Brighton and Melissa Phillips have parted ways - was it the right decision?

When the news broke that Brighton and Hove Albion had parted company with head coach Melissa Phillips, there were many who admitted surprise at the decision and felt that the American had been hard done by.

However, given their current league placing and lofty ambitions, perhaps it should have been expected, with it clear that results have not been at the level that would have been hoped for before the campaign had got underway and players struggling for most of the season to show any coherency.

There are certainly arguments for both sides, and it is understandable that fans and the media alike have been debating the decision ever since her departure was announced.

2022/2023 struggles

The key question to ask really is if Brighton have shown any signs of progression during Phillips’ time at the helm, and, to answer it, there is a need to look back at where the team was when she first arrived in East Sussex back in April 2023. In short, Brighton at that stage were not in a good place, with them a point adrift at the foot of the WSL table and with just seven games left to secure their safety, although they did at that stage have two games in hand over second-bottom Leicester City which they knew would be season-defining fixtures.