When Chris Hughton attributes Albion's position at the top of the Championship to "a really good team ethic", he is also describing one of the biggest strengths of Tomer Hemed.
The softly spoken Israeli centre-forward is the embodiment of a team player, a no-frills all-round contributor to the extraordinary unbeaten league record of the Seagulls, three matches short of the halfway point of the season.
Hemed could start or be back on the bench at Queens Park Rangers this evening.
The strike force is one of the few areas where Hughton has scope for rotation in his injury-hit squad to cope with the middle assignment of a triple test, which began at Derby on Saturday and ends this Saturday lunchtime at home to Middlesbrough.
So Hemed might find himself alongside James Wilson or Bobby Zamora at Loftus Road, or playing a part as a substitute.
There will be no strop if he is left out and, for how ever long he is involved, he is guaranteed to give his all at both ends of the pitch.
Hemed has been everything Albion could have hoped for since they bought him from Almeria, the Spanish club they also went to for Leonardo Ulloa, for a fee of around £1.5 million in the summer.
That is a modest sum for a striker by today's standards, which reflects the fact that Hemed, 28, has never been particularly prolific.
He scored 29 goals in 125 games in Spain for Almeria and Mallorca, so six in 21 appearances for the Seagulls is a bit better than par for the course.
Hemed, shorter and a less obvious target man than Ulloa, will never get the weight of goals the Argentinian provided before leaving for Leicester but other apsects of his game bring value.
His insatiable workrate and movement means defenders are constantly aware of his presence. He also demonstrated, like Ulloa used to, that he can be useful inside his own penalty area as well with an agile clearance off the line in the early stages at Derby.
Hughton's high regard for the role played by Hemed in the overall picture was emphasised by the manager staying faithful to him for ten matches between his fifth goal against Rotherham and sixth in the last home game against Charlton, when he was finally relegated to the bench.
Hemed, reflecting on his drought, said: "It's something that happens to all the strikers maybe in the world, apart from Messi and Ronaldo.
"You have to keep working hard every day and in training. The staff also gave me a good feeling, showed me that in every game I was doing a very good job.
"Sometimes the goals don't come but the most important thing is not to change things, to keep doing the same things, because in the end as we saw (against Charlton) you can score.
"For me, as a striker with my experience, when I'm not scoring goals I keep doing my job. The beauty in football is every game you have the chance to play the best game of your career. Every game I start I believe I will be score, I will be good. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not."
Hemed's popularity in the dressing room is shared by supporters. They appreciate him, not in the same way they idolise club icon Zamora, but out of respect for the shift he always puts in.
"That gives me a good feeling," he said. "Although I wasn't scoring I was involved in many goals and I worked very hard to help the team keep this unbeaten run.
"Every game that I saw the crowd gave me the support it gave me a good feeling they appreciated my work. I will keep doing my best for them."
That includes more capital gains tonight. Hemed first made his mark back in August in the opening away fixture at QPR's neighbours Fulham, where he held his nerve to convert a stoppage time penalty which gave Albion victory.
"It was a special day," he said. "We won a tough game and for me it was my first goal (in English football). Now it's a different game, again a tough game."
Hemed subsequently had a spot-kick saved when Albion drew with Wolves' ten men at Molineux in September. His unselfish contribution to their lofty standing will not extend to stepping aside for someone else if they are awarded a penalty this evening.
"That was the first time in my career I've missed one and I have taken them a lot in Spain and for the national team," he said. "I need to look forward, like the gaffer told me, and wait for the next chance."
Hemed is enjoying life away from the pitch as much as he is as a popular member of Hughton's table-topping squad.
"I'm really happy here," he said. "When my family are happy that makes me feel better and we are really enjoying this new place. It has come together with the football."
A fringe benefit is easier access to his faith. He might have bumped into Tony Bloom in the local synagogue before the chairman moved to London.
"In Majorca there was one but in Almeria there wasn't," Hemed said. "Here in Brighton I can see the Jewish community is bigger than I had before, a few synagogues. That has also helped me to feel more comfortable and happy here."
