Albion chairman Dick Knight has given manager Martin Hinshelwood four matches to halt the losing League run.

He warned: "If the team went ten matches losing every one then you have got to do something about it."

Knight faced a barrage of questions from worried fans on a BBC Southern Counties Radio phone-in after the Seagulls' sixth straight League defeat against Gillingham at Withdean on Saturday.

Albion lost 4-2 as Gillingham finished the match with nine men and they are next-to-bottom ahead of tomorrow night's home game against fellow strugglers Stoke City.

Knight said: "We have now played eight games this season. There is a long way to go, but I can assure you I am not going to allow this to get to Christmas where we are in a desperate situation.

"Ultimately all managers are judged on results, even Arsene Wenger. Nobody is enjoying the fact we have lost six on the trot.

"We have another crucial game against Stoke on Tuesday night and we will do our level best to make sure it stops here.

"If the team went ten matches losing every one then you have got to do something about it.

"It's very easy to criticise him (Hinshelwood). Obviously he is a manager under pressure because we have just lost six games.

"To suggest we should instantly sack him puts out the wrong message. Most people right now will think it was the wrong decision to appoint him, but I am not going to panic. I am going to monitor the situation."

Hinshelwood admitted: "I will be out of here if we don't pull it around. We just cannot make the mistakes we are at the moment.

"We haven't given away goals like we did on Saturday in the four years I have been back at the club. We just shot ourselves in the foot again."

Gillingham had defender Mark Saunders sent-off for retaliating to a Shaun Wilkinson tackle on 37 minutes, but Albion were already 3-1 down by then.

Kevin James, already booked, also saw red for removing his shirt as he celebrated in front of the Gillingham fans after his injury-time clincher.

Albion are sweating on a ruling by FIFA on Wednesday which could outlaw loan deals like Graham Barrett's two-month move from Arsenal.

Barrett serves the second of a three-match ban tomorrow night.