Mike Ward. What's the point?

[Hiney]

Interesting.

I read his book, thought it was funny and kind of captured the passion and commitment that surrounds The Albion, especially when we play away. It's not a patch on Tim Parks' book however, A Season with Verona, which really gets to the heart of what it means to support your local club.

Mike Ward's column in the programme is mildly amusing but simply re-hashes a lot of the jokes, cliches and sarcasm that feature in his book.

What he has done brilliantly, is to get us into the national arena, via his connections as a journalist. He appears regularly on TalkSport and, fair play to him, will always mention the on-going issues surrounding Falmer.

He can't be criticised for what he has done for the Falmer campaign, regardless of how long he has been supporting the club, because he has got up and done something. I'm not having a go at people who are not on the committee or who haven't spent time having out posters, badges T shirts etc., I'm just saying that he is to be applauded for signing up to a cause that is so vital to the future of The Albion.

I'm starting to ramble a bit now so in summary, let him get on with it. As far as I'm concerned he IS an Albion fan although it is his loss that he cannot draw on the massive store of "I was there" memories that many other supporters have.

I enjoyed the book, don't enjoy his column in the programme, haven't heard him on the radio, but have deep respect for what he has done to promote The Albion.

By the way mate, change the photo in the programme, you look like a cross between Angus Loughran and Christopher Biggins - not good

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I have been dissapointed with the recent SCR phone ins. After recent games there have only been around 2 or 3 people on the radio over a 30 minute period. Most of these people seem to phone in from " retirement homes " as they all seem to be about 85 and talk complete nonsense.

With reagrd to Mike, he does seem to get a lot of air time and he has only seen the glory days , lets see if he's still around in 10 years time if we struggle.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

This thread smacks of the ' you weren't at Gillingham so you're not a true supporter ' brigade.

Sorry but the Albion has to be a broad church if we're ever going to fill Falmer.

If that means bringing in the lapsed / apathetic / casual / armchair / premiership only on Sky / I have seen the light / I can't afford to go to Premiership games supporters then that cannot be anything but good for the club.

What do you want, a 22,500 capacity stadium with 6,500 Albion fans, 3,000 away fans and 13,500 empty seats.

If we reject people like Mike Ward, then we might as well reject ' kids for a quid ' etc.

And as I can't get Sussex SCR in Newbury the amount of airtime he consumes is irrelevant to me.

 

[GUNTER]

This thread smacks of the ' you weren't at Gillingham so you're not a true supporter ' brigade.

Sorry but the Albion has to be a broad church if we're ever going to fill Falmer.

If that means bringing in the lapsed / apathetic / casual / armchair / premiership only on Sky / I have seen the light / I can't afford to go to Premiership games supporters then that cannot be anything but good for the club.

What do you want, a 22,500 capacity stadium with 6,500 Albion fans, 3,000 away fans and 13,500 empty seats.

If we reject people like Mike Ward, then we might as well reject ' kids for a quid ' etc.

And as I can't get Sussex SCR in Newbury the amount of airtime he consumes is irrelevant to me.

Well said.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Too right Fighter Command. I don't have a problem with MW, didn't think the book was all that bad and to the best of my knowledge it is about the first complete diary account of a fan's seasons following the Albion to get a big release so more power to your elbow son. People get too precious about the Albion and what consitutes a 'real' in-the-trenches fan. MW was completely up front about being a Johnny Come Lately and he's probably put in more legwork following the team home and away than most. I do, however agree that he shouldn't have a divine right to hog the phone-in.

 

[Hiney]

 

[Bozza]

Just read back the thread again...

What Fighter says is, of course, very true. But it doesn't seem to me that the MW detractors have any issue with "Johnny Come Latelys", more with MW's seeming dominance of Albion media.

Again - not heard the show and don't buy a programme so I've yet to experience "Ward's World".

And I'd guess the answer to why he does is because he can. Because he is a journalist. Having to write and say something every other week on the same subject and do so in a way that is pleasing to the eye and ear is not easy.

 

[El Presidente]

Supporting the Albion is a broad church, and we should welcome everyone at the club, provided that they behave themselves and give a bit of vocal support. Being at an away fixture at Scunthrorpe on a Tuesday night in 1996 does not make you a better or worse person than anyone else, but some seem to judge others by such a criteria.

I used to play for the Albion supporters club that was formed in 1983/4, and the same type of problems existed. Some thought that they has a devine right to play 90 minutes each week because they had not missed an away game since 1978 etc.

I read the book, and thought it was good in parts, the most successful elements being how MW became empowered by the commitment and devotion of the hard core support. He openly admits in the book that he will never have that same bond that some of us feel for the stripes, but in all walks of life there are zealouts and there are more casual fans. I went to see the Rolling Stones earlier this month for the first time, there were people there in their '78 Tour T shirts, who know the words to every song, and there were the likes of myself who merely thought they were a very good band, but could take or leave them.

As for being a glory hunter, we are all that to some degree, otherwise we would be watching Saltdean United or Whitehawk on a Saturday, but we choose to follow the Albion.

For a small provincial club with no stadium we do exceedingly well for publicity in the national media, so I am more than happy for MW to be part of the public face of the Albion. He knows how to articulate the case for Falmer unlike some other well known fans who have more of a political slant to their messages.

