WHO said too many cooks spoil the broth? Only one was needed to leave Albion in the soup.

Steve Cook got most of the major decisions right on a crazy afternoon at Withdean but more sensible refereeing would have resulted in only one red card, instead of three.

The Surrey official’s eagerness to reach for his pocket at the start of another eventful match had damaging repercussions later on.

Tommy Elphick could have no complaints about his second yellow card, just past the hour, for a daft tackle from behind on Peter Thompson.

He was very unlucky, though, to be booked midway through the first half, when he challenged Owain Fon Williams to head in an Andrew Whing free-kick.

It was obvious it would be disallowed, given the over-protection afforded to goalkeepers nowadays but the caution was unnecessary.

Liam Bridcutt, making his debut on loan to Stockport from Chelsea, suffered a similar fate. He was harshly booked just ten minutes into the contest for a foul on Nicky Forster.

Bridcutt, like Elphick, was stupid after that, knocking the ball away when Albion had been awarded a late free-kick.

What a wretched week it has been for Russell Slade and his players following that 7-1 humiliation at Huddersfield.

Never in his worst nightmare could Slade have envisaged the unfortunate impact of his orthodox response to Elphick’s dismissal.

Dean Cox was withdrawn and Colin Hawkins introduced in Elphick’s position in the centre of defence. Within two minutes Hawkins conceded a penalty and was sent-off.

A distracting double save by Graeme Smith from shots by Carl Baker and Thompson disguised a tug by the Irishman on Thompson.

Slade admitted: “It was a sending off. He (Hawkins) said it was. It bounced in his path, he put his hand up for offside, it clearly wasn’t offside and he tugged him.”

Baker converted from the spot to claim his hat-trick and put Stockport 3-2 up.

It was ten against nine by the time Oli Johnson, County’s pacey substitute, exploited the wide open spaces and rounded Smith to complete the carnage in the closing stages.

So here we go again. Albion head for Millwall with speculation surrounding the manager.

Mark McGhee and Micky Adams both lost their jobs before entering the Lions’ Den. Now Dennis Wise, strongly linked with the post before Slade was appointed, is being touted once more.

Wise’s presence at the Seagulls’ game at Brentford has fuelled suggestions he has been lined up but, according to a well-placed source at the club, this is emphatically not the case and the new regime, headed by Tony Bloom are not about to abandon last season’s saviour.

Why should they? Yes, Albion have made an awful start but Slade is having horrid luck with injuries as he tries to mould a much-changed squad.

It is also so easy to forget they took just four points from his first seven matches last season before the tide turned so dramatically.

There were encouraging signs against Stockport of Albion getting their act together in an attacking sense. Forster and Liam Dickinson were both on the scoresheet and there was evidence of them developing an understanding.

Elliott Bennett did not see enough of the ball on his debut on the right wing before running out of steam.

When he did he more often than not delivered with quality. That was the case with a quickly taken free-kick, missed by Andrew Crofts but met by Forster on the bounce with a stooping header which gave Albion a 28th minute lead they warranted on the balance of play.

Dickinson, visibly growing in confidence, was set up by a combination of Forster and Alan Navarro for his second cracking strike in as many games, which restored parity approaching the hour.

Albion found themselves behind before then because they defended poorly and are not learning their lessons.

As at Huddersfield, a Dickinson goal was instantly cancelled out. Baker, dangerous even before he had scored, converted from close range after Thompson, with his back to goal, flicked on a right-wing cross from Danny Pilkington.

Baker's second early in the second half, although brilliant in its execution, highlighted a recurring flaw. Albion are too easy to get at, the room too inviting between the midfield and a retreating defence.

Baker made the most of it, running away from Crofts and checking inside Elphick to find the net with an exquisite chip from the edge of the box.

Of all the turning points the biggest was the outstanding Fon Williams diverting Forster’s 48th-minute penalty against a post after Dickinson had been brought down by Michael Raynes. Slade said: “Key moments in games are not going our way. That would have put us in front and probably given us a bit more momentum.

“However, we have to defend better as a team, not just the back four, although the back four dropped out a bit too much. We need a lot of work to rectify that situation.”

Too right. You cannot leak an average of three goals per game and expect to get results.

Albion (4-4-2): Kuipers; Virgo, Elphick, Tunnicliffe, Whing; Bennett (Wright 58), Navarro, Crofts, Cox (Hawkins 63); Forster (Dicker 67), Dickinson. Subs not used: El-Abd, Walker, Thornhill, Davies.

Goals: Forster (28), Dickinson (59).

Red cards: Elphick (25) foul and (61) foul, Hawkins (65) professional foul.

Yellow card: Dickinson (69) diving.

Stockport (4-1-2-1-2): Fon Williams; Mullins, Havern, Raynes, Rose; Bridcutt; Pilkington (Griffin 57), Poole; Tansey; Thompson (Johnson 73), Baker. Subs not used: Turnbull, Vincent, Gerrard, Halls, Edwards.

Goals: Baker (30), (54) and (66) penalty, Johnson (89).

Red cards: Bridcutt (10) foul and (84) kicking ball away.

Yellow card: Rose (17) foul.