Ian Holloway has defended under-pressure Brighton manager Sami Hyypia but wants to inflict further misery on him on Friday night.

Millwall travel to the Amex Stadium where victory could cost Hyypia his job and take Holloway’s side from 20th to at least 17th in the Championship table.

The experienced Holloway is sympathetic for the pressure Hyypia is already under given he only joined Brighton in the summer but he recognises the same could quickly happen to him.

“Mr Hyypia is a fantastic man, fantastic coach – he was a fantastic player – wonderful record, but welcome to management,” Holloway said.

“Welcome to English management.

“Everything goes with the English game and it seems if you don’t win instantly you’ll be written about.

“But it’s better than not being written about, I suppose.

“It’s just the way the game’s going.”

There is yet to be a sacking in the Premier League this season but the Football League, where stability is rare, is proving as demanding as ever.

“We’re all getting shot at left, right and centre, we all know the way football is, what a wonderful game it is,” Holloway said.

“In the media attention it all gets completely blown out of proportion, other people’s views.

“I listened to 5 live the other evening, there was a so-called ‘Liverpool supporter’ with a London accent, I thought he was a manager to be honest, I really did, but that’s football, I suppose, everybody’s got opinions and without those opinions we haven’t got such a wonderful game, have we?

“It’s not easy. We’ve all accumulated records year after year after year of actually doing it for real.

“To do it from your armchair at home is not the same.

“I can’t talk about how Brighton feel. I’m going to go there and try and beat ‘em, I’m going to go there and try and put him under even more pressure, but I’m under my own pressure to achieve things that I want to achieve for my own football club.

“I’ll be judged the same as he will, over and over again, as long as you’re a football manager.

“Nothing you’ve done before matters, until the next game. If you win that one, does that make you a good manager?

"If I lose the next one does that make me a bad manager?”

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