And as the last glory hunting southern Chelsea fan turns their head in shame...

[Noldi]

My heart is with Brighton but im not as fanatical as some on this forum I suppose. I have my Brighton scarf but no shirt, I try and watch them about 5 times a year because I don’t live close to Brighton at present. Over the last 20 odd years I have watched many teams play including going to watch Zola and co at Stanford Bridge and Inter v AC in the San Siro (not to be missed) amongst many other Premier teams (but not Man U). If we are not playing these teams with these players at present you either have to watch the likes a Fàbregas etc on match of the day or get out there and watch them live before they disappear of to other leagues. One player I do want see live before long is Drogba. And dont forget we where all upset when Lampards goal didnt count in the World cup.

I suppose im a football fan and like to watch good football. But then im also a newbie around this forum.

Noldi

 

[Dave the OAP]

We need the local kids to support Brighton, buy Brighton merchandise, buy Brighton tickets, keep us alive in the future. Why line the pockets of another club? However, I accept that this in some way contradicts my first post as it shouldn't be all about money.

No...the way we we attract local youngsters is to win games and be sucessful. That is what kids want...they want to go to school and say that their team is best....hence so many Blackburn shirts suddenly appeared when Dalgleish wa sthe manager and they were the top club for a couple of years.

If we go to falmer, and play crap and get beaten week after week, people will give up going, like they did at various stages at Withdean, if we win games and play well, we will get great gates every week.....that is the reality. Look on the telly now at Cov vs QPR...Qpr are top and Cov could go 4th, yet look at the gaps in the stands!!!!

 

[the right footed denilson]

No...the way we we attract local youngsters is to win games and be sucessful. That is what kids want...they want to go to school and say that their team is best....hence so many Blackburn shirts suddenly appeared when Dalgleish wa sthe manager and they were the top club for a couple of years.

If we go to falmer, and play crap and get beaten week after week, people will give up going, like they did at various stages at Withdean, if we win games and play well, we will get great gates every week.....that is the reality. Look on the telly now at Cov vs QPR...Qpr are top and Cov could go 4th, yet look at the gaps in the stands!!!!

Aye? Is that not a contradiction?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

If we go to falmer, and play crap and get beaten week after week, people will give up going, like they did at various stages at Withdean, if we win games and play well, we will get great gates every week.....that is the reality. Look on the telly now at Cov vs QPR...Qpr are top and Cov could go 4th, yet look at the gaps in the stands!!!!

What's your point though? That Cov and QPaRse are a poorly supported clubs regardless of success on the pitch?

 

[Gully]

Look on the telly now at Cov vs QPR...Qpr are top and Cov could go 4th, yet look at the gaps in the stands!!!!

This shows what we are up against, I would wager that the majority of fans who follow Coventry or QPR have a fairly strong geographical link with the clubs, there won't be many who we commonly term "plastics" who just follow the team because it is successful. Most Brighton fans, but not all, will have a strong link to the city or to Sussex. The task the club face is making those who live in Sussex, but who might be swayed to follow teams further afield, follow the Albion first and foremost. The only way to really achieve that is by having a successful team and some pretty aggressive and competitive advertising...people should know when they enter the county exactly which team represents it at the highest level.

 

[Dave the OAP]

What's your point though? That Cov and QPaRse are a poorly supported clubs regardless of success on the pitch?

I wan't really making a point...it just seemed odd to me that they are doing well, but cant get people through the gates ( I was$ going to make a new thread but I cant take the abuse from Doug)

 

[Brovion]

why are brighton fans so obsessed with people from the area supporting anyone else...its really pathetic.

So f***ing what if people support other clubs....

I tend to agree. I've softened my stance over the years; it used to really irritate me that people who were Sussex born 'n' bred had chosen to support another team. Now so long as they don't sneer at me for supporting the local team I can accept all the Chelsea, Spurs, Man U, etc fans in our midst. After quite a few Brighton fans come from Lewes, Eastbourne, Worthing, etc. Shouldn't they support their local teams instead of the Albion?

It's a similar argument when people say we should support the 'English' clubs in Europe. I used to in the old days but now as there aren't really any 'English' clubs I don't see why I should support say Arsenal over Barcelona just because they are geographically closer. Being a Brighton fan my natural sympathies lie with the smaller clubs, the plucky Scandanavian or Swiss part-timers, or the 'decent' clubs (i.e. nearly every German team)

 

[champion7]

If I had 72p for every person I saw in town on Boxing Day wearing Chelsea hats, coats etc. I'd have a hell of a lot of 72ps. If you're going to be a plastic and throw your lot in with a Premiership team at least support one with a bit of bloody soul rather than going along with all the other lemmings who've been down to SportsDirect.com for their tedious Chelsea merchandise. Even the team I detest more than any other on the planet - THFC - would be more interesting than Chelsea, or how about Man City? or Blackpool even?

