strike (80min). Welbeck nodded the third in stoppage from a Gross corner (90+2min). Potter was full of praise for his squad and Brighton fans were too. 25 years from gutter to the stars and prospects to boldly go where no Albion had gone before.
Stats: ht 0-1, goals 51,80,92-41, poss 50%-50%, on target 6-2, off target 4-2, corners 5-6, fouls 9-9, yellows 1-1, subs 1-1, shape 4231-4231
weather: sunny & warm . gate: 31,604 . MoM: Gross - top of his game.
team: 1 Sanchez, 34 Veltman, 4 Webster, 5 Dunk, 3 Cucurella, 20 March (2 Lamptey 75), 8 Bissouma (9 Maupay Y 45),
25 Caicedo (12 Mwepu 79), 13 Gross, 18 Welbeck, 10 Mac Allister .
bench: 23 Steele (gk), 14 Lallana, 17 Alzate, 24 Duffy, 57 Offiah, 58 Ferguson.
squad: 11 Trossard . injured: 15 Moder, 60 Sarmiento.
Prem: P38 . W5 D7 L7 . F19 A23 . W7 D8 L4 . F23 A21 . Pt51 Po9 = 1.34pt/gm . W = 31.5% L = 28.9%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 16 08 14 . 60 51 09 . 56 7 = 1.47 . 42.1 36.8
3qtrs: 29 . 14 06 09 . 48 36 12 . 48 6 = 1.65 . 48.2 31.0
Hfwy: 19 . 09 04 06 . 34 25 09 . 31 5 = 1.63 . 47.3 31.5
Start: 10 . 06 02 02 . 20 11 09 . 20 4 = 2.00 . 60.0 20.0 - David Moyes
Eu Lg: Frankfurt 1-2 (H) 1-0 (A) s-f . Lyon 1-1 (H) 0-3 (A) q-f . Sevilla 1-0 (A) 2-0 (H) last 16.
Genk 3-0 (H) 2-2 (A), R Vienna 2-0 (H) 0-2 (A), D Zagreb 0-2 (A) 0-1 (H) gp.
EFL Cup: Spurs 2-1 (A) q-f, Man City 5pen3 0-0 (H) R4, Man Utd 0-1 (A) R3.
FA Cup: So'ton 3-1 (A) R5 . Kidderminster 1-2 aet (A) R4 . Leeds 2-0 (H) R3.
Oct: 4th in table and 5pts off top spot at Q1.
Jan: 5th, 4pts behind 4th at halfway Q2.
Mar: 6th, 3pts off 4th at threequarters Q3. Europa q-f.
May: finished 7th, 2pts off 6th. Qualify for Europa Conference.

Season10, 4th Premeir League (H) Sat 15/5/21 - 1-1 ~ Welbeck.
Covid restrictions: no fans (post-lockdown, Tier 3/4/5 = 0 fans, T2 = 2000, T1 = 4000)
Hammers were fellow bottom six incumbents at end of last term's paused & delayed but extended, virus-hit campaign. This east London outfit were something of serial underachievers, given their fortune in securing a bigger home, although that alone wasn't the only factor in recent club upheavals. So what of current Prem issues? Well, Albion were also in process of finding stability under Graham Potter, having gotten through his rookie season ok and in many senses lived to fight yet again. In fact, for this rescheduled Saturday evening kickoff, Hammers arrived here now as a top six outfit, while Seagulls had it confirmed last week that we would be competing in the Prem for a 5th consecutive year from August - thanks once again to three more worse clubs than us. Brighton fans rejoiced, having similarly experienced an up & down sort of season, while staying locked down at home and merely watching BHA games on a suitable screen. You really can't make this reporting stuff up.
*** match report: It ended even on the night with a couple of late goals restoring parity. Welbeck clipped home from a delightful Tau thru ball to open scoring (84min). But Seagulls let the lead slip as in a fair number of other contests this term and conceded only moments afterwards (87min). Hosts had played better during the second period following a goalless first half and reversed visitors dominance in possession. Chances came and went but the old Brighton bogey of hitting the net was to the fore once more. Potter put on Lallana and Tau to keep pedal to the metal and they played prime parts in a late surge. The 343 shape worked ok with captain for tonight Gross as right wingback and Polish international Moder on the opposite flank. And it was defenders (minus banned Dunk) who scored higher ratings because the revised front three (ditto Maupay) were mostly off target. That was nothing new here, where our home record left much to be desired at this level. There is only one way for a young squad to individually and collectively gain experience and it's obviously to play games. As a perpetual bottom six outfit BHA apparently has to work doubly hard just to stay in the league. The goal scoring flair that comes from creativity is something beyond the current group of players, as based on facts & figs to date. The table doesn't lie and no matter how reporters dress up our approach, Seagulls are flat footed around the net - when taking flight should see us soar. Perhaps such skills cannot actually be learnt but are instinctive to top div personnel... tho these are only available at a premium.
Stats: ht 0-0, goals 84-87, poss 51%-49%, on target 2-3, off target 2-8, blocks 6-4, o/s 0-2, crosses 9-24, corners 3-3,
tackles 9-6, fouls 7-5, yellows 1-0, subs 3-1, shape 343-4231 . Weather: showers.
Team: 26 Sanchez, 3 White, 4 Webster, 22 Burn, 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma Y, 17 Alzate (14 Lallana 66), 15 Moder, 16 Jahanbakhsh (22 Tau 73),
18 Welbeck, 11 Trossard (29 Zeqiri 83) . Bench: 23 Steele, 6 Karbownik, 7 Connolly, 10 Mac Allister, 21 Andone, 25 Caicedo .
Squad: 19 Izquierdo . Injured: 2 Lamptey, 20 March, 24 Propper, 34 Veltman . Ban: 5 Dunk, 9 Maupay . MoM: Welbeck
Prem: P36 . W3 D9 L6 . F19 A20 . W5 D5 L8 . F18 A22 . Pt38 Po17 = 1.05pt/gm. Wins = 22.2%, Loss = 38.8%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 19 08 11 . 62 47 15 . 65 06 = 1.71 . 50.0 28.9
3qtrs: 29 . 14 07 08 . 45 35 10 . 49 05 = 1.68 . 48.2 27.5
Hfwy: 19 . 09 05 05 . 27 22 05 . 32 07 = 1.68 . 47.3 26.3
Start: 10 . 05 02 03 . 17 11 06 . 17 05 = 1.70 . 50.0 30.0 - David Moyes.
EFL Cup: Everton 4-1 (A) R4, Hull 5-1 (H) R3, Charlton 3-0 (H) R2.
FA Cup: Man Utd 1-0 aet (A) R5, Doncaster 4-0 (H) R4, Stockport 0-1 (A) R3.
Nov: after the first quarter ended, Hammers were 5th in the Prem table, 4pts off the top two.
Jan: at the halfway stage Iron were 7th and 2pts from top four places.
Mar: threequarters completed and 5th, 2pts behind 4th place.
May: Prem 6th and only 4pts from 3rd. Europa League place earned for effort.

