This is the first meeting between the clubs since the sad passing of West Ham co-chairman David Gold, and his absence will certainly be felt inside our boardroom this afternoon. On behalf of Tony Bloom and everyone at Brighton & Hove Albion, we express our heartfelt condolences to the Gold family, David’s many friends and associates, and our contemporaries at the London Stadium.
We also received the sad news last week of John Motson’s passing. John was a hugely knowledgeable and popular figure in football and regarded as one of the game’s finest commentators. His career spanned more than half a century, covering ten World Cups, ten European Championships, 29 FA Cup finals and over 200 England games – an incredible achievement.
On a personal level, I knew John for close to 30 years, and when I first worked in football, he was kind and generous with his time.
I enjoyed bumping into him at matches up and down the country and it was entirely fitting that he commentated on our first ever goal in the Premier League, against West Bromwich Albion.
Our thoughts and best wishes are with John’s family and friends at this very sad time.
After a couple of frustrating Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Fulham, we will be hoping our excellent recent record against the Hammers continues this afternoon. However, we are under no illusions that we face a team boosted by their impressive 4-0 win against Nottingham Forest, and who are led by one of the most experienced and respected managers in David Moyes. We also welcome Paul Nevin back to the Amex, who served us so well during Chris Hughton’s time at the club.
We come into the game buoyed by a hard-fought win at Stoke City in The FA Cup on Tuesday night. The victory, thanks to a solitary Evan Ferguson goal, has set us up with a last-eight home tie against League Two Grimsby Town, who return to the south coast following their excellent win at Southampton on Wednesday. It’s a tie I’m sure both sets of fans are eagerly anticipating, with an appearance at Wembley the reward for the winners.
It was interesting to note that we had four players feature in the game at the Bet365 Stadium aged 20 or under, with Moises Caicedo (21) playing a prominent role in midfield, and two teenagers from our Under-21 side making the bench. To perform so admirably in such a tough environment, against a big, strong side, speaks volumes for their ability and courage, and also the trust Roberto De Zerbi and his coaching staff have in all our young players. Credit must also go to our academy staff for the continued progress of our homegrown players – and I’m sure any potential youngster looking to join us will be encouraged by the pathway that exists at the club.
One of our most celebrated graduates is, of course, Lewis Dunk, and Tuesday saw him make his 400th appearance for the club. He now joins an elite group of ten Albion players to have reached that milestone and he has been deserving of all the accolades he has received this week. Lewis is a leader in our dressing room, both on and off the pitch, a proud Brightonian, and a player who really has this club at heart.
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His performances, season after season, have been exemplary, and I’m sure he’ll cement his legendary status further by playing many more games for the club.
Away from the club, but important to its future, the Government published its White Paper on football governance last Thursday, and confirmed it will act on a recommendation from the 2021 fan-led review of football to create a regulator.
The Premier League and its clubs will now carefully consider the Government’s plan, but for our part, we remain committed to ensuring our club is run as sustainably and as transparently as possible, to continue to engage with supporters and to protect its heritage. We will also take time to brief our Fan Advisory Board and to update all supporters in due course.
This coming Wednesday (8 March) is International Women’s Day, which provides a chance for us all to recognise the economic, social, cultural and political achievements of women around the world.
This year’s IWD theme is #EmbraceEquity, which seeks to get the world talking about creating a gender-equal world. We’re proud of the number of women we employ at Brighton & Hove Albion, each having a key role to play in our operations, and we celebrate that within the pages of our matchday programme this afternoon. Our staff will also be hosting a special breakfast on the day itself where conversations on creating that gender-equal world will be encouraged.
Our Women’s First Team are continuing to find their feet under new head coach Jens Scheuer and managing director of Women’s and Girls’ Football, Zoe Johnson. There is a feeling of a fresh, new start for the team and hopefully they will use their own FA Cup success – a 5-0 win against Coventry United last weekend – as a platform for an improved second half of the season in the WSL.
Good luck to the team for their difficult trip to Chelsea on Wednesday night.
Enjoy the game.