Falmer Battle - The Moments that Changed History

[Knotty]

I am equivocal about the honours system but I would like to see Tim Carder and Paul Samrah knighted for their services to the community and sport. They stood up against a nasty, dishonest, class-ridden cabal that speciously used environmental arguments to further their own ends.

Messrs. Carder, Samrah and the FFA team were positive and optimistic when people like me were starting to despair.

Anyone can be nominated for an Honour for their services to the community and they deserve it!

 

[wehatepalace]

So Many things already mentioned but for me it was The York City Game and the first Fans United day. When I think back to those two days I get a tear in my eye, because it was then that I started to realise that we WOULD WIN ! Little did I know back then,that the battle would last as long as it has and just how many opponents we would defeat along the way, But defeat them we have, and EVERY single person from Dick Knight and Martin Perry, right down to the little old lady that forces herself to "Stand up if you want Falmer" should feel so so so proud of what you have done, not just for this club but for the whole of Sussex and indeed football in general !
And I firmly believe that we have all secured the future of this club, not just for us or our children, but for many future generations who will love this club just as much as we do.
I truly cannot wait for the first game in OUR new stadium and hearing GOSBTS bellowing around underneath the roof !!!!!

 

[Caveman]

So many, but personally for me was running across the pitch and climbing up into the directors box to get at Bellotti. I remember being on the front page of the Argus and waiting for a knock on the door.

Just seeing the f*cker running off was a victory, those Goldstone final days were sad, but when we sit down at Falmer we can all say we did our own bit in different ways.

Makes me proud to support the Albion!

 

[The Oldman]

For me it was the Inquiry into alternative sites. That so easily could have gone wrong for us but each day I attended, the facts spoke for themselves. In planning terms Falmer was the only feasible site. Yes it had it's problems but nothing compared with the other front runners, Sheepcote, Waterhall and Toad Hall Valley.

The legal team that represented the club and Brighton & Hove City, Jonathon clay and Mary McPherson were superb too.

 

[Al Bion]

Several moments stand out for me. The York match was the turning point, from then on I realised that everyone, young and old, was willing to fight for our club. It still brings tears to my eyes when I remember the sight of so many supporters streaming onto the pitch because it seemed the only way we could save the club.

Wycombe was my next turning point. It seemed everyone had come prepared with a sign and couldn't wait for the match to end so we could stage our protest. I thought it might be just a handful of us protesting but everyone stayed, superb, I knew then that we could win the battle.

The last turning point for me was the Lib Dem Conference last year. I went along in the morning to speak to the delegates as they arrived. It was great to be able to make our case at length and find that so many of the delegates totally supported us and would do all they could to help us (including a bizarre coincidence when I found I was talking to a Crewe Borough Council delegate, the town where I live). I knew after the reaction that day that the battle was almost won.

It's hard to believe that after so long we've finally done it, though it brings it home when I look at my son who I took to a protest outside Archer's offices when he was just four weeks old, he's going to be 11 later this month.

 

[e77]

Not for the first time, ROSM sums it up with a greater deal of accuracy and eloquence than I could ever aspire to!

Without going into the gory detail we have got to where we are today by building up momentum. It started with the hardcore having to save the club, moved on to all Seagull fans and somehow we managed to get all of football and most of Brighton involved (no small feet).

Every time I wore a Brighton top to a Glastonbury (hello, Neil, if your watching) or Reading festival I was stopped a couple of times a day to ask how the stadium was getting on. Not Brighton fans as a rule, but football fans.

On top of this passion, importantly, the movement had a lot of brains. Argue the toss about his running of the club but Dick Knight was the spiritual head of a great campaign. Martin Perry should be rightly proud for delivering a successful planning application.

Other than that a big list of people performed above and beyond the call of duty. You know who you are!

Finally, everyone who ever wrote a letter or attended a meeting, give yourself a pat on the back!

We did it!

 

[vauxhallexile]

Several moments stand out for me. The York match was the turning point, from then on I realised that everyone, young and old, was willing to fight for our club. It still brings tears to my eyes when I remember the sight of so many supporters streaming onto the pitch because it seemed the only way we could save the club.

Wycombe was my next turning point. It seemed everyone had come prepared with a sign and couldn't wait for the match to end so we could stage our protest. I thought it might be just a handful of us protesting but everyone stayed, superb, I knew then that we could win the battle.

The last turning point for me was the Lib Dem Conference last year. I went along in the morning to speak to the delegates as they arrived. It was great to be able to make our case at length and find that so many of the delegates totally supported us and would do all they could to help us (including a bizarre coincidence when I found I was talking to a Crewe Borough Council delegate, the town where I live). I knew after the reaction that day that the battle was almost won.

It's hard to believe that after so long we've finally done it, though it brings it home when I look at my son who I took to a protest outside Archer's offices when he was just four weeks old, he's going to be 11 later this month.

As someone who was both on the demo outside the Lib Dem conference (as an Albion fan since '83) and inside (as a Lib Dem member/supporter since '83) I can vouch for how important it was you were all there demonstrating. It was the talk of the conference and I was able to talk to people about the need for the stadium inside the conference. I even had a go at David Bellotti about it - not that it did much good of course.....

A friend of mine is a member of the Lib Dem Federal Conference Committee and a couple of months ago they were asking if there would be another demo this year, so it was clearly still weighing on people's minds at a national Lib Dem level.

Although they will never admit this, I think the demo was clearly a factor in Lewes DC's decision.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

As someone who was both on the demo outside the Lib Dem conference (as an Albion fan since '83) and inside (as a Lib Dem member/supporter since '83) I can vouch for how important it was you were all there demonstrating. It was the talk of the conference and I was able to talk to people about the need for the stadium inside the conference. I even had a go at David Bellotti about it - not that it did much good of course.....

A friend of mine is a member of the Lib Dem Federal Conference Committee and a couple of months ago they were asking if there would be another demo this year, so it was clearly still weighing on people's minds at a national Lib Dem level.

Although they will never admit this, I think the demo was clearly a factor in Lewes DC's decision.

Having been one of the FFA team who met Don "Don't talk to me about Bellotti" Foster and Archie Kirkwood, with a police escort(!) after the demo, I can only say that there was complete bafflement at the highest levels in the party about LDC's position.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Having been one of the FFA team who met Don "Don't talk to me about Bellotti" Foster and Archie Kirkwood, with a police escort(!) after the demo, I can only say that there was complete bafflement at the highest levels in the party about LDC's position.

Has the dust settled long enough to understand why they took the stand they did ?

 

[portlock seagull]

Outside of the many others already mentioned...... going to Gillingham each week for 2 years just to prove the club had the best away following in the football league and give DK & MP 'resuscitation' time to bring home the Albion; once we were back we had a fighting chance.

 

[vauxhallexile]

Has the dust settled long enough to understand why they took the stand they did ?

I think most people inside the Lib Dems still don't quite get why Lewes Lib Dems went out of their way to pick a fight.

 

[dougdeep]

The timing of the National Park inquiry helped in some way too.