Season9, 3rd Premier League (H) Sat 17/8/19 - 1-1 ~ Trossard.
The first home fixture of the third consecutive PL campaign, after surviving our second season syndrome successfully to boot. But Prem saviour Chris Hughton was immediately history and a new head coach in Graham Potter arrived pdq to sit on the Amex hot seat. Bruno had retired to a coaching role at BHA, Knockaert diverted to Fulham, Kayal & Hemed to Charlton and Suttner went back to Germany. Apart from that the same old squad was up for selection, bar Izquierdo, Bissouma and Schelotto all long-term injured. But we'd also made a few major signings: Leandro Trossard (winger, Genk 18m), Adam Webster (c-d, Bristol C 20m), Neal Maupay (striker, Brentford 20m) and Aaron Mooy (m-f, Huddersfield loan). Apart from these additions, over a dozen fringe & U23 players went out on loan in UK and also abroad. Brighton fans anticipated seeing the side play with revised shape from previously, which should put everybody on the front foot at home for a kickoff. VAR got to be the PL norm now, so we hoped it wouldn't muck up too many instant goal celebrations to boot.
* * * match report: Albion took the lead shortly before the half hour mark but it was chalked off by VAR for offside after tremendous celebrations on & off the pitch. The mood then fell a little flat until the second half. But it was Hammers who went ahead, via a counterattack aound the hour mark against run of play (61min). Seagulls hit back quickly when debutant Trossard followed up Murray's chase to smack a low drive inside a post (65min). Seagulls stuttered in front of goal, missing several opportunities to take all three points. Despite much end to end open play the result was determined by those two strikes. Graham Potter said, 'I have no complaints about VAR. The players showed great courage and spirit to recover from two setbacks.' Brighton fans went home fairly happy having watched a decent display full of attacking tempo & intent. Hopefully this positive modus operandi would produce enough future wins as well.
Stats; shape 343-4141, h-t 0-0, goals 65-61, poss 57%-43%, on target 4-3, off target 9-4, blocks 3-1, crosses 24-16, corners 8-6, o/s 2-4,
tackles 22-22, fouls 11-10, yellows 0-2, subs 3-3 . Gate 30,459 away 2973 . Weather - sunny intervals . MoM - Burn.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 20 March, 13 Gross (7 Maupay 67), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 11 Trossard (18 Mooy 85),
17 Murray (10 Andone 74) . Bench; 27 Button, 30 Bernardo, 15 Webster, 9 Locadia.
Squad - 3 Bong, 7 Maupay, 8 Bissouma, 14 Balogun, 16 Jahanbakhsh . Injured - 19 Izquierdo, 21 Schelotto.
Prem P2 . W0 D1 L0 . F1 A1 . W1 D0 L0 . F3 A0 . Pt4 Po5 = 2.00pt/gm. Wins = 50%, Loss = 0%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total: 38 . 10 09 19 . 49 62 -13 . 39 16 = 1.02 . 26.3 50.0 - David Moyes, finish 27/7/20.
3qtrs: 29 . 07 06 16 . 35 50 -15 . 27 16 = 0.93 . 24.1 55.1 - David Moyes. PREM SUSPENDED
Hfwy: 19 . 05 04 10 . 21 32 -11 . 19 17 = 1.00 . 26.3 52.6 - Manuel Pelligrini.
Start: 10 . 03 04 03 . 12 14 -02 . 13 09 = 1.30 . 30.0 30.0
EFL Cup: 3rd rnd - Oxford 4-0 (A), 2nd rnd - Newport 0-2 (A).
FA Cup: West Brom 0-1 (H) R4, Gillingham 0-2 (A) R3.
Aug; money spent on quality, rather than previous quantity, reveal top 8 values.
Oct: mid table in top ten by end of first quarter Q1.
New Year: just two points above the d-z and much work to do for their new manager in 2020.
March: in 16th place relegation dog fight when Prem suspended.
July: made the grade again but with little to spare stuck in bottom six.

Season8 2nd Premier League (H) Friday 5/10/18 - W 1-0 ~ Murray.
Our 4th home fixture, at start of the third campaigning month for the 2nd PL season, this being prior to the second international break, thus allowing more than one week to take stock overall. And the game was moved forward for a Friday evening k-o under floodlight to accomodate pay tv schedules. Albion were behind schedule with regard to points already gained, although level of performances hadn't been too bad so far, especially at the Amex. Home form was wdl but Seagulls had to up the ante pdq to make it another fortress atmosphere like last term. Chris Hughton had also given squad players time from the bench previously and so further options were available on the starting teamsheet & tactical subs. On the nite he gave Jahanbakhsh a debut start and moved March more centrally to support Murray.
* * * match report: Albion did what was required, scored a goal, kept a clean sheet and ground out a result. Hero scorer Glenn Murray hit his 99th goal for BHA with a simple tap in after a run & cross by Kayal (25min). Duffy then got booked when visitors upped the ante. In the second period WHU chased the game strongly but hosts defence was spirited in the extreme. Jahanbakhsh & Kayal were also both carded around the hour mark. Subs began to appear from both sides as the clock ticked, with Izquierdo & Locadia being tactical changes, while Bissouma replaced injured Propper. Hughton said, 'we rode our luck against a very good side. We had to work really hard for our clean sheet. Players throwing themselves in front of the ball and getting blocks in. It takes all of that to get a result.' Brighton fans went home happy to all parts of Sussex and beyond knowing the league was taking shape now but we'd a points gap to the drop zone prior to another pause in the PL schedule for internationals.
Stats; shape 4411-433, h-t 1-0, goal 25, poss 35%-65%, on target 4-4, off target 5-13, corners 2-8, o/s 4-1, fouls 12-8, yellows 3-2, subs 3-3.
Gate 30,544 away 2975 . Weather - mild & dry.
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 4 Duffy Y33, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert, 7 Kayal Y61, 24 Propper (8 Bissouma 80), 16 Jahanbakhsh Y58 (19 Izquierdo 71), 20 March (9 Locadia 86), 17 Murray . Bench; 27 Button, 30 Bernardo, 14 Balogun, 10 Andone.
Prem P8 . W2 D1 L1 . F7 A6 . W0 D1 L3 . F2 A7 . Pt8 Po12 = 1.00pt/gm. Wins = 25%, Loss = 50%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total; 38 . 15 07 16 . 52 55 -03 . 52 10 = 1.36 . 39.4 42.1 - Manuel Pellegrini
3qtrs; 29 . 11 06 12 . 37 41 -04 . 39 09 = 1.34 . 37.9 41.3
Hfwy; 19 . 08 03 08 . 27 28 -01 . 27 09 = 1.42 . 42.1 42.1
Start; 10 . 02 02 06 . 09 15 -06 . 08 13 = 0.80 . 20.0 60.0 - Manuel Pelligrini.
EFL Cup; 4th rnd - Spurs 1-3 (H), 3rd rnd Macclesfield - 8-0 (H), 2nd rnd south - Wimbledon 1-3 (A)
FA Cup; 4th rnd - Wimbledon 4-2 (A), 3rd rnd - Birmingham 2-0 (H)
Aug; investment in personnel is hoped to settle unrest among Iron fans. Owners have spent money... to buy their way out of trouble perhaps?
October; not where they expected to be after a tardy start to say least. Still in EFL Cup.
New Year; just in top ten but still not quite reaching levels of expectation. FA Cup loss to lower league outfit.
March; in reach of 7th place at early stage of run-in.

