By . Sam Cunningham . Follow @@samcunningham . Sami Hyypia is remembered fondly on the red half of Merseyside as Big Sami, for his decade playing at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. But since he has turned to football management his approach has drawn comparison more with England manager Roy Hodgson than West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, the original Big Sam. Those who work closely with the Finn describe a manager who knows what he wants, demands high standards and carries an air of authority wherever he goes. Losing hurts him, they say, even if it is just in a pre-season friendly. New man at the top: Sami Hyypia is tasked with leading Brighton's promotion charge . When Brighton and Hove Albion started to look for a replacement for the departing Oscar Garcia, they wanted a modern manager suitable for their structure and philosophy — a hybrid of the continental model, where the man in charge focuses on little else other than the team, and the more traditional English style where the manager does practically everything. After an exhaustive recruitment process led by chairman Tony Bloom and chief executive Paul Barber, Hyypia emerged as an early favourite. They interviewed those who played with him and played for him, who coached him and had been coached by him, anyone he had come into contact with in the game. And the pair agreed on the 40-year-old, who has evolved from the scruffy yet formidable centre back signed by Gerard Houllier in 1999 into a suave manager. His face is one not to be messed with; nose slightly bent from too many tussles with centre forwards and chiselled cheekbones. Fierce competitor: Hyypia was a formidable centre back during his time at Liverpool . Landing a manager who had just spent two years in charge at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, including leading them into the Champions League before he was sacked in April, was a statement of intent. Speak to people at Brighton and they talk of being ‘Premier League ready’. They have just opened a £32million academy and training ground which has been awarded the highest score ever by the Premier League’s independent auditors. Their £93million, 30,500-capacity stadium has had the highest average Championship gates in the past two seasons. Winning mentality: Hyypia was part of the Liverpool team that lifted the Champions League in 2005 . Barber handles the commercial side and negotiations for the biggest deals, head of football David Burke runs every other department and Hyypia has to rubber-stamp it all while focusing on his team. They all report directly to Bloom. Burke worked behind the scenes at Southampton between 2010 and 2012. Previously he was in Manchester City’s recruitment department and before that worked on Fulham’s now flourishing academy. Burke said: ‘What sold the club to Sami was not only everything in place with the structure from the continental model, like he had in Germany, but that he gets the choice on everything, like the British model. Everyone takes direction from the manager but then leaves him to concentrate on getting the team ready for the next game. In the hotseat: Hyypia took over following the departure of Oscar Garcia . ‘Southampton is a fair comparison to how it works. This system is designed so there is minimal distraction for the manager. ‘We don’t say you have to sign this player or we’re going to sell that one, if he wants scouting reports or suggestions of players we provide them.’ At Leverkusen, Hyppia lost Andre Schurrle to Chelsea for £18m, but he was then replaced by a player at a fraction of that fee. He admits he had very little say in any transfers. But he is so comfortable with Brighton’s model he has brought in just one member of staff so far — goalkeeping coach Antti Niemi. Summer signing: Aaron Hughes has arrived on a free transfer after being released by QPR . He has also made four signings since joining, including Aaron Hughes, who played at Fulham under Hodgson and sees similarities in his new manager’s meticulous approach. Hughes said: ‘Sometimes it was repetitive, but you saw the success we had at Fulham and I see some of the same things here.’ Now 34, Hughes was plying his trade in the Premier League when Hyypia was winning the Champions League, Uefa Cup, FA Cups and League Cups. Barber added: ‘His work ethic, commitment and desire are frankly what you expect from someone who has played the game at the highest level. He’s hit the ground running. ‘One thing we’ve noticed is that he’s a winner. Losing pre-season friendlies bothers him, it hurts him. It’s a character trait we like.’ The minimum expectation this season is to reach the play-offs, where they have fallen short in the last two campaigns. If Hyypia is the final piece in the jigsaw to make Brighton ‘Premier League ready’, Big Sami could soon be joining Big Sam on the top-flight touchline.
Former Liverpool defender in charge of Seagulls' promotion push .
Hyypia took over following the departure of Oscar Garcia in May .
