One big question mark hangs over Albion's Championship challenge this season.
Can the remodelled attacking options provide enough goals?
The current game-by-game tally reads like a high handicap golfer's stableford scorecard: 0,0,2,2,2,2,0,0,0,1.
It has certainly been a handicap so far to Albion's top six ambitions.
They have conceded the same number of goals (11) as tomorrow's third-placed hosts Watford, while only Blackpool and Bolton - the bottom two - and promoted Rotherham have scored fewer than the Seagulls' nine.
Encouragement can be gleaned from this modest total, because contributions are being made from all over the pitch.
The pattern continued on Tuesday night at the Amex against Cardiff, when right-back Bruno opened the scoring and left-back Joe Bennett could have hit a hat-trick.
This is a by-product bonus of Sami Hyypia's policy of deploying the full-backs high up the pitch.
Central defenders Lewis Dunk and Gordon Greer have netted twice and once respectively from set pieces, defensive midfielder Danny Holla struck a beauty from outside the box at Brentford.
What about the attacking players, the ones you would expect to dominate the scoresheet?
That has been limited to a couple of goals for Joao Teixeira, one for Craig Mackail-Smith and a free-kick from Kazenga LuaLua at Leeds.
Albion's success in recent seasons has been based on a combination of sound defence, one or more of the orthodox strikers scoring regularly and wide midfielders/wingers chipping in.
In 2010-11, when they romped to the League One title in the last season at Withdean, Glen Murray bagged 22 goals, Ashley Barnes 18.
The following season, their first at the Amex when Albion finished tenth, Barnes scored 11, Mackail-Smith nine and Will Buckley eight.
In 2012-13, the near-miss against Crystal Palace in the play-offs after finishing fourth, Mackail-Smith was leading marksman with 11, Leo Ulloa plundered nine in only 16 games, Barnes and Buckley eight apiece.
Last season's sixth place under Oscar Garcia was spearheaded by an injury-affected Ulloa's 14 goals in 33 appearances. Barnes scored five in 17 starts before his move to Burnley.
Murray, Ulloa and, to a lesser extent, Barnes since he operated semi-wide much of the time, provided a physical presence in the box.
Albion have gone down a different route after losing Barnes to Lancashire and Leo Ulloa to Leicester.
The physical presence is restricted to Chris O'Grady, who is fourth choice and could be loaned out once Mackail-Smith and Sam Baldock recover from injuries.
The former, understandably, is not back to his sharpest yet after his 13-month absence, the latter is in the very early stages of trying to convert his impressive stats at MK Dons and Bristol City into goals at Championship level.
Adrian Colunga, whose only goal to date came in the Capital One Cup at Swindon, was not prolific in Spain (20 in 102 appearances for Getafe and Sporting Gijon).
Albion, in general terms, are performing pretty well under Hyypia. The problem is in the final third, where in some matches they have not fashioned as many chances as they should have from promising situations and in others not taken the chances when they arrive.
May will tell whether they have recruited well enough to compensate Hyypia for the departure of Ulloa.
To misquote Alan Hansen and his famously flawed reference to Manchester United's young generation, you don't win anything without goals.
Original article
Can the remodelled attacking options provide enough goals?
The current game-by-game tally reads like a high handicap golfer's stableford scorecard: 0,0,2,2,2,2,0,0,0,1.
It has certainly been a handicap so far to Albion's top six ambitions.
They have conceded the same number of goals (11) as tomorrow's third-placed hosts Watford, while only Blackpool and Bolton - the bottom two - and promoted Rotherham have scored fewer than the Seagulls' nine.
Encouragement can be gleaned from this modest total, because contributions are being made from all over the pitch.
The pattern continued on Tuesday night at the Amex against Cardiff, when right-back Bruno opened the scoring and left-back Joe Bennett could have hit a hat-trick.
This is a by-product bonus of Sami Hyypia's policy of deploying the full-backs high up the pitch.
Central defenders Lewis Dunk and Gordon Greer have netted twice and once respectively from set pieces, defensive midfielder Danny Holla struck a beauty from outside the box at Brentford.
What about the attacking players, the ones you would expect to dominate the scoresheet?
That has been limited to a couple of goals for Joao Teixeira, one for Craig Mackail-Smith and a free-kick from Kazenga LuaLua at Leeds.
Albion's success in recent seasons has been based on a combination of sound defence, one or more of the orthodox strikers scoring regularly and wide midfielders/wingers chipping in.
In 2010-11, when they romped to the League One title in the last season at Withdean, Glen Murray bagged 22 goals, Ashley Barnes 18.
The following season, their first at the Amex when Albion finished tenth, Barnes scored 11, Mackail-Smith nine and Will Buckley eight.
In 2012-13, the near-miss against Crystal Palace in the play-offs after finishing fourth, Mackail-Smith was leading marksman with 11, Leo Ulloa plundered nine in only 16 games, Barnes and Buckley eight apiece.
Last season's sixth place under Oscar Garcia was spearheaded by an injury-affected Ulloa's 14 goals in 33 appearances. Barnes scored five in 17 starts before his move to Burnley.
Murray, Ulloa and, to a lesser extent, Barnes since he operated semi-wide much of the time, provided a physical presence in the box.
Albion have gone down a different route after losing Barnes to Lancashire and Leo Ulloa to Leicester.
The physical presence is restricted to Chris O'Grady, who is fourth choice and could be loaned out once Mackail-Smith and Sam Baldock recover from injuries.
The former, understandably, is not back to his sharpest yet after his 13-month absence, the latter is in the very early stages of trying to convert his impressive stats at MK Dons and Bristol City into goals at Championship level.
Adrian Colunga, whose only goal to date came in the Capital One Cup at Swindon, was not prolific in Spain (20 in 102 appearances for Getafe and Sporting Gijon).
Albion, in general terms, are performing pretty well under Hyypia. The problem is in the final third, where in some matches they have not fashioned as many chances as they should have from promising situations and in others not taken the chances when they arrive.
May will tell whether they have recruited well enough to compensate Hyypia for the departure of Ulloa.
To misquote Alan Hansen and his famously flawed reference to Manchester United's young generation, you don't win anything without goals.
Original article