Graham Potter has reiterated Brighton fans booing after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Leeds was “confusing” to him and believes some may well now be feeling their reaction was “a little bit over the top”.
The contest at the Amex Stadium saw the hosts fail to make the most of a number of opportunities as their winless run in the Premier League extended to eight matches.
There was booing from some Brighton supporters at the final whistle, and Seagulls boss Potter afterwards said that had left him “a little bit perplexed” and that he disagreed with them “completely”.
Speaking on Monday at his press conference ahead of Wednesday’s trip to West Ham, Potter – whose side are ninth in the table – said: “Nothing’s really changed from my perspective.
“After a game there’s emotions, and I think people sometimes, when they reflect back, think ‘Maybe I got caught up in stuff’.
“The reaction was a bit confusing from my perspective. It wasn’t all of our supporters, it was a few, and as disappointing as it is, you have to accept that, that’s the world we’re in.
“I think it’s also important to communicate with supporters, because they’re the most important people at the club. So if you think they can maybe help a little bit more, then I think it’s important we’re able to communicate with them.
“When you look at the team we had, a lot of the young players, you look at the performance, at where we sit in the Premier League…I think if we want to achieve our goals, we have to maybe collectively be a bit better than we were against Leeds.
“I’m sure there’ll be people that maybe had that reaction that maybe now are going ‘OK, maybe that was a little bit over the top’.
“I just thought after that performance, it wasn’t the best. But it’s a minority. I’ve had loads of messages from supporters being really positive. It is what it is. I think it’s important to listen to each other. They’re entitled to their opinion, and I’m entitled to mine.”
Potter added: “I think a lot of our fans understand where we’re at, what we’re trying to do, the process.
“In any situation there’s always maybe a small minority that sometimes are louder than the majority. But I don’t doubt our support, I don’t doubt the majority of fans.
“I just think sometimes we need to communicate and say ‘Can we be better?’ If we want to be a top-10 team, can we be a top-10 environment at the Amex? And that is why I said what I said after the game.”
Potter had also on Saturday made reference to Brighton’s position in the Premier League – in which their highest finish has been 15th – as he said: “Maybe I need a bit of a history lesson at this football club”.
In the eight-match winless sequence, featuring six draws, the team have scored five times, including two penalties.
Saturday saw Neal Maupay and Jakub Moder miss good chances, while Leeds’ woodwork was rattled via efforts from Leandro Trossard and Solly March.
When asked about possibly signing a forward in January, Potter said: “The job of the club is to always look to improve, but just because you identify something, it doesn’t mean to say there’s a person out there that fits, that is available, that makes a difference.
“We’ve got Danny (Welbeck) coming back from injury (in the coming weeks), Neal has played 82 games for us, scored 22 goals, one in four as he is adapting to the league, and he’s getting better with experience.
“I think it’s too easy to look for an external solution, but I understand when we’re not scoring, that’s the question and what people want. But I’d like to think they trust (owner) Tony Bloom and the club.
“If we can spot any player we think can improve us, we’ll do that. But at the same time it’s really important we understand the players we have and the journey they’re on. There’s a lot to be happy and excited about at this club – it’s not all doom and gloom.”
