Football Season Review

Brighton and Hove Albion had a season beyond their wildest dreams. Following the arrival of Gustavo Poyet as their manager midway through the 2009/10 season, the Seagulls started to improve on their mediocre form and ended that season well clear of the drop zone after flirting with relegation prior to the Uruguayan's appointment. The form shown under him in the second half of that season proved to have been a glimpse of what was to follow, as the Seagulls entered the 2010/11 season with hopes of a top six finish. But their home form, that had been woeful during the previous two seasons, suddenly became absolutely superb, while they maintained their fine away form, eventually going to easily win the league title. Apart from a short period at the very beginning of the season, where he had to deal with a major injury crisis, Poyet always looked fully in control. His side had a reputation for playing attractive passing football, with the level of organisation and discipline that other teams in the division simply couldn't match. The likes of Gordon Greer and Marcos Painter, who both signed during the summer transfer window, made the Seagulls a formidable defensive unit. but most of the plaudits went to the players who were considered to be key in the previous season as well, such as Elliott Bennett and Glenn Murray. Meanwhile Poyet's constant squad rotation made sure that his side kept a high level of freshness throughout the season and didn't have any real crisis throughout the 46 games. Eventually, the Seagulls ended up securing the league title with four matches to spare, and will enter their upcoming Championship campaign with great belief that they can shine in the second tier.

Player of the Season: Elliott Bennett