Justin Fashanu

[bouldnorbirdman]

I’m researching his life and have been through the press cutting about his brief time at Brighton. It’s left me with a few questions.

1. It was reported that Brighton fans weren’t keen on him coming because he’d injured one of your players the previous season. Did the fans take to him at all?

2. Early on he was credited with laying on four goals in a 5-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Anyone remember that game?

3. He wasn’t out as gay at the time but did fans know that he was gay?

4. In contrast he was very vocal about being a Christian. Anyone know what which church he went to in Brighton?

5. Chris Cattlin sounds like quite a character. He was making wild predictions about Fashanu getting into the England squad when he joined and doesn’t seem to have told anyone that Fashanu couldn’t get insurance on his dodgy knee. Then he left suddenly. Was it just a sacking for not doing well enough or was there more to it?

6. Finally, Notts County fans have some good stories about meeting Fash. It seems that although he had a starry image he was very friendly and down to earth. Did anyone on here meet him?

 

[wolfie]

We didn't even play Nottm forest under Chris Cattlin, let alone beat them 5-2 !

 

[bouldnorbirdman]

Could it have been a pre-season friendly? 8 August 1985?

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Re the 1st question:

At the start of the 1984/85 season, The Albions first home game was against Notts County for whom Fashanu was playing. It was a fiery match with Fashanu being the main villain & going in with some X rated tackles. The crowd were baying for his blood that night I remember.

Regarding the player who he seriously injured that night - May have been Jeff Clarke who was on loan from Newcastle at the time, but I can't be certain?

I remember many Albion fans has reservations about him at the time as it was well known he was injury prone & had a dodgy knee plus of course he came with a 'reputation' as a player everyone loved to hate due to his style of play sometimes.

 

[Daffy Duck]

He was a lovely guy to speak to. Met him at a reserve game once when he was playing for us and our boy asked him for his autograph. He took us into the club shop, asked the staff to give us a photo of him and signed it for us.

Don't think any one knew he was gay until he packed up football.

He was a player you couldn't stand because you thought they were a really dirty player..... until he came to play for you, then he was brilliant, bit like the Jimmy Case thing.

Thought it was very sad when he died so young as my only memory of him was that he was a really nice guy.

 

[TimWatt]

I wasn't active in attending during his time at Brighton, although I was at the home game v Norwich several years before he was involved in a head to head clash with Steve Foster which, I think, was the original cause of the head protection worn buy Foster from then on...
I'm not sure there was anything lingering as a result of this although I remember his was very physical, but at the time he was entitled to be angry at the (unfortunately all then) racist chanting from a few at the Goldstone.

 

[The Wookiee]

Wasn't he married to bet lynch?

 

[The Keeper]

Did he not headbutt Eric Steele?
I hear he was well hung!!

 

[dazzalewis1968]

Met him lots of times was working at the time in Preston St at my grandfathers butchers shop.
He would walk past heading to gym in castle st
Would always have time to chat.

 

[One4the.road]

He once broke Andy rollings nose . The west stand gave him more stick than the north for that

 

[matt]

And Rollings got sent off for retaliating?

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

The answer to question 1, relates to the breaking of Andy Rollings nose when he played for Norwich. He had a reputation of being a boxer and certainly led with his elbow which inflamed the issue.

He did also injure Jeff Clarke but that may have been a few seasons later.

Question 2 - think it was a friendly, but really can't remember.

Question 3 - Not too my knowledge.

Question 4 - No idea

Question 5 - Chris Cattlin was a good manager and Brighton'through and through', I have no idea whether the signing of Fashanu eventually led to his dismissal, but had heard that some players weren't fans of his 'man management' skills, but this is all anecdotal and as a fan I felt Cattlin was great.

Fashanu I have to say that I couldn't stand him prior to joining us and just felt he was a thug, particularly for what he did to Andy Rollings and then Jeff Clarke. Effectively Rollings lost his place after that and never really regained any form.

Of course it was different when Fashanu donned the blue and white!!!!

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Q4 Christ is King, New England Street.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It must have been known within football, or at least by certain people at the clubs he played for. Brian Clough certainly appeared to have had some idea...

In his autobiography, Clough recounts a dressing down he gave Fashanu after hearing rumours that he was going to gay bars. "'Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?' I asked him. 'A baker's, I suppose'. 'Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?' 'A butcher's'. 'So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs' club?"'

 

[Giraffe]

I recall the match against us before he joined. He took out both centre halves leaving us with ten men as only one sub in those days. I think we still won 2-1 possibly with Frank Worthington scoring. May have been the first match of my youth supporting where I really got why people get cross at football matches. Jeff Clarke was one of them and possibly Martin Keown was the other by the way but I'm sure some statto will fill in the details.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Met him lots of times was working at the time in Preston St at my grandfathers butchers shop.
He would walk past heading to gym in castle st
Would always have time to chat.

What was the point of this post except, "look at me I spoke to someone famous walking down the street"

 

[matt]

Met him lots of times was working at the time in Preston St at my grandfathers butchers shop.
He would walk past heading to gym in castle st
Would always have time to chat.

I thought you were leading onto some sort of 'mince' joke...

 

[grummitts gloves]

I wasn't active in attending during his time at Brighton, although I was at the home game v Norwich several years before he was involved in a head to head clash with Steve Foster which, I think, was the original cause of the head protection worn buy Foster from then on...
I'm not sure there was anything lingering as a result of this although I remember his was very physical, but at the time he was entitled to be angry at the (unfortunately all then) racist chanting from a few at the Goldstone.

Wasn't it Joe Jordan that 'created' the need for Fozzies headband?

 

[grummitts gloves]

What was the point of this post except, "look at me I spoke to someone famous walking down the street"

Why shouldn't he mention the story? Seems relevant enough to the post to me. Get off his back.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I thought it was John Fashanu.