Publius Ovidius
Well-known member
HARTY - Ian Hart writes
05/10/06
“NOW is the winter of our discontent.”
A classic phrase that, sadly, could apply to Albion fans everywhere over the coming months.
I’ve never gone down the route of being a prophet of doom but, for the first time in many years, I am seriously worried about the fortunes of Brighton & Hove Albion.
My primary concern is the apparently dwindling fanbase since the post-1999 days of Withdean sell-outs.
The crowds this season have been very disappointing.
Barely 5,500 for the visit of Chesterfield last weekend — the smallest ever Saturday crowd in Withdean history — and Blackpool in town this Sunday: you wonder, with the game live on Sky TV, if the crowd could drop below that figure?
As P.T. Barnum famously said, “You can’t fool all of the people all of the time”.
Have the Albion public become tired of the limited facilities at Withdean, the lack of team funding and the endless delays over the Falmer stadium?
One F in Falmer.
Say it quickly enough times and you will get the message.
The latest development in the saga, with Lewes district council giving up the right to go to court and referring their application to Ruth Kelly for a decision, is being hailed as a famous victory for the Albion.
Well, experience has actually taught me to be cautious.
So for a start, Mr Knight, no victory speeches in front of Sky cameras on Sunday, please.
Because the “good” burghers of Lewes DC have not come down in the last shower.
They have taken this option because, I am sure, they still believe they can get the planning application rejected.
And if that happens, never mind the Winter of Discontent: you can add on spring, summer and autumn, as well.
On a positive note, I was pleased that Dean Wilkins has been appointed as Albion boss — but again disappointed the idea of a general manager to act as a buffer between the board and the dugout has been ruled out.
The chairman says he will mentor Wilkins; it somehow conjures up visions of a footballing Simon Cowell and, yet again, has me worried.
Is he going to end up picking, or trying to pick, the team?
Knight is a good man, he is an honest man and has done a lot for this club but, like a lot of football chairmen before him, he thinks he knows more than he probably does.
And in the current situation in which the club find themselves, that could actually work out to cause more harm than good.
We shall see.
In the short term, supporters can forget their armchairs and come to the game on Sunday.
There are tickets on sale from the office (01273 776992) and the fans can witness Dean Wilkins hopefully get the team back to winning ways.
Congratulations, Worthing United, on a famous cup win against Romford.
Who would have thought the Rebels would go out before the Mavericks?
So it’s on to Maidenhead a week on Saturday.
When will this rollercoaster end?
And how long before Paul Curtis and his boys qualify for some kind of civic recognition from the mayor?
It’s competition time again, and a night out for two with a chance to meet boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
He comes to Sussex on Monday, October 16, at the Effingham Park Hotel in Crowborough.
I’ve got two tickets for dinner and a photo opportunity with a living legend up for grabs; just tell me, at which Olympic Games did Leonard win his gold medal?
Email your answer to harty@tiscali.co.uk.
The closing date is next Tuesday, October 10
Here is the link just incase you want:
http://www.worthingtoday.co.uk/mk4custompages/custompage.aspx?SectionID=11781
05/10/06
“NOW is the winter of our discontent.”
A classic phrase that, sadly, could apply to Albion fans everywhere over the coming months.
I’ve never gone down the route of being a prophet of doom but, for the first time in many years, I am seriously worried about the fortunes of Brighton & Hove Albion.
My primary concern is the apparently dwindling fanbase since the post-1999 days of Withdean sell-outs.
The crowds this season have been very disappointing.
Barely 5,500 for the visit of Chesterfield last weekend — the smallest ever Saturday crowd in Withdean history — and Blackpool in town this Sunday: you wonder, with the game live on Sky TV, if the crowd could drop below that figure?
As P.T. Barnum famously said, “You can’t fool all of the people all of the time”.
Have the Albion public become tired of the limited facilities at Withdean, the lack of team funding and the endless delays over the Falmer stadium?
One F in Falmer.
Say it quickly enough times and you will get the message.
The latest development in the saga, with Lewes district council giving up the right to go to court and referring their application to Ruth Kelly for a decision, is being hailed as a famous victory for the Albion.
Well, experience has actually taught me to be cautious.
So for a start, Mr Knight, no victory speeches in front of Sky cameras on Sunday, please.
Because the “good” burghers of Lewes DC have not come down in the last shower.
They have taken this option because, I am sure, they still believe they can get the planning application rejected.
And if that happens, never mind the Winter of Discontent: you can add on spring, summer and autumn, as well.
On a positive note, I was pleased that Dean Wilkins has been appointed as Albion boss — but again disappointed the idea of a general manager to act as a buffer between the board and the dugout has been ruled out.
The chairman says he will mentor Wilkins; it somehow conjures up visions of a footballing Simon Cowell and, yet again, has me worried.
Is he going to end up picking, or trying to pick, the team?
Knight is a good man, he is an honest man and has done a lot for this club but, like a lot of football chairmen before him, he thinks he knows more than he probably does.
And in the current situation in which the club find themselves, that could actually work out to cause more harm than good.
We shall see.
In the short term, supporters can forget their armchairs and come to the game on Sunday.
There are tickets on sale from the office (01273 776992) and the fans can witness Dean Wilkins hopefully get the team back to winning ways.
Congratulations, Worthing United, on a famous cup win against Romford.
Who would have thought the Rebels would go out before the Mavericks?
So it’s on to Maidenhead a week on Saturday.
When will this rollercoaster end?
And how long before Paul Curtis and his boys qualify for some kind of civic recognition from the mayor?
It’s competition time again, and a night out for two with a chance to meet boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
He comes to Sussex on Monday, October 16, at the Effingham Park Hotel in Crowborough.
I’ve got two tickets for dinner and a photo opportunity with a living legend up for grabs; just tell me, at which Olympic Games did Leonard win his gold medal?
Email your answer to harty@tiscali.co.uk.
The closing date is next Tuesday, October 10
Here is the link just incase you want:
http://www.worthingtoday.co.uk/mk4custompages/custompage.aspx?SectionID=11781