Finn's approach to management has drawn comparisons with Roy Hodgson .
By . Sam Cunningham . Follow @@samcunningham . Sami Hyypia is remembered fondly on the red half of Merseyside as Big Sami, for his decade playing at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. But since he has turned to football management his approach has drawn comparison more with England manager Roy Hodgson than West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, the original Big Sam. Those who work closely with the Finn describe a manager who knows what he wants, demands high standards and carries an air of authority wherever he goes. Losing hurts him, they say, even if it is just in a pre-season friendly. New man at the top: Sami Hyypia is tasked with leading Brighton's promotion charge . When Brighton and Hove Albion started to look for a replacement for the departing Oscar Garcia, they wanted a modern manager suitable for their structure and philosophy — a hybrid of the continental model, where the man in charge focuses on little else other than the team, and the more traditional English style where the manager does practically everything. After an exhaustive recruitment process led by chairman Tony Bloom and chief executive Paul Barber, Hyypia emerged as an early favourite. They interviewed those who played with him and played for him, who coached him and had been coached by him, anyone he had come into contact with in the game. And the pair agreed on the 40-year-old, who has evolved from the scruffy yet formidable centre back signed by Gerard Houllier in 1999 into a suave manager. His face is one not to be messed with; nose slightly bent from too many tussles with centre forwards and chiselled cheekbones. Fierce competitor: Hyypia was a formidable centre back during his time at Liverpool . Landing a manager who had just spent two years in charge at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, including leading them into the Champions League before he was sacked in April, was a statement of intent. Speak to people at Brighton and they talk of being ‘Premier League ready’. They have just opened a £32million academy and training ground which has been awarded the highest score ever by the Premier League’s independent auditors. Their £93million, 30,500-capacity stadium has had the highest average Championship gates in the past two seasons. Winning mentality: Hyypia was part of the Liverpool team that lifted the Champions League in 2005 . Barber handles the commercial side and negotiations for the biggest deals, head of football David Burke runs every other department and Hyypia has to rubber-stamp it all while focusing on his team. They all report directly to Bloom. Burke worked behind the scenes at Southampton between 2010 and 2012. Previously he was in Manchester City’s recruitment department and before that worked on Fulham’s now flourishing academy. Burke said: ‘What sold the club to Sami was not only everything in place with the structure from the continental model, like he had in Germany, but that he gets the choice on everything, like the British model. Everyone takes direction from the manager but then leaves him to concentrate on getting the team ready for the next game. In the hotseat: Hyypia took over following the departure of Oscar Garcia . ‘Southampton is a fair comparison to how it works. This system is designed so there is minimal distraction for the manager. ‘We don’t say you have to sign this player or we’re going to sell that one, if he wants scouting reports or suggestions of players we provide them.’ At Leverkusen, Hyppia lost Andre Schurrle to Chelsea for £18m, but he was then replaced by a player at a fraction of that fee. He admits he had very little say in any transfers. But he is so comfortable with Brighton’s model he has brought in just one member of staff so far — goalkeeping coach Antti Niemi. Summer signing: Aaron Hughes has arrived on a free transfer after being released by QPR . He has also made four signings since joining, including Aaron Hughes, who played at Fulham under Hodgson and sees similarities in his new manager’s meticulous approach. Hughes said: ‘Sometimes it was repetitive, but you saw the success we had at Fulham and I see some of the same things here.’ Now 34, Hughes was plying his trade in the Premier League when Hyypia was winning the Champions League, Uefa Cup, FA Cups and League Cups. Barber added: ‘His work ethic, commitment and desire are frankly what you expect from someone who has played the game at the highest level. He’s hit the ground running. ‘One thing we’ve noticed is that he’s a winner. Losing pre-season friendlies bothers him, it hurts him. It’s a character trait we like.’ The minimum expectation this season is to reach the play-offs, where they have fallen short in the last two campaigns. If Hyypia is the final piece in the jigsaw to make Brighton ‘Premier League ready’, Big Sami could soon be joining Big Sam on the top-flight touchline.
has turned to football management his approach has drawn comparison more with England manager continental model, where the man in charge Hyypia took over following the departure of Oscar