8 years

[Easy 10]

Really? I went through Hove on the train this evening and would be lying if I said I didn't gaze longingly over at the retail park, but I do think that if we'd kept hold of The Goldstone we'd still be rattling around in the bottom two divisions with very little to shout about on the playing field.

Penguin's right to a point about the fans. What happened 95-97 galvanised the Albion support. It had to, or else we would have lost our club all together. However, these days there's more of a 'them and us' situation - those that went to The Goldstone and fought, and the Withdean generation who, perhaps through no fault of their own (age, etc) simply don't realise quite what went on during those dark days.

So, given the choice, would you go for:

(a) What we have, ie two years at Gillingham followed by 5 years success at a garbage ground, along with a viable application for a new stadium ?

Or

(b) Staying at the Goldstone, Archer leaving, Dick Knight taking over and bringing in Micky Adams, and seeing how we get on from there ?

Would Dick Knight bother going through this public enquiry for Falmer if we were still at the Goldstone ? Or in the face of all this aggravation and expense for Falmer, would he instead have looked to redevelop the Goldstone site and improve facilities there ? Would that have been a price worth paying, instead of playing at Pikeyworld and athletics track for the last 7 years ?

Not a question I can give an immediate answer to, personally.

 

[y2dave]

The Golstone could have held 15000 all seater and Caplin had started negotiations to relocate businesses to make land available to increase access and capacity. Archer / Belloti of course were not even interested.

 

[3gulls]

Fair comment that. Bamber and Co recognised the limitations and did try to get planning permission to build at Waterhall but the council blocked it mainly because they didn't want an out of town shopping park if my memory serves.

Yes, but Bamber and Co recognised the limitations when they had a capacity of c.35000! Falmer would still be only 2/3 of that!

 

[bhaexpress]

The Golstone could have held 15000 all seater and Caplin had started negotiations to relocate businesses to make land available to increase access and capacity. Archer / Belloti of course were not even interested.

The principle drawback with the Goldstone was the East Terrace. You really couldn't have covered it and seating would have been a problem thanks to the way it tapered off to the south. You couldn't have made the North Stand much bigger either because of The Old Shoreham Road.

 

[zefarelly]

If things take much longer it will be playing bowls!

too bloody right !

I'd swap the success we've had to still be at the Goldstone ground cos DK would have come in, and we'd have got investment, we'd have developed the ground AND we'd be in this division by now.

 

[berkshire seagull]

Re: Re: 8 years

I fail to see what is funny about it! They have been 8 very grim years. Even when we have had success, we have known that it cannot continue all the way to the Premiership, or enable us to attract bigger crowds, etc.

When we have been homeless for 8 years,you have to laugh as the anger goes away

 

[berkshire seagull]

Re: Re: 8 years

Do I know you?

I doubt it