The Albion are losing my grandson

[Blackadder]

Seconded.

My lad wanted to support Man Utd. because his mates at school did, I initially reacted thus: "Fine, go ahead, but you are not bringing any of their shit into my house", now I have calmed down and simply point out that Football Marketers are no different to fast food chain Marketers, they want him to support their "Brand" because they want his money not because it benefits him. I want him to support the Albion because I love him and supporting his hometown team means he will always have a sense of belonging.

He is now a Seagull for life, poor sod.

And you voted that we will NEVER get Falmer!

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

It's a hard time to get excited about the football at the moment. I don't feel the same way about the club as I did 5 years ago. I can understand why kids are going to get fed up with it!!

 

[fosters headband]

Sadly I fear they could be losing 12year old Harty junior......desperate times.

Lets hope it is an age thing Harty as my grandson is twelve also, but he was so much becoming a real Albion fan. He would ring me up at home just to talk about who would be in team for next game or what he thought of an away game after listening on the radio. And like drumstick says, he may already have been hooked and the enthusiasm will return.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

Its a dynasty in my family you are literally born into it. All my uncles, aunties, cousins, their kids etc all Palace. It was drummed into you as soon as you could understand!

All my 3 kids are Palace mainly because they wouldn't dare being anything else!

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

By the way i am sure with your influence your grandson will be a Brighton fan soon enough

 

[fosters headband]

By the way i am sure with your influence your grandson will be a Brighton fan soon enough

I hope your correct SJ as I need some support, because many of my relatives live in the Croydon area and are Palace fans.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

I hope your correct SJ as I need some support, because many of my relatives live in the Croydon area and are Palace fans.

Let him stay with them a couple of weeks and he will thank you forever! Mate keep at him i am sure in time he will come round to your way of thinking!

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

And you voted that we will NEVER get Falmer!

Still got serious doubts I must confess...

Heard some worrying things recently.

 

[Harty]

Still got serious doubts I must confess...

Heard some worrying things recently.

Pray tell.................

 

[Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper]

I didnt get into football seriously till the first promotion season with adams when i was 8/9, as wasnt into it too much before. I was brought up by my dad to hate Man United (which i still do to this day) and never liked any other team like i do for Brighton, although i had soft spot for Liverpool.

I've never been swayed to support another club....other than Worthing, who are my No.1 team due to price and distance from house, but albion were always, and always will be my first footballing love.

 

[Beach Hut]

Think Junior is deserting next season as well as he wants to get a Saturday job which is a double whammy - save on not buying a season for him and he has his own money so not bothered.

 

[Da Man Clay]

I was similar when I was his age Fozzie, watched a few games at the Goldstone but never really enjoyed it that much. I too liked Man U.
However when I was about 14 I was drawn back to the Albion, been going with my Granddad when I can ever since.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Poor Lad I hope you keep taking him ..he'll come round I 'll have a word !!!!!!!!

 

[sully]

Maybe actually better on the whole if everybody's grandkids stopped going to Withdean. Seriously. Could actually be better to keep them away and not risk putting them off the Albion for life, cos all things considered Withdean is a pretty negative experience for grown-ups. Must be ten times worse for kids. Maybe wait two years before taking them. They'll only be two years older and Falmer will presumably be full of all good things to keep grandkids hooked, including exciting footballing atmosphere, a roof, proper foodstuffs, the dreaded facepainting etc etc. Valid thought? Or just bollocks?

I actually took the decision at the start of 2007 that I wouldn't subject my kids to Withdean again until they asked to go. To date, they've only been to the Kerry Mayo testimonial (because they wanted to see Wardy) and my lad has been to two games this season (one as mascot and one with a mate, not me).

My lad still wears all his Albion kit for football training and is very strongly an Albion supporter when faced with his glory hunting Premiership supporting peers at school.

I'm sure they'll both be back in time, but I don't want to risk putting them off forever when I can't even get excited about going to Withdean myself.

They're 12 and 10, by the way, and both saw their first game at the age of 4.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

I was lucky... the first ever live game I went to was Wardy's hat-trick for the England under-21s... so for three or four days I supported Wardy, not the Albion. Then I went to my first Albion game. Those were great days as we were on the Mullery bandwaggon. If it had been today maybe it wouldn't have taken so well.

Funnily enough the season we got promoted I changed schools to boarding in Rye and it become impossible to go to matches so my support flagged a bit until Wardy returned and the relegation season /cup final marked me for life a Seagull.

One of the first words my twenty-two month old daughter learned was 'Seagull' and the third was 'ball' and the tenth 'goal'. Because of my troubles with Seagullsworld she has no contact with the Albion. It's hard but have patientce... kids go in and out of things and a few weeks away from live football and he'll miss it I reckon. I did.

 

[Mackenzie]

We talk so much about encouraging youngsters to the Albion and how we have lost generations of kids.
Let me tell you about my grandson. He was an avid young Man U fan at 8 years old. Every present you had to buy him was something to do with Man U.
Why when his family are Albion through and through? At 8 years old I could not get a ticket for him at Withdean, so the only football he watched was on TV, hence his becoming a Man U fan.
The numbers started to drop at Withdean and I was able for the last three years to get him a season ticket next to mine. Everything was great for him, into the cupboards went all the Man U gear. Everything is now blue and white and he could not wait to go to games with me. Since Christmas I have noticed that he keeps saying to me " Oh granddad this is so boring, can we leave now".
Now he is saying he is not sure he wants to go to games and if he does go he now takes one of these blasted pocket pc games with him.
He would leap about, shout and scream encouragement for the team up until Christmas. He is now showing more interest in Man U again and I find this so sad. But it does demonstrate to me just how badly we have declined recently.

That is a shame FH. I take two of my children (the third is only a year old) and they really love going BUT we mainly go to away games (we live in Wales) perhaps an away day experience might do the trick.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Mine's gonna be a Albion whether he likes it or not

.

 

[Simster]

f*** sake eastlondon, look at the kids face. Not a SHINING example of how forcing him to be an Albion fan is going to improve his life.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

f*** sake eastlondon, look at the kids face. Not a SHINING example of how forcing him to be an Albion fan is going to improve his life.

He'll grow to love it

.

 

[SJ's Love Monkey]

He is thinking shit i hope i don't look like that!