Season7 1st Premier League (H) 3/2/18 - W 3-1 ~ Murray, Izquierdo, Gross.
This appeared a bigger game than the corresponding away fixture back in October, when all things PL were a bit of a novelty. Now sh!t had hit the fans and Albion needed points to escape the drop. There was a massive dog fight developing at foot of the table and Seagulls were in thick of the action, where every goal scored & point gained was worth a helluva lot for possible survival. Leo Ulloa had returned from Leicester on loan to bolster striking options and like Glenn Murray, he was somebody who had scored goals in the Prem. The squad had to dig deep, keep clean sheets and find a way to put the ball in the old onion bag very soon.
* * * match report: Albion did hit three great goals to ease relegation worries for the time being. Murray opened the scoring when squeezing a low shot past the keeper from a thru ball by Gross (8min). But Hammers were level prior to h-t when defending went missing in the area (30min). Just prior to the hour mark the game changed in favour of hosts when Izquierdo scored a fantastic goal, finding the top corner with a deep cross shot (59min). He followed Dunk into the book - but for removing his shirt during wild celebrations. Ulloa got on for the last twenty minutes and BHA quickly added to their lead. A forward pass by Propper aimed at Ulloa was taken up by Gross who drove a super strike inside a post (75min). Stephens was also booked and March & Kayal arrived to make sure Seagulls saw it out ok. Chris Hughton said, 'the 2nd half was close to being as good as we've been all season. Jose's goal lifted the stadium. He has improved week in, week out.' Brighton fans were satisfied with a comprehensive home victory and wished away form would pick up too in the batle ahead. 38 points was the minimum target by May and it was sure to go right to the wire for any number of clubs. Scoring more goals was the key to this PL puzzle.
Stats; shape 4411-3421, ht 1-1, goals 8,59,75-30, poss 55%-45%, on target 5-1, off target 11-2, blocked 5-1, crosses 21-17, corners 4-1, o/s 3-3, tackles 7-18, fouls 11-7, yellows 3-1, subs 3-2 . Gate 30,589 (away 3024).
1 Ryan, 21 Schelotto, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert (20 March), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 19 Izquierdo,
13 Gross (7 Kayal), 17 Murray (16 Ulloa).
Prem P26 . W6 D9 L11 . F21 A35 . Pt27 Po13 = 1.03pt/gm . Wins = 23.0%, Loss = 42.3%

Quatr: Pl . W D L . . . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm . W% L%
Total; 38 . 10 12 16 . 48 68 -20 . 42 13 = 1.10 . 26.3 42.1 - David Moyes.
3qtrs; 29 . 07 09 13 . 36 54 -18 . 30 14 = 1.03 . 24.1 44.8
Hfwy; 19 . 04 05 10 . 19 35 -16 . 17 17 = 0.89 . 21.0 52.6 - Slaven Bilic.
Start; 10 . 02 03 05 . 10 19 -09 . 09 16 = 0.90 . 20.0 50.0
Aug - a capable manager but can the enigmatic Stratford outfit emulate top ten finishes of earlier Upton Park days?
New Year - now got another qualified manager but could they stop the d-z rot spread from 2017?
March - mid table mix. EFL Cup Q-F. FA Cup early exit to a League One team. Serious home crowd trouble.

HAMMERS away; Prem.
Seasn . W D L . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm %Pt . W% L%
24/25 - 2 2 2 . 7 9 -2 . 8 14 = 1.33 53.3 . 33.3 33.3 - Julio Lopetegui @ 28/11/24
23/24 - 7 2 10 . 29 46 -17 .. 23 09 = 1.21 44.2 . 36.8 52.6 - David Moyes
22/23 - 3 3 13 . 16 31 -15 .. 12 14 = 0.63 30.0 . 15.7 68.4 - David Moyes
21/22 - 7 3 09 . 27 25 02 .. 24 07 = 1.26 42.8 . 36.8 47.3 - David Moyes
20/21 - 9 4 06 . 30 25 05 .. 31 06 = 1.63 47.6 . 47.3 31.5 - David Moyes.
19/20 - 4 5 10 . 18 28 -10 . 17 16 = 0.89 43.5 . 21.0 52.6 - David Moyes, finish 27/7/20.
18/19 - 6 3 10 . 20 28 -08 . 21 10 = 1.10 40.3 . 31.5 52.6 - Manuel Pellegrini.
17/18 - 3 6 10 . 24 42 -18 . 15 13 = 0.78 35.7 . 15.7 52.6 - Slaven Bilic & David Moyes
16/17 - 5 5 09 . 28 33 -05 . 20 11 = 1.05 44.4 . 26.3 47.3 - Slaven Bilic.
15/16 - 7 7 05 . 31 25 06 .. 28 07 = 1.47 45.1 . 36.8 26.3 - Slaven Bilic.
14/15 - 3 7 09 . 19 29 -10 . 16 12 = 0.84 34.0 . 15.7 47.3 - Sam Allardyce.
13/14 - 4 4 11 . 15 25 -10 . 16 13 = 0.84 40.0 . 21.0 57.8 - Sam Allardyce.

WEST HAM PREVIOUS PREM;
Prem points: -, 46, 40, 47, 62, 45, 42, 52, 39 / 65, 56, 40, 52
recent managers; Manuel Pelligrini (18-19), David Moyes (2018), Slaven Bilic (15-17), Sam Allardyce (11-15), Avram Grant (10-11).
David Moyes (19-24) - P178 W = 45.5% @ July '23 . Experience: came down south but travel log on the up.

