Mike Ward

[Brovion]

Christ what a load of Albion snobs.
So what if he's not a bobble-hatted lifelong fan of the club, is that some kind of heinous CRIME now ? He's been watching the Albion for most (if not all ?) of our time at Withdean, has paid for his season ticket like the rest of us, but just happens to have a job in the media whereby he is seen by SCR as a semi-competant broadcaster, which has led to him being involved in the phone-in. You might not like his book or his column, but the OTT spite and bile directed at the bloke on here seems to be born primarily out of the fact that he didn't grow up supporting the club. So what. Big deal. get over yerselves. I bet there's loads of regulars at Withdean who could say the same. And I notice nobody on here feels strongly enough to actually go on the phone-in and say what you think of him.

Yes I'd still prefer Harty doing the phone-in as well, but he's had enough, so its not like Ward elbowed him aside to grab the job is it. Give the guy a break, he's not THAT bad. All this "I'm a bigger fan of the Albion than you" knobsize comparisons are getting tiresome. Petty and pointless.

Yup I agree as well. I'm not a fan of his work (his column in the programme was dire) but at times it's like listening to a load of racists saying you can't be English unless your family are white and have been here for more than 500 years. I'm obviously biased because like Mike Ward, Lord B and a fair few others I'm not Sussex born and bred and Brighton were not the team I initially supported as a boy. Maybe us immigrants should piss off back to where we came from and let a few thousand 'purebloods' try and fill Falmer?

 

[maffew]

Yup I agree as well. I'm not a fan of his work (his column in the programme was dire) but at times it's like listening to a load of racists saying you can't be English unless your family are white and have been here for more than 500 years. I'm obviously biased because like Mike Ward, Lord B and a fair few others I'm not Sussex born and bred and Brighton were not the team I initially supported as a boy. Maybe us immigrants should piss off back to where we came from and let a few thousand 'purebloods' try and fill Falmer?

Wonder how many of us are from outside Sussex out of interest

 

[Soul Finger]

I agree we need as many fans as we can but the radio show host needs someone who knows their Albion history and is a bonafide long term fan imo, like, er , Ian Hart. How can you host a show about a football club when you know very little about their past ?.

Fair point.

While it's great to get 'new'ish fans, if they're hosting a phone-in they need to have supported the club - and therefore learnt the nuances, idiosyncrasies, and a fair amount of history - for the majority of their life in order to deal with the callers.

I think Ward is a decent bloke. He just happens to be in a position where he can be easily criticised for the slightest error.

 

[Fef]

Christ what a load of Albion snobs.
So what if he's not a bobble-hatted lifelong fan of the club, is that some kind of heinous CRIME now ? He's been watching the Albion for most (if not all ?) of our time at Withdean, has paid for his season ticket like the rest of us, but just happens to have a job in the media whereby he is seen by SCR as a semi-competant broadcaster, which has led to him being involved in the phone-in. You might not like his book or his column, but the OTT spite and bile directed at the bloke on here seems to be born primarily out of the fact that he didn't grow up supporting the club. So what. Big deal. get over yerselves. I bet there's loads of regulars at Withdean who could say the same. And I notice nobody on here feels strongly enough to actually go on the phone-in and say what you think of him.

Yes I'd still prefer Harty doing the phone-in as well, but he's had enough, so its not like Ward elbowed him aside to grab the job is it. Give the guy a break, he's not THAT bad. All this "I'm a bigger fan of the Albion than you" knobsize comparisons are getting tiresome. Petty and pointless.

I confess: Brighton wasn't my first team, it was QPR - cos my family lived near the ground at the time. After we moved to Brighton, I supported Brighton and have done, exclusively, for 35 years now. Just because Brighton wasn't my first and only team doesn't make me any less of a supporter.

