Oh give over. You're usually more reasonable than that, SB. He didn't admit to phoning it in. He said he tried, but the interest was in the back of his mind probably affecting him more than he would have liked. Fans need to stop being so sensitive and turning it into some sort of scandal.
"I tried to carry on as though I was going to be at Brighton for a long time, because I was under contract, but when clubs come in for you – especially from the Premier League – you do get a bit distracted, so it probably was at the back of my mind for the last part of last season
Hang him...