Gary Dicker has hailed Gus Poyet as the man who “changed everything” at Albion.

Dicker has been released by the Seagulls after four-and-a-half seasons with the club while Poyet is expected to depart soon having been suspended for alleged breach of contract.

The Irish midfielder is one of the few players who had been at the club when Poyet arrived in November 2009.

The manager's three-and-a-half year stint is ending in acrimonious circumstances but Dicker has highlighted the massive impact he has had on the pitch.

He said: “I've had a great time here with the gaffer - and everybody really since day one.

“I can’t really put my finger on anything.

“I just think the day he walked in at this club he changed everything.

“He has made this club how it is today, how professional it is, how they have got everything right for the players.

“You look at the players he can attract to the club. In fairness, I don’t think most managers would have got them.

“When he speaks, you want to listen and you want to play for him.

“I think that is how he has got the best out of everyone.

“We went from a team in the relegation zone to a team winning the league and that doesn’t happen much in football.

“I think that proves what type of manager he is.

“He can get the best out of players straight away and he gets the respect of the players.

“I think that is massive. Everyone wants to play for him.”

Albion’s released players were told they were being let go on Thursday by chairman Tony Bloom and head of football operations David Burke.

Dicker felt the process was “weird” but the reasons became obvious with news that evening that Poyet had been suspended.

He added: “The gaffer said it wasn’t his decision. It was the club’s.

“I met the chairman and David Burke and they told me the news.

“It was weird and disappointing but it happens in football.”

Dicker’s appreciation of his time with Poyet is in stark contrast to that of Vicente, who fired a stinging parting shot at his boss after being let go.

With just four starts since mid-October, Dicker concedes it has been a tough season.

But he is confident he can play in the Championship next season.

He admitted: “It was just one of those seasons where I didn’t play as much as I would have liked.

“I’m not one for accepting second best.

“I’ve kept my head down like everyone else and tried to work hard.

“Sometimes it just doesn’t happen for you. This year I’ve racked up a few appearances but I wasn’t as much of a regular as I have been.

“Nothing against the lads, they have done well. It has been a great group of lads.

“I’ve been here since the start. The lads who were here before - Tommy Elphick, Matty Sparrow, Alan Navvaro, all them –- I think we have had a great group of players.

“I think the club has been blessed in the way the players have acted, really.”

He added: “I want to get back to playing and enjoying football every week, being a part of a team.

“Not that I haven’t felt part of it but obviously, when you are not playing, you are not that involved.

“I’ll just get back playing, stay injury free and get back to what I want to do best, playing on a Saturday.”