The message to the Brighton coaching staff, players and fans must be: Don't panic.

Albion's last three games have emphasised what a tough league Division One is, and at least no-one is under any illusions as to the size of the challenge ahead.

Forget all this nonsense about the play-offs, finishing fourth or fifth from bottom would be a great achievement.

The best chance of achieving that aim is to have faith in the players and staff who helped the Albion to two successive promotions.

Everyone connected with Brighton has got used to winning and being successful, especially at home, in the last two seasons but defeats to Norwich and Walsall has enveloped Withdean in pessimism.

Just as winning breeds confidence, a run of three defeats can quickly erode a player's, and a team's, belief.

The crowd at Withdean must get behind the team and encourage them to play without fear.

Due to the unusual lay-out of the ground, the acoustics inside the stadium are minimal and all the fans will have to generate a lot more noise if they are to intimidate the visitors and inspire their own players.

I mentioned earlier this month that I hoped Hinsh would prove a lucky manager.

In the previous two seasons Albion have had few injury problems which has been a key element in their success because they have a small squad.

This season suggests that good fortune may have deserted them and Hinsh will have to be flexible in future to cope with absentees.

To lose the likes of Bobby Zamora, Steve Melton, Gary Hart, Michel Kuipers, Nathan Jones and Paul Kitson for matches so soon in the season is nothing short of disastrous.

Against Walsall their absence was telling and the Midlands team were big and strong.

In situations like that you have to change your tactics because it is no good hitting high balls up to the likes of teenagers Daniel Marney and Shaun Wilkinson.

Unfortunately Albion's plight is not going to get any easier with tough-looking matches coming up at Portsmouth and Millwall.

I was disappointed they didn't get anything out of the Wimbledon match because that was a good opportunity to collect all three points.

Today's match at Portsmouth will be interesting because Harry Redknapp is such a shrewd manager and he has revitalised Portsmouth from relegation contenders into title chasers.

Redknapp is one of the best in the business and when he was at West Ham he often used to phone me for advice about foreign players I had encountered with TV work for European football.

Pompey will be red-hot favourites to win but there are no certainties in football.

Sometimes it is a good thing to have a difficult match after a poor result because you don't have to motivate the players.

Albion can bounce back from their recent defeats but it is a question of not panicking.

When Zamora is back fit in the team it will give everyone a lift and hopefully help the lads up the table too.

The Dennis Wise saga has reached farcical levels.

Us ex-pros cannot believe the PFA would back Wise against another PFA member whose jaw he broke.

I realise the PFA's complaint is against Leicester rather than Callum Davidson, who was the victim, but Davidson says he will demand a transfer if Wise is reinstated after being sacked.

Whatever the outcome, it is hard to deny that Leicester, the team I backed for promotion, are in a mess.

What must Micky Adams be thinking after leaving Albion, on the verge of a second promotion, for the Midlands? I hope he has no regrets. He took the job because he had the chance to manage in the Premiership and pit his wits against the likes of Manchester United.

It hasn't worked out but if he shows the management skills he displayed at Brighton then he could still return to the big time.

I was speaking to Martin O'Neill recently and even he, one of the most successful managers in British football, gets stressed out.

Martin was talking about the necessity of getting into the Champions League and the possible financial penalty of not making it.

These days it is worth at least £10 million just to get out of the qualifying stages and into the main draw.

For Martin that is the difference between signing players that will enable him to fulfil his ambitions at the club and not.

So I suspect he has suffered the odd sleepless night since his side lost to Basle in the third qualifying round. The compensation is that at least they get into the UEFA Cup.

The introduction of a transfer deadline in August for Premiership clubs brings England's top flight into line with other leagues on the continent but initially it could cause more problems than it solves.

A lot of Premiership clubs are going to come unstuck and you could have a lot of panic buying when the embargo is temporarily lifted.

The plus side is that if injury sidelines senior players then the younger lads will get a chance to shine and the pros won't get burnt out because squads will need to be bigger.

When I played in Spain they had a similar deadline and it meant we had a squad of 25 and we didn't play as many games. Back home we played 60 or 70 games a season then with internationals, cup matches and league games.

It's knackering, you needed dozens of injections to get through them and I still have a bad back as a result.