This 'small village' mentality is so banal.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

As I listened last night (and was almost reduced to tears by the little brave and couragous boy who said he was the only Albion fan at his school..if only he could sing or dance he'd be a sure winner on X-Factor given his disadvantages..I can see Cheryl leaning her head to one side with that pittying look on her face now) it never crossed my mind that such erudite and enlightened callers are part of the problem. I therefore lay the blame solely at Mike Ward's feet. I mean, the show IS all about him isnt it?

 

[Albion Dan]

You might not like his book or his column, but the OTT spite and bile directed at the bloke on here seems to be born primarily out of the fact that he didn't grow up supporting the club.

Utter rubbish.

Its the fact a fan of very few years was telling us our rivalry that has spanned nearly 40 years was wrong and that we should get a grip. The bloke hasnt a clue about what growing up as an Albion supporter means which is fine UNLESS he then starts to act as an authority on what it is to be a supporter of this club.

I have no problem with anyone swapping alegiance to us, all for it, unless there is a hint that it is a commercially motivated activity and is then held up as the supporters voice.

 

[Albion Dan]

Yep but Norman Cook is cool, Mike Ward is not.

Norman Cook has given us money, Mike Ward has extracted it.

 

[Don Tmatter]

While it's great to get 'new'ish fans, if they're hosting a phone-in they need to have supported the club - and therefore learnt the nuances, idiosyncrasies, and a fair amount of history - for the majority of their life in order to deal with the callers.

I think Ward is a decent bloke. He just happens to be in a position where he can be easily criticised for the slightest error.

Excellently put, wish i'd written that, but the emotions were running a bit high last night.

 

[R. Slicker]

Christ what a load of Albion snobs.
So what if he's not a bobble-hatted lifelong fan of the club, is that some kind of heinous CRIME now ? He's been watching the Albion for most (if not all ?) of our time at Withdean, has paid for his season ticket like the rest of us, but just happens to have a job in the media whereby he is seen by SCR as a semi-competant broadcaster, which has led to him being involved in the phone-in. You might not like his book or his column, but the OTT spite and bile directed at the bloke on here seems to be born primarily out of the fact that he didn't grow up supporting the club. So what. Big deal. get over yerselves. I bet there's loads of regulars at Withdean who could say the same. And I notice nobody on here feels strongly enough to actually go on the phone-in and say what you think of him.

Yes I'd still prefer Harty doing the phone-in as well, but he's had enough, so its not like Ward elbowed him aside to grab the job is it. Give the guy a break, he's not THAT bad. All this "I'm a bigger fan of the Albion than you" knobsize comparisons are getting tiresome. Petty and pointless.

Well said, I think this is what I was trying to say. It annoys me a bit that every time he does a phone in, a thread turns up so he can be roundly slagged off.

 

[Giraffe]

It's not even about the fact that he is not a real fan. I accept that he is. But he is not a long serving fan which this role requires and equally he is bloody boring. No jokes just the same old stuff, and frankly I kind of feel that he is just going through the motions.

 

[Easy 10]

Utter rubbish.

Its the fact a fan of very few years was telling us our rivalry that has spanned nearly 40 years was wrong and that we should get a grip. The bloke hasnt a clue about what growing up as an Albion supporter means which is fine UNLESS he then starts to act as an authority on what it is to be a supporter of this club.

I have no problem with anyone swapping alegiance to us, all for it, unless there is a hint that it is a commercially motivated activity and is then held up as the supporters voice.

The fact that Ward is seen by many posters on here as being some kind of scumbag due to primarily being a relatively "new" fan is certainly not "utter rubbish", Dan. A few examples just from this thread:

I wish he would f*** off back to Arsenal, and let a true Brighton fan do the phone in full time.

He is appalling. He is an opportunist who has climbed on a bandwagon.

Not from Sussex and only supported us for 8/9 years so will never have the passion or feeling for the club that the rest of us do.

Boring twat should revert back to Arsenal. "Ooooh look at me. I got fed up with the money business and decided to support a shit team that was doing well". I bet he regrets that. Do us all a favour and f*** off back to North London.

