Is it me or has the the coverage been particularly harsh?

[Beeneys gloves]

Been reading the various match reports in the papers and some of the stuff being written is pretty unfair in my opinion.

The Express had the match down as "more boring than when live conkers was introduced on sky" and "the worst spectacle ever broadcast"

The Mail said it was a "very dour encounter and the fans deserved better"

While the woman on 5 live yesterday when interviewing Steve Claridge about the Hudd game said the playoffs had been awful this year with ours being the worst.

Now Im not saying it was a fantastic match by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought I watched a very hard fought and competitive game where our tactics were perfect. Considering how we've played away from home for the majority of the season (barring Rushden and Plymouth) we were excellent IMHO - didnt give them a chance and played some decent stuff.


AND THE MAIN THING IS WE'RE UP!!

 

[oldham gull]

Yes, the report in the guardian yesterday was not good, and it said that we only had 25000 fans there!

 

[Man of Harveys]

It has been a bit but, well, f*** 'em.

Was our role on Sunday:

a) to provide an entertaining 5-4 defeat for the enjoyment of sad old sports hacks who never give a toss about the Nationwide league for the rest of the year and would then write nothing but patronising crap about "naive defending at this level" etc etc?

b) to get promoted?

 

[Staly]

Radio 5 commentary said it was the worst play off game in living memory...

 

[bhafc99]

Threw my paper (Guardian) away in disgust yesterday – moaning on about what a crap game it was, how defensive we were, how we wouldn't take 25,000 to Falmer every week so did we really need it. Utter crap from a normally good paper (and sadly possibly one that Prescott reads). How to put a total downer on a great day:


"25,000 supported them at the Millennium Stadium - though it is debatable if that number would pitch up week in week out"

"McGhee's... chances of improving on his record with the Seagulls look remote"

"Brighton maintaining the attritional approach...."

"torpid first half "

"failed to inspire any genuine entertainment. Instead caution was the watchword"

"Brighton seemed content to defend and hump the ball forward"

"McGhee, however, was unrepentant."

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I wouldn't have said the 1st Division final was anything to write home about. Neither Palace or West Ham created any decent chances, apart from Bobby's fluffed moment. I thought it was dull as anything, but do they get any crap about it? No, it's all "what a miracle the Elephant Man has worked" and the "fairy tale rise to fortune" of Palace.

Double standards methinks. Perhaps Andy King bunged all the sports writers a few quid.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

When are you people going to realise that we are not a particularily "liked" club by the media?

We never have had a good relationship with the media as they either prefer the "old fashioned "teams, like Preston or Notts Forest, or the premiershite teams. We are regarded as a small seaside club with no history.

 

[Brixton Seagull 2]

The thing is, by the time August rolls around no-one will remember the lack of entertainment for the neutrals and hacks, and instead they will notice that we are playing in Div 1! All season. And playing against Leeds, West Ham, Wolves and Leicester.
They will also notice that Brizzle are stuck in Div 2 again. All season

 

[Wozza]

Rubbish - we have had AMAZING coverage from most papers, especially during the dark years.

I think you're missing the fact that some papers (hello Guardian) hardly cover the Nationwide or early rounds of Cup competitions AT ALL. It's not limited to us.

 

[Icy Gull]

Will we care as we get 1/2 page coverage in the Sundays instead of being one team in twenty odd mentioned in a 1/16 th of a page?

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

But we did coverage on the front of the Mirror and Sun. Fair enough it was only a regional version, but it's still the front page of a national tabloid!

When was the last time that happened?

 

[Easy 10]

I don't think anyone is saying the amount of coverage has been poor - its just that the criticsm of the quality of the match seems to have been a bit OTT. There are other things to appreciate apart from hatfuls of goals - ie the fact that we are blessed with a defence that is almost unbreachable. Cullip and Butters were once again immense. They read the game so well that they were snuffing out the danger before it even developed.

If that made it a bit boring for people because Bristol wern't able to make many chances, well, sorry about that. But we wanted to win the game, funnily enough.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

You don't go to the play off final to do keepy upys or freestyling you go to win an important football which ever way you can, we did, we are in division 1.

Personally I thought it was very exciting.

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

It's interesting that you think that we have never had a good relationship with the press Dave. Talk to opposition fans and one of their biggest gripes about us is the amount of media coverage we get. Just read Hereford fans disgust at how the "London" based media rallied behind us in 97 and ignored them. There's a bit in a book i've been reading about Stoke City where the author complains about the London based media wanting us to stay up and for them to go down as "they're somebody to cheer when Arsenal aren't playing".
Anyway who gives a f*** what some prick from the Grauniad thinks? We didn't play that game for him or for any of the hacks and media pundits. Yesterday was for us and Bristol City, I had to rely on watching the highlights to remember parts of the game. I hadn't realised what a good pass Virgo made to Iwelumo (which he then wasted). I can't remember anything Bristol did during that game.
I'll tell you what I remember. I remember going totally nuts after the final whistle went, a rush of adrenaline that caused me to go slightly dizzy. I remember clapping my hands till they were sore. I remember nearly losing my voice midway through the first half. I remember the rush of joy I got when I clocked the "Marvellous Scenes" banner being displayed on the giant screen in front of three tiers of Albion fans going crazy. The sight of thousands and thousands of people decked out in the blue and white thronging the streets of Cardiff bathed in the sunshine. That first glimpse of the inside of the stadium at half two and the rush that accompanied it as I looked around. The sight of Danny Cullip lifting the trophy as the fireworks exploded and the crowds cheered. That's what I remember. So sorry to all the hacks and neutrals but yesterday really wasn't for you, it was for US.

 

[trueblue]

I wouldn;t take it personally. From a neutral's view, it WAS a dire match. Very little goalmouth incident. But we did a job, took control later on in the game and won. So who cares?

Bristol City 0 Brighton 1 are the only words that will stick in the memory.

 

[timco]

It has to be said if you are a neutral the game was nothing too write home about.

I can't recall a BC shot on target we had 2, maybe 3 one of which was a penalty. (If you count the bar as on target which Sky do not.)

Then I think the same could be said about all 3 play offs, they kept going on about how exciting the div 3 one was yesterday I disagree.

What was lacking were early goals, get them and one team has too come out a bit more and make it a bit more exciting. With the good defensive teams in this years finals that was never likely too happen.

Job done 1-0 who give's a flying f*** about entertainment?

 

[Curious Orange]

The neutral will always want to watch fluid exciting football. Unfortunately the current Albion side aren't particularly geared up for pretty football, but they are geared up for winning matches; and this they did superbly.

 

[trueblue]

It
Then I think the same could be said about all 3 play offs, they kept going on about how exciting the div 3 one was yesterday I disagree.


I thought the div three game was good because it was much more open. But then poor defending usually makes for good matches. Two hard-working, very tight teams don't serve up a thriller but have probably both done their jobs better.

 

[Soton Seagull]

I've seen far worse this season. Tight, tense game, but not as bad as made out.

 

[SK1NT]

thats feckin ridiculous! our win against swindon was a breath taking turn around and the final was superb, the neutrals just have to feel for the fans of both teams to imagine the pressure!

At the end of the day its not the football that makes the play offs, its whats at stake and a whole season put into one game! Its wonderful!