Seasn . W D L . . . F A GD . . Pt Po pt/gm . . W% L%
23/24 - 14 10 14 . 60 74 -14 . 52 09 = 1.36 . 36.8 36.8 - David Moyes @ 20/5/24
Manager departed after missing a top six slot with merely a mid div finish.
22/23 - 11 07 20 . 42 55 -13 . 40 14 = 1.05 . 28.9 52.6 - David Moyes @ 28/5/23
Club invested in the coach to get them to the Europa Conf final despite losing over half of Prem games.
21/22 - 16 08 14 . 60 41 09 .. 58 07 = 1.52 . 42.1 36.8 - David Moyes @ 22/5/22
Not as good as last term but finished 2pts off 6th and so qualified for Europa Conference this time around.
20/21 - 19 08 11 . 62 47 15 .. 65 06 = 1.71 . 50.0 28.9 - David Moyes @ 24/5/21
A super season to reach the top six and challenge for Champions League. Europa Lg place a worthy replacement.
19/20 - 10 09 19 . 49 62 -13 . 39 16 = 1.02 . 26.3 50.0 - David Moyes. PL SUSPENDED complete @ 27/7/20
More grief at the rehoused east end outfit. New manager got them through.
18/19 - 15 07 16 . 52 55 -03 . 52 10 = 1.36 . 39.4 42.1 - Manuel Pellegrini
An experienced manager but can merely get the best from what is available. Big infrastructure but needs development.
17/18 - 10 12 16 . 48 68 -20 . 42 13 = 1.10 . 26.3 42.1 - David Moyes & Slaven Bilic.
A native of Croatia, SB had a successful season at Hammers Upton Park ground prior to emigrating to the London Stadium with problems settling in. Didn't take his eye off the ball in trying circumstances but got sacked anyway.
16/17 - 12 09 17 . 47 64 -17 . 45 11 = 1.18 . 31.5 44.7 - Slaven Bilic.
In some ways it was about leaving the old days behind and putting down roots elsewhere for a bigger & better future.
15/16 - 16 14 08 . 65 51 14 .. 62 07 = 1.63 . 42.1 21.0 - Slaven Bilic.
The ex-Hammer improved their stats and was merely 4pt from 4th spot, in a very average year for those top-six established clubs. But do give Bilic his Boelyn bash due credit.
14/15 - 12 11 15 . 44 47 -03 . 47 12 = 1.23 . 31.5 39.4 - Sam Allardyce.
Big Sam ended his contract at the Boleyn Ground with enough positives to make Hammers fans feel inclusive as a competitive Prem club. SM steered his squad thru and completed with usual middle order stats.
13/14 - 11 07 20 . 40 51 -11 . 40 13 = 1.05 . 28.9 52.6 - Sam Allardyce.
Hammers finished in the bottom half but Sam Allardyce had been there for a few years and now re-established WHU amongst the elite.
12/13 - 12 10 16 . 45 53 -08 . 46 10 = 1.21 . 31.5 42.1
11/12 - not Premier League, see below Season1.

FA CUP from 11/12; 3rd rnd, 3rd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 5th, 3rd.
LEAGUE CUP; 1st, 3rd, s-f, 2nd rnd, 3rd, q-f, q-f, 4th, 3rd, 4th, q-f, 3rd, q-f, 3rd.
EUROPA LEAGUE; x, nq, nq, nq, 3rd q-rnd, q-rnd p-o, nq, nq, nq, nq, s-f, q-f
EU CONF: winners '23
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

West Ham home, Falmer years - C'ship 11/12, Season1.
Albion v Iron (H) from 11/12: 0-1, -, -, -, -, - . W = 0 D = 0 L = 1
memorable match: Season1 (H) - a C'ship reality check when hosting the big eastend outfit.

Seasons 2-6 - not C'ship.

Season1 Championship (H) 24/10/11 - L 0-1.
Brighton had slipped into mid-table, following a poor run of form in the Championship. Early season euphoria had also been replaced by stark realism, with the first quarter of this initial campaign at Falmer now completed. Gus Poyet was not a man to panic and allowed his League1 winning squad to find feet in opening months at level two. But he was left a tad short of quality, apart from actual one-for-one cover with each position. A few niggling injuries to summer signings and rehab probs from local heroes El-Abd and Elphick limited options. Gus previously brought in Vicente Rodriguez from Spain permanently and had just gotten Chilean international Gonzalo Jara Reyes on loan from WBA for two months. All GP required now was clean sheets, control of match possession and goals. It was down to Albion to get a grip and go do. Gate; 20,868 - Amex record.
*** match report: Veteran Steve Harper started in goal having joined on loan from Newcastle that morning. He let one in when Bridcutt gifted opposition the ball (17min) but generally did ok and wasn't much troubled. West Ham had nicked a lead and against run of play, held on to it for rest of the first period. Rain which began at k-o, continued throughout second half and another slip at either end coulda set Seagulls onto the Iron. Gus swapped Barnes for Hoskins on the hour and ten minutes later introduced Buckley back from injury. With Hammers hanging on to what they got and strong in defence, Albion went onto all out attack. Dicker sustained injury and was carried off to be replaced by Harley after a delay (83m). Brighton continued to flood forward, although never quite breaching last ditch defences. On possession stats we wuz sixty-forty, gained ten corners and got eight off targets, although needed better tha three on target to realistically score one. Gus wasn't left unhappy but knew there was much work to do before fielding the best eleven - if we actually had one at present.
Harper, Jara, Greer, Dunk, Painter, Sparrow (Buckley), Bridcutt, Dicker (Harley), Noone, Makail-Smith, Barnes (Hoskins).
C'ship P13 . W5 D4 L4 . F17 A16 . Pt19 Po12 . W = 38.4% L = 30.7%
* * * * *

Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011.
Season6 04/5 - Championship. Season8 06/7 - FA Cup (A).

Withdean era: Albion v Iron 2-2 . . . W = 0 D = 1 L = 0
memorable match: Season6 - hosting a big club (Prem history) kinda focusses the mind on pukka stadiums and such.

see: Season6 for club & stadium info. Also Dean Hammond.

West Ham - Away, Falmer Years:
Prem 17/18-24/25, seasons 7-14 . . C'ship 11/12, season1.
Albion record @ Iron: W = 2 D = 5 L = 1

West Ham v Albion (A) from 17/18: 0-3 2-2 3-3 2-2 1-1 0-2 0-0 . . W = 2 D = 5 L = 0 . F13 A8
scorers: Murray 3 Izquierdo Stephens Duffy Gross Maupay 2 Dunk Mac Allister Trossard og.
memorable match: Season7 (A) - a first away win at elite level and useful display as a milestone on the road.
note: for home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up.

