Various Albion fan sites are divided. Those few that call the Phone- In, are divided. But is Brighton and Hove divided?

He has spent over a million on players. Not on stadium plans, not on barrister’s fee’s, not fighting Lewes District Council, but on professional footballers. He has had the sort of playing budget the likes of Taylor, Coppell and McGhee could only have dreamt of. How much longer will you support Russell Slade?

I have said before, August and most of September are just like pre-season really. But when things don’t iron themselves out approaching mid October, alarm bells start to ring. Just ask Martin Hinshelwood.

The nucleus of the squad is on paper fantastic. So, how come the team have only won twice all season, and are struggling again in the relegation zone?

My own personal interpretation is lack of depth in the coaching staff; we have no recognized Assistant Manager. Russell Slade is assisted by reserve team boss, Bob (been sacked before) Booker and Dean (previously demoted to chief scout) White.Although White is loosely titled Assistant Manager he appears to have no more authority than Booker.

It is apparent that the first team manager at any club will brief his assistants as to how he wants the players to train both aerobically and technically. Booker and White have been with club since 2001 and although the club has had some measured success, we have seen the same old grey areas rear their heads season after season.

A new charge hand, whoever that may be, may be able to install new ideas into the club or manipulate Slades instruction, in a way that gives the team a more spontaneous edge.

In short, we need a recently retired professional player who may be more in touch with players and be able to provide more enlightenment into the modern game. Booker and White have been great servants to the Albion but perhaps they are better suited to reserve team duties and the scouting network.

Russell Slade needs a run of wins, starting against Gillingham. Tuesday’s fixture is one of those the Albion have basically paid to win. We should be brushing aside teams such as Gillingham, Walsall, Southend and even Orient. We are now money bags Brighton and one way or another money talks. And it usually says hello or goodbye.

Albion’s recent record against the only league team in Kent is quite impressive with home and away wins in the championship season of 2004/5 being most notable. Albion came back from one-nil down on an icy Boxing Day in 2004, during Adam Virgo’s target man days, as he scored a late winner. The loss hurt Gillingham. Though not as much as the slip, bang on to her posterior hurt assistant referee Wendy Toms, as she struggled to deal with the hazardous Withdean touchline. Nobody in the South Stand found it amusing though.....ahem!

Danny Cullip made a comeback for the Gills in March 2008 but only lasted until half time. The Albion romped to a 4-2 win, with a little help from the referee ‘who hoisted the ruby’ twice in Gillingham’s direction. Prior to this Baz Savage scored the only goal at Priestfield on a cold February night in 2007, for a rare seagulls success during that period.

Let’s hope all the omens are good for an Albion win. The injury list is getting a bit shorter, and Russell Slade has more to choose from than he would have had when this fixture was originally due to played in September. Perhaps it could be a belated and indirect achievement of a dysfunctional government.

I am sure ‘Ernest’ NSC’s self proclaimed voice of the fans, will get his A-lbion R-eal S-upporters out, if we have nothing less than an Albion win. For all his irony and rhetorical humour, Ernie does make the occasional valid point in a roundabout way.

Booker, White et al may be toast if the Albion don’t start a run of wins soon.

Let’s hope Russell is the ‘toast’ of Portslade and other suburbs come 9.45 tomorrow evening.