 

[Brovion]

Spot on Bozza. I have absolutely no problems with Mike Ward, supporting the Albion, he's done a great job publicising us in the national media. Far more than I've done and I've been an Albion fan since the late 60s!

But ...... He is a bit omnipresent, everything has to have a 'Mike Ward' angle or quote. He's a bit like Attila in the fact that he's quite amusing but not an A1 "line-'em-up-and-knock-'em-down" comedy genius, consequently after a while it gets a bit boring. That however is a very minor quibble, I still think he's an asset.

 

[The Beaconsfield]

I think El Presidente has not quite grasped the original point that was made. Of course every fan has the right to air his/her views regardless of age, sex, opinion etc but my point is that no one individual 'fan' has the right to become the voice of the supporters and sadly that is what is beginning to happen.

I do not have the opportunity to voice my views on such a regular basis but Mr Ward has that privilege. If somebody has that right then it ought to be the person who knows what supporting Brighton relly means. Who said anything about being a better person because you went to far flung away fixtures?

It's not about being a better person it's about knowing what Brighton is all about and that I'm afraid encompasses your commitment to the club. Not your profession as a journalist and a desire to sell books.

El Presidente's point about the Rolling Stones gig also seems to miss the point. Of course you can go to the gig and enjoy them although it is only your first time but it also means that you do not have the right to be the voice of the Rolling Stones' fans.

 

[Storer68]

Agree with FC123467890 but last nights phone in was dreadful. We the listensers had to put up with 75% of the phone in taken up with Ward, Hart (and later Bromley Shrimp (whoever?) banging on about what they said on Saturdays phone in (you can find the thread elsewhere on NSC)

It was very dull radio and we'd heard it all before on Saturday.

at least last night there weren't any strange old dears ringin in

I too am a tad suprised about the profile MW seems to have achieved.

Support Arsenal for donkeys years
Write a book about a different club
Suddenly become an acknowldeged expert on all things BHA and given the chance to pontificate about it.

I would rather have a variety of fans as match summarisers/BHA pontificators which would be more interesting than MW who is rapidly running out of interesting things to say (as his programme column proved)

 

[The Beaconsfield]

I think El Presidente has not quite grasped the original point that was made. Of course every fan has the right to air his/her views regardless of age, sex, opinion etc but my point is that no one individual 'fan' has the right to become the voice of the supporters and sadly that is what is beginning to happen.

I do not have the opportunity to voice my views on such a regular basis but Mr Ward has that privilege. If somebody has that right then it ought to be the person who knows what supporting Brighton relly means. Who said anything about being a better person because you went to far flung away fixtures?

It's not about being a better person it's about knowing what Brighton is all about and that I'm afraid encompasses your commitment to the club. Not your profession as a journalist and a desire to sell books.

El Presidente's point about the Rolling Stones gig also seems to miss the point. Of course you can go to the gig and enjoy them although it is only your first time but it also means that you do not have the right to be the voice of the Rolling Stones' fans.

 

[E Block Ernie]

Mike Ward is a glory hunting tosser who is hated by the Albion Real Supporters and at the next home game we will be giving him a lesson in Albion history.
We shall be building a bonfire in the discus nets out of the many thousands of unsold copies of Gullhanger and then we shall put the lardy idiot on top and burn the lot.

 

[E Block Ernie]

I used to play for the Albion supporters club that was formed in 1983/4, and the same type of problems existed. Some thought that they has a devine right to play 90 minutes each week because they had not missed an away game since 1978 etc.

You were dropped as you were crap ya muppet not because you never went to the games

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

In that case, only the old supporters, i.e. people over 65 with more than 50 years supporting the Albion, have the right to voice their opinions on SCR's phone-in.

Isn't that precisely what most people have been saying is wrong with the phone-in though, that it's only old people who ring in.

The argument is about as valid as saying you can't have an opinion about Falmer because you don't support the club, or you weren't born in Sussex.

In my book, if you go to the games, and have a well informed knowledge of the area, then you are qualified to be the voice of a ( not the ) supporter.

So he gets on the radio, big deal. He gets a page in the programme, big deal. So does Millard ( or used to at any rate ).

He has no ' mandate ' as such, he is, like the match summariser, merely a ' guest '.

Perhaps we should have John Vinicombe on instead - he is more qualified than most because of the number of games he's seen, and his in depth knowledge of the club, before many of the people posting on here were even born !

The old adage ' Use it or lose it ' has to apply. If no-one calls Mr Hart is left with dead air to fill, so Mike Ward gets his say.

 

[Pavilionaire]

MW is fine by me.

I listen to Harty's show regularly and think its bloody good. They usually cover the main Albion topics of the day, and I like the increased coverage for text messages which mean that loads more supporters can contribute to the show.

Christ, Harty even gave Turkey best part of 3 minutes last night and NSC must have 10 / 15 posters mentioned per show. What more do you want?

 

[wokingone]

You are lucky to get coverage at all us Albion supporters from Surrey are always ignored having to make do with Woking, Farnborough and Aldershot coverage or even worse Paul Miller

 

[Normandy seagull]

He seems ok to me