List of top 10 Brighton Managers in the last 20 years

Brighton and Hove Albion, or simply Brighton has been coached by some of the greatest managers in English Premier League history, and these Brighton managers have brought different tactics and gameplans with them to drive the club towards greatness. When the club was founded in 1901, their first manager was John Jakson. From then, 39 coaches have been enlisted on the list of Brighton managers. 

From Graham Potter to Gus Poyet, from Barry Lloyd to Jimmy Case, there are plenty of coaches who are considered the greatest Brighton managers due to their undeniable influence on the club’s success. These managers have not only brought silverware to the English club, but also have made Brighton relevant amongst the elite teams in the UK. Despite not winning a Premier League title, the Seagulls have been instrumental in deciding the fate of the top domestic league on several occasions. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 best Brighton managers in the last 20 years.

Detailed List of Brighton Managers (From 1980 to 2024)

List of Best Brighton managers (Last 10)

10. Mark McGhee

Mark McGhee is on top of the list of the last 10 Brighton managers. After savoring considerable success at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Millwall, he joined Brighton, inheriting Steve Coppell. Before he arrived at the Falmer Stadium, the Seagulls were relegated to League One. It took McGhee only one year to hand the club their promotion to the English Championship. Under his keen watch, Brighton won 1-0 over Bristol City in the play-off final. 

Brighton finished the following season in 20th place, their highest league position in 14 years. However, he was sacked in 2006 after the Seagulls suffered multiple losses in the 2006/07 Championship season.

9. Dean Wilkins

Following the sack of Mark McGhee, Dean Wilkins was handed the interim managerial role at Brighton and Hove Albion in 2006. In order to bring a sense of relief and stability in the club, he was later promoted to the permanent head coach with a three-year contract. 

However, Wilkins failed to make a mark on the sideline of the Falmer Stadium. Before parting ways with the East Sussex-based outfit, he recorded 30 wins and 33 defeats as the manager. 

Also Read: Last 10 Tottenham Hotspur manager list | Club Reign

8. Micky Adams

Micky Adams is regarded as one of the greatest Brighton managers. He spent three years with the club and earned a lot of respect from the Seagulls’ supporters. The English manager’s first stint with Brighton was from 1999 to 2001. Adams helped the Seagulls earn promotion as the champions of the English third division. He started revolutionizing the Brighton squad by signing a star player in the form of Bobby Zamora. 

Adams was also awarded the Third Division Manager of the Month for two successive months due to his successful run on the sidelines. 

7. Russell Slade

Russell Slade is a respected figure in the second and third divisions of the English Championship. The 63-year-old English manager spent less than a year at the club. When Micky Adams left the Seagulls, Slade took over in 2009. But, his poor performance could not satisfy the fans and management. He managed Brighton for 31 matches, winning only 9 matches in the process. A string of losses led to his sack in November 2009.

6. Gus Poyet

Gus Poyet has built a legacy of his own as one of the best Brighton managers. The former Tottenham Hotspur coach came to Palmer Stadium when the club was going through a bad patch. Initially, he got off to a flying start as Brighton clinched a remarkable 3-1 win away from home. Under Poyet’s stewardship, the Seagulls finished the 2010/11 League One season as the table toppers. Brighton went on to lift the League One title and earn a promotion to the Championship.

Poyet made some breakthrough signings, breaking the club’s record transfer fee in securing the signings of Craig Mackail-Smith and Will Buckley. For his incredible achievement on the sidelines, Poyet was handed the Outstanding Managerial Achievement Award at the Football League Awards ceremony in 2012. 

5. Oscar Garcia

After the exit of Gus Poyet, Brighton brought in the former Barcelona Youth coach, Oscar Garcia to fill the void. There was a lot of expectation from Garcia, who became popular after his stint with the Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv. From 2013 to 2014, Brighton won only 21 games, while losing 16 times in 53 games. There was a lot of pressure on Garcia to match the high-standard, set by the previous manager Gus Poyet. Upon failing to gain trust in the dressing room, Garcia left the Sussex-based outfit in 2014. 

4. Sami Hyypia

Sami Hyypia spent less than a year at Brighton despite signing a three-year contract with the English Championship club. After taking charge at Falmer Stadium, the former Bayer Leverkusen manager faced a string of poor results, resulting in a possibility of relegation. Hyypia became a villain for the Brighton supporters after the club registered only one win in 18 matches at that time. Following a lucky 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hyypia, who was said to be one of the greatest Brighton managers, tendered his resignation.

3. Chris Hughton

Chris Hughton is arguably the best Brighton manager in the last 20 years. The former English full-back joined Brighton as their head coach in 2014 and spent five long years with them. His managerial debut ended in a 2-0 victory which lifted the morale of the supporters. 

Hughton resurrected the Seagulls and guided them to the 2016/17 EFL Championship silverware, with three games in hand. Under his stewardship, the English club was promoted to the Premier League. Brighton finished in the 15th position in their first season in the English top flight. His best match from that season came in the form of a 1-0 win against Manchester United at home. However, Hughton could not continue his memorable run on the Brighton sidelines as he was sacked following three victories in 23 games in 2019. 

2. Graham Potter

Graham Potter arrived at Brighton with a bombshell 3-0 away victory over Watford in 2019. Under his watch, the Seagulls recorded their most number of goals and highest points in the Premier League, amassing 39 goals and 41 points in a calendar year. Potter led Brighton to beat the reigning champions Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield after handing 1-0 defeat to Spurs. In the same year, Potter’s side came from behind to beat Manchester City 3-2 in a thrilling Premier League encounter. 

In the 2021/22 season, Brighton achieved their highest ever Premier League finish, ending the season in the ninth spot of the points tally. Potter also became the first Brighton manager to win at Old Trafford after his side ran away with a 2-1 win in the curtain raiser of the 2022/23 season. 

Also Read: Ranking 10 best Chelsea Managers in the last 20 years

1. Roberto De Zerbi

After Graham Potter left for Chelsea, Brighton signed the former Shakhtar Donetsk coach Roberto De Zerbi as their manager. The Italian coach has spent two years (2022-24) on the sidelines of the Seagulls and has made an incredible mark as one of the greatest Brighton managers. In his first game in charge, the Sussex-based club drew 3-3 against Liverpool. Leandro Trossard became the first Brighton player to have scored a hat-trick in the Premier League in that game. 

His first victory came against former Brighton manager Graham Potter’s Chelsea as the Seagulls hammered the Blues 4-1. De Zerbi propelled the club to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2023, only to be beaten by Manchester United. Brighton ended the Premier League season in the seventh spot, which was a historical feat for the club. However, in 2024 when Brighton was in the 11th position in the Premier League table, De Zerbi was sacked.

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