Stability in football is rare – it may not be exciting but it can be key to success

Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom has backed his manager Graham Potter

We are now 13 games into the season. Nearly a third of the campaign is over. 15 points. 12th place.

I could be talking about this season or last. Brighton and Hove Albion are in exactly the same position as they were after their game against Leicester on each occasion. (Who says that fixture computer churns out a similar pattern!?)

This week the head coach Graham Potter was handed a new extended deal at the club. Eyebrows may have been raised at such an early stage of his tenure and you can debate the motivation for the move but it does seem to cover a few bases.

The club is protected, the manager is protected and the long term strategy can be implemented.

Of course results will determine whether Potter fulfils his contract and if he finds a consistency with the Seagulls, but the board may yet have to rebuff the attentions of the big clubs on a few occasions.

Stability in football is a rare thing and it may not be exciting but it can be the key to a sustainable future. So what are the targets for the head coach?

Well the Seagulls management want to be a top 10 club but how do we gauge success for the man in the dug out?