Season14, 8th Premier League (A) Sat 21/12/24 - tba
West Ham regained top-ten status last term. They were q-f participants in both the Europa Lg and EFL Cup but ko'd in R3 of the FA Cup. Iron pre-season friendlies; Ferencvaros 2-2 (A), Dag & Red 0-1 (A). US tour: Wolves l 3-1, Palace l 3-1. Then Celta Vigo 2-2 (H). This Prem fixture was the 9th of 19 away, being the pre-Xmas contest during the second quarter (Q2). The reverse game was 26 Apr '25 in the run-in period (Q4) - see home scroll further above. We had lost the home match last season during Aug '23, halting an unbeaten sequence. Last term we'd met here at New Year when remaining unbeaten from all PL visits. We finished 11th 48pts, while WHU were 9th 52pts. Now we had xpts and they had xpts in the period up to halfway thru. Our Prem record at the London Stadium versus Hammers was; wdd ddw d - in all seven seasons to date. We hadn't lost there. They were hoping to compete for a place in Europe once more. Current away form was; W D L F A tba. Hosts home form was: W D L F A tba. At the moment Brighton were xth, while WHU were xth from 16 games played. In the last three campaigns we'd been 9, 6 & 8 at the halfway stage (Q2). Albion were looking to stay undefeated in the east end. WHU had 4 players on duty at Euro 24 finals in Germany during June. Their latest boss Julen Lopetegui had.spent around 143m on 7 new talents, plus two on loan players prior to the big kickoff and before the August window shut, a heafty sum for sure. In the EFL Cup . .... Headline news this week was ... tba
*** match report: tba day after result
stats: ht , goals , poss %-%, on target , off target , corners , fouls , yellows , subs , shape
weather: . gate: . MoM:
team: 23 Steele 2 Lamptey 29 van Hecke 5 Dunk 30 Estupinan 11 Adingra 10 Enciso 22 Mitoma 18 Welbeck
subs:
bench: 1 Verbruggen 3 Julio 4 Webster 6 Milner 7 March 9 Pedro 15 Moder 20 Baleba 28 Ferguson 34 Veltman 41 Hinshelwood 14 Rutter 17 Minteh 24 Kadioglu 27 Wieffer 33 O'Riley
squad: . injured:
Prem P17 . W D L . F A . W D L . F A . Pt? Po? = x.xxpt/gm . W = xx% L = xx%

Season13, 7th Premier League (A) Tue 2/1/24 - 0-0
Both clubs participated in the Europa League this season, completing group games prior to Xmas and each side had finished top. This evening fixture a day after New Year began reciprocal matches for second half of the season. Since joining the elite, Albion had finished 15, 17, 15, 16, 9, 6, while WHU were 13, 10, 16, 6, 7, 14. So far hosts habitual home record was - W5 D2 L2 wlw dlw dww. Our Prem record at the London Stadium versus Hammers was; wdd ddw in all six seasons to date. We'd not lost and always scored goals there too. Current away form was; W3 D2 L4 wwl ldw lld. At this end of another calendar year moment Brighton were currently 8th, while Iron were 6th after halfway thru was reached from 19 played. They had changed managers 3 times during our Prem years, tho David Moyes had returned for a much longer second stint. And the January transfer window was now open. Based on previous meetings Brighton were looking for a third away victory against West Ham.
*** match report: it ended goalless but both outfits appeared satisfied on the night. A tame first half set the trend and it was like the day after New Year's party. In the second period Seagulls tried to win it and also held hosts sporadic counter attacks without too much difficulty. Visitors missed several chances to go ahead, while Hammers keeper did enough to prevent them falling behind. So Brighton gained a first clean sheet of the campaign - in the first game of '24 and initial reciprocal match. RdZ said we shoulda won and he wasn't wrong. But a few times a season it's gonna be nil-nil... and there you go. Brighton fans weren't too disappointed, coz bizarrely we went up a place on goal difference. We were all over them like a rash in closing stages, although never killed 'em off. And we remain their bogey side.
stats: ht 0-0, goals 0, poss 31%-69%, on target 2-8, off target 4-14, corners 2-0, fouls 4-6, yellows 1-0, subs 1-3, shape 4231-4312
weather: windy . gate: 62,462, away 2980 . MoM: Gross - capt and team leader
team: 23 Steele 41 Hinshelwood 4 Webster 29 van Hecke 30 Estupinan 6 Milner 13 Gross 11 Gilmour 40 Buonanotte 9 Pedro 18 Welbeck
subs: 28 Ferguson 67 (18), 15 Moder 74 (4), 14 Lallana 74 (40)
bench: 1 Verbruggen 8 Dahoud 20 Baleba 43 Samuels 47 Baker-Boaitey 52 Kavanagh
squad: . injured: 2 Lamptey 3 Julio 7 March 10 Enciso 22 Mitoma 24 Adingra 31 Fati 34 Veltman . ban: 5 Dunk
Prem P20 . W5 D4 L1 . F22 A14 . W3 D3 L4 . F16 A19 . Pt31 Po7 = 1.55pt/gm . W = 40.0% L = 25.0%

