What do you make of Derby County?

A bigger club in the Championship than Albion, more progressive?

The distance between them in the Amex era has never been greater than it was this season.

Despite the implosion which has just cost Steve McClaren his job, Derby still finished 12 places above the Seagulls.

Take a more general view and there is little to choose between them over the four seasons since Albion moved into their new stadium.

Both have enjoyed three top ten finishes. Albion have been in the play-offs twice, Derby only once.

The example is not exceptional. Examining how the other 23 clubs have fared that were with Albion in their first season back in the Championship at the Amex is quite revealing.

Several that have reached the play-offs at least once have also suffered a serious blip at least once.

Blackpool, fifth in Albion's debut campaign at the Amex, are, like their pitch, in an awful mess and back down in League One.

Chris Hughton's former club Birmingham, fourth under him four years ago, scraped clear of relegation on the final day the season before last.

Beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough, beaten semi-finalists Ipswich and regular under-achievers Nottingham Forest have all spent a season or two languishing in the lower half of the table.

Some have left Albion well behind. The most obvious ones are particularly painful.

Arch-rivals Crystal Palace improved from 17th to fifth to reach the play-offs three seasons ago.

Since knocking out Albion and gaining promotion they have consolidated in the Premier League, overcoming managerial upheavals to finish 11th and now tenth under Alan Pardew.

Managerial changes have not affected Southampton either. Promoted as runners-up in Albion's first year at the Amex, they have risen from 14th to eighth and now seventh in the Premier League under Ronald Koeman.

Managerless West Ham and Leicester are also a League above Albion, together next season with promoted Watford.

Others have been to the top flight but are back alongside the Seagulls once again - Reading, Cardiff, Hull and Burnley.

Bristol City have contrasting forward momentum, emphatic champions in their second season in League One following consecutive campaigns at the wrong end of the Championship.

Leeds have consistently been treading water in the bottom half of the table. Several others are now lagging well behind Albion.

There was no escape for Millwall this time. They are in League One next season with Peterborough, Barnsley, Coventry and Doncaster, Albion's historic first opponents at the Amex.

Nobody has fallen more spectacularly than Portsmouth. Third-bottom in Albion's first year at the Amex, they finished 16th in League Two this season.

The bigger picture puts Albion's troubles this season into context. Of course, it was disappointing and they need to recover ground next time around, but they are far from alone in finding the Championship a tough environment to thrive in without a setback.

Clubs in Championship when Albion first moved to the Amex

Albion 10th, 3rd, 6th, 20th

Reading 1st, 19th (P), 7th, 19th

Southampton 2nd, 14th (P) 8th (P) 7th (P)

West Ham 3rd, 10th (P) 13th (P) 12th (P)

Birmingham 4th, 12th, 21st, 10th

Blackpool 5th, 15th, 20th, 24th

Cardiff 6th, 1st, 20th (P), 11th

Middlesbrough 7th, 16th, 12th, 4th

Hull 8th, 2nd, 16th (P), 18th (P)

Leicester 9th, 6th, 1st, 14th (P)

Watford 11th, 3rd, 13th, 2nd

Derby 12th, 10th, 3rd, 8th

Burnley 13th, 11th, 2nd, 19th (P)

Leeds 14th, 13th, 15th, 15th

Ipswich 15th, 14th, 9th, 6th

Millwall 16th, 20th, 19th, 22nd

Crystal Palace 17th, 5th, 11th (P) 10th (P)

Peterborough 18th, 22nd, 6th (L1), 9th (L1)

Nottingham Forest 19th, 8th, 11th, 14th

Bristol City 20th, 24th, 12th (L1), 1st (L1)

Barnsley 21st, 21st, 23rd, 11th (L1)

Portsmouth 22nd, 24th (L1), 13th (L2), 16th (L2)

Coventry 23rd, 15th (L1), 18th (L1) 17th (L1)

Doncaster 24th, 1st (L1), 22nd, 13th (L1)

* (P) denotes Premier League, (L1) League One, (L2) League Two