Michel Kuipers must be used to ruthless bosses following his stint as a Dutch commando.

Now he knows Micky Adams can be just as unforgiving as any of his former superiors in the marines.

Kuipers suffered the embarrassment of being axed halfway through his League debut for Albion.

It is pretty unusual for a goalkeeper to be replaced without being injured.

Kuipers, with only one first team appearance behind him for Bristol Rovers, had no chance with the early header by Martin Carruthers which deflated the premature hype on the terraces about the Seagulls' prospects this season.

He had little else to do, apart from a couple of routine saves from long range shots.

Adams was reluctant to go into too much detail about his decision, other than to confirm there was nothing wrong with Kuipers' health and that his performance fell below expectations.

There were one or two examples of uncertain defending by Albion players close to their own goal when crosses came in, which indicated Kuipers wasn't vocal enough.

Alan Cork's half-time instruction to his replacement, Mark Cartwright, to "try and speed things up" also suggested Adams was unhappy with the Dutchman's rather laid-back approach to getting the ball upfield, especially with his side trailing.

The substitution of Kuipers was not the only surprise Adams had up his sleeve. He also replaced Paul Rogers, his captain and virtually an ever-present in the midfield engine room last season, at half time.

There was a sound tactical explanation for this change. Adams started with a 4-3-3 formation in which Charlie Oatway was given a man marking job on Scott Houghton.

Revert Behind at the break, with the onus on his team to force their way back into the game, Adams introduced Darren Freeman for Rogers to revert to 4-4-2.

The capture of Bobby Zamora last week has catapulted already huge expectations beyond sane boundaries. Reading some remarks on one of the fans' websites you would think promotion is a formality.

A punter has staked £1,500 on Albion winning the Third Division. At sweltering Roots Hall on Saturday 3,500 people agreed with him. They were singing "Bring On The Champions" ten minutes before kick-off.

Southend are going through the sort of off-field upheavals familiar to Seagulls supporters. Adams warned this can work in two ways, either offering players a convenient excuse to hide or inspiring them to draw strength from adversity.

It took the home side only five minutes to give their answer. David Lee played a corner short to the supporting Damon Searle and he whipped over a telling cross which Carruthers converted with an emphatic downward header befitting a forward who top scored with 19 goals last season.

There was a touch of irony about the identity of the provider. Searle, signed from Carlisle, is the leftback replacement for Nathan Jones, forced like Danny Cullip to sit in the stands due to suspension.

Albion, with Paul Brooker starting on the right rather than the left, never really recovered from that swift setback.

A defence denied Cullip's commanding presence looked uncomfortable, Southend skipper and right wingback Martyn Booty was making good use of the space he was allowed on the overlap, while the Seagulls were over-elaborating once they reached the edge of the box.

Nobody came close in the first half to emulating the Albion spectator who ran onto the pitch to score into an empty net as Andy Woodman prepared to take a goalkick.

Only Zamora threatened to breach a sturdy five-man rearguard with a well-struck shot without breaking stride from Oatway's neat flick which tested Woodman's agility.

Adams' double-change induced a more positive start to the second half. Richard Carpenter fired narrowly wide and Hart's angled drive was parried behind by Woodman, making an accomplished debut on loan from Brentford.

But it was down to Albion's loan goalkeeper to keep them in touch with two splendid saves.

Cartwright spectacularly tipped over Neil Tolson's goalbound thunderbolt after Houghton, breaking down the left, found the striker unmarked inside the box.

Cartwright's second stop, although less of a crowd-pleaser, was even better.

Booty's low drive sped through a ruck of players, but the unsighted keeper somehow kept it out and got a hand to the rebound to scramble the ball to safety with Freeman's help.

Cartwright was powerless to prevent the goal which sealed Southend's eighth successive home victory over the Seagulls seven minutes from time.

Carpenter conceded possession cheaply in midfield. Lee, a 20-year-old midfielder from Spurs, advanced unopposed to celebrate his League debut with a delightful curving effort from outside the area which went in via a post.

Adams was brutally honest about Albion's shortcomings. "We were caught napping and in the whole of the first half we were second best all around the pitch.

"All areas frustrated me, starting from the goalkeeper all the way to the front. We didn't get hold of the ball and they were first to everything. We didn't have enough quality on the ball and we tried to walk it into the net.

"I made two tactical changes and Cartwright did very well when he came on. We had to chase the game, but our hearts ruled our heads and you have to give great credit to Southend.

"It was easy for their manager to motivate them. He, like me, must have read in the newspapers that we are one of the favourites for promotion. Our fans were singing that we're going up before the game.

"We weren't good enough and had our backsides smacked, but we are only three points off the top of the League!"

That punter shouldn't be too downcast. Adams' old club Swansea lost 1-0 at York on the opening day last season but went on to win the title.