Season12, 6th Premier League (A) Sun 21/8/22 - W 0-2 ~ Mac Allister, Trossard.
The London Stadium had been a happy hunting ground across five previous seasons, where Seagulls managed to avoid defeat (see away scroll below). We'd initially won there in Oct '17 and drew 4 ongoing since: Jan '19, Feb & Dec '20 then Dec '21 - all winter fixtures (seasons 7-11). Thus taking mid-season points there on a regular basis wasn't so bad, especially when able to score goals, restore parity and stay in the game. But this match came very early in the current campaign, when results don't always quite go as anticipated - based on recent historical data. Yves Bissouma left for Spurs (25m) in June, when Julio Enciso signed from club footy in Paraguay (10m). At July pre-season (with training camp in Portugal) Deniz Undav, Kaoru Mitoma & Kacper Kozlowski also rejoined the squad from RUSG. By August Marc Cucurella transferred to Chelsea (60m) but we got Levi Colwill from 'em on loan for the duration. In mid August Pervis Estupinan signed from Villarreal. Apparently all great business to boot. Iron in comparison spent 47m+ by start of the season and a good few extra six-figure quid too during the transfer window.
*** match report: Albion won the game and kept a clean sheet. Hammers ended up rock bottom after losing all their opening matches and failing to score in any. Visitors took the lead from a Mac Allister penalty after Welbeck was brought down (22mins). The second was scored by Trossard on a counter attack with one touch football (66mins). So from two on targets, we got two goals. Hosts pressed after the h-t break but Seagulls held them off. Sanchez made two late saves to further keep them at bay. Potter put on new boy Estupinan around the hour mark and switched to a back four. These tactics were effective and allowed midfield to put more men forward. All in all it was a half decent display against disappointing locals. Brighton fans were very happy, the sun was out in all senses. We were unbeaten on the road in two and in eight games overall from last term - our new record in this league.
stats: ht 0-1, goals 22,66, poss 49%-51%, on 3-2, off 3-5, o/s 3-1, corners 5-4, fouls 10-7, yellows 2-0, subs 4-3, shape 4231-3421
weather: sunny & warm . gate: 62,449 (away 1996) . MoM: Trossard - teriffic display.
team: 1 Sanchez, 34 Veltman, 5 Dunk, 4 Webster, 7 March (8 Mwepu 85), 10 Mac Allister, 25 Caicedo,
11 Trossard (22 Mitoma 92), 13 Gross, 14 Lallana (30 Estupinan 63), 18 Welbeck. bench: 23 Steele, 2 Lamptey, 6 Colwill, 17 Alzate, 9 Maupay, 21 Undav.
squad: 19 Sarmiento, 20 Enciso, 29 van Hecke . injured: 15 Moder.
Prem: P3 . W0 D1 L0 . F0 A0 . W2 D0 L0 . F4 A1 . Pt7 Po5 = 2.33pt/gm . W = 66.6% L = 0%

Season11, 5th Premier League (A) Wed 1/12/21 - 1-1 ~ Maupay.
Going up to the London Stadium from Sussex had regularly been something of a positve experience to date. It was also a happy hunting ground for exiled Seagulls found far away from the south coast. Apart from future fun on travels elsewhere Brighton fans everywere had been observing developments since halcyon days of summer. We originally assumed Albion would aim for mid table with an enhanced summer squad. In the event it initially appeared merely an exercise in optimising personnel numbers, almost a version of balancing those current paybooks. Plenty of fringe players had gone out on loan to boot. But this overall strategy gained Seagulls momentum from word go and had gotten a fare points tally, if not exactly fantastic results. Up in the east end Irons boss David Moyes prepared for entering Europe during pre-season but hadn't spent many Euros on enhancing his over-achieving squad. He only spent about 30m quid in the interim. To date they'd been flying high too, so it was all set up for another metropolitan humdinger of a clash on a Wednesday nite at very start of December. End of this month would show us how far we'd come overall. And whether the squad needed strengthening for '22.
*** match report: Albion got away with one on the night when VAR decided Duffy's og at start of the second half wouldn't stand - due to o/s during build up. We'd gone into the break one down after conceding early at a corner (5min). Although having most of possession Seagulls couldn't find the net and it appeared another ninety minutes of struggle up front. Starting debutant Sarmiento (13min) and defender Webster (36min) both went off injured during that troublesome first half. Throughout the second period Albion plugged away but it seemed we would just go down goalless. Potter then put on Lamptey to increase level of attack. Lallana next had to go off, very late in the game (85min) with injury and so BHA were down to ten men. With the clock ticking down to 90+ Maupay produced a superb bicycle kick from a Lamptey cross and got us an equaliser (89min). Potter thought we deserved a point and travelling Brighton fans were happy to belatedly keep up our great record against Iron. There's not much else to say because games would come thick & fast this month, so if it's not exactly poetry in motion then at least we're still in it to win it...
Stats: ht 1-0, goals 5-89, poss 34%-66%, on target 6-3, off target 8-6, corners 9-5, fouls 10-8, yellows 1-1, subs 2-3, shape 4231-4231
weather: cold . gate: 59,826, away 2982 . MoM: Bissouma - box to box.
team: 1 Sanchez, 34 Veltman (2 Lamptey 70), 4 Webster (24 Duffy 36), 5 Dunk, 3 Cucurella, 8 Bissouma, 15 Moder, 60 Sarmiento (20 March 13),
14 Lallana, 11 Trossard, 9 Maupay . bench: 23 Steele, 10 Mac Allister, 12 Mwepu, 13 Gross, 27 Locadia, 33 Burn.
squad: 7 Connolly, 28 Roberts, 30 Richards . injured: 17 Alzate, 18 Welbeck.
Prem: P14 . W2 D3 L2 . F6 A8 . W2 D4 L1 . F7 A7 . Pt19 Po7 = 1.35pt/gm . W = 28.5% L = 21.4%

Season10, 4th Premier League (A) Sun 27/12/20 - 2-2 ~ Maupay, Dunk.
Covid restrictions: Tiers 3/4 = 0 fans.
Attendance not allowed due to revised December coronavirus precautions & protocols for T4 rating in London & SE England.
Our usual 'Boxing Day' fixture against metropolitan opposition was this year away at the London Stadium. However this revised date didn't even represent the season's halfway stage as normal, due to that delayed kickoff to this term during mid September. Albion had obtained positive returns when visiting Hammers over three previous Prem campaigns. Our dual status was actually comparable at beginning of this fourth season in the elite, although historically appreciating the huge size of that east London outfit. Changes to managers for last term's campaign had affected both clubs, so development of each towards holding a comfortable mid-table berth was being tested now. And at this stage prior to New Year eastend Iron were way out in front of struggling Seagulls, who at kickoff sat just above the drop zone.
*** match report: It ended all square after Albion led twice but conceded two defendable goals. Visitors dominated the first half, although couldn't convert chances until the interval beckoned. Then Maupay opened scoring with his first goal for quite some time when swivelling to lash the ball into goal (44min). Hammers came out on turnaround and gave it a good go to try and equalise. On the hour mark Seagulls failed to clear their crowded area and paid the price (60min). Next Dunk drove in from a corner routine via March & Trossard to restore the lead (70min). But once more all-blue failed to keep claret & blue at bay when allowing a free header at hosts deep corner (82min). So each outfit got a point apiece, however Brighton fans following this festive contest from afar were thinking we'd dropped two points here after Boxing Day relaxation. BHA were firmly stuck in the bottom six and that didn't look like changing soon, or even much later with all to play for in 2021.
Stats: ht 0-1, goals 60,82-44,70, poss 43%-57%, on target 4-4, off target 7-9, corners 5-4, o/s 2-1, fouls 6-8, yellows 0-0, subs 2-3 . Weather: dry.
Team: 26 Sanchez, 3 White, 4 Webster, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn, 20 March, 11 Trossard, 8 Bissouma, 14 Lallana (17 Alzate 46),
9 Maupay (16 Jahanbakhsh 90), 18 Welbeck (13 Gross 83) . Subs: 23 Steele, 30 Bernardo, 34 Veltman, 10 Mac Allister,
24 Propper, 29 Zeqiri . Squad: 1 Ryan, 7 Connolly, 19 Izquierdo . Injured: 2 Lamptey . MoM: March.
Prem: P15 . W0 D4 L3 . F7 A11 . W2 D3 L3 . F11 A13 . Pt13 Po16 = 0.86pt/gm. Wins = 13.3%, Loss = 40.0%

