Reid and Potter have come a long way since Sweden, but Billy still likes his suits!
Graham Potter has led Brighton to their highest-ever finish in the Premier League, and is being touted as a future England manager.
But the 47-year-old admits he wouldn’t have got this far without his trusty Scottish sidekick.
Former Clyde and Hamilton Accies gaffer, Billy Reid, has been Potter’s right-hand man since late 2013, when they hooked up in the second tier of Swedish football.
Ostersunds had gained two promotions, but Potter reckoned the club required more quality, street-wise staff to continue their rise.
On the recommendation of ex-accies striker, Graeme Jones, he was introduced to Reid.
Despite not having met before – and seeming an unusual alliance at first glance – they hit it off immediately, and proved an enduring success.
Together they completed the fairytale rise of Ostersunds to the top flight, a Swedish Cup and the Europa League’s last 32.
Then just one season at Swansea convinced Brighton owner, Tony Bloom, to swoop for the double-act, and it’s been improvement on the south coast ever since.
“It’s been an amazing journey when I reflect back to where we were,” said Potter.
“It’s been fantastic, and I wouldn’t be here without Billy, that’s for sure.
“When he arrived at Ostersunds, we were going up the pyramid.
“But I felt it important to have an assistant who’d been there and done it. Someone who knew what I was going through, I guess.
“He’d been a manager for a decade in Scotland on his own, but I didn’t perceive any difficulty from my end.
“He was probably at the stage of wanting a fresh experience, and is quite low in ego, anyway.
“That doesn’t mean to say he doesn’t have one – because he likes a lively suit!”
Reid may have a penchant for making a statement with smart attire, but it’s his work behind the scenes that’s been so impressive to Potter.
That hasn’t changed, he stressed, from nurturing the underdogs of Ostersunds to honing the likes of new £30-million Spurs signing, Yves Bissouma, at Brighton in the
top half of England’s Premier League.
Potter explained: “Back in Sweden, Billy would go over and above. He’d recognise different characters, the players you have to put a bit of extra care into off the pitch.
“He spent a lot of time with Modou Barrow, who we sold to Swansea. He played that father figure role, someone players could have that conversation with outside the coaching environment.
“He’s still like that with the modern-day £20m footballer we have now. We’ve improved, I hope, but I don’t think we’ve changed too much.
“By that, I mean we’ve not turned into something fundamentally different.
“We were at a small club in the northern part of Sweden. Now we’re in the Premier League, with different departments and different demands that keep growing.
“Billy and I believe in the same things. It is important people feel part of something, that they’re improving and there’s togetherness.
“Just having Billy around can touch everyone in the club in a really positive way.”
That was never truer than when Reid starred in a version of Swan Lake, then recited a rap in front of locals, two of the products of the Culture Academy at Ostersunds. “He was the one who’d lead the way with those shows,” said Potter.
“Billy can also act a bit of a fool – in the right way – to take pressure away from a situation.
“It comes with experience and age. With that wily Scottish brain of his, underestimate Billy at your peril. “He’s massively involved in what we do, even though he knows the buck stops at me.
“He has a really deep role in how we move forward as a team and club.”
Potter, previously linked with Spurs, is now favoured by many to replace, Gareth Southgate, under pressure following the disastrous 4-0 loss to Hungary in midweek
When asked if such a move would present a problem for Glasgow-born Reid, Potter played it coy.
“It’s not a thing we’ve really spoken about,” he insisted. “You know what it’s like, you hear rumours and opinions.
“You have to realise football can change quickly anyway. Results turn the other way.
“We’ve got a great team at Brighton, and are just focused on what we do here.”