Danny Cullip's shock transfer request has cast a shadow over table-topping Albion's stunning start to life back in the Second Division.

It brings centre stage a topic which must be gnawing away at chairman Dick Knight and his fellow directors as the Seagulls sit proudly on top of the table.

Can we really afford to win promotion this season?

Cullip's determination to leave is not just because Cardiff indirectly enquired about his availability last week. That has simply exacerbated the situation.

His request is rooted in reservations about where the club is heading.

Knight said in the statement announcing Cullip's impending departure: "This may have something to do with our recent training ground problems, it may be because we play in a limited temporary home.

"For a club in our position and circumstances these issues are frustrating, but they are being resolved."

Crucial to understanding what, on the face of it, seems like a bolt from the blue is that Cullip tackled the club about these issues earlier this season, well before Micky Adams left for Leicester and Peter Taylor arrived from the opposite direction.

Adams' special relationship with a player he has signed three times persuaded Cullip not to rock a ship sailing merrily along.

The training ground saga has intensified since then. Albion will also be playing in a new stadium at Falmer long after Cullip's contract, extended to the end of next season, has run its course.

Throw into the mix interest from Cardiff, with a lot more financial muscle to support plans for a new ground and training facilities, and you begin to appreciate why Cullip would be prepared to drop a few places down the Second Division.

The irony is that Albion have progressed as a team too quickly for the club's own good. Playing in the First Division at Withdean with a 7,000 capacity would be laughable.

Ronnie Moore, who has guided Rotherham from the Third to the First Division in successive seasons, told The Argus in the summer: "We are finding the big gap, not just in ability but more in terms of wages, is between Two and One.

"Our top earner in the Third Division was 45 grand. Last season in the Second it was 62 grand.

"Now we cannot get anybody in for less than £200,000, which is a massive leap for a club like ours."

Putting more seats in at Withdean to raise revenue for increased wage demands is a delicate matter. Albion fear it will encourage the anti-Falmer lobby to promote the temporary home as a permanent alternative.

Stuck in the middle of all this is Taylor. The Seagulls are unbeaten since he succeeded Adams a month ago and they will stay on top of the table until at least next Tuesday when Brentford visit Huddersfield, 24 hours ahead of Albion's home game against Peterborough.

While the loss of Cullip would undoubtedly be a major blow to Albion, it is possible to over-estimate the impact it might have on sustaining the promotion challenge.

Cullip is probably the third name on the team sheet. Third because you wonder who would score all the goals if Bobby Zamora leaves and Will Packham, a rookie with a few minutes League experience, would be left between the posts if Michel Kuipers went.

The position Cullip occupies so forcibly at the heart of the back four is one in which Albion have adequate cover.

Matthew Wicks has not been at his best so far this season, but that has more to do with niggling injuries than a lack of ability and Andy Crosby has never let the side down.

In any case, the "big fee" Albion will demand for Cullip would presumably give Taylor at least some room for manoeuvre in the transfer market.

One report from Wales yesterday claimed Cardiff are lining up a £900,000 bid, in which case I suggest Knight should bite Sam Hammam's hand off.

Cullip is an exceptional Second Division centre half, probably capable of holding his own in the First Division as well.

But even a more realistic fee of say £500,000 for a player prone to injury and purchased by Adams for one tenth of that figure would represent sound business.

The departure of his star defender may not be as much of a concern for the unfortunate Taylor as a fear of the squad he inherited from Adams, through absolutely no fault of his own, gradually breaking up.

The list of names is littered with players signed by Adams more than once. They came because he was the manager, not because of their love for the club.

The worry for Taylor and Albion is how many of them share Cullip's concerns.

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