Some people will look at the current situation on the pitch with the Albion just 3 places above the relegation zone and think that things haven’t really changed since the departure of Mark McGhee back in September.

Perhaps the results haven’t changed a great deal, but other aspects of the club seem to have changed greatly since Wilkins arrival.

At the time McGhee was sacked it was clear to any Albion fan watching the team that the players no longer believing in him and as Dick Knight said at the time of the sacking he had lost the dressing room.

Wilkins on the other hand seems to have the full respect of all his playing staff who appear to be desperate to do well for him since he took over.

But one thing that hasn’t changed since McGhee’s departure from the club is the need for some experience players to come in to compliment the talented young squad we have.

Listening to Wilkins post match interview following the 0-0 draw at home to Port Vale was almost like being in a time warp back to when McGhee was in charge. “Were not far off being a good side” was something McGhee was saying most of last season while both managers have pointed towards a lack of experience upfront as a major problem.

Wilkins, like McGhee, has been searching hard for a new striker and remains hopeful that one will arrive before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

Another thing that has changed under Wilkins guidance is the overall style of play at the club. When confidence is high amongst the squad some of the passing football we have seen this season has been as good as anything served up at the Withdean in the past few years.

There is no doubting Wilkins coaching abilities. Something some people have doubted is his ability to bring in the players we need, but lets not forget Dean White his assistant manager was one of the main driving force behind the arrival of Alex Revell and continues to work behind the scenes at identifying potential new signings.

Confidence seems to be a key reason behind the Seagulls indifferent form this season and as many football pundits point out inexperienced players seem to suffer dips in form worse than experienced pros causing confidence levels to drop.

A good unbeaten run followed by a string of defeats has been the story of our season so far. This of course will hopefully change over the course of time and I have no doubts that the current squad are good enough to stay in this division.

We as the clubs supporters sometimes need to step away from the last few result and look at the bigger picture. When you tune into the fans phone in after a defeat or check the online forums its all doom and gloom while a few wins on the spin and everyone is talking about the play offs (including myself not too long ago!).

Wilkins is still learning his trade, but so far the signs have been very positive. We need to keep getting behind the team, even when things aren’t going great, because the future looks very bright indeed.

Added on Monday, January 29th, 2007 at 9:42 pm under Features by Wilka.