It was crap. The main problem for me is that Mike Ward NEVER has and NEVER will have credibility as an Albion fan. Mike Ward did not have a clue when Albion last let in 7 or more. Thats because he joined the ship about 5 years ago when we were doing well.

the radio show host needs someone who knows their Albion history and is a bonafide long term fan

He isn't an authority on the club, and nothing he's said or written comes across as him trying to be. Unless you're already firmly in the DEATH TO MIKE WARD brigade, and are actively looking to string him up over whatever innocuous remark or spacefiller you decide to take huge offfence to. Just seems some people are itching to be "outraged" by him for some reason. Is he a brilliant presenter or writer ? Not really, no. But he's fairly inoffensive in my opinion, so I really struggle to understand the bitter resentment and outright abuse he attracts on here.



Suppose it makes me a bad fan, not hating Mike Ward. I dunno.

 

[Lokki 7]

I couldn't give a toss if Mike Ward was born on the centre circle of the Goldstone's pitch, he is still a boring, talentless, dullard that seems to think he knows how I should best support my club. He can support whatever team he likes but can he please do it quietly.

Oh, and no MW rant would be complete without mentioning the £6.99 and 4 hours of my life he caused me to waste on possibly the worst book ever put into print.

 

[ChapManiA]

Ward just sounds like any other tired presenter on BBC Sussex, he's a perfect fit, and is probably why he was hired. Why do the BBC Sussex bosses see fit to hire old boring voices?

We were spoilt with Harty who was spritely, full of emotion and just had that certain something that made him a good phone-in host.

I don't think it's vital for a host to have great in-depth knowledge of the club if you have a guest alongside you that knows lots about the team. However, on a Tuesday night where the phone-in is conducted from the BBC Sussex Studio with no co-host, Mike Ward is not the answer, especially when the callers are so thin on the ground.

 

[portlock seagull]

Don't like Ward. Loved Harty. But the morning after, we have more serious matters to consider.

 

[El Presidente]

We got stuffed 7-1 last night and a bunch of superfans whose main claim to fame is that they were born in Sussex (but funnily enough weren't there to watch last night's spanking) are more interested in a radio presenter whose biggest crime is once supporting Arsenal and writing a book that was a bit boring in places.

Equally last season we had people from NSC writing to the BBC peeling onions and shedding crocodile tears about Ian Hart over 'lickergate', being an 'amateur' rather than 'professional' broadcaster (without revealing how the difference is determined) and reeling around the fountain when his contract wasn't renewed.

It's your radio phone in, take some f***ing responsibility and make it better by calling in and saying something sensible, or silly, or outrageous...........or instead continue to bitch behind your keyboards whilst sitting on your fat pustulent arses and wondering why girls don't talk to you.

 

[portlock seagull]

El Pres makes a good point.

 

[Easy 10]

It's your radio phone in, take some f***ing responsibility and make it better by calling in and saying something sensible, or silly, or outrageous...........or instead continue to bitch behind your keyboards whilst sitting on your fat pustulent arses and wondering why girls don't talk to you.

How DARE you.

I know EXACTLY why girls won't talk to me. I'm fat, ugly, and have personal hygiene issues.

 

[chairman]

some say you havn't made it till you have been slagged off on nsc. well mike has well and truly made it and is almost certainly having a chuckle to him self after all its a phone in prog and it relies on callers to make it good or bad. Ive been watching the albion since 1958 but that dosn't make me a radio phone in host, so give him a chance it can only get better, lets hope the teams performances get better to

 

[Giraffe]

some say you havn't made it till you have been slagged off on nsc. well mike has well and truly made it

Yep Mike and Adam El Abd!

 

[Icy Gull]

Well said, I think this is what I was trying to say. It annoys me a bit that every time he does a phone in, a thread turns up so he can be roundly slagged off.

In truth though, the phone in is ALWAYS slagged off. Harty got shit and now Ward is getting shit. I don't understand why people get so wound up about it. It's just a twee provincial radio programme about a small lower league club, it's never going to be of the quality of a top BBC or Sky programme. Sometimes it's interesting sometimes it's shit