I know a lot of these so called plastic cfc fans you speak of and like me they were born a stones throw from stamford bridge and therefore are supporting the club of their birthplace,my son on the other hand was born in brighton and is a member of gullys gang and i will make sure he knows the importance of supporting your local club just like i was taught 45 years ago.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I know a lot of these so called plastic cfc fans you speak of and like me they were born a stones throw from stamford bridge and therefore are supporting the club of their birthplace,my son on the other hand was born in brighton and is a member of gullys gang and i will make sure he knows the importance of supporting your local club just like i was taught 45 years ago.

You are stating that as fact? These people I saw in town!

 

[Tomnorthi]

I dont understand it. You have a decent football club, ok maybe not a decent stadium but thats changing next season, who play great football 10 miles from your hometown. However one of my mates insists that paying train fares then a higher priced match ticket, to go 60 miles away to watch a team maybe once a month, is somehow better. With a team like chelsea you will never feel like your part of the club, theres no sense of community like there is at the albion, and going everyweek for only £5 a game cant be beat.

 

[s5.bha]

Moved from Brighton to Polegate about 8 years ago, you won't believe how many bloody palace there are here !!!
Went to do a loft conversion for a fella and when we went up in the loft it was totally empty except for a signed palace shirt in a frame......of course I covered it straight up with a dust sheet, couldn't stand looking at it for the next six weeks !!!
when I first moved over here, there was a family that went up to shelhurst for all the home games (fat dad,fat mum,fat kids),well I live on the high street and would stand outside waiting for them to come home everytime palace lost,just stand, point and laugh !!!

Keep the Faith...........shaun.

 

[Bungle]

I would say that Brighton has a good sized support from the TW area - at least from supporters who actually attend games. In my place of work there's a few of us. Partly of my doing, I'm proud to say.

Me being one!!

 

[Brighton TID]

I decree today that all kids born from now on should support the nearest league team to their place of birth (as the crow flies). If they don't their parents should be sent down, 5 years min.
Discuss.

 

[Dave the OAP]

erm...what about a child born in Stanley Park?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

why are brighton fans so obsessed with people from the area supporting anyone else...its really pathetic.

So f***ing what if people support other clubs....

Are you not the poster that often regales stories of Chelsea fans that you know whom have given up on supporting Brighton?

 

[Skint Gull]

Moved from Brighton to Polegate about 8 years ago, you won't believe how many bloody palace there are here !!!
when I first moved over here, there was a family that went up to shelhurst for all the home games (fat dad,fat mum,fat kids),well I live on the high street and would stand outside waiting for them to come home everytime palace lost,just stand, point and laugh !!!

Ha, they actually are all one massive family to be fair shaun! Pretty decent lot to be fair, jyst a shame about their football allegiances! I know the eldest are born and raised in Croyden and I think that confirms this thread pretty well, you'd never expect the kids who were born here to become Albion fans but the ones with no such family traditions to uphold are the ones we should be getting

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I know a lot of these so called plastic cfc fans you speak of and like me they were born a stones throw from stamford bridge and therefore are supporting the club of their birthplace,my son on the other hand was born in brighton and is a member of gullys gang and i will make sure he knows the importance of supporting your local club just like i was taught 45 years ago.

Sorry but how can they be 'plastic fans'? Isn't that rather contradictory of what people are saying on this thread? Support your local team? Well whether these 'plastic fans' go to Chelsea or not, you are saying by your own admission they are locally born to Stamford Bridge. Perhaps they just can't be bothered to go to football full stop, free country, it isn't compulsory, but they can follow their local team. Are you saying every Brighton supporter in the city goes to watch Brighton? And if not, or occasionally, maybe they have been 'plastic fans' all their lives? Not all people want to go to all matches, but the support helps the city does it not? The obsession with 'plastic' Chelsea (or any other) fans on here is reaching a new low. As I said before I would be happy to see plentiful Brighton supporters in every corner of England, because that means the club is being successful, and at the end of the day that is what ALL fans of ALL clubs want. Yes? No?

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

No such thing as a 'plastic fan' - you either like a club or not. You don't have to go to a match to like a club. Just liking a club is enough for you to be a fan of theirs. Just like you don't have to go to a band's gigs in order to like their music.

Being a supporter, however, requires you to be in the stadium.