As the transfer window cut-off drew closer, Albion manager Chris Hughton, head of recruitment Paul Winstanley, chief executive Paul Barber and the team of scouts and analysts were in relaxed mood.
There was no sense of panic in the central hub at the club's training complex in Lancing, where detailed information on potential signings is at their fingertips.
The calm atmosphere, with the 11pm deadline approaching on Monday evening, was with good reason.
Albion, under their new manager and a new recruitment set-up, had the bulk of their business done.
The winger they wanted but were unable to get would have been the icing on the cake. Hughton already has the ingredients to improve the team's perilous position in the Championship table.
The Seagulls did much better in this transfer window than they had in the previous two.
A year ago they wanted Lewis Grabban and got David Rodriguez. It was a steep fall.
Several of the flood of summer signings were questionable. Two of them, Nzuzi Toko and Adrian Colunga, have already departed.
Albion had two advantages this time following Hughton's New Year's Eve appointment.
They had a manager with an encyclopedic knowledge of the English game and its players.
They also had a recruitment set-up better equipped to get their key business done before the madness of the final 24 hours.
The window had barely opened before the versatile Greg Halford was recaptured on loan for the rest of the season from Nottingham Forest.
The benefit of acting urgently was twofold. Forest, under a transfer embargo, were desperate for funds to give themselves more flexibility. And Halford was a target for two Championship rivals, Millwall and Fulham.
Central midfield was a high priority, with an absence of experience and Gary Gardner's return to parent club Aston Villa.
Beram Kayal, a player Hughton was interested in two years ago at Norwich, was a leading candidate and a complicated deal to bring the Israeli from Celtic was secured by a work permit and visa.
Albion would have liked to have retained the goalscoring expertise of Darren Bent but he was snapped up by Derby, competing at the right end of the table, once his loan from Villa expired.
With Glenn Murray's comeback from Crystal Palace unattainable, Hughton has Leon Best on loan from Blackburn Rovers, a player he knows well after signing him for Newcastle.
Best is less of a goal threat than Bent but will contribute more to the team.
The return to favour and form of Chris O'Grady, coupled with Kazenga LuaLua's recovery from knee trouble, allowed Colunga to go back to Spain with Granada without Hughton's attacking options being critically affected.
Best, Kayal, LuaLua and Dale Stephens, who is edging ever-closer to fitness, are all like new signings for Hughton for the final third of the campaign.
LuaLua and Stephens are particularly important in assessing Albion's January work. Panicking now could have restricted Hughton's options in the summer, when he will set about the task of turning the club back from relegation candidates to promotion contenders.
Survival is the immediate goal. Reclaiming Elliott Bennett could have suited both the short and long-term strategy.
Unfortunately for Albion, Bennett is suddenly back in favour at Norwich following their change of manager. Any hope of securing him on Monday evening evaporated when the projected move of another former Seagull, Craig Noone, from Cardiff to Norwich collapsed.
Jesse Lingard, on loan from Manchester United last season, was on the distant radar. Geographical considerations reduced the chances of getting him back and, as with Bent, once Derby swooped it was no contest.
Albion had money to spend if they need to but their backs were not against the wall. Shaun Wright-Phillips was a late emerging option not on the target list.
A 33-year-old former England international with a history of playing for top clubs and without any meaningful game time for months did not feel like the right fit for a Championship relegation fight.
So Albion have kept their powder dry, with the emergency loan window opening from Tuesday.
Chairman Tony Bloom was in contact by phone in the middle of the morning Australian time as the deadline approached but he was rarely required, with the club's transfer dealings in safe hands.
They will continue to track Mark Waddington after Blackpool rejected two bids for their promising 18-year-old midfielder.
As well as the first team, Albion are actively trying to improve the under-21s, the last age group to not really enjoy the benefits of the club's tranformation in facilities.
Further down the age scale, under-18s and below, there is rich promise in local talent. Waddington would be a top-up for the under-21s in the same mould as Rohan Ince, who was fast-tracked into the first team by Oscar Garcia after a season of development from Chelsea.
