Making a mistake is perfectly understandable. Everyone does it. Making the same mistake twice is much harder to forgive.

Dick Knight should bear that in mind assuming, in May, the chairman does not want to be confronting a hunt for his eighth Albion manager in six years.

He has overlooked Steve Coppell once. He must not do so again.

The alarm bells should have been ringing since October, in fact since the very day of Coppell's long overdue appointment on a one-year contract.

Coppell said then: "Realistically, it's not even a year, it is seven months."

It has been a consistent theme. Coppell referred recently in his programme notes to "my 34-game brief".

Replying to a letter from a supporter last month, he spoke of effectively having only three months left on his contract and suspecting 2004 would be "somebody else's concern".

Knight must act NOW and offer Coppell a much longer contract, not at the end of the season when it could be too late.

He must make Coppell feel wanted, make him feel he is the best man for the job, which he is beyond doubt.

This is not a knee-jerk reaction to consecutive victories. On May 8 last year, as Knight continued his exhaustive search for Peter Taylor's successor, I wrote: "Topping my list would be Steve Coppell."

Not long after that Coppell had a three-hour interview with Knight. Like Taylor, he told the chairman a few home truths about what was required for First Division survival and was ignored.

What does Knight have to lose by resolving Coppell's future now? If he keeps Albion up then at least the club's financial interests will be protected should his meticulous talents attract interest from elsewhere.

If Albion go down who better to mould a team for success once more in the Second Division?

You only have to look at what Coppell achieved with skinny resources at Brentford last season.

The way his reign ended at Griffin Park is another warning sign for Knight. Coppell ran out of patience with owner Ron Noades and walked away after guiding the Bees to the play-off final.

Coppell's key defender in Brentford's success, Ivar Ingimarsson, made an assured debut at Bradford last Saturday on a month's loan from Wolves.

His arrival is the latest example of Coppell's astute dealings in the transfer market.

Steve Sidwell made a huge contribution during his loan spell from Arsenal. His departure emphasised how Albion tend to be reactive rather than pro-active.

Coppell told The Argus just after Christmas of his fears of Sidwell being snapped up by another club.

It was not until Reading's bid became public that Albion responded and claimed to have matched them. By then the chance had gone and Sidwell was destined for the Madejski Stadium.

Significantly, Albion are unbeaten in matches started together by Simon Rodger and Dean Blackwell, two experienced signings with First Division nous.

They might well have made even more of a difference if Coppell had been given the job in May and they had spent pre-season with the Seagulls.

Coppell is tactically astute as well. The team has looked much sounder since the switch to three central defenders at Wolves in November.

They have conceded 23 goals in 16 games away from home, far fewer than the vast majority of their fellow strugglers plus several sides in contention for the play-offs.

Albion's superior goal difference could be absolutely crucial in the four-way battle to beat the drop.

It would almost be fitting if they stayed up in this nailbiting manner, such is Coppell's scrupulous attention to detail. No stone is being left unturned in his efforts to steer them to safety.

I believe he has every chance of doing just that, providing he has the bulk of his first choice line-up regularly available.

What Albion and a determined, committed group of players need is stability, not another summer of uncertainty.

They could be kicking off next season in Division One with the right result from the public inquiry into Falmer and a respected manager.

That would be quite a hat-trick for Dick. Falmer is an all-consuming passion, but he cannot afford to take his eye off the ball on the playing front.

Steve must stay.