Original article
The softly spoken Israeli centre-forward is the embodiment of a team player, a no-frills all-round contributor to the extraordinary unbeaten league record of the Seagulls, three matches short of the halfway point of the season.
Hemed could start or be back on the bench at Queens Park Rangers this evening.
The strike force is one of the few areas where Hughton has scope for rotation in his injury-hit squad to cope with the middle assignment of a triple test, which began at Derby on Saturday and ends this Saturday lunchtime at home to Middlesbrough.
So Hemed might find himself alongside James Wilson or Bobby Zamora at Loftus Road, or playing a part as a substitute.
There will be no strop if he is left out and, for how ever long he is involved, he is guaranteed to give his all at both ends of the pitch.
Hemed has been everything Albion could have hoped for since they bought him from Almeria, the Spanish club they also went to for Leonardo Ulloa, for a fee of around £1.5 million in the summer.
That is a modest sum for a striker by today's standards, which reflects the fact that Hemed, 28, has never been particularly prolific.
He scored 29 goals in 125 games in Spain for Almeria and Mallorca, so six in 21 appearances for the Seagulls is a bit better than par for the course.
Hemed, shorter and a less obvious target man than Ulloa, will never get the weight of goals the Argentinian provided before leaving for Leicester but other apsects of his game bring value.
His insatiable workrate and movement means defenders are constantly aware of his presence. He also demonstrated, like Ulloa used to, that he can be useful inside his own penalty area as well with an agile clearance off the line in the early stages at Derby.
Hughton's high regard for the role played by Hemed in the overall picture was emphasised by the manager staying faithful to him for ten matches between his fifth goal against Rotherham and sixth in the last home game against Charlton, when he was finally relegated to the bench.
Hemed, reflecting on his drought, said: "It's something that happens to all the strikers maybe in the world, apart from Messi and Ronaldo.
"You have to keep working hard every day and in training. The staff also gave me a good feeling, showed me that in every game I was doing a very good job.
"Sometimes the goals don't come but the most important thing is not to change things, to keep doing the same things, because in the end as we saw (against Charlton) you can score.
"For me, as a striker with my experience, when I'm not scoring goals I keep doing my job. The beauty in football is every game you have the chance to play the best game of your career. Every game I start I believe I will be score, I will be good. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not."
Hemed's popularity in the dressing room is shared by supporters. They appreciate him, not in the same way they idolise club icon Zamora, but out of respect for the shift he always puts in.
"That gives me a good feeling," he said. "Although I wasn't scoring I was involved in many goals and I worked very hard to help the team keep this unbeaten run.
"Every game that I saw the crowd gave me the support it gave me a good feeling they appreciated my work. I will keep doing my best for them."
That includes more capital gains tonight. Hemed first made his mark back in August in the opening away fixture at QPR's neighbours Fulham, where he held his nerve to convert a stoppage time penalty which gave Albion victory.
"It was a special day," he said. "We won a tough game and for me it was my first goal (in English football). Now it's a different game, again a tough game."
Hemed subsequently had a spot-kick saved when Albion drew with Wolves' ten men at Molineux in September. His unselfish contribution to their lofty standing will not extend to stepping aside for someone else if they are awarded a penalty this evening.
"That was the first time in my career I've missed one and I have taken them a lot in Spain and for the national team," he said. "I need to look forward, like the gaffer told me, and wait for the next chance."
Hemed is enjoying life away from the pitch as much as he is as a popular member of Hughton's table-topping squad.
"I'm really happy here," he said. "When my family are happy that makes me feel better and we are really enjoying this new place. It has come together with the football."
A fringe benefit is easier access to his faith. He might have bumped into Tony Bloom in the local synagogue before the chairman moved to London.
"In Majorca there was one but in Almeria there wasn't," Hemed said. "Here in Brighton I can see the Jewish community is bigger than I had before, a few synagogues. That has also helped me to feel more comfortable and happy here."
Original article