Saturday’s 7-0 loss at Nottingham Forest was Brighton’s second worst defeat since our founding in 1901. The honest truth? We needed this thrashing. Our manager couldn’t have been allowed to get away with a forgettable result. It would be more damaging for our club if he continued to coast along with mediocrity. The fanbase needs to ask some difficult questions about Fabian Hurzeler, our current squad, and the expectations we have of this football club.

The most obvious culprit for Forest was the lineup. Choosing only a single midfielder seemed a bad idea before kick-off, looked like a reckless idea 12 minutes into the game, and was proven to be an inexcusable idea by half-time. So why did Hurzeler not make a change before the second half? Bringing on another midfielder after the second goal (25-mins) would’ve kept us in the game. There was no benefit to delaying our tactical U-turn until the second half. It was a bad decision made by an immature manager.

If the first half was the manager’s fault, then the second half was down to our players. Lazy defending, sloppy passing - it was the simple stuff which they got wrong, and it clearly got worse as the goals piled in. They gave up. The players cannot be allowed to use Hurzeler’s dodgy tactics as a Get Out of Jail Free card. There was a lack of effort across the squad. Did our record-signing Georginio Rutter justify his price tag today? Was that performance worthy of £40 million?

The attitude after the final whistle was disgusting. Hurzeler did not even bother to come over to the away fans. Most of the players made their way to the travelling support, but Lewis Dunk was noticeably a distant figure at the back of the group. Our captain shied away from his responsibilities as leader on the pitch and avoided direct accountability. Joao Pedro, who has worn the captain’s armband on one occasion, did not make an appearance. This is simply disgraceful. Wearing that armband is an honour and it binds you to the club, so you must take responsibility.

The attitude from some Brighton fans was woeful. After the fourth went in (65-mins), a flurry of self-deprecating songs began. “We’re gonna win 5-4. We’re gonna win 5-4” was quickly followed by “We’re gonna win 6-5. We’re gonna win 6-5” and so on. Jocular chants like “We want our ball back” made regular appearances for the rest of the match. This wasn’t representative of our entire travelling support - I’d give a conservative estimate of 40 per cent. At the end of the match, many of these supporters clapped for the team, after watching them give-up in front of their eyes.

In football, there’s a time and a place for gallows humour. Maybe you support a rubbish club who’s on an awful run, with relegation looming, and you need to cheer yourself up on away days.

However, Brighton is not a relegation side. We spent £194 million in the summer. Our previous three league finishes were: 11th, 6th, 9th. Last season, we were knocked out of the Europa League in the Round of 16. We topped a group which contained Ajax and Marseilles. We need to gain some perspective here and admit that we are no longer a small club. Brighton is a consistently mid-table side which challenges for qualification into Europe.

Accepting our own status requires bravery because it requires updating expectations. It is easier to be a scrappy underdog adored by Sky Sports. Ooh, look at them go! They play pretty football and develop youngsters for the big clubs. I’m not satisfied with that. We’ve spent big money and brought in talented players, yet watched our side get progressively worse since 2023/24.

Forest confirmed to me that Hurzeler should be sacked. No ifs, no buts. The tactical decisions were atrocious and set us up for a humiliation. His comments after the match suggest we can only look forward to more of the same. He won’t deviate from his dogmatic style of play. Tony Bloom needs to pull the trigger and sack him sooner, rather than later.

We need higher expectations. £194 million has been spent so we can challenge for Europe. Right now, we sit in a comfortable spot at 10th place. No ambition; no danger of being relegated. That’s for Crystal Palace - not us.

Name and address supplied.