In Tuesday’s Argus, Gus Poyet hinted he may leave Brighton and Hove Albion following the team’s defeat to Crystal Palace in the play-offs. Now, one reader writes an open letter to the manager: Gus, you posed the question; no, you have not hit the roof.

Rather, for the fourth season in succession you have reached another high water mark.

The level of performance achieved since the Albion’s win at Ipswich on New Year’s Day has been at automatic promotion level but, as you have often said, the final league table reflects the performance over the whole season.

The signs are that under your leadership, and backed by the Albion’s board, the club can repeat the achievement of Alan Mullery and Mike Bamber and his board (which included Bloom family members) of gaining automatic promotion in 1979 after coming fourth in 1978.

You have chosen to concentrate all your adult life so far in an area of human endeavour which pits skill (collective and individual) against risk, chance and uncertainty.

This is what makes football such a compelling spectacle for those such as myself who have watched it (for more than 65 years so far), and such an interesting challenge for those who play, coach or manage.

What could be more unpredictable and uncertain than the bounce of a ball when you are not allowed to control it in any way with your hands (except for the goalkeeper)?

You are right to say your method is to help the team to gain and keep control.

But success in that is relative and your methods do achieve a high level – but never 100%.

You are also right to say that the final league table is the best way of showing which team achieved the greatest success and for that reason the first three deserve to be promoted.

We just fell short of that because we did not perform to the same level in the first half of the season as we did in the second.

And so we entered what was, in reality, a lottery where uncertainty and chance is always likely to triumph over skill and organisation because so many uncontrollable elements are at work; just reflect on the changes and the chances of the last two minutes of the other play-off semi-final between Watford and Leicester, where Watford scored right at the end after Leicester missed a penalty.

The end result was as it should be – Watford came third and still have a chance of promotion.

I am sure Tony Bloom, with his experience of trying to control chance in another area of human activity, will agree with me.

So the next step in the Albion’s resurrection from near destruction is to keep up the level of performance we have seen over the past four months.

Under your leadership, I have no doubt this is possible.

The “roof” with Albion is still some way above you.

Best wishes to you and your team, and thanks for an amazing season.

Bob Hinton, Highview Way, Brighton