Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hürzeler said that he understood the frustration of the club’s ambitious fans.
And he accepted “critical feedback” from expectant supporters because it comes with the territory amid his team’s recent poor run of form.
Albion travel to West Ham United tomorrow (Saturday 21 December) seeking to end their four-match winless run during which the club has dropped from second to ninth in the Premier League table.
Some Seagulls supporters vented frustration after the 3-1 home defeat to rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday (1 December).
It followed a defeat at Fulham sandwiched between draws with struggling Southampton and Leicester City.
Hürzeler told a press conference: “I think it is the right thing that the supporters have these expectations because it shows we are ambitious and that is exactly what I want from the club – to create this winning culture and to be ambitious.
“If you try to act with courage and say that’s our goal, then it is also part of it to fail at one time and to be criticised at one time.
“It is part of the business. It is not a nice business. It is a very honest business. Critical feedback is part of the business and then you have to deal with it.”
Brighton’s results have included impressive wins over Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Bournemouth since Hürzeler too charge in the summer.
Yet the opening day victory over Everton remains the only success against any of the current bottom six sides in the division.
Hürzeler said: “The message is stick together, try to find solutions, stay positive, try to support each other and show togetherness, because especially in these periods you can be really honest with each other and you can learn a lot from each other.”
The 31-year-old German added: “If everything went perfectly, you wouldn’t learn anything and that’s why we see this period as a chance and an opportunity.”
Albion’s opponents tomorrow sit 14th in the table – five points behind and five places below Brighton.
The Hammers eased the pressure on manager Julen Lopetegui with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and, on Monday, a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
Albion have never lost at the London Stadium, having registered two wins and five draws in seven visits.
Hürzeler added: “I’m not the biggest fan of statistics, to be honest, so I try to really focus just on preparing the team the best we can so that we have a good match plan, that we are mentally and physically ready for the game.”
He recognised the task ahead, saying of West Ham: “It’s a team with a lot of individual quality. It’s a team who can create a lot of chances and I think their last few games were quite positive for them.
“They showed a good performance against Bournemouth and that’s why it will be a big challenge.”
Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui is expected to be back in the West Ham dugout tomorrow having travelled to Spain for his father’s funeral.
