Matt Upson says Albion are playing the sort of passing football which first attracted him to the Amex.

But the former defender has questions over their firepower as he follows their progress in the Premier League.

Upson was part of the Seagulls side which twice missed out in the Championship play-offs – and arguably should have gone straight up in 2012-13.

He will be assessing the action as one of Amazon Prime’s expert summarisers as Albion go to Fulham tonight.

Upson likes the way they try to play and believes, when they are admitted in bigger numbers, the fans will have patience with the project.

He also speaks highly of Ben White, one of his successors at the back.

But the concerns he voices are probably shared by some of their supporters as they stand just above the bottom three.

Upson was signed by Gus Poyet and also played for the club during Oscar Garcia’s season in charge.

He told The Argus: “We kept the ball at all costs, really.

“We played out from the six-yard box, the 18-yard box, played it out wide.

“That was a major attraction for me to come to Brighton, the fact that the manager wanted us to play with the ball.

“It was a huge plus point for me.

“Don’t get me wrong, done well I think it is the ideal way to play and probably for supporters to watch football.

“But you have to do it well, you have to have the confidence in your ability to be able to do that.

“And you also have to be able to play higher up on the pitch.

“Brighton do it well at the back and midfield but it is just creating those chances and scoring enough goals which is always going to be a real challenge.

“In playing style, I think there are similarities with when I was there and that is why Graham Potter is so highly regarded by the board.

“He has tried to be more of a possession orientated team and in the Premier League it kind of makes sense to have that underlying desire to have control of the ball and dominate matches.

“Their challenge has been making it count and scoring goals from that possession, which is a slightly different ball game.”

Upson does not necessarily buy into a theory that Albion are a bit quiet as a team.

He said: “I haven’t particularly picked up on that myself.

“Communication is a key factor of the game.

“Whether or not that is done via people having an understanding of each other and they know where each other is going to be.

“Or whether it is because they hear a voice, I think there are different ways of achieving it.

“You don’t have to be a big ranter and a raver to be able to communicate well.

“When I was there, Gordon Greer was very vocal, Bruno at right-back.

“We had quite a few who would talk a lot on the pitch and you would have disagreements with and what have you.

“But it was a really good dressing room.”

Of course Potter is a very different character to the previous GP in the technical area and so is his set-up at the back.

Upson expects to see two back threes at Craven Cottage and has been impressed by how White has slotted in.

He said: “I like him. I think he has got a lot of potential.

“He is pretty mobile and he has also adapted well to playing a holding midfield role, which is pretty good for Brighton.

“A lot of their centre-backs can play in other positions - like Veltman, like Burn, like White.

“White has got a turn of pace and is pretty good all round.

“I know he had an outstanding season at Leeds playing in a four but he has been very good for Brighton and definitely is going to keep improving.

“Playing in a three is a big difference and it is so popular at the moment.

“The biggest difference is when you’re in possession.

“People like Lewis Dunk, or you look at Conor Coady at Wolves, with their range of passing or their ability to step out and hit those passes to set the ball moving and set attacks off.”

Upson does not expect Albion to have time to dwell over their passes tonight.

He has been impressed by Fulham’s recent improvement and the way they harried Liverpool out of their stride on Sunday.

He said: “Two things have happened there.

“Scott Parker has found a formation which suits the players he has.

“And they recruited late, after the start of the season.

“The players he brought in have just managed to find their feet a little bit, especially the new back three.

“They are playing with intensity. They were really intense against Liverpool.

“They did not give them a second, they were all over them out of possession.

“Lemina and Anguissa in the middle of the park won second balls, put a foot in, won the breakdowns and Brighton have to be prepared for Fulham to come out of the blocks again.”

The stands will be empty at Craven Cottage. There will be 2,000 at the Amex when Sheffield United visit on Sunday.

That could be a very nervy affair and Upson accepts passing football can be difficult when fans are getting impatient.

He said: “I have been quite a few times to Brighton.

POTTER: WE CAN'T THINK WE'RE TOO GOOD FOR THIS

“A couple of times I’ve read the manager’s notes and he has been asking people to be patient.

“He has asked that of the crowd quite a bit but I think he has got a very patient support there.

“They understand what the manager is trying to do and they have got behind it.”

Alongside Fulham v Albion at 8pm this evening, Amazon Prime Video will be broadcasting 23 Premier League fixtures this December including two full rounds of fixtures on the December 15-17 and 28-30, featuring matches such as Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea, Everton v Manchester City and Albion v Arsenal.