Season9 3rd Premier League (A) Sat 1/2/20 - 3-3 ~ og, Gross, Murray.
We resumed PL fixtures a week after FA Cup 4th rnd activity of the last January weekend, although Albion were knocked out back in R3 at New Year, so had a blank Saturday anyway. Meanwhile Hammers lost at home in R4 to a top C'ship side.This term there was also soon to be a PL winter break, staggered across a fortnight, with 5 games from ten per week. Albion were allocated to play on the first Sat, 8th Feb, thus their next free weekend would follow on the 15th. The January transfer window was now closed and Aaron Mooy had been signed permanently after an excellent loan spell since August. Albion needed him too because the squad appeared slightly thin for tough matches ahead in this third ongoing campaign for elite survival. But old hand Gaetan Bong left to join Forest. BHA form on the road was poor again this term, with 2 wins - at struggling Watford on opening day and at Arsenal when they were without a manager. The 2 draws at Newcastle & Palace were considered points dropped by visitors in most pundits notebooks. All other contests ended in defeat (8), with 5 predictable big six reversals but anguish felt at lowly Villa, Everton & Bournemouth by the odd goal. Fans realised Graham Potter wasn't going to change his startegy so expected another close run scrap, depending which Albion outfit proverbially turned up on the day.
* * * match report: Albion salvaged a point from an extraordinary match. Hosts went ahead from a f-k aimed into the box (30min). Then took a two goal lead just prior to the break (45min). Visitors got one back quickly via an og at a corner (47min). But fell two behind again a little short of the hour mark (57min). Potter responded by putting on March & Schelotto (72min) to raid down flanks. Within minutes Gross took advantage of a defensive mix up to poke in another for Seagulls. Murray next levelled scores after VAR decided he had not handled in the area (79min). This draw helped BHA stay above the drop zone, although were still too close for comfort approaching mid season breaks. Brighton fans were pleased it wasn't another defeat on travels but aware we'd shipped three goals again, which made things much tougher to get anything big out of such contests. Bizarrely Gross & Murray had both scored... not see since early days of Prem involvement. Perhaps it was a good omen for fixtures in the near future.
stats: shape 433-4231, ht 2-0, goals 30,45,57-47,75,79, poss 35%-65%, on target 6-6, off target 3-10, blocks 3-3, o/s 2-1, crosses 22-25,
corners 4-6, tackles 22-20, fouls 8-9, yellows 1-1, subs 3-2 . MoM - Murray . Gate - 59,952, away 2984 . Weather - mild & dry.
1 Ryan, 22 Montoya (21 Schelotto 72), 15 Webster, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo, 18 Mooy (20 March 72), 6 Stephens Y, 24 Propper, 13 Gross,
17 Murray, 11 Trossard . Subs - 27 Button, 46 Alzate, 16 Jahanbakhsh, 44 Connolly, 7 Maupay.
Squad - 8 Bissouma . Injured - 4 Duffy, 19 Izquierdo, 33 Burn.
Prem: P25 . W4 D5 L3 F16 A13 . W2 D3 L8 . F14 A24 . Pt26 Po15 = 1.04pt/gm. Wins = 24%, Loss = 44%

Season8 2nd Premier League (A) Wednesday 2/1/19 - 2-2 ~ Stephens, Duffy.
This fixture got moved to a Wed evening from the traditional New Year's Day afternoon attraction because Hammers played on Sunday the 30th Dec up north in an end of old year road trip. But Albion had turned out at the Amex on Sat the 29th, so were more than grateful for an extra 24 hours recovery time. The elephant in the dressing room, or at least on the pitch, was BHA away form, which merely stood at W2 D1 L7 F7 A16, going into the evening fixture in east London. Chris Hughton had just now been at Albion for four whole years and taken them from Championship relegation candidates to Prem survivors, so his next challenge was further progression & consolidation. That required finding a way to pick up points on the road from picking the best team for opposition on each occasion. Defence and cent-mf were pretty settled so wingers & strikers were likely to change. In the event he went with tried & tested personnel.
* * * match report: Albion got a point after leading by two goals around the hour mark. The match burst into life after turnaround and Seagulls scored first against run of play. At a Gross corner, Stephens drove the ball back thru the crowded area after the keeper's punch fell to him (56min). Two minutes later Duffy netted at the far post from another Gross corner (58min). Hammers put on two subs and they changed the game. Hosts similarly scored twice in 2 minutes when defenders couldn't cope with the pressure and conceded soft goals (66 & 68 min). Bernardo got injured in the debacle and Bong came on (73m). Later Andone replaced Murray (82). March got booked too but visitors hung on to scrape a fortunate point by the death. Hughton said, 'I'm realistic that the level of club we are away points are going to be difficult. I thought we defended really well - the few times we didn't they got their goals.' Brighton fans couldn't be too disappointed as the squad was punching above its weight but still in mid-table and well clear of the drop zone moving further into 2019. An ongoing average of a point per game from now, should ensure survival and a little bit to spare with luck.
Stats; h-t 0-0, goals 66,68-56,58, shape 442-433, poss 54%-46%, on target 6-6, off target 7-7, corners 1-5, o/s 0-4,
fouls 9-11, yellows 0-1, subs 3-2 . Gate 59,870, away 2986 . MoM - Duffy . Weather - cold & dry.
27 Button, 22 Montoya, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo (3 Bong 73), 13 Gross, 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 20 March, 17 Murray (10 Andone 82),
9 Locadia . Subs - 23 Steele, 14 Balogun, 7 Kayal, 8 Bissouma, 11 Knockaert.
Prem P21 W5 D3 L2 F15 A11 . W2 D2 L7 F9 A18 . Pt26 Po13 = 1.23pt/gm. Wins = 33.3% Loss = 42.8%

