Every football team in the world has off-days. Games when they look as if they have never played the game before and can't pass water.

Good teams bounce straight back from those sort of performances.

Our lads were hurt by the televised events at Brentford. In fact the only good thing to come out of the Griffin Park defeat was that only seven men and a dog watched it on ITV Digital.

You saw their response on Thursday night against Cardiff. You will have to go a long way to see a more spirited and committed performance. All 12 men who took part gave their all for the blue and white shirt.

Not only did it take us back up to second place but also meant a very satisfactory tally of four points from our multi-million pound Welsh rivals this season. Of course, critics will say we should play like that every week but if the lads did they would all be in the Premiership by now. It is not easy to be consistent and the suits at the television companies and Football League don't help by forcing teams to play three games in six days.

The playing conditions were atrocious on Thursday - and it wasn't much better in the stand! The driving rain and gale-force wind blew straight into our faces. It was like sitting fully clothed in a cold shower. That will teach me to get suspended. After the match I popped into the victorious dressing room to dry myself off and the only clean thing I could find to use were Dodge's shorts.

Many of you must be wondering why the Brighton team were not represented on the Britain's Brainiest Footballer the other night. A few of our younger lads did fancy their chances and went along to the auditions. Virgs failed at the first hurdle when he couldn't name the ship on Mutiny on the Bounty. Will Packham and Webby failed the aptitude test when they went to the local shops looking for tartan paint and left-handed screwdrivers.

It was just about the only programme Bobby Z has not appeared on this week. During his dapper appearance alongside Rio Ferdinand on the FA Cup draw last Sunday night Bobby showed all the signs of becoming a TV star. As a result he has been booked to star on They Think Its All Over and will also perform the Lottery Draw on Saturday. Plans are also being drawn up for Bobby to take over from Her Majesty and read the Queen's Speech at Christmas. Move over Vinnie Jones.

Paul "Rent-a-quote" Merson came out with a very interesting idea this week. After the resignation of John Gregory, Merson suggested his successor should be picked by the Villa fans using a phone and internet poll.

It reminded me of the time earlier this season when the Birmingham Evening Mail ran a similar poll to gauge whether Trevor Francis should be sacked as manager of Birmingham City. The Blues fans were desperate for Trevor to stay but the poll was hijacked by Aston Villa fans who voted in their hundreds for him to go. The result was that the paper then announced in bold headlines that Blues fans wanted their beloved manager out.

On the same lines you can imagine Merson's next manager to be Donald Duck - as voted in by thousands of laughing Blues fans! Good idea Merse - easy to see why you weren't on Britain's Brainiest Footballer!

Poor old reserve team manager Dean White has been on the receiving end of the lads' humour this week. Dean loves his food and never misses an opportunity to eat but it was his downfall this week when some food got stuck in his throat. When the doctors operated they found the culprits - a rack of ribs ..... a beef joint ..... a pig, and a chicken which he hadn't even bothered to pluck.

Finally, Dave Watson was an interested spectator at Withdean on Thursday. I'm sure he went away realising his talented Tranmere team faces a huge battle next Tuesday. Bring 'em on!