Where would we be today if the Goldstone saga had never happened?

[seagull_in_malaysia]

Ignore all the financial problems of the 90s and the ground's sale. Say we had a decent chairman in place instead of BA and didn't sell the ground, where would we be today? Would we still be at the Goldstone in 2011? Or would we have redeveloped the ground into a modern stadium, or perhaps moved on on our own free will? Perhaps we would have inevitably ended up at Falmer as its the only other feasible location for a ground apart from the Goldstone.
Also where would the club be in the football league? Would we have moved up the divisions earlier? Or would we possibly be non-league?

Obviously no one knows for sure but I was thinking about this today and thought it was quite an interesting thing to ponder on.

Thoughts?

 

[Seagull kimchi]

It's all about the Tony Bloom equation.

Tony = Gus = Higher profile = A Buzz.

 

[peterward]

It's all about the Tony Bloom equation.

Tony = Gus = Higher profile = A Buzz.

or

Tony = Higher profile = Gus = A Bus

 

[Seagull kimchi]

^^^
Quality!

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Moaning about the shit ground we have... Andy Naylor would love it!

 

[seagull_in_malaysia]

Moaning about the shit ground we have... Andy Naylor would love it!

 

[ROSM]

The goldstone would have been converted into a max 13k all seated with limited additional facilities. This may have required the stadium being turned 90degrees and the businesses at the south end relocating. The main stand would have faced the old shoreham road, we would have had a big stand where the west stand was and a tint one behind the goal on the east side.

We would then be looking to get a new stadium and would have great difficulty as everyone in authority would say that we already had a stadium so didn't need a new one.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

We would have struggled no doubt,we would have a ground(now 2011) worth £30-£40 m? and perhaps it took an event(though it never was right)such as we had to take us forward-

 

[inland seagull]

As I recall, there were so many age old restrictions and covenants restricting re-develoment of the Goldstone that any planning applications would have had to tiptoe through so many potential minefields of objections, that, imo discussions/arguments would probably still be going on now. Begs that questions would the club still exist if we had stayed at the Godstone

 

[Jameson]

I think this is an interesting question; the Goldstone was, despite being our beloved home, an awful ground and it was pretty much derelict. With modern football ground building technology (goal post stands etc) it could have been rebuild but at the time it would have been prohibitively expensive. The facilities were dire and not place a woman would want to be at and need the toilet (do you remember the north stand WCs?). The east side was always going to be a problem but technically there was plenty of room on all four sides. Overall, I suspect what has happened to us may have been the incentive and determination builder that has got us where we are. In an odd way, we may have ended up in a worse place than we have now by going through the mill.

 

[Art Vs Science]

Brighton and Hove Albion | News | Latest News | Latest News | Goldstone Ground Remembered

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Brighton and Hove Albion | News | Latest News | Latest News | Goldstone Ground Remembered

Still feels like yesterday-God Bless her.

 

[Art Vs Science]

Still feels like yesterday-God Bless her.

Oh........to me it seems like a lifetime ago. Only a few weeks now before we see our new home packed to the rafters in a league game.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

I have several excellent pictures of her from 1992 which at some point in time this summer/autumn i will get uploaded to NSC,most from the usual angles and my particular favourite & most prized Goldstone possession "just me in the Northstand" will remain just for me,but others include a superb shot of the North viewed from the North East corner.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Oh........to me it seems like a lifetime ago. Only a few weeks now before we see our new home packed to the rafters in a league game.

you know it will drag now and seem to take ages.

 

[Art Vs Science]

Will look forward to the snaps then!!

 

[MrShaun15]

love this!

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Will look forward to the snaps then!!

Yes have about 20 in total,but probably 8 that are what i call pure stand shots,no people.

They unlike others will be under no copyright terms etc and will be free for all Albion fans to view.

Need to dig them out(i know i have them somewhere) and copy scan and get them on here,i think i may have negatives as well(fingers crossed).

Something i have been meaning to do for ages,as there does not seem to be anything on the web to match them.

They were taken pre season when we had the "deck chair" kits-Clive Walker Byrne,Mark Gall era at the photo shoot.

 

[Brovion]

The goldstone would have been converted into a max 13k all seated with limited additional facilities. This may have required the stadium being turned 90degrees and the businesses at the south end relocating. The main stand would have faced the old shoreham road, we would have had a big stand where the west stand was and a tint one behind the goal on the east side.

We would then be looking to get a new stadium and would have great difficulty as everyone in authority would say that we already had a stadium so didn't need a new one.

Indeed. I wonder what the Falmer footprint is in relation to the Goldstone? I.e. if we tried to build an exact replica of the Amex on the old site how much of Goldstone Lane and/or Newton road would we have had to buy up in order to accommodate it?

The biggest problem is we would have been stuck with it. One of the great weapons we had in our fight for Falmer was the 'sympathy vote'; we made a lot of capital out of the way we'd been treated by Archer and co and how we were now having to play in a rented athletics ground. If we'd been at the Goldstone the opposition and objection to a new stadium at Falmer, or indeed anywhere in the Brighton and Hove area, would perhaps have been insurmountable. The only realistic alternatives would have been places like Pende.

Good can come out of bad things. I know giving any credit to Archer for where we are now is a bit like thanking the Luftwaffe for helping to re-develop the east end of London, but we had to 'go there to come back' if you can understand what I'm saying.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

I think there was some sort of regulation that would prevent the club building up the East stand due to the houses behind (secretly always fancied living in one of them then) so expansion was limited to North/West/South stand.