Waddington is one for the future. Right now Gardner will return to the Amex with his new loan club Nottingham Forest on Saturday to face a squad better equipped for the challenge ahead than the one he left.
Original article
There was no sense of panic in the central hub at the club's training complex in Lancing, where detailed information on potential signings is at their fingertips.
The calm atmosphere, with the 11pm deadline approaching on Monday evening, was with good reason.
Albion, under their new manager and a new recruitment set-up, had the bulk of their business done.
The winger they wanted but were unable to get would have been the icing on the cake. Hughton already has the ingredients to improve the team's perilous position in the Championship table.
The Seagulls did much better in this transfer window than they had in the previous two.
A year ago they wanted Lewis Grabban and got David Rodriguez. It was a steep fall.
Several of the flood of summer signings were questionable. Two of them, Nzuzi Toko and Adrian Colunga, have already departed.
Albion had two advantages this time following Hughton's New Year's Eve appointment.
They had a manager with an encyclopedic knowledge of the English game and its players.
They also had a recruitment set-up better equipped to get their key business done before the madness of the final 24 hours.
The window had barely opened before the versatile Greg Halford was recaptured on loan for the rest of the season from Nottingham Forest.
The benefit of acting urgently was twofold. Forest, under a transfer embargo, were desperate for funds to give themselves more flexibility. And Halford was a target for two Championship rivals, Millwall and Fulham.
Central midfield was a high priority, with an absence of experience and Gary Gardner's return to parent club Aston Villa.
Beram Kayal, a player Hughton was interested in two years ago at Norwich, was a leading candidate and a complicated deal to bring the Israeli from Celtic was secured by a work permit and visa.
Albion would have liked to have retained the goalscoring expertise of Darren Bent but he was snapped up by Derby, competing at the right end of the table, once his loan from Villa expired.
With Glenn Murray's comeback from Crystal Palace unattainable, Hughton has Leon Best on loan from Blackburn Rovers, a player he knows well after signing him for Newcastle.
Best is less of a goal threat than Bent but will contribute more to the team.
The return to favour and form of Chris O'Grady, coupled with Kazenga LuaLua's recovery from knee trouble, allowed Colunga to go back to Spain with Granada without Hughton's attacking options being critically affected.
Best, Kayal, LuaLua and Dale Stephens, who is edging ever-closer to fitness, are all like new signings for Hughton for the final third of the campaign.
LuaLua and Stephens are particularly important in assessing Albion's January work. Panicking now could have restricted Hughton's options in the summer, when he will set about the task of turning the club back from relegation candidates to promotion contenders.
Survival is the immediate goal. Reclaiming Elliott Bennett could have suited both the short and long-term strategy.
Unfortunately for Albion, Bennett is suddenly back in favour at Norwich following their change of manager. Any hope of securing him on Monday evening evaporated when the projected move of another former Seagull, Craig Noone, from Cardiff to Norwich collapsed.
Jesse Lingard, on loan from Manchester United last season, was on the distant radar. Geographical considerations reduced the chances of getting him back and, as with Bent, once Derby swooped it was no contest.
Albion had money to spend if they need to but their backs were not against the wall. Shaun Wright-Phillips was a late emerging option not on the target list.
A 33-year-old former England international with a history of playing for top clubs and without any meaningful game time for months did not feel like the right fit for a Championship relegation fight.
So Albion have kept their powder dry, with the emergency loan window opening from Tuesday.
Chairman Tony Bloom was in contact by phone in the middle of the morning Australian time as the deadline approached but he was rarely required, with the club's transfer dealings in safe hands.
They will continue to track Mark Waddington after Blackpool rejected two bids for their promising 18-year-old midfielder.
As well as the first team, Albion are actively trying to improve the under-21s, the last age group to not really enjoy the benefits of the club's tranformation in facilities.
Further down the age scale, under-18s and below, there is rich promise in local talent. Waddington would be a top-up for the under-21s in the same mould as Rohan Ince, who was fast-tracked into the first team by Oscar Garcia after a season of development from Chelsea.
Waddington is one for the future. Right now Gardner will return to the Amex with his new loan club Nottingham Forest on Saturday to face a squad better equipped for the challenge ahead than the one he left.
Original article