Season7 1st Premier League (A) Friday 20/10/17 - W 0-3 ~ Murray 2, Izquierdo.
Albion were currently holding their own in the division, averaging a point per game to date, albeit only gaining one of those while on the road. And once again Brighton fans were not travelling on a Saturday morning but the previous evening to the London Stadium, which was altogether different to the Boleyn ground at old Upton Park. Seagulls were one of eight clubs clustered together in bottom half of the table, so it was kinda important to gain a point if possible for maintaining status quo. The first target to reach by ten fixtures completed was 9pts and that tally could be on the record if BHA avoided defeat in the east end.
* * * match report: Albion avoided getting beat and recorded their first win away in the Prem with a comprehensive victory. Murray opened the scoring when nodding home a long f-k from Gross (10 min). Seagulls then sustained a period of pressure but held firm. And on stroke of halftime Izquierdo cut inside to double the score with a curling shot (45 min). Hughton withdrew him and a little later Gross for fresh legs with around twenty minutes left and it paid dividends. Murray then got a brace when converting a penalty after he was clattered in the area (75 min). BHA kept a clean sheet following the 3rd change when Knockaert went off late in the day. Visitors were good value for the win but hosts failed to come up to par on the night. Hughton said, 'we were outstanding against a team with quality. They threw a lot at us - crosses & blocked shots. We were good with the ball and gave ourselves a platform to create chances.' Brighton fans went home still excited from witnessing one of those special evenings when things came good and we all felt that the club really belonged in the Prem.
Stats; shape 4231-4411, ht 0-2, goals 10,45,75, poss 65%-35%, on target 2-5, off target 5-1, corners 10-3, o/s 3-1,
f-k 5-13, yellows 1-0, subs 2-3 . Gate 56,977 (away 2996).
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert (21 Schelotto), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper,
19 Izquierdo (20 March), 13 Gross (37 Brown), 17 Murray.
Prem P9 . W3 D2 L4 . F9 A10 . Pt11 Po11 = 1.22pt/gm . Wins = 33.3%, Loss = 44.4%

HAMMERS @ home; London Stadium, Stratford (previously Upton Park).
Seasn . W D L . F A GD . . . Pt Po pt/gm %Pt . W% L%
24/25 - 2 1 3 . 8 10 -2 . 7 14 = 1.16 46.6 . 33.3 50.0 - Julien Lopetegui @ 28/11/24
23/24 - 07 8 4 . 31 28 03 . 29 09 = 1.52 55.7 . 36.8 21.0 - David Moyes
22/23 - 08 4 7 . 26 24 02 .. 28 14 = 1.47 70.0 . 42.1 36.8 - David Moyes
21/22 - 09 5 5 . 33 26 07 .. 32 07 = 1.68 57.1 . 47.3 26.3 - David Moyes
20/21 - 10 4 5 . 32 22 10 .. 34 06 = 1.78 52.3 . 52.6 26.3 - David Moyes.
19/20 - 06 4 9 . 30 33 -03 . 22 16 = 1.15 56.4 . 31.5 47.3 - David Moyes, finish 27/7/20.
18/19 - 09 4 6 . 32 27 05 .. 31 10 = 1.63 59.6 . 47.3 31.5 - Manuel Pellegrini.
17/18 - 07 6 6 . 24 26 -02 . 27 13 = 1.42 64.2 . 36.8 31.5 - Slaven Bilic & David Moyes.
16/17 - 07 4 8 . 19 31 -12 . 25 11 = 1.31 55.5 . 36.8 42.1 - Slaven Bilic.
15/16 - 09 7 3 . 34 26 08 .. 34 07 = 1.78 54.8 . 47.3 15.7 - Slaven Bilic.
14/15 - 09 4 6 . 25 18 07 .. 31 12 = 1.63 65,9 . 47.3 31.5 - Sam Allardyce.
13/14 - 07 3 9 . 25 26 -01 . 24 13 = 1.26 60.0 . 36.8 47.3 - Sam Allardyce.

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West Ham away, Falmer years - C'ship 11/12, Season1.
Iron v Albion (A) from 11/12: 6-0, -, -, -, -, - . W = 0 D = 0 L = 1
memorable match: Season6 (A) - ok, who remembers being there?

Seasons 2-6 - not C'ship.

Season1 Championship (A) 14/4/12 - L 6-0 @ Boleyn Ground.
BHA was positioned just outside playoffs, while WHU contested an auto-promo spot with other southern sides Reading and Southampton. Albion had been convincingly beaten three-nil by both these clubs on travels and those two results were our worst in the league to date. Away form was no great shakes anyway and prevented Seagulls flying further up the pecking order. In fact we had merely taken three draws from the last five fixtures on the road. Hammers were in a similar rut at Upton Park, where they recently drew six out of seven on home turf. Gus Poyet wasn't a boss to use 442 very much and on this occasion elected to go with 451 and no wingers. There were plenty of options available from within the squad, although most choices were in overcrowded midfield. Poyet was using this season to prepare for the future and it was all a great learning curve for players, management and fans alike.
*** match report: Brighton was beaten out of sight and went three down inside eleven minutes (3, 8, 11 min). We didn't know what hit us and from Iron's first attack they hit the bar. Everybody in the away end was shell-shocked come halftime, although there seemed half a chance we could still make a game of it. Gus made a double change up front merely seven minutes into the second period but this backfired badly. We also lost that forty-five minutes three-nil with more giveaway goals (62, 64, 78 min). One guy got a hat-trick and Dicker put thru his own net for no.6. Vicente tried hard but at five behind there was no point in leaving him to get exhausted. The whole defence including keeper and holding m-f had a collective mare and up the other end Albion managed one shot on target. Bizarrely visitors registered nearly equal amounts of possession. Thereby hangs a tale this term on travels. Brighton were ok going from side to side but lacked a final ball to open up opponents rearguard. We often appeared lightweight and not able to deal with the physicality of this tough division... Oh dear.
Brezovan, Calderon, Greer, Painter, Vicente (Noone), Bridcutt, Navarro, Dicker, Assulin (LuaLua), Barnes (Mackail-Smith).
Champ's P43 . W17 D12 L14 . F49 A49 . Pt63 Po8 . W = 39.5% L = 32.5%
* * * * *

Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011.
Season6 04/5 - Championship. Season8 06/7 - FA Cup (A).

Withdean era: Iron v Albion 0-1 . . . W = 1 D = 0 L = 0
3-0 FA Cup.

Noughties last there: C'ship.
memorable match: Season6 (A) 13/11/04 - A rare league meeting this decade but one that many B'fans of a certain vintage will readily recall.
6/1/07 (A) - FA Cup R3.
Knocked out by a pukka outfit but it was fun for a short while at the old Boleyn Ground.

see: Season6 for club & stadium info. Also Guy Butters.