Albion legend Jimmy Case believes Sami Hyypia’s stature in the game will ensure he’s a success with the Seagulls.Both starred for Liverpool in their heyday, winning a host of honours for the Reds, and Case believes the Finn’s reputation will count for a lot as he makes his mark at the Amex.
“I’ve met Sami a few times at Anfield and he has an aura about him,” he told Seagull, the club’s matchday programme recently.
“When you look at the size of him, he is an imposing figure, who instantly commands respect, and I think that is an essential quality for any manager to have.
“Then you look at his track record for Liverpool where he’s won nearly everything and when he talks the Brighton players will listen. Although he played alongside Jamie Carragher, he wasn’t a silent voice either.
“He was there, organising, getting his message across and was very commanding. If they’d had a Sami Hyypia in the team last season, I’m sure Liverpool would have won the league.
"I think he would have also learnt a great deal from his time managing in Germany, in terms of decision-making and the day-to-day requirements of being a manager. I think it’s a great appointment.”
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Case, whose autobiography Hard Case comes out in October, still keeps a look out for Albion’s results and was the club’s special guest for the pre-season game against Southampton, another of his former clubs.“I keep an eye out for both Brighton and Southampton’s results. Although I live on the south coast, I work for BBC Radio Merseyside at weekends, so I don’t get to either club in the flesh.
“I’m delighted how things have progressed for Brighton though, with the new stadium.
"The fans deserve this because they stood by the club through all the troubles. They went through hell to get to this point and they deserve every success in the world because without them I dread to think what might have happened to the club.”
To read more from Jimmy, he features in both the Southampton and Charlton Athletic issues of Seagull, available from the Amex Superstore and online.
[h=2]UPCOMING HOME FIXTURES[/h][h=3]ALBION V blackpool
[/h]saturday 20TH september, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]ALBION V cardiff
[/h]TUESDAY 30th september, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
[h=3]Albion v middlesbrough
[/h]saturDAY 18TH october